Chapter 4: You're beside me on the seat, got your hand between my knees, and you control how fast we go by just how hard you wanna squeeze...

A pirate, a punk, and an Amazon walked into a club. No joke, although it sounds like the set-up to one. Who knows, maybe it'll turn out to be a joke in the end. Stranger things have happened on Halloween. Gazes immediately turned their way, some appraising and accepting them into the elite club, others admiring and desiring them. A fairy with purple sparkly wings tried her luck with the Amazon, but was turned away.

"Hit on two seconds after walking through the door." Buffy winked at Spike, stepping closer to him to discourage any other suitors. "And you thought this wasn't a perfect costume."

Spike laughed, going along with the charade and putting his right arm around her shoulders. "You better watch yourself. Don't want your girl to get jealous."

Buffy shrugged. "It's her own fault for leaving me alone while she parked the car. She's the one who didn't want to pay the twelve dollar valet charge."

The band took a break minutes after they walked in, and Xander was the first one to notice Oz crossing the crowd towards them. "I'll go get us some drinks." Xander murmured, leaving for the bar before Spike could ask him to stay.

"Hey." Oz said. "Glad you guys could make it." He glanced at Buffy, doing a quick head-to-toe sweep. "Nice outfits."

Spike unconsciously pulled Buffy a little closer. "Yeah, we thought we'd stop by for a little while."

From the stage, Lindsey looked at the guy Oz had dragged him out of Texas for. Blond and dangerous, just like Oz had been the first time Lindsey saw him. The guy had his arm around a blonde woman, and was hugging her tight against him even as he greeted Oz. Lindsey smiled to himself - if that wasn't wordless territory marking, he didn't know what was. Leaving the stage, he headed towards Oz, Oz's ex, and Oz's ex's new beau.

"So, you're still calling yourself Spike?" Oz inquired.

"The name stuck." Spike replied.

"I wouldn't have thought, considering..." Oz trailed off as Lindsey walked up. Oz accepted Lindsey's presence with a slight nod. "Lindsey, this is Spike and Buffy. This is Lindsey." he said, gesturing introductions.

Spike removed his arm from Buffy to shake Lindsey's hand. "Nice to meet you." Lindsey echoed the pleasantry.

Just as Xander returned with drinks, Buffy saw Faith enter the club. Accepting her drink from Xander, she kissed Spike on the cheek. "Bye lover," she teased in his ear, "I'm gonna go dance." She left, taking a swig of her beer. Making eye-contact with Faith, she headed to the dance floor. Faith followed her.

"You're welcome." Xander retorted, smiling at her back as he shook his head. He gave Spike the other drink in his hands and took a sip of his own.

Spike winked at him, silently thanking him for the drink and sharing his amusement at Buffy's lack of manners. "Xander, you remember Oz, and this is Lindsey. Lindsey, this is Xander, my-"

"Xander?" Lindsey interrupted, a smile of surprised pleasure crossing his face, "Xander Harris?" Xander nodded mutely, confused. "It's me, Lindsey McDonald."

"Strumminghand?" Xander exclaimed, confusion rapidly fading into a matching smile as they heartily shook hands. "Fancy meeting you here. What are you doing out of Texas?"

Lindsey gestured at Oz, "Alpha decided to take the band on tour. Was hoping to look you up while we were in town - just didn't think we'd run into each other so soon."

"You two know each other, I take it?" Spike interjected.

"Yup." Xander grinned, "We met one midnight in the BFAS chatroom and've been friends ever since."

"Yeah," Lindsey replied, "Until Snoopydance here stopped coming online." Oz quirked an eyebrow, mouthing 'Snoopydance?' Spike mouthed back 'BFAS?'. Oz shrugged, also clueless as to what the letters stood for.

Xander laughed, "I told you, man. It was summer - I'm always online less in the summer. Work needs me more than the 'net does."

"Summer, shumer. You were gone for eight months straight. That's not summer, it's sumalter."

Oz didn't appear to like the turn of events the conversation had taken, and Lindsey could tell he was already missing being the center of attention. Any conversation that didn't directly involve Oz or increase his chance of getting in his prey's pants was a conversation Oz didn't want to be in. "We should probably get back. Break will be over in a few." Oz said, right on cue.

Lindsey smiled, enjoying holding the cards for a moment. "Yeah, because we still have to get ready for the next few songs." He shook Xander's hand again. "Well, it's nice to finally meet you. Enjoy the music tonight."

"I'm sure we will." Xander returned the smile, although Spike didn't look so sure.

