Chapter 22
Five minutes before Xander's time was up, Angel parked the car, 5 blocks away from the place Giles and Xander had checked out before.
He looked back at Spike.
Spike was watching Xander sleep...or so he thought at first.
Then he watched as Spike broke off a strand of his hair, cause he hadn't looked up and saw Angel watching him yet, and he was so absorbed in his task, that he hadn't noticed the car had stopped moving.
Spike took the strand in his fingers, between thumb and forefinger, leaned over Xander, as close as he could get without touching him, and then he proceeded to tickle his face, causing Xander to wiggle his nose and eventually slap himself in the face.
Spike had an unholy smile on his face as he repeated this, time and time again.
Angel almost ruined the moment by laughing out loud.
Damn, he thought. I want a try. He almost asked for one, but he wasn't sure Spike would share with him.
Maybe I'll try that later, he thought.
Right before he was about to turn around and pretend he hadn't seen it, Spike said, in a really low voice,
"Wanna try?"
Angel smiled. A wicked grin, to match his childe's, on his face.
"Oh yeah," he said, pulling out a strand of his own hair, and leaning over the front seat to do the same thing Spike did to Xander.
Angel was rewarded by watching Xander slap himself in the face yet again.
The two vampires chuckled soundlessly.
They were having way too much fun.
It wasn't until they sensed another vampire passing the dark, parked car they were in, that they remembered their reason for being there.
Angel turned back around to watch the vampire walking down the street, back towards the warehouse, and Spike shook Xander awake.
"I'm here...I'm up," he said sleepily.
"Yeah...and I'm 'Dog Boy," Spike replied chuckling.
"Come on, get up."
Xander finally shrugged off the sleep and woke up.
"Are we..."
"Yes we're here," Spike cut him off. "Do you have your crosses?"
"Yep...five of them. Why did I have to bring so many?"
"Cause your staying in the car. Something a wandering, hungry vamp can break into. Getting a word picture here? When Nancy Boy and I go into this warehouse to check things out, we want you to put these up on the windows and hold one in your hand...oh...and here," he said, tossing Xander a vial of Holy Water, he had gotten from Giles. "Don't open the doors until we come back. If Angel comes back without me. Dust him, cause his bleedin soul won't let him leave without me. And if he comes back alone, figure him to be Angelus and get the hell out of here. Understand?"
Xander nodded.
Angel didn't say anything, cause he knew it was a possibility. He also didn't want to hear any more of Spike's instructions to Xander, cause if he, somehow, lost his soul...with that information. He shuddered over the monster he knew he'd become again.
Spike gave Xander some more, inside, info. And then joined Angel.
As they walked down the street, they looked back at the car once.
They both were glad to see crosses in the windows.
They then got walked the rest of the blocks to the building and walked inside.
Forty minutes later, they walked out again.
No new info learned, but a good fight was had and dust now covered the warehouse grounds. The fight had only taken half that time, but they had done some thorough searching afterwards. Looking for survivors. They found none.
They headed back to the car, and called Xander on the cell.
Xander had been sleeping, but woke when his phone buzzed.
"Hello?"
"Move the bloody crosses and open the soddin' door, mate."
Xander rolled his eyes. Then decided to play with them for a bit.
"Now...why would I want to do that?"
Spike growled at him.
"Open the door, or Lucifer help me I promise to make you pay, 'Whelp."
"I think you'd be a little nicer to me, since I have the power of letting you in or not. And...do I hear thunder. Is it going to rain?"
Angel looked up at the sky. Sure enough, the clouds were getting heavy.
It was about to rain.
He groaned.
"Come on Xander."
Xander smiled.
Spike then realized what Xander had just said. He looked at Angel and smiled. Then he looked at Xander.
"Hey 'Monkey Boy', guess what?"
"What?"
"Someone's not being nice to me."
Xander looked at him blankly, then realized what he was talking about. He groaned. So much for his fun.
He hung his head, then leaned forward and took the crosses off the door and put them on the floor at his feet.
