A missing scene from "Never Leave Me". Takes place after Spike bites Andrew.
The room was quiet enough that the even the tiniest noises were amplified. For example, a sharp exhalation of air, or --
"You'd better not be scratching at it again!"
The noise stopped abruptly as Xander turned around.
"I'm not," Andrew said, hands folded angelically in his lap.
Xander crossed his arms over his chest. "You were; I could hear you. Look, if you keep messing with the bandage, it'll get infected."
"I know," muttered Andrew. "It's just -- " His hand twitched like he was going to bring it to his neck. "-- bothering me. It's all stingy."
"That's the antiseptic. Believe me, you don't *want* to know where Spike's mouth has been."
Andrew shook his head. He didn't.
"Right," stated Xander, "so you just sit there like the evil little fungus that you are, and I won't have to use the ropes again."
Peace and quiet returned for another few minutes before Andrew let out a loud whine, like that of an irritated animal.
Xander turned and glared.
"It *burns*!" Andrew said defensively.
"Well, what do you want me to do about it? Kiss it and make it better?" Xander snapped, barely restraining himself from choking the boy with his bare hands.
There was another silence. Andrew then answered in a timid voice, "Okay."
Xander blinked. He started to say he hadn't meant it. But there sat Andrew, alone and wounded and miserable, and he just wasn't cruel enough to make the kid's night any worse.
Gingerly, he sat next to Andrew on the bed, then planted a tiny kiss next to the bandage on his neck.
"There." Xander looked gently at Andrew. "Better?"
Andrew's cheeks were pink, his lips slightly parted, eyes big with surprise. "Um." He swallowed hard. "Yeah. Better."
"Good." Xander needed to finish taking measurements of the new hole in the Summers abode.
"Uh, except..."
Xander raised an eyebrow. "Except?"
"My cheek still kinda hurts," Andrew pouted, "from where I was hit."
"So? Mine does too."
"Oh. Yeah." Andrew looked down at his hands and mumbled, "Well, I could, like, return the favor..."
"No," Xander said without hesitation. "No, with a side of *absolutely not*."
Andrew shrugged. "That's cool," he said quietly.
Within five minutes, Andrew was scratching at the gauze again. This time, Xander didn't say a thing; he simply grabbed the ropes.
The room was quiet enough that the even the tiniest noises were amplified. For example, a sharp exhalation of air, or --
"You'd better not be scratching at it again!"
The noise stopped abruptly as Xander turned around.
"I'm not," Andrew said, hands folded angelically in his lap.
Xander crossed his arms over his chest. "You were; I could hear you. Look, if you keep messing with the bandage, it'll get infected."
"I know," muttered Andrew. "It's just -- " His hand twitched like he was going to bring it to his neck. "-- bothering me. It's all stingy."
"That's the antiseptic. Believe me, you don't *want* to know where Spike's mouth has been."
Andrew shook his head. He didn't.
"Right," stated Xander, "so you just sit there like the evil little fungus that you are, and I won't have to use the ropes again."
Peace and quiet returned for another few minutes before Andrew let out a loud whine, like that of an irritated animal.
Xander turned and glared.
"It *burns*!" Andrew said defensively.
"Well, what do you want me to do about it? Kiss it and make it better?" Xander snapped, barely restraining himself from choking the boy with his bare hands.
There was another silence. Andrew then answered in a timid voice, "Okay."
Xander blinked. He started to say he hadn't meant it. But there sat Andrew, alone and wounded and miserable, and he just wasn't cruel enough to make the kid's night any worse.
Gingerly, he sat next to Andrew on the bed, then planted a tiny kiss next to the bandage on his neck.
"There." Xander looked gently at Andrew. "Better?"
Andrew's cheeks were pink, his lips slightly parted, eyes big with surprise. "Um." He swallowed hard. "Yeah. Better."
"Good." Xander needed to finish taking measurements of the new hole in the Summers abode.
"Uh, except..."
Xander raised an eyebrow. "Except?"
"My cheek still kinda hurts," Andrew pouted, "from where I was hit."
"So? Mine does too."
"Oh. Yeah." Andrew looked down at his hands and mumbled, "Well, I could, like, return the favor..."
"No," Xander said without hesitation. "No, with a side of *absolutely not*."
Andrew shrugged. "That's cool," he said quietly.
Within five minutes, Andrew was scratching at the gauze again. This time, Xander didn't say a thing; he simply grabbed the ropes.