Once Bitten, Twice Shy 12 – 14
"Pennington, sounds good but all the way in fucking Alaska?" Xander wondered as he drove home if he was just plain nuts. Sure, he wanted to move from Sunnyhell and he didn´t mind moving states but countries was another thing altogether. When he had mentioned his problem to Barney that morning, only telling his burly friend that both himself and his not quite right cousin that was currently living with him were sick of Sunnydale and were looking for greener pastures, his foreman had been disappointed at the thought of losing both a fellow worker and someone that had turned into a good drinking buddy and friend.
Having been looked at by the taller man curiously at his explanation, he had been told to leave it in the other mans hands. Lunchtime had rolled around and Barney had asked him to come into the office with him. He had briefly thought that he was going to get fired, just an irrational angst moment on his behalf from all his other previous experiences in being fired after going into numerous offices with numerous bosses.
Barney had sat him down and handed him a list of about 6 jobs and the dates in which he could start. He hadn´t known that his boss knew so many people in the trade. Two were in Mexico and he had discounted these straight away as he didn´t know any Spanish, not having paid any attention in school to the required lessons in that language. One was in L.A. and that too had been waved away pretty much immediately. He didn´t want to be anywhere near Angel and he knew that if he was near the older vampire, Giles´ would ask the dark haired male to keep an eye on him and worst of all Buffy would come to visit, bringing Riley along with her, therefore defeating the whole purpose of moving away.
The fourth was provided by the Australian friend down in New Orleans but that wasn´t available until almost four weeks away when one of the company workers was getting married and moving himself to Austria. The other two were ones in Alaska and Las Vegas. Both were available almost immediately, at the end of the week actually and Barney had promised him that his friends would keep the positions open for him for a few more days than the due closing date if he wanted one of them.
Las Vegas didn´t really appeal either but he supposed that it could be exciting. Alaska was a whole eternity away from Sunnydale. Pennington was an up and coming little town that had just opened a new lumbermill, restaraunt, supermarket and now boasted a large bright and shiny mall. All to compliment the new housing estates that were going up around the area.
With a sigh, Xander supposed that Las Vegas was closer and that he would still be in the United States at least. But the thought of getting away into a whole new country was really growing on him. Four years in a nice little country town with lots of flannel wearing lumberjacks.
He had been told to think about which one to take when he told his boss of his difficulty in making a choice between the two of them. Barney had laughed at him, telling him that he didn´t expect him to make a descion right there and then. When he had asked the older man which one he would go for himself, Xander had been told that personally, he would go for the Alaskan one over the Las Vegas gig due to the newness of the whole thing. Las Vegas was notorious for business´s going bust and restarting almost the next day with borrowed mob money. There would be no guarantee that if it happened to the company Xander worked for, that he would be able to get his job back at the same company and he really didn´t want the younger man to get mixed up in anything.
"Where the hell would I get blood for Spike?" mused the tired brunette as he pulled into the parking spot reserved for his apartment. Still, it would be a country town and how much trouble could one human and one mute vampire get into by themselves. There was a major town only an hour and a half away from Pennington. The only down side to that fact was that the majorness of the town meant that it was smaller than Sunnydale but not by much he had been assured by Barney. He had rung back his contact when he was sure that Xander was seriously considering the Alaskan town.
A few more details later and the idea really had started to grow on him with a vengeance. He had actually been asked by the foreman if his cousin wanted a job as well, apparently there was an abundance of positions going. They were having trouble filling them due to the fact that it was in Alaska. What was meant by that comment, Xander didn´t really know and hadn´t cared.
With a loud slam of the rusting car door, he wondered wether his car would make it to another town let alone another country. It would take lots of driving by both him and the bleached blonde to get there but it was a comforting thought that they would both be away from the ex–soldiers. He didn´t want anything to do with Riley now, not a thing. He knew of two others on Spikes list, Graham and Martinez. He had had a few conversations with Graham and had actually liked the tall man, Martinez, he had only spoken to twice but had nodded to him when they had passed each other in the street. Who the other two were, he had no idea, Corey and the question mark that even Spike didn´t know.