Oz nodded in goodbye and turned, walking back towards the stage, Lindsey on his heels after one last quick smile at Xander and Spike. The minute they were backstage Lind let the smile drop, the happy surprise of meeting Xander fading in the light of the larger issue at hand. Lindsey followed Oz to the green room behind the stage and held his tongue until it became apparent that Oz wasn't going to initiate anything. Now that he had the control back and he wasn't about to lose it for a second. Lindsey waited while Oz partook of the snacks, but had to speak when he saw Oz hanging the gauzy red outfit up just off stage behind a curtain so he could change into it quickly when the time came. "Do you actually think this is going to do any good?" Lindsey said, trying to hide his emotions and failing. "Do you really think you can get Spike back from his new lover?"

"You doubt me?" Oz took Lind's hand, pressing it to his chest to cover the spread-palm design on his shirt. His voice turned husky, "Have you ever seen me not get something I wanted? What I want, I get. Remember?" He winked, smiling smugly.

Lindsey blushed hard, snatching his hand back. "I remember." he forced out his dry throat.

"Good." Oz dropped Lindsey's hand and turned back to the outfit, brushing out a few wrinkles and untangling a couple bells. Without facing Lindsey, he said in a deadly quiet voice, "Never question me again," and climbed up on stage to take his place by Devon.

Lindsey sighed, looking at the outfit one more time before taking his own place on stage and picking up his guitar.

"""

Buffy was swaying to the recorded song coming out of the speakers when she felt a body slide behind her, arms wrapping around her waist. She leaned back into the embrace. "Welcome."

"What?" Faith said from behind her, "You kiss your best friend but not your lesbian lover?"

Buffy chuckled, leaning her head back to kiss Faith. "It was a joke. I had to act like I was with him to keep from getting hit on until you showed up. Took your sweet time too."

"You and Spike, huh?" Faith rested her chin on Buffy's shoulder, holding her tight. "You have enough of the alternative lifestyle and decide to bat for home team again?"

Buffy snorted. "Oh hush. There was nothing between us and there will never be anything between us. Spike's like a brother."

"Yeah, but you kissed him after I had shown up. I think you deserve some punishment for that." Faith nodded to herself. "A punishment to fit the crime."

"Oh really?" Buffy couldn't help smiling.

"Yes." Faith said. "I think you should have to endure watching me dance with a few strangers in here. Wouldn't that be a good punishment? Not being able to touch me while I grind into some nameless guy, making him quiver with want?"

"And how is that a fitting punishment?" Buffy said skeptically, "I only kissed Spike, and it wasn't even on the lips. You're planning vertical sex on the dance floor."

"Ah." Faith said, blowing into her ear to make her giggle. "But you see, you know Spike. He's your best friend, and you've never been with him before. He's both familiar and forbidden territory, and that makes him ten times as attractive as a stranger in a club. That means I get to do ten times worse than a kiss on the cheek."

"You wouldn't." Buffy said, but Faith was already pulling away and drifting across the dance floor, at the same time the song ended and Oz's band took the stage again. They began to play something that was both smooth and sexy, unwittingly playing the perfect kind of music to seduce to. "She would." she muttered to herself as she watched Faith smile at a guy and begin to dance with him. They were still standing almost a foot apart but Buffy was sure that given a few minutes the full-body grind would begin.

"""

Oz's band was playing some eclectic music. Some Spanish, some swing, everything sultry with a good rhythm. Two songs later they took a quick break and Xander stiffened, wondering if Oz was going to take this chance to approach Spike again. Instead, Oz just disappeared backstage.

Moments later Oz reappeared and Xander's jaw dropped. Gone was the t-shirt and jeans, now Oz was dressed in a blood red outfit straight from a harem fantasy. A gauzy vest embroidered with bells was open over his chest, and gossamer leggings wafted down to his ankles, also hemmed with tiny bells. He wore elaborate bracelets of matching tiny bells around both wrists, the bells draped from the bracelets across the back of his hands to tangle in his fingers. Strands of tiny beads and bells were draped around his waist, and despite all this, Oz was able to move quietly to his spot right of center stage. The bells tinkled softly as he raised his arms in preparation for the song to begin.

The song was Arabic in origin, obvious from the first words out of the singer's mouth. Xander would never have thought that kind of music could be adapted well to a guitar and drums, but it sounded as if it was made for their band to play. Despite the language barrier, the meaning of the song was clear, and the clubbers on the dance floor had no trouble grooving and gyrating to the beat.

"Habibi, ya nour el ain, ya saakin khayali." The singer was good - Xander doubted he was fluent in the language he sang, but Xan had heard the song before and he could spot a practiced performer on this stage as well as he could on any other stage. -My darling, glow in my eyes, who lives in my fantasies.-. "Aashek bakali sneen," The singer extended a hand out to grasp the air in front of him, before touching his forehead, "Wala ghayraak fibali." -I've adored you for years, no one else is in my mind.-

Dark red movement caught Xander's eye and he forgot all about the lead singer's hands as he looked at Oz. Oz, who had begun moving with the first notes of the songs, and was now performing a kind of hybrid belly dance/strip dance but without the stripping. Not that he really needed to strip; the outfit he had on was revealing enough, and every movement seemed to reveal more skin. Apparently what Oz lacked in height he more than made up for in flexibility. Xander couldn't help but watch Oz move, his hips rolling as if they weren't attached to the rest of his body, his body drifting with the ease of a kite's tail.

