Title: What's In It For Me?
Author: Forsaken2003
Pairing: S/X
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own none, all belong to Joss Whedon
Comments: Always welcomed!
Summary: There is a new demon in town and Spike is the Scoobies only hope. What will he want in return?
Warnings/Spoilers: Season 5
Beta'd by: Unbeta'd
Prompt #463 from tamingthemuse- Snake's Eye View
Note: From now on most of my tamingthemuse stories will be named as the challenge.
"Oh, dear," Giles mutter into his book. That gained everyone's attention.
Buffy sighed, "Let me guess… I won't be studying for my psychology test tonight."
"Actually I think it would be best if you didn't handle this one," Giles stated.
Xander got excited. "The Slayerettes are stepping up to the base?" He was already up and away from the table, heading to the backroom for the weapons chest.
"I would prefer you and Willow stay away as well, Xander," Giles replied as he continued to look over the book in front of him.
"I don't understand, Giles," Buffy said. "Why aren't we killing this demon?"
"This specific demo, an Astrex only comes out when there is no moon. It's eyes are extremely sensitive to any kind of light," Giles began to explain.
This peaked Willow's interest. "A demon who can't stand any sort of light? How can it see then?"
"It can see body heat. Sort of like snakes eye view if you will. While it is a disadvantage for the demon it is also a great advantage." Giles began to polish his glasses.
"What aren't you telling us, Giles?" Buffy asked. "Cause as much as I'd love a day off it sounds like this guy is trouble. So tell me why I'm not out there right not looking for it."
His slayer was a stubborn girl. It was one of the many reasons why she was still alive. "While you are off looking for it, he'll already have you in its sights and will strike before you knew he was ever there. And unfortunately none of us have night vision."
"Does anyone else miss the Initiative right now?" Xander asked. He raised his hand waiting for others to join in. No one did.
"Bite your tongue, whelp," Spike snarled as he walked in. "What's this? All sitting around instead of saving puppies and Christmas?"
Buffy glared at him. "Shut up, Spike. We have a plan." She looked at Giles. "There is a plan… right?"
Giles cleared his throat before placing his glasses back on. "Of course there is a plan. I just don't know how good of one it is." His eyes went to Spike. Soon everyone was looking at him.
"What? I got blood breath?" Spike puffed into his hand and sniffed. He couldn't smell anything.
"You are going to kill a new demon for us," Buffy informed him. Okay more like ordered him.
"Two questions. What demon? And why the hell should I?" Spike asked as he jumped on the counter.
"It's called an Astrex," Willow said.
Buffy stormed up to him and grabbed the labels of his duster. "And because unfortunately you are our only hope with this demon and if you don't I'll stake you for betraying us and teaming up with Adam."
"Astrex?" Spike repeated with a laugh. His eyes bounced to each person realizing they were serious. "Are you bloody kidding me?" He saw Xander nod at him. "I'm not going out there to kill one of them for free! And using an old threat isn't going to get you anywhere, slayer."
Worried about his wards Giles sighed. "What is it that you want, Spike? And be reasonable or I'll chance the shop being destroy while Buffy 'convinces' you to do the job for free."
Spike knew that he had to tread carefully if he wanted something out of this deal. He straightened his duster after Buffy finished manhandling him. "I want a date."
Buffy stared at him before doubling over in laughter. "You want a date? Seriously? What are we supposed to do find some poor girl and beg her to go out with you? Yeah, right!"
"Not some stranger bimbo off the street," Spike growled. "Someone I know."
"You don't know any except us," Buffy stated. Her eyes rounded. "Oh, eww! I'm not going on a date with you!"
Spike wrinkled his face up in disgust. He was worried the blood he drank earlier was going to come back up. "Not bloody likely! I still don't know what my sire saw in you."
"Spike, I don't think going on a date with Willow is a good idea," Xander spoke up. "You know with her being gay and all. Plus I don't think Tara would be happy about it when she comes back from visiting her friends back home."
"It's not Red either," Spike said.
Giles went for the scotch. He prayed that Spike was talking about Xander. Not even to save the world would he date Spike!
"Xander," Spike finally said. "I want a date with Xander."
Said Xander, promptly fell off his chair.
"I… um… what?" Xander asked, as he climbed up off the floor.
"I want you to go on a date… with me," Spike clarified.
Xander was confused. "You'll go kill a demon and save people's lives and in return all you want is to go out… with me?"
"Yup." Spike nodded.
Xander was still confused. "You know I'm not gay, right? Also that doesn't seem like a fair trade. For you I mean."
"It looks like a good deal from my end," Spike said with a smile. "Do we have a deal or not?"