Giving the key a vicious twist in the apartment front door lock, he wondered wether Anya would like to take up the lease on the place, hopefully placating his soon to be pissed landlady. The sound of a Passion re–run came to greet him as he pushed the door open, stepping through, he saw the vampire engrossed in his favourite program.
" Hey Blondie, Whats happening? Felice leave Damien for Lane? Did Janet have a boy or a girl?"
Tired, he plonked himself on the couch next to the vampire and watched the closing credits with the totally engaged man. It wasn´t as if the blonde hadn´t already seen this episode, the show was run twice a day much like that strange Australian show, Neighbours in England. Spike had spouted off numerous times about the "friggin shit of a show" to know that it should only be Passions that should be shown twice a day and nothing else. Smile on his face as he recalled the tantrum that always erupted when he said the word "Neighbours", he pulled the smaller man onto his lap.
Spikes cool body in his lap was giving his crotch ideas. The morning glory he had put into use earlier on that day had been hard and fast. He hadn´t meant to make the blonde bleed again, just that once again he couldn´t stop himself from going for it. He had been feeling slightly guilty at the thought of getting off on the vampires pain all day and had stopped at the mall on the way home. With not much change from twenty dollars, he had purchased one of Revlons latest colour nail polishes, a fresh bottle of nail polish remover and a bag of cotton wipes. Spike hated cotton balls, writing him that the tiny fibres marred his freshly done polish so now only cotton wipes would do.
Weird quirk for a vampire but it was pretty harmless and Xander really didn´t mind indulging the blonde with it. Bag ripped open, he waved the new bottle of polish in front of the vampire.
"Look, Lagoon Blue!" teased the brunette. Indicating that the smaller man should start taking off his old polish, he moved the vampire off his lap and walked into the kitchen, opening the freezer section of the fridge, he pulled out a microwave meal. Too tired to cook a real meal for himself, he also pulled out a blood bag. With the smell of polish remover wafting through the small apartment, he wondered whether he should sell his furniture and buy new secondhand stuff or hire a u–haul and tow it all to wherever he was going.
The bond he would get back from his landlady would be used up on petrol and food along the way and although he did have some savings in the bank, he hadn´t been able to save much due to the fact that he fed and clothed two on a wage for one.
The sounds of the whelp bustling around in the kitchen assaulted the blondes ears. Busy wiping off his old chipped polish of Lancome Midnight Blue that Xander had gotten him after a slapping a few months ago, Spike wondered if the boy had talked to his boss.
~ Would really like to move very soon pet. What the hell made him choose this one ~
A twist of the cap with his now unadorned fingertips, he looked closely at the colour. Tentatively, he wiped a small line across his thumbnail and waited for it to dry to its true colour. Maybe it would need two coats, but usually Revlon polishes were pretty thick and only needed one. Briefly he wondered whether the boy was going to paint his nails for him again like he had when gifted with the other polish a few months ago.
~ Hmmm, not bad a colour. Give the whelp credit in the colour choosing department, hasn´t really picked a bad one yet. Pity it take a bit of pain for me to get something though. ~
Snorting to himself at the self pity that went coursing through his body, he proceeded to paint the rest of his nails as the boy hadn´t specifically told him not to. Cool breath blowing over the freshly done nails and he could smell his dinner as the microwave pinged. Lips thoroughly licked, he reached up to take the warm mug from the boy as he sat next to him, balancing a lasagne on his lap.
Dinner eaten quietly and quickly while the t.v. dramatised the events of the day, the demon looked at the boy while in game face and wondered what was making the boy nervous and excited at the same time. He knew that it couldn´t be the sex to come later on that night as the boy now didn´t have a reason to be nervous. Fingers drumming upon the black clad thighs, Spike waited for the boy to make an announcement of some sort. The plate and cutlery clattering against the coffee table, Xander turned to look at the gamefaced demon sitting beside him finishing his own type of dinner. Spike usually sipped slowly at his mugs of blood now that it was the only time that he went into gameface. He liked to savour the moment, so to speak. After living with the vampire for so long, it didn´t bother xander anymore.
