A/N: This chapter has an idea I got from ChristaBelle

Anya's reasons (and destination) for leaving Sunnydale

Thank you so much for reviewing!

Spike hated not being able to kill humans. A group of pissed brats had him treed like a

stupid cat. Not that they knew he was up in the tree. He'd hauled a trio of Gle'ckiodi

children and their mum up into the branches to avoid them being seen. Oh who was he

kidding? He was just plain whipped. He was no hero. All he wanted was to drink down

the idiots. but not only could he not kill the stupid humans, the whelp wouldn't want the

little demon kids to get hurt, so here he was, stuck up in this sodden tree waiting for the

bloody pissed humans to leave.

His unlife sucked! First Dru leaves him, then he gets chipped, and then to top it off,

Harris of all people, accidentally recreates his breed's marriage ritual! Which made him

Spike's mate! And he couldn't even get a shag out of it! They were both straight. And

the most humiliating of all, it made the Scoobies his family. Bloody white hats. He

would not admit how much he liked them. No, he wouldn't. He firmly turned his mind

away from Xander and the unfairness that was his current predicament. He checked the

positions of the humans and saw they were moving off. Slowly he slipped down out of

the tree and put the child he was holding down. Then he gestured for the other two to be

handed down to him. Then he finally helped the mum down. "Right, off you go now.

And remember, the slayer wants everyone working together on this." He bent down and

looked each of the children in their four eyes. "You know what they slayer will do if you

don't obey your mum. Stay out of sight of the humans! They're a nasty lot." He nodded

at the demoness who wasted no time in getting her offspring back underground. Well, at

least terrorizing the little demons brats had been fun. First haul them up in a tree when

they are cave dwellers, and then threaten them with the slayer. He sighed and returned to

his patrol.

Two Mitfragotrs and a stupid fledge who wouldn't back down later and Spike was feeling

much more cheerful. It was getting close to dawn and time for him to return to Harris'

basement. He'd even managed to get three Hectalik for his own meals. The last one he

had stuffed in a bag for later. He met Xander at the house and followed him into the

basement.

Xander was giggling as he tied Spike up into his chair. He took a look at Spike's

expression and said "No, Spike. I haven't finally lost it."

"Too bad, twit. It'd be an improvement." was Spike's reply.

"Actually, Dean got me started. We'd stopped by Buffy's house for some coffee and he

came back giggling his head off." Xander started stripping down to his shorts for bed. "It

seems his dad got a taste of why it's not a good idea to mess with Buffy tonight."

"What'd the slayer do?" Spike asked curious. He thought that those two were getting

along rather well, all things considered.

"It seems John took Dawn hunting hellhounds. Dawn was never in any danger, but it

pissed off Buffy and she picked the guy up over her head and started shaking him."

Xander mimed the position. "Can you see it? Big bad John Winchester and our teeny

tiny little Buffy?" Still sniggering, Xander crawled into his bed. "Night Spike."

"Night Xan." Spike had to admit, the was a funny sight to imagine.

Four hours later, Anya came bursting into the basement. "Xander! Wake up, I've got..."

Anya stopped and stared. Xander was asleep in his fold out bed, and Spike was tied up in

a chair beside the bed. Anya was horrified. Xander had married Spike. While he was

dating her.

Spike wasn't sure if he should sit back and enjoy the show or stop it all together. Oh hell,

he thought, he couldn't let Xander get hurt. And the demon bird would do just that.

"Anya." he called softly. She stumbled over to him, not taking her eyes off Xander.

Spike sighed and glanced away. "It's not his fault. He doesn't know."

"He doesn't know?" Anya looked at Spike. The vampire was telling the truth. No male

could be squirming in shame like that and not be. "You didn't tell him?"

"I couldn't. He had me gagged the first week."

"So this is an accident." Spike nodded. Well, that made her feel better. Accidental

cheating didn't count. You had to know you were involved with someone before you

could cheat on them. But now that she knew, to stay with Xander would be to become

the other woman. There was no way she could do that.

"Xander!" Anya shook him awake. "Xander! Wake up!"

"What? Anya I was out late on patrol, I'm too tired for sex now." Xander tried to go back

to sleep, but Anya wouldn't let him.

"Xander I'm breaking up with you."

"HUH?"

"You married Spike and I won't be the other woman. I'll stay in Sunnydale until the

swarm passes, but then I'm leaving. I'm going to New York. I'm getting a share of the

Hectalik and I'll be taking them to New York to sell as gourmet food items. I came to ask

you to go with me but as you are married to Spike now, that would be cheating. It's not

your fault, you didn't know, but now you do. So, good-bye Xander." Xander stared at her

as she walked out the door.

"MARRIED!"

"Not really." Spike answered shortly. "You're my mate, but I'm not yours. Demon bint

doesn't allow for distinctions like that."

"What!" Xander yelped again.

"When you tied me up like this you were recreating the Aurliean mating ritual. But

there's been no shagging. So, you're my mate, but I'm not yours. Got it that time?" Spike

snarked. He really didn't want to talk to Xander about this.

"I'm going back to sleep." Xander muttered to himself as he put his words into action.

"This has to be a nightmare."

"I wish!"

Xander stormed into the Summer's living room and slammed himself onto the couch next

to Dean. He hadn't been able to sleep after Anya's visit and he remembered that Dean had

some kind of book about vampire relationships. Dean was reading the paper while Sam

and John were rolling up their sleeping bags. "Where is that book you were reading about

vampires?"

"Which one? There are a lot of those around here." Dean was a little wary. If Xander

was asking about the book he thought he was, someone had spilled the beans about Spike.

He wasn't sure Spike would survive that explanation, even if it wasn't Spike's fault.

"The one you were reading when you asked me about Spike." Xander said in a huff. He

really didn't have time for the run around. If he had married Spike, he needed to know.

He also needed to know if there was a way out of it.

Dean got up and grabbed his bag. It took a few seconds to find the book in question, but

when he did, he handed it to Xander. There was nothing he could say.

He watched Xander head off for the dining room. He then picked the paper back up.

"Sammy get a move on. I think I found a place. Dad, you want to come check it out with

us or do you want to stick around here?"

"I have to check Dawn's school work from last night. You know what we're looking for.

Give me a ring when you've found it."

They nodded and left the house arguing over where to check first.