"Come on, Xan. You can stomach one night with creep-o here," Buffy said. "You'll be saving a lot of people."
"It won't be that bad," Willow added. "It'll be like hanging out but more intimate."
Xander looked at Spike. "This isn't some kind of trick where you really get to embarrass me and tell everyone that I'm gay, is it?"
Spike jumped off the counter and sauntered into the back room for an axe. When he came back he replied, "I'm not sure how that plan would work since I'm the one that asked you out. Also I don't talk to people."
"Oh… okay. Why not," Xander said with a shrug.
"No date until the demon is dead," Buffy ordered. "So go away and don't come back until you do."
With a huff Spike stormed towards the door. "I'll be back." He turned to Xander. "You don't go anywhere." And he was gone.
An hour later Spike returned a bruise on his cheek and blood dripping off of the axe. He tossed it at Buffy splattering blood on her new shirt. "All right. The bugger is dead. Let's go!" He walked over to Xander.
"Now? Right of course now. Why wouldn't we do it now?" Xander babbled as he stood up. "We're not going to go to Willy's are we? Cause I don't want the demons there to… you know… kill me."
Spike smiled. "Not Willy's don't need to be fighting for your attention now, do I?"
"Um… no?" Xander asked. He waved to his friends wondering if he would be trying to make up an excuse to get out of this. Xander stiffened slightly when Spike wrapped an arm around his waist.
They were both silent as they walked towards the Bronze. Xander was thankful for that. Sure vampires had a tendency of joining the mix on occasion but fir the most part it was humans. Being around other people made Xander a little less nervous about the situation he was in.
There was no band playing tonight and it looked like the speakers were broken again so no music. Too bad Xander was hoping the music would be too loud for any real talking. Surprising with no music the place was still full and it looked like there were no tables available. Well there weren't until Spike asked Xander to stay where he was before walking over to a couple of guys in seconds the guys fled not only the table but the building.
"Looks like a table's opened up for us," Spike said with a grin as he took off his duster and sat down.
"And how did you get us this table exactly?" Xander questioned as he sat down as well fully knowing exactly how it happened.
The grin never left Spike's face as he replied, "I asked nicely." He then waved a waitress over and ordered two beers, two BBQ wings and an onion blossom.
"You know I'm not old enough to drink beer right?" Xander asked.
"I figured it would relax you some," Spike stated. "You look like a virgin that's about to be sacrificed."
"I am so not a virgin!" Xander said louder than he would have liked and a group of girls at the next table giggled. He smacked his head on the table.
Spike chuckled. "I didn't think you were. I'd be bloody shocked if you were. Good looking bloke like yourself."
Xander raised his head when their drinks and food appeared. "Did you have some brain damage done recently?"
"Not that I remember," Spike joked as he bit into a chicken wing. "Why?"
Xander leaned in close so no one else could hear. "Because you wanted a date with me. Out of a lot of things you could have asked for. Blood, whiskey, cigarettes, kittens for poker."
"I can steal those things. I'm good at stealing things," Spike said proudly. He dropped the bone of his wing onto a napkin.
"Then I don't understand. We both know you could get anyone you wanted to go out on a date with you," Xander said.
Spike looked up at Xander. "But not the one that I wanted. Not without lying and having to blackmail him."
Xander was back to being confused. "What did you lie about?"
"Astrex demons are actually peaceful demons. When your friends told me they wanted me to kill one I thought they were kidding. Then I realized they weren't so I decided to use to my advantage," Spike confessed, glad that vampires couldn't blush.
"Wait, so you killed a peaceful demon just to go out with me?" Xander asked.
Spike snorted. "Astrex demons are a good kind of demon. They also become indebt to anyone who saves them. I warned him that the slayer thinks it's here looking for trouble and suggested it moves on. I found a nest of vampires instead and killed them. Made sure it was bloody so there would be proof on the axe."
It took Xander a few minutes to process this. "That is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me before."
Spike muscles had tightened expecting to be rejected. "Really?"
"Oh, yeah. And the not killing the nice demon gets you bonus points," Xander told him.
"It does?" Spike asked. "So you're not mad?"
"I'll only be mad if you make me pay for the drinks and food," Xander answered with a grin. He grabbed a wing and bit into it. "Also I'm hoping the next time you want to go out you'll just ask."
Spike ducked his head. "Only if you promise to say yes."
Xander smiled and said, "Eat your onion blossom. I know you hate when they're cold."
Spike dug into his onion as his stomach fluttered because Xander knew that about him. His mother had been wrong. Lying wasn't always bad.
The End