Set in early Season 5
Xander groaned and shook his head, coming out of deep heavy sleep. The kinda sleep that usually means he's really sick, like that horrible thanksgiving, type of sick. He felt so off, trying to raise his hand to his face…
Hummm, what the? A paw?! He shook his head again, "Am I fuzzy?!" a whimper came out of him instead of words.
Jumping up to a standing position, he realized he was so short! Glancing around he saw he was in one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries. The grass was long and yep, those were definitely his new paw hands he was standing on.
He lifted his face to the cool night air. He could hear so well, and SNIFF yep could smell the earth, the dew on the grass, and the fact that there was a stream not too far off coated in decaying leaves. Damn, dogs had like… superhero senses, he giddily thought.
Testing his walking skills, he felt pretty confident in his new dog intuition, as he trotted easily over to the stream. The water was hardly moving and the huge moon reflected behind him as he gazed at himself. Covered in black, brown hair mostly and some white fur down his belly, Xander tilted his dog head.
His eyes were pretty similar to his human eyes he thought, but how on earth was he a dog now? Did another one of Willow's spells go south? What was the last human thing he could remember?
Willow and he were out helping Buffy on patrol, well. Not really helping but Riley wanted them to start pulling more weight… which ultimately made sense. Riley wanted Buffy to have more nights off, now that The Initiative was disbanded, and all demon defense was back on only her shoulders.
He guessed Riley just wanted more normal girlfriend time with her again, couldn't fault him for that. He definitely felt like a sore loser every time Anya was too busy or tired from work to hang out with him… in his lame cat pee-smelling basement.
Xander shook his head, just imagining the smell with his dog nose was enough to disgust him. Couldn't go back there tonight…
He walked back to where he'd woken up, looking around, none of his clothes were around. So if this was a dog spell, he must have transformed with his clothes then? But why would Willow have just left him here? What time is it anyway?
Xander's eyes widened as a new smell and a sound alerted him that he was no longer alone in the cemetery. He took a long sniff and looked around, kinda anxious, could he defend himself in this dog form?
Is this how Oz felt when he transformed? No probably not, or like, maybe a little. But Oz's werewolf form was a brutal animal with a killer instinct. Xander here was just like a fun-loving Bernese mountain dog type. Like maybe he'd heard sheep in the good ol' days kinda dog, but that's as ferocious as he could get.
The smell was getting closer, so was the rustling of something, a grocery bag was his initial thought. Xander was standing at attention, eyes wide, until he found the source of the smokey smell and the noise.
"Spike!" he barked and the bleached blonde vampire stopped walking and glared towards the dog who just barked and popped up on his hind legs for a second at him.
Spike was indeed holding a brown paper grocery bag under one arm and smoking a cig with his other. Xander was pleasantly surprised by his instinct about what the noise was correct, as he trotted towards Spike.
The vampire's lip curled his scarred eyebrow following the disdainful look he was giving Xander. Dog's were just dumb animals, couldn't it smell danger on him, the master vampire and all?
Xander was psyched, felt his tail wagging, he found a friend… well not a friend technically but Spike could definitely help him get back to human, right?!
Spike just stared down at him and finished his cigarette before flicking it away and starting to walk away. Obviously, Spike didn't sense any connection with him, but oh well.
Xander was peppily following him, devising a plan. He'd spend the rest of the night at Spike's crypt and then find Willow, Buffy, Giles… like literally anyone tomorrow at the Magic Box. His mind wandered to whether Anya even liked dogs… she definitely hated bunnies...
"Oi, pup. Why are you following me?" Spike's short temper flared and his golden eyes growled.
Xander sat down, shoulders back, eyes wide, a little scared, kinda just like, pleadingly, you know the way dogs' eyes get all soft and watery when they want something. Spike huffed and shook his head, "Stupid dog." he grumbled.
He went to start walking towards his crypt again and stopped and glared as Xander sat up to follow him again. Narrowing his eyes at the dog until it sat down again, he took another step, warning the dog not to follow with his leer.
Xander chuckled, feeling his mouth open and his tongue pant happily at this little game with Spike. He'd wait till the vampire looked away to start following again, not a problem.
Spike took two steps, appreciating that the dog stayed put, and then he looked away and took two more steps which Xander followed and stopped abruptly.
Xander sat quickly this time, mouth still hanging open in pure fun. Being a dog wasn't bad really, he felt light and happy a lot more frequently than he did as a human. And it seemed right on track with his typical personality to goad Captain Peroxide in this way.
They did this about two more times, walking, glaring, sitting until the crypt came into view. As soon as it did, Xander took the impulse and rushed towards the door.
Knowing with as many times Buffy kicked down the door, it definitely swung inward and didn't have a lock. He pressed his paws and dog body into the crypt easily and jollily ran to the sarcophagus in the back.