With his throat cleared with a slight cough, he waited for the vampire to put down his empty mug on the table that his socked feet were resting upon. The blondes attention focused fully on the brunette.
" So. How do you feel about Alaska?"
~ What the bloody fuck does he mean by that? Why do I get the impression that I should have taken notes last time I watched Deliverance?
Shocked blue eyes looked into humorous dark brown ones and both wondered if the young boy had gone completely mad.
With his legs swinging back and forth, Spike was trying to ignore the inner voice that was telling him to go back to the apartment and wait for Xander to come home from the supermarket. As he sat on the broken swing in the little park down the street from his place of residence, he turned his thoughts to what had caused the huge bruise currently blooming across his pale left cheek.
~ Jesus, all I did was helpfully point out to the whelp that Alaska was one of the States of America, didn´t think it would cause a fucking slapping fit ~
Xander had come home the night before all excited and had mentioned Alaska to the vampire. Shocked at first, the boy´s excitement had eventually rubbed off onto the older male. With the brunette telling him all that he had learnt from Barney, not actually being much, he had thought of how far away he would be from the soldiers and the sodding scooby gang, not to mention his prick of a Sire. When he had nodded at the taller man in agreement to the plan, he had been rewarded with a long hot and steamy pashing session that had eventually landed them both in bed. The whelp had actually taken it a lot slower that time. Still bled but not really enough to worry about. He had managed to hit the prostate pretty much each time he had thrust into the vampire causing the blonde to cum himself without the need for friction.
A look around the park and up at the stars shining down through the clear night sky, Spike climbed off the creaky swing and went to sit on the small set of iron monkey bars next to the empty sandpit. He had had a good day at home while waiting for the boy to come home with some more information about where they were going to move. On Passions, his favourite character had given birth to a girl and the show´s trouble maker, Bethany, had caused trouble by stealing the baby. Smiled hard at that, had even laughed when writing the whelp what had happened. Xander had teased him by telling him that he supposed Spike had been happy at the baby stealing. He hadn´t denied that fact at all.
All blew up of course when the boy had been telling him about his new position in the great country of Alaska. With soft grunting laughter, he wrote the boy of the fact that Alaska was a State, not another country. The look on the face of the brunette had been priceless and he had continued to laugh until it registered that the other man wasn´t laughing with him. A few minutes later found him curled on his side, face and body hot from the heavily delivered slaps and punches, the younger man towering over him with a foot firmly planted on either side of his shaking body.
Words screamed at him in a black rage. What an arsehole he was, how ungrateful, how dare he laugh, not everybody could be like Giles´ or Willow so fucking stop laughing. Words punctuated with a few kicks to his ribs. First time he had been kicked by the whelp.
The angry male had spat out that he was going to the supermarket before he really started getting nasty. How much nastier the boy could get, Spike really didn´t want to know. With the door not locked so that he couldn´t get out, the blonde had taken advantage of it and had limped down to the small park to just get away for a little while. He liked the park, it being close enough to home so that he didn´t have panic attacks when he went down by himself sometimes when Xander went out drinking with his work mates.
~ Going to get it worse if I don´t get back before him. Major hissy fit in the works tonight. Probably hit tomorrow night ~
Having only been in the park for less than an hour, Spike knew that the boy would be back in around another hour. Content to just sit and take in the view, something that he had never really done before the chip not even with Dru in one of her more lucid moments, he really didn´t take any notice of what was going around him. Didn´t notice the two men who had followed him from the apartment that they had been watching for a few nights. Didn´t know that they were sitting downwind from him not very far at all.
They were sitting as far away from him as they could while still being able to see him. Not that hard on such a clear night with the great moonlight. Using military hand signals, Martinez and Corey talked to each other while finishing their beers. They couldn´t believe that the vampire hadn´t spotted them yet and they were waiting until he did before making a move on him. They had noticed the way the blonde limped down to the park and they had certainly taken notice when the Harris kid had stormed out to his car.