"Hurry up and get in before you both get wet," was all he said.
Angel looked shocked by the sudden turnaround, but Spike just smiled.
"Well now. That's awfully nice of you Xander."
Xander looked at him...and forced a smile.
"That's the kind of person I am....Spike."
Spike chuckled.
Xander looked like he'd just swallowed bile. The face he was making. He wished he had a camera. Capturing this moment would have been beautiful.
Damn, he thought. I should have made him be nice to me for two or three days in a row. But then again, wouldn't want 'im to keel over cause of the effort.
Angel, now driving the car towards the next location, wondered what had come over Xander.
"Hey Xander?"
"What Angel?"
"Are you feeling
alright?"
Xander looked at him puzzled.
"Yeah, why?"
"You're being nice to Spike. I thought maybe you didn't feel very well."
Spike chuckled as Xander closed his eyes and banged his head against the back seat.
"Oh don't worry about 'Xander' here, dear ole' dad....he's fine. This right here is a temporary measure. He'll be as usual come ....two days from now.
Xander looked up.
He whipped out his phone and wrote Spike:
You said it was only for one day!!!!
You can't change the rules on it, now.
Spike replied:
I'm not, but you can't honestly believe
that I'm gonna let you bloody well
sleep through part of your being nice to
me! That's why I said two days.
Half the day you sleep, I'm not feeling all
warm and cuddly. So, when you wake
up, we can continue it again, until it's been
a full 24 hours. Got it, Monkey Man?
Xander groaned. He knew that if it had been him, he'd have made the same stipulation. Although he hated to think that he would, he knew he probably would have, Spike was right. He had planned on sleeping away part of the bet. Damn that vamp for thinking a bit like him.
Xander agreed out loud, ending their conversation by turning off his phone,
"Alright."
Angel thought he might have been talking to him.
"Alright what, Xander?"
Spike chuckled.
Before Spike could say something, anything to Angel, Xander jumped in,
"Umm....Alright! One down and two to go."
Spike just laughed.
Poor Xander, he thought, he thinks that'll stop me from saying something to Angel. Little does he know. I'm not about to give up my small bit of entertainment.
He waited until Xander had thought that a possible comment had been avoided, before he said, to Angel.
"You know, O Mighty Poof, not every word said is to you."
Angel, had been waiting for Spike's comment, so he said nothing, Xander on the other hand, looked over at Spike.
"You could be a little nicer to him, Ble...umm....Spike."
Spike smirked. Then said, "Are you defending the Mighty Poof, Whelp."
Xander groaned, realizing that that was exactly what he had just did.
Angel smiled, but said nothing.
Spike continued.
"I think you like Angelus, here Xander."
"Do not," Xander muttered.
"Please don't make fun of Angel," Spike mocked. "He's my very best-est friend."
"Please stop, Spike." Xander begged.
Spike's smile got bigger.
"Xander, are you asking me, nicely, to leave Angel alone, for now...or to leave you alone for now?"
Xander gritted his teeth and took calming breaths before answering him.
That blond vampire was taking the bet for all it was worth, he thought.
He said, in a choked voice, that was strained,
"I'd like you to stop...teasing me...and leave Angel alone. For now. Please."
Spike seemed to consider his comment and question very closely before he said,
"Okay...I've thought about it...and the answer is....no."
Xander's shoulders slumped.
Spike grinned and then continued.
"I won't stop messing with Angelus here, you Scoobies can't take away all my fun. But, I will leave you alone...for now."
Xander almost hugged him with relief.
"Thanks," was, however, all he said.
Spike chuckled and said," No problem, mate." He knew that that would get him a small, last rise from Xander.
Xander looked over at him and said," Okay...oh...and Spike?"
"Let me guess...don't call you mate?"
Xander nodded.
Spike just laughed.
Angel shook his head and chuckled to himself as Xander laid his head back on the seat, a reluctant smile tugging at his lips.
Spike settled back in his seat, tugging out a strand of his hair, waiting for Xander to fall asleep, while Angel drove on to the next destination.
TBC…