Spike didn't stand a chance of kicking him out now, he thought. Before he knew it, Spike used his vampire speed and had dropped the bag inside and had Xander up in his arms, under his neck and back legs.
Steadily walking the obtrusive animal out the door and dropping him, although not ceremoniously, but not as rough as Xander expected to be dropped. The door swung gently closed and Xander heard Spike go to the grocery bag again, and nudged his nose against the door to come in again.
Spike's game face and the glowing yellow eyes turned to him and Xander let out a whimper and backtracked out the door. Letting the door swing closed again.
Xander sat down a little dejected, right outside the door, and continued to whimper, "Come on Spike! I don't wana sleep outside in the scary cemetery. There is prob actually murderous demons out here besides you!"
Obviously, his voice was all dog noises and not English, so he was surprised when after a couple of minutes the door opened and Spike's blue eyes looked down at him.
"Well. What! Do you need a royal invitation?" Spike huffed and Xander didn't need to be told twice, he scampered inside the crypt and Spike let the door close behind him.
Xander so happy with the turn of events, couldn't contain himself he, trotted around and then rushed Spike, going up on his hind legs, mouth open in a smile, tail wagging, put his paws on Spike's stomach for a moment in a gesture he thought would be like a thank you!
"No no. down. You dumb dog." Spike's voice was rough but his face didn't hold the same distaste he had before. Xander obliged and sat down in front of him at the command, tail still wagging excitedly.
Another eyebrow raised, Spike took off his duster and went back to the grocery bag and took the items out of it as Xander watched.
Carton of cigarettes, a bottle of jack daniels, a pint of blood? Xander's tail stopped wagging, kinda making a yuck noise, earning him another glare from the blonde.
"You hungry, boy?" Spike lit a cig and asked casually, Xander hadn't thought he was hungry before the question but he stood up and lifted his head.
"Yeah I could eat." he mewled at the vampire.
Spike actually smiled, as if he could interpret what Xander had said. The dog blinked, surprised, Spike looked kinda… nice and… exceptionally human, when he smiled.
He grabbed the last few items from the grocery bag, little white wax paper packages of what turned out to be cold cuts. Spike unrolled a package, ripping a piece of a slice out and throwing it to Xander's open dog face.
Xander was happy again that his dog motor skills were spot on and he caught the flying meat easily. Oh my god, it was sooo delicious! He scarfed it up, had ham ever tasted so good before?! Dog taste buds were fabulous.
He raised his head anxious for more. Spike was grinning at him and tossed him some more. Xander didn't think he'd ever seen Spike smile earnestly with his teeth and not in the scary vamp game face.
Spike dropped down gracefully and was sitting cross-legged on the crypt floor, eye level with him, tossing him ham pieces and eating some himself. "You're lucky, pup. I usually don't buy food, but tonight I was just in the mood for a bit of the human comforts."
The last piece Spike held out and Xander eagerly ate it right out of his hand, not feeling weird about his tongue licking the vampire's fingers at all. The dog's inherent attitude made Xander chill as all hell.
Being in such close contact now, Spike reached up and patted his head, which shook his furry skin back and forth and Xander liked the way his floppy big ears moved.
Tail wagging and mouth open Xander pressed in to sit closer to Spike, feeling much less intimidated since he was right there on the floor with him. Xander's hind leg was now twitching in pure bliss as Spike was scratching him with both hands, the sides of his neck, and down his back.
"I dunno, doggo. I must be lonely eh?" Spike looked deep in his eyes, hands on either side of his dog face before he pouted and stood up from his place on the floor.
Spike was lonely? Huh? Xander's thoughts flooded in now the pleasure of being petted was over. The harsh reality of sitting on a cold cement floor in a crypt with a Buffy-obsessed bleached blonde vampire hit him.
Should it weird him out? Enjoying being touched by Spike? Spending time with him? Not only was he an evil soulless vampire but he was also… well a dude? Dude on dude petting?!
Xander shook himself, Nah it wasn't weird! It was like, totally different, he was a dog right now, and it felt so good, and well, he loved Anya, but it wasn't cheating, he was a dog! It would be like getting a hug from Willow, now completely platonic… yeah like that.
Spike had opened the trap door next to the sarcophagus and shoved the perishables into the cooler beside it before grabbing the liquor bottle by its neck and dropping down into the lower level.
Xander's eyes widened and he leaned his dog head over the hole in the ground, all of a sudden he could see as the lights turned on in the darkness down there. It smelled nicer down there. Cleaner than up here and more like Spike, which he tilted his head, was not an unpleasant smell.
"Guess ladders aren't dog friendly huh." Spike came back into view, hands on his hips, glancing around. Xander heard him shifting furniture?
Soon Spike had brought a tall wardrobe over and a slightly shorter dresser beside it, near the ladder and Xander gulped. He hadn't thought about the lower level the whole time, and that his dog reflexes would be freaked out about a straight dropdown.