The three of them continued to sit in their places, one completely oblivious and the other two waiting to pounce and maim something that they both hated intensely. With a shift of his legs on the monkey bars, Spike copped a good whiff of the air surrounding him. Not taking any notice to begin with, he turned his head to the opposite direction and whined inwardly when he recognised the two scents that he feared the most. Martinez and Corey.
~ Bloody fuck! What am I going to do? Their going to be on me the moment I move. ~
Trying to sit as still as possible, he fought down the rising nausea and tears at the stupidity of being caught alone in a deserted park. Not even a lit car park had stopped them from copping a feel, what was going to stop them from raping him again?
~ Oh god, Xander I´m so sorry. Please come and find me. I promise I won´t do anything so stupid again, please hurry and get back and come looking for me ~
Knowing that this would be the first place the younger man would look for him when he was to be found missing from the apartment, Spike started to pant in nervousness. He hoped that the soldiers couldn´t hear him, feeling the tears break free as he sniffed the air again recognising the bitter smell of beer intermingled with anger and arousal.
Eyes snapped shut as he heard the scuffing of leaves steadily increasing towards him, the beer scent drifting over before he caught the sound of two heartbeats only paces behind him. The arousal was roiling off Martinez, Corey only slightly behind him in the horny stakes. With the smell causing him to pant harder,he continued to sit still on top of the monkey bars with his back turned towards the drunk men.
~ Where are you Xander, please, please come and find me. I want to go home. ~
Squealing in both pain and fright as he was wrenched from the monkey bars, landing upon his sore ribs on the hard ground, he lay on his back looking up at the two men standing over him, slugging back what little beer they had left.
" See Corey, told you he was turned on that time in the car park, listen to him pant, he sooo wants us to fuck him again " slurred the hardening Martinez.
" Don´t want to screw the prick just yet, lets soften him up, get him nice and pretty like he was the first time" Corey replied with a kick to the crying mans stomach.
Tears pouring down his face, Spike grunted as the heavy boot connected with his t–shirt clad stomach, dry retching from the blow, he tried to crawl away from the two laughing men as they continued to kick him wherever they could land a heavy boot. Arms around his head, protecting his chipped side, he lay on the ground in the hope that if he just took it, they might lose interest or just beat him unconscious.
After a few solid kicks to the small of his back, the vampire felt hands wrap themselves in his bleached hair. Shaking in pain and fright, he was dragged by Corey to one of the two park benches that were situated by the park fence. With grunts and soft squeals, Spike was struggling for all he was worth, praying for his claimant to hurry up and find him.
The hands of Martinez were running over his backside as he was pushed onto his knees, upper body forced to lean over the thin planks of wood. Not satisfied, Corey settled his heavy frame on the coolness of Spikes back, squashing the smaller mans chest into the uncomfortable bench. Knees on either side of the vampires body, Corey wriggled around on the back before sitting firmly, facing Martinez as the other soldier finished undoing the the belt and fly holding the black jeans up.
~ No, no, no not again, please stop. You don´t have to do this. I´m moving, you´ll never see me again. You can forget all about me. Please stop ~
Hissing in pain as a large blunt finger was shoved into his clenching hole, he shook his head from side to side, wondering if he had a please abuse me sign tattooed upon his forehead. What was it that made everyone want to fuck him rough ?
With a shudder at the feel of the finger being withdrawn, he whined at what he knew was going to come next. Or at least what should have come next if Xander wasn´t on top of Corey beating at him with both fists while trying to keep the other soldier at bay at the same time. Now free, Spike grasped at his belt and quickly did up his jeans. A deep breath, and he smashed at the thin planks of the park bench, ready to throw the plank towards his claimant when the opportunity presented it´s self.
The brunette was going pretty much mental, yelling at the older men to just fuck off and leave what was his alone. He wasn´t going too badly against the other two by himself. Obviously all the nights patrolling and helping Binty slay was paying off and the muscle he had put on because of his job was handy as well.
