Title: Losing the touch
Author: Angel Jade
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Character death, slash mentioned, language, violence. (All of the non-dark variety. Even put a happy ending...of a sorts)
Spoilers: Season five BtVs, non -specific
Pairings: Spike/Xander -sort of
Summary: Spike finally gets the chip out and turns Xander, but things don't go as planned.
Feedback: angel-jade@buffyrocks.co.uk
Distribution: If you've had my permission before, you have it now. Anyone else, ask first please.
Disclaimer: As always, I don't own the characters mentioned here, I only use them for non-profit fun.


Taking back another drag on his fag, Spike waited, his back leaning against the cold wall of the abandoned factory. Impatiently, he let his foot move in a gesture of tapping, without making any real sound. He was never one to wait.

The smell of the body was beginning to fade, though from experience, Spike knew the blood would linger for a great deal longer. Xander Harris was dead. By Spike's hands.

Or teeth to be exact.

Getting someone to take the chip out hadn't been an easy feat, but Spike was a resourceful vampire when he wanted to be, and nothing was impossible for him. He'd wanted the slayer first. Of course it would come down to the last fight between the blondes. Spike had no intention of playing it safe and leaving. The slayer had done worse to him than Angelus. She'd made him love her, then rejected him. Spike didn't take rejection well.

But like all his plans, they didn't go too well. Buffy was actually civil to him when he showed up to kill her, so like the little puppy dog he was, he went on as normal. Wanting to kill her was an anger thing, not a 'she's showing me attention, God how I love her' thing.

So chipless Spike played pretend just that little bit longer, wondering if maybe he'd never need to resort to violence with her. But then the bitch had reminded him why he'd wanted the chip out in the first place.

//"Spike, you and Xander check out the factory. I'll search the cemetery."//

It was never about *him*, or how *he* was or what *he'd* been up to...the only time she had the decency to smile in his presence was when she was asking him to help her fight the very vampires and demons he used to work with.

And to add insult to injury...he was to patrol with Xander Harris.

Spike knew the moment the slayer had given her orders that he wouldn't last the night playing chipped. He left the watcher's house with the complaining boy and thought about how fun it would be to snap her neck.

After he'd dealt with Harris.

*****

"Spike, will ya slow down? We're not in any rush." Xander moaned.

"Of course we're in a bloody rush." Spike argued. "Wanna find this demon don't we?"

"Yeah, but not at the expensive of me hyperventilating." Xander moaned.

"Not my problem you're a wimp." Spike muttered.

"Bite me, chipboy." Xander rolled his eyes, before walking past Spike as the vampire stopped in his tracks.

With a clenched jaw, Spike glared after Xander. "All in good time, pet."

Arriving should have been a relief. They could concentrate on their 'job' and Xander would stop tempting Spike. But Xander wasn't done with his need to insult the helpless vampire yet.

"Will you stop staring at me!" Xander moaned. "Can't you use your bat smell and save us some time?"

"You know, Xander, I'm bored." Spike commented.

"Good for you." Xander nodded. "Smell?"

"You know what I smell? Right here? Now?" Spike asked, walking over casually.

"Okay, I ate garlic for lunch. Sue me." Xander mocked. "Now if you're quite done being bored, can you help me out here so we can go home already?"

"I smell blood." Spike said, staring down at Xander, as he got closer.

"Fresh blood?" Xander asked, mistaking the comment.

"Old blood, new blood...human blood." Spike explained. "You don't know how good it smells."

Xander, growing increasingly unnerved at the behaviour, stepped away. "Your point being? And this better have something to do with the demon."

"Oh, it does, pet. *My* demon." Spike smirked.

"Alright, what's the big joke?" Xander asked, angrily. "I'm not in the mood for your 'I'm still a big bad vampire' routines."

"I've put up with you a lot longer than I should have." Spike commented. "I was forced to listen to you day in and day out when I should have been killing you. Do you know how homicidally frustrated that makes me?"

Xander smiled. "Shame about the chip, *really*."