The verse repeated, and Xander noticed not only that Oz's lips were faintly moving with the words, "Habibi, ya nour el ain", but also that Oz kept looking at Spike as he danced. Jealousy like a knife at his throat choked him as he realized Spike was staring at Oz, enthralled. Looking back at Oz, Xander's eyes narrowed in critical assessment.

Instead of just admiring him, now Xander was evaluating with a professional's gaze. The dance seemed relaxed and improv-ed to the casual observer, but Xander knew that every step and sway had been choreographed and practiced. He nodded slowly to himself as he examined how each move bled into the next, so the river of flesh and fabric kept flowing. It wasn't that hard to pick apart the steps once you knew what to look for, and Xander recognized almost all of them. Oz was skilled - there was no denying that - and was playing for keeps, but Xander had enough hidden talents to even the field. A stray thought struck him and he glanced back at Spike.

Spike had dated this guy and managed to walk away still a virgin? Amazing.

"""

Getting frustrated as she watched Faith move on to yet another partner that wasn't herself, Buffy looked back to check on Spike and Xander and rolled her eyes as she saw them both standing in the crowded club, watching the band. Another second of Faith dropping to her knees and slithering back up her nameless partner's body and Buffy was off the dance floor, striding purposefully towards Spike. Muttering under her breath about people who had no consideration for their partners, she grabbed Spike's hand and hauled him over to the dance floor.

"Agmaal eyoun fil koon, ana shoftaha. Eyounaak ma-ayaa, eyounaak kifayaa."
-The prettiest eyes possible, I have seen. Your eyes are with me, your eyes are enough.-

The words "teach a lesson" and "do something worth being punished" floated to Spike over the music. As he often found himself doing when Buffy was dead set on something, he yielded to her wishes, letting her pull him out onto the dance floor and position their bodies so that she could dance with him and still keep an eye on Faith. He was slightly surprised when she pressed her back against his chest, wrapping his arms around her torso and grinding her body against his, but he figured out the game when he saw Faith echo the move with her partner. He obligingly danced to compliment Buffy's movements, but when she pulled off the full-body slither, he decided enough was enough and looked for Xander to help him get out of this mess. He made eye contact with Xander, who had moved to lean against one of the walls near the dance floor, but Xander was too busy watching the Baith one-upmanship and laughing to come to his rescue. Fine. Spike pulled Buffy tighter against him and began actively participating in the dance, determined to taunt Xander as much as Buffy wanted to tease Faith.

Holding Buffy flush against him, Spike swiveling his hips to the music, Buffy's body automatically following his lead. He leaned down his head to nip at the place where her throat met her shoulder, one of her very sensitive tickle spots. Buffy's head fell back even as her body shook from laughter, and their fingers tangled together. He pulled her hands up and they danced with their hands clasping each others over their heads, their bodies on perfect display as they swayed in unison. Spike lowered their hands and twisted, causing her to twirl and step away, and then tugging on her hands to make her twirl back into his arms. His right hand let go of hers and snaked around her body so he could press the palm of his hand into her abdomen as his hips guided hers into another move. He let go of her again, pushing her gently at the small of her back to guide her to circle around behind him as he danced in place, their still clasped left hands raised over his head. He spun her again and his free arm went behind her shoulders to support her as he leaned her back into a low dip. Spike chanced a glance at Xander, who was no longer laughing or paying attention to anything other than Spike, lavishing him with a heated gaze. Another glance at Faith resulted in a similar gaze being directed to Buffy, who was currently again standing with her back against Spike, her head thrown back, eyes closed, and a sinful smile as she rubbed her shoulders against his chest. Spike smirked; mission accomplished. Turns out that ballroom dancing class Buffy had dragged him to last year had its uses after all.

"""

Lindsey tore his gaze away from Oz's back long enough to catch sight of the two blonds setting the dance floor on fire. A space was starting to clear around them as less talented dancers admitted defeat and stepped back to watch the masters at work. A plan began forming in Lindsey's head, and he smiled.

"Ma-aak el bidaya, wa koul el hekaya. Ma-aak lil nahaya."
-You have the beginning, and the whole story. I'll be with you to the end.-

The song wound down and Oz wiped a fine sheen of sweat from his forehead and bowed to the audience's applause, before removing the belled bracelets and dropping them at the base of his guitar stand. "Round baby." he said as he picked up his guitar and shouldered on the strap, quickly making sure it was still in tune.