~ Come on pet, get the fuckers. Kill them, rip them apart limb by limb. No mercy luv! ~
Wincing when he saw the brunette get his legs kicked out from under him so that the younger man landed with a thud onto his back, he was distracted by a car pulling to a halt at the park entrance. With a hope that it wasn´t the arseholes mates, he looked at the three men leaping out of the car in fear only to have it replaced with relief when he recognised Barney and two others of the whelps work mates.
Barney, Willis and Jack ran towards the downed boy who was currently being kicked and punched by the more skilled men. Roaring their displeasure at the sight of one of their work mates being overpowered in an unfair fight, the three burly men leapt into the melee, eager to pay back someone who dared pick on one of their own. The drunk soldiers never really knew what hit them with the mass and strength of a train. Martinez literally bounced off Barney´s large frame, allowing the balding foreman to get the mexican in a steelgripped bearhug, squeezing the younger man with all his might till he heard the other man start gasping for breath.
Jack and Willis pulled Corey off Xander, alternately punching the soldier with large meaty hands and asking if the gasping younger man on the ground was ok. Xander wearily got up and promptly kicked Corey between the legs as hard as he could much to the delight of Spike who had run up with the plank of wood still in his grasp. Seeing that Corey was pretty much taken care of, too hurt and winded to make a sound as he rolled on the ground with Xander kicking him in the ribs, the vampire turned his attention to Barney and the gasping for breathe Martinez still pinned in the huge arms of the foreman.
Smile beaming across his face, ignoring the pain it was causing and doing nothing to dispel the story of being "not quite right" that Xander had told his work mates, Spike waved the plank in Xanders direction indicating to the boy that he should bash Martinez with all the strength that he had left. With a wave of his hand, the tired brunette told the vampire to drop the plank as Barney head butted the dark haired male in his grasp after being repeatedly kicked at by the man struggling for air. Dropped on the ground by the large man, the soldier wheezed and gasped for the reviving air. Xander stomped over and started kicking at the man rolling on the ground. After a few well placed kicks also to the groin, Willis stopped the angry boy from going too far.
Spike was sore but it was being overridden by happiness at two of his attackers finally being beaten and him having been lucky enough to see it. Unable to stop himself from hugging the younger man tightly, they both yelped at their respective sore ribs. Barney looked at them both and gestured for them to walk to the car with Willis and Jack. They were given a lift home with Xander inviting them in for a beer and an explanation.
Xander told the three men that moving away was partially due to the two men in the park and their three other friends. Jack and Willis sat on the couch while Barney was on one of the kitchen stools with Xander on the old beanbag, Spike sitting next to him on the floor. All sipping at the cold beer that the blonde had handed around, Jack told them that they had stopped at the apartment to see if they wanted to go out for one last beer at the local before they moved away. Not being any answer to the loud knocks, they had given up and drove past the park, slowing down to stare at the fight happening. It had been only chance that Willis had recognised Xanders cousin and the fact that the brunette, when he had gone down on his back, he had turned his face towards the road.
The moonlight had made it clear enough to see his face. Thanking them all profusely, Xander hated to think of what would have happened if his friends hadn´t come by when they did. Spike sure wouldn´t have been able to do anything. Barney asked Xander why he was being picked on by the two men in the park. The smaller blonde had flinched at the question, something that didn´t go unnoticed by the the other men in the room.
Jack asked if it was something to do with his cousin being a bit "special". Spike scowled at that while the young man had blushed and nodded, saying that until the five had made it their personal agenda to thump at his cousin at every opportunity they could, knowing that the slender male wouldn´t fight back, it hadn´t been a problem and that he still didn´t know why they had chosen his cousin to pick on.