As Xander went to walk away, Spike moved to block his way. "It *is* a shame. A shame for you. Because clever Spike's not playing nice anymore. He's going to enjoy himself. And you...you're the first."

Hesitant over Spike's words, Xander frowned. "T...the first what?"

"One to die." Spike explained, cheerily. "And not only do you get that privilege, you get your own blood fest thrown in absolutely free."

"Stop messing around, I'm going back." Xander said, walking.

"You and me, pet. We're going to make 'em all pay. And from now on, it'll be you tied in *my* basement." Spike leered.

Xander stopped and turned around. "I know what you're doing and I won't fall for it."

Spike laughed quietly. "Didn't think you would."

Before Xander could react, Spike was right before him, his fist slamming into Xander's jaw.

"So I thought I'd give you a little show first."

Xander lay on his back, one hand holding his jaw painfully. The look of horror and fear that had replaced the cocky frown was enough to make Spike growl with excitement. Picking him off the floor, Spike held Xander up by his shirt. "This is for all the times you made a fool out of me. For all the times you insulted me. And all the times you made me so fucking horny I wanted nothing more than to fuck your brains out in your parents basement."

Xander opened his mouth to speak, to beg...to scream, but his voice caught in his throat as Spike's fang's pierced his neck and the blood began to flow from the wound into the waiting mouth of the vampire.

*****

A flicker of movement catches Spike's attention and he stands up straight, throwing the cigarette butt to the ground. He watches as Xander pushes his upper body from the floor with his hands. His dark eyes look around, with less interest and more vague annoyance. "Where am I?"

Spike half-smiles as his hand reaches down to help Xander up. "You're in a factory, mate. Don't panic, you'll remember everything in a..."

Xander gets up, ignoring Spike's hand. "You turned me in a factory?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Can we all say, 'minion'?" Xander snorts.

Spike cocks his head. "You what?"

"I'm hungry."

Deciding to forget Xander's behaviour for now, Spike nods. "Yeah, I know where we can get something to eat..."

"I know what I want to eat. You eat what the fuck you want." Xander says, snidely, walking away.

"Oi! Wait 'ere a minute!" Spike cries, grabbing Xander's arm. "Don't think you get it. You're mine, I turned you. You're gonna do as I say."

Xander rolls his eyes. "You've killed a lot of humans in your time. Couple of slayers even. You're the childe of Angelus, grandchilde of the Master. But if you actually think you're anything but the slayer's lapdog now, the chip must have done more damage than good. Keep to your pig's blood, Spike. Leave the real vampires to the good stuff."

Spike growls as he goes for Xander, fists prepared to fight. But Xander reacts quicker than Spike has anticipated. A broken rib and a bloody nose later, Spike stands opposite from Xander, glaring at the boy. "You're going to need to learn the lore's, boy."

"Not from you. I've got bigger and better things ahead of me. It's bad enough my name is going to be associated with the vampire who kills his own kind and loves the slayer." Xander tells him. "Just face it, *Sire.* You're no good to either side now."

And Spike just stands there, because he knows every word is true. Doesn't mean he won't make the boy pay for it though.

"I'm thinking I might kill them all one by one. Could start my own family." Xander ignores Spike's scoff. "Then I'll take a trip to LA. See if I can't take the soul back from Angel. Now *he's* a vampire to be proud of. When he isn't gypsy cursed, I mean. Angelus is going to teach me everything. And if you're lucky, I'll put in a good word for you and you'll end up as his fuck toy, rather than a pile of dust. Either way, I'm gonna start making some waves. You want to stop me? Be my guest, but I'm not playing your game. Face it Spike, you've lost the touch."

*****

Spike snaps out of it as the fingers snap before his eyes.

"Hello!! Spike? You in there?" Xander calls. "I'm waiting. Are we going or not?"

"What? Where?" Spike asks, looking around.

"To the movies, where d'you think? Come on, demon isn't going to wait all day...uh, night." Xander says, walking to Giles' front door.

Getting up from his seat, Spike shakes his head in disgust. Even his fantasies suck.


The End