Spike climbed the ladder halfway and put his hand out, "Come on pup. You can jump from one to the other and then down to the floor."
Xander's heart rate was speeding up but he looked towards Spike's outstretched hand and the trusting, kind, human blue eyes he projected confidence, "I got you."
When he said that, it was the last vote of support Xander needed, closing his eyes and jumping to the top of the wardrobe, Xander let out a breath he was holding when his dog paws gripped the wood.
"That wasn't so tough!" He yipped proud of himself and Spike chuckled, lowering himself down the ladder as Xander made his way down to the ground with him easily now.
Xander's tail wagging proud that his feat was successful and Spike dipped for a moment to pet his head in congratulations. Xander felt again at ease with the vamp touching him, it was so relaxing to be a dog. Any anxious feelings he disregarded in seconds and it was so easy to let go that it was calming.
Maybe he wouldn't seek out the Magic Box tomorrow? Maybe he could be a dog for a little while and that'd be A-ok with him? Hm, he tilted his head at the thought and blinked back to see what Spike was up to.
He had only ever been down in the lower level one other time and it was nearly a year ago. The place had many more luxuries than back then.
Xander watched Spike pull his wallet and spare change out of his pockets and drop them on the vanity-looking table in the corner that had a mirror. Xander padded over towards it and jumped up to the chair beside it, the mirror reflection of him was much crisper than the stream was.
He was a cute dog for sure, black fur on his head and back, some brown around his eyes and muzzle, tilting his head this way and that, lifting his head to show off his white neck.
"Admiring yourself eh?" Spike's voice was closer than he supposed, right behind him and now topless, unscrewing the jack daniels. Xander's eyes widened, the vampire was directly behind him and he looked back to the mirror, he forgot about the no reflection thing.
Taking a healthy swig of the amber liquor, Spike laughed and rubbed Xander's head again, "Yep only you have one."
Xander hoped he would remember to ask Spike when he was human again how he did anything without a reflection, like… dying his peroxide hair… did vampires have to shave?
His eyes wandered to the side as Spike heel-toed his big boots off, was that a drawing of Buffy? He jumped down and sat in front of a montage of pencil drawings and scraps of paper with pretty cursive on them.
A ton of them were of Buffy, her smiling, her fighting, her house… Spike had it bad for the Slayer, obsessive guy, thinking he's in love. Vampires can't love. He supposed since Angel was such a jerk even with a soul and well he figured, Spike couldn't be much different than him.
He scanned more of the drawings, there's a few of her and Willow, one or two of Joyce. Oh dang… that one is of me too. Xander got closer to that one, he was walking with his best friends, holding his hair back a little smiling back at them.
Xander blinked. He could almost remember the joke he told them to get them to smile back at him that way. This wasn't that long ago, he wondered why Spike seemed to hide his talent for drawing from them.
"Hey Spike, this one of me! It's really good!" he yipped and growled out and Spike turned up by his side.
"She's real pretty, isn't she?" Spike downed more jack and smiled at the ones closest to his eye level, "Her name's Buffy Summers." Shaking his head, Spike backed up and plopped down on the corner of the bed, putting the bottle on his thigh and just blinking at the wall of drawings.
Xander was intrigued and followed him, taking a seat next to his leg on the floor, Spike casually found his hand on the dog's head again, "She's something real, that's for sure. Wedged herself into my heart right and good. But… what luck I have, falling for the Slayer?" Spike sighed and took a swig.
The soft whimper the dog let out was almost comforting, "I guess this beats talking to myself," Spike looked down at the soft creature thoughtfully, "Though you're not likely to answer, huh boy?" he smiled.
Xander felt akin to Spike now, Buffy was hard to get to know, she had a lot of walls definitely. But he couldn't believe how much Spike seemed to actually care. Was this really Mr. Big Bad anymore?
Spike stood up and extended his head, taking a giant gulp of liquor before addressing him again, "Nearly sunrise, doggo. Time for sleep." He rubbed his face and padded barefoot to the table, turning out the lamp and placing the bottle down.
Xander turned away, even though it was nearly pitch black down here now, he could make out with his keen dog eyes that Spike was removing his jeans. Naked Spike was not something he wanted an eye full of.
Hearing Spike slide into bed and under the covers, Xander felt himself yawning and then what he thought was a simple and clear invitation. Spike patted the empty side of the bed, asking his new friend to take up space beside him.
Xander didn't need to be told twice, the lethargy he felt when he first woke up in the cemetery was coming back with a vengeance. No sooner had he jumped up beside the cool vampire and spun around to get comfortable, were his eyes drooping and then he was out in blissful sleep.
To be continued!
Please let me know what you think, I've been getting into some other writing, but this story was just on my mind!