More beer gotten out of the fridge by Spike, the conversation turned to what Alaska would be like, really weird weather, strange odd people, wilderness and lots of flannel. Laughter bounced off the walls at some of the stories that were shared around. Xander felt his heart constrict at the thought of leaving these good friends he had made, he was sure that he would make another set of good mates in Pennington but these were actually the first set of friends he had made outside of the scooby group so they were something special. With the work next day looming close, goodbyes were said all round, Spike smiling and nodding at the claps on the back by people heedless to the bruising.
Didn´t really matter he thought after what they had done for the whelp.
"Your what? With who?" exclaimed the six stunned people sitting in the ex–watchers living room.
"Moving to Alaska with Spike!" replied Xander, resisting the urge to giggle at the astounded expressions that Anya, Giles´, Willow, Tara, Buffy and Riley had plastered on their faces.
He was the only one standing in the cluttered room, everyone else having sat down pretty fast after his announcement. He just thanked god for the opportunity that Anya had presented him with. Originally, everyone had been invited to the G–Man´s place at the behest of both the ex–demon and her employer. Well, now newly announced boyfriend, according to them both.
Apparently all had gone well the night of Xander´s little theiving exercise even after Anya´s initial disappointment with the fact that Fantasia wasn´t a porno movie. Giles´, while trying to explain the concept of the movie to her, had finally given into the girls demands for a porno after a few drinks of the strong whisky that he had hidden away from the time when Spike had been living with him. Both had gotten pretty tiddly on the stuff, done lots of interesting things according to Anya. That said with a surrounding chorus of "icks" and "we don´t want to know", the feelings of lust hadn´t gone away the next morning, completely overriding the hangovers.
All said with the new couple arm in arm, Xander thought that now everyone he wanted to tell and one he wanted to castrate and let bleed slowly to death were in the room anyway, he might as well use the opportunity to tell his friends about his plans. The fact that it was now Wednesday night and he planned to be gone by the following Thursday, he knew that he had to tell them pretty much now.
Jerking back to reality when he felt Giles´ gently shake his arm, he looked at the older man questioningly. The ex librarian repeated the question of had Xander gone mad. With a shake of his head, the boy explained that he was bored with Sunnydale and had been given an opportunity to make more money in Alaska than he could situated where he was. Taking the vampire with him would only ease their burdens.
Everyone nodding at that piece of wisdom, he was asked by Buffy if he was sure that he didn´t want her to just stake the blonde anyway. Xander, thankful that he had left Spike in the care of Barney, shook his head and explained that the other man would come in handy for taking turns driving up there. Toss of the head and a quick pat down of invisible dust on her new sweater, Buffy agreed, stating that as long as the idiot was gone, she really didn´t care what happened to him.
Inwardly seething when he saw how quick the blonde soldier was in agreeing with his girlfriend, he came to the sudden realisation that what had happened in the crypt so long ago probably hadn´t been Riley´s idea at all. It had been something suggested and Riley being so used to not having to think for himself, letting the army do it for him and now Buffy, had probably just jumped at the idea of spending time with his old mates and hadn´t been fussed with what it entailed.
If he was right, that meant someone else in the group had been the ringleader. Shoving the thought to the back of his mind, Xander tried to be calm and patient at all the questions being fired at him. Answering them the best he could, he could feel himself getting agitated.
"Alaska, Spike and Me, that´s it!" sighed the annoyed boy. Then Giles´ asked the one question that he had been unable to answer himself, where to get blood for Spike?. Shoulders shrugged at that, Giles´ looked at the young man in worry. It was obvious that it was a spur of the moment decision. He could see that no matter what reasoning was brought up, the decision to go had been made and there would be no turning back. The older man was happy for the boy, happy that he would finally get out and experience the world. Not really on his own of course, at least he would have a bit of company with him. Asking where abouts in Alaska got him the answer of near Fairbanks.
"Oh, I know where that is, it´s the second largest city. Anchorage is the largest" piped up Willow, getting over the shock that had so far held her speechless. Tara, holding her hand in a death grip, shyly nodded at her girlfriends statement. She could feel the redhead getting upset about her best friend moving away from her.
With more confidence now that Willow had spoken, Tara softly asked if Willy would know from his connections where around Fairbanks, blood could be bought.