"Stellar!" Devon exclaimed. It was one of his favorite songs - he always loved the ones where he could practically have sex on stage. Lindsey wasn't as thrilled, but Oz was already strumming the intro chords and Devon started moaning into the microphone against Doyle's slow, steady beats.

Holding the mic with both hands, close to his lips, Devon whispered, "I strip you. I pervert you. I save you. I desert you. You scare me. You make me laugh. You dare me. You call my bluff."

Lindsey joined in, his quiet voice echoing Devon's, "I lick you. I desire you. I trick you. I require you. You hurt me. You make me crawl."

Oz's voice combined with Devon and Lindsey at the tail end of the intro, "Don't know if it's love, love don't matter at all." Doyle's drums sped up the beat, raising the volume of the song.

"Suck the hand," Devon, Lindsey, and Oz chorused, "The hand that bleeds you. Bleed the one that needs you. Round, baby, round, baby, round."

By this time Devon's body was swaying as it slow-mo air-fucked the microphone stand and Oz was grinning around the words, a wild glint in his eyes as he gleefully ripped the chords from his instrument, matching the savage intensity of the song. "Now suck the hand, the hand that hits you. Kiss the boot that kicks you. Down, baby, down, baby, down."

Lindsey had no doubts that Oz was eye-deep in schemes and plans for the next few weeks. He only wondered just how much pain he was going to go through before Spike left his girl and went back to Oz. Because Oz wouldn't quit, not until he got what he wanted. Oz never quit. "Take it out, out on me. Gently, will you take it all out?" he crooned, backing up Devon.

Oz and Devon this time, and Oz flashed a quick smirk at Lindsey, "Take it out, out on you, oh; I know I'll take it all out..."

Chorus time again and Lindsey knew he was a goner, that there was no way to escape the pain that was bright in his future. Because Oz wanted that too; he liked it when Lindsey hurt, and Oz always got what he wanted.

"""

Oh yeah, Buffy thought to herself, now she remembered why she didn't look into selling her and Spike's apartment: because it was the only apartment big enough for Baithland and Spanderville to converge and form the Great Fabikederverse. That, and she didn't want to fight with Spike over ownership of the couch.

Dancing at the club had made them all hungry, so they'd gone back to S&B's to let the club-energy seep out. "Hey Spike." Faith said, plopping down on the couch. Revenge was sweet. "You got any new recipes? I'm sure Buffy would love to eat a big plate full. Right honey?"

Buffy pouted, but Faith just kept grinning. "Right, sweetie." Spike questioned her with a look. "Bet. Lost. Plate of your cooking. Don't ask."

"Okay." Spike knew better than to pry when Buffy was using short sentences. "I think there's stuff in the fridge for a stir-fry. Shouldn't take too long to make." He headed towards the kitchen, and Buffy followed him on the excuse to make sure what Spike was making was even slightly digestible.

"Remember! You gotta eat it in front of me or it doesn't count!" Faith called after her, before leaning back into the couch and propping her feet on the coffee table. "So! Xander. It's that time of the year again. Are you going to start working at--"

"Shh!" Xander hushed her quickly, glancing towards the kitchen. He could hear the muted voices of Buffy and Spike arguing over something, so he didn't think they'd heard.

Faith quirked an eyebrow. "You haven't told him yet?"

Xander tried not to look guilty. "It hasn't come up."

"Mmhm." Faith sounded skeptical. "Too busy with other things 'coming up'?"

Xander narrowed his eyes at her. "Has Buffy seen your bank statement?" Faith flushed. "I thought not."

"It hasn't... come up." Faith finished lamely, glaring at Xander. "And don't you mention it."

"You know I won't, but it's going to come up sooner or later." Xander said.

Faith shot him a look. "For you too." Xander winced.

"I know. I'm just putting off the inevitable. I'm surprised though..." Xander admitted. "They share an apartment, so they know how expensive it can be. I don't know how they think we could each have our own apartments and cars on measly coffee shop and theater wages."

Faith shrugged. "They probably just haven't connected the dots yet. Doesn't mean we can hide forever."

"I know." Xander sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'll probably go back again this year. Only way I can make enough money for two semesters of tuition in only a few months. It's not like the theater really needs me for more than minor repairs once the shows are running." Relaxing into the couch, he turned his head to look at Faith. "You should probably tell her soon. Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up, and she's going to be asking about your parents."

Faith nodded. "I'll figure out something by then. Speaking of parents, what are you going to tell Spike about yours?"

Xander grinned. "Why, my father passed away in a tragic orangutan accident. It was horrible, bloody fur everywhere, and you know how much red and orange clash. My mother would have died from embarrassment at the fashion faux pau but a loose hyena got her before she could get help. The zookeeper said their deaths were quick."

"You wish." Faith snorted.

"Yeah." Xander sighed again. "I wish."

"""

To Be Continued...