"I´ll go right down there now and beat it out of him" declared a not really caring blonde Slayer. She thought that Xander leaving wouldn´t really affect the patrolling, not having needed him in months apart from a bit of research for the usual monthly "end of the world" alert. The vampire being gone would just be a bonus. She figured that she would miss Xander for a bit but then again they had been growing apart in the last year, him having other friends and her having a great studmuffin to devote herself to.
Giles´ agreed with the idea apart from the violence bit and asked about the apartment and if he was going to haul everything up with him. Telling the interested gathering that the company he was going to work for pretty much provided their workers sparsely furnished one or two bedroom log cabins at a low rent, he said that he had talked to his landlady who was glad that he was leaving because now she could put the rent up. The furnishings of his apartment were going to be sold if they could or just given away. He had already faxed a list of items that he wanted to be waiting for him at his new address to the company.
The company provided a settling service that helped get things in order for new workers, easing the stress of moving. Xander had been told by Barney that they did this in reality before the new workers arrived due to the fact that if the buying of necessary items was done after people arrived, things like mattresses, chairs and even pillowcases took up to 5 weeks to arrive at their required destination. As it was, Xander had been told that the list he had ordered, he was pushing it with the time factor.
After about another hour of continued questions from the friends, Giles´ indicated that he wanted everyone to go by just asking them to. Anya, to everyones horror including the ex–librarians, had agreed stating that she could now do with some pleasuring. Snickering to himself, the brunette was glad for the new couple but he just couldn´t bring himself to feel sorry for the older man. Giles´ had certainly had seen what his girlfriends skill at tact was like before her precious little gem of a statement.
With the knowledge of just how blunt his ex girlfiend could get, he said his goodbyes promising not to leave without seeing everyone again. Tiredly he got into the car, started the engine and strapped himself in. He still had to get Spike from Barneys place, he hadn´t been about to leave the vampire by himself. He didn´t trust the soldiers not to try anything again. Worried sick at the thought of leaving the blonde alone all day while he was at work, he had paid one of his neighbours to let the smaller man stay with them until he came to pick him up again. Mrs Naptha was an old Italian widow who didn´t really speak English and had been happy to look after the surprisingly non–protesting vampire. Xander had left Spike in the company of an Italian babbling woman who had been happier at the thought of spending time with someone who wouldn´t interrupt her "back in the old day" stories than she had been with the money offered.
He had been fairly certain that the soldiers wouldn´t try anything with another person around especially a much loved and respected old woman.
A glance at his watch told him it was around 9.30pm. Hand run through his hair as he pulled up outside his foremans place, the tired boy got out of the car and walked to the large white door. Bell rung, he waited for Barney or his wife, Loretta to answer the door. The door opened to reveal the dark haired mumu wearing wife of his boss. Invited in, he walked behind the short round woman and into the pride of the house, the sports room. Spike and Barney were sitting on the tattered couch, both nursing beers while watching the latest footy match sent over to him from Australia.
Barney had explained one day after work that he had become devoted to Aussie Rules during enforced re–runs when he had lived with his New Orleans mate years ago.
Seeing that while the balding man was enthusiastically shouting at the white attired umpires, Spike was almost comatose in what indicted extreme boredom. Guilt wafted quickly over the brunette at forcing the vampire into watching what he thought was "crap", he cleared his throat, a flutter going through him when the anxious blue eyes turned to him, literally begging him to get the blonde out of there as quickly as possible. With a smile and liberal thanks for the Spike sitting, which Barney hadn´t minded as he had a soft spot for "special" people, the two males made their excuses not to stay and headed home.
On the way back to the apartment, Spike was filled in with what had happened at the ex–watchers house. Both laughing at some of the questions asked and what Xander had said in reply, the brunette told the smaller man that tomorrow night, he would be telling his parents and uncle where he was going. Not wanting to push Barneys good nature, he explained to the vampire, that as it was only going to be a quick visit to his old house, the blonde could wait in the car while he got shouted at.
