White Picket Fences
A/N: Sorry I haven�t updated lately. Been quite busy and all. I�ve decided to keep Cordelia alive and Connor around. Angel and Cordelia are living together in Cordelia�s flat. More of this in the Sequel.
Chapter 9: Los Angeles
The smooth, slow drag of enamel on his skin made the human shudder and arch his back in an attempt to gain more contact. The mouth continued its journey along his lover�s body before finally coming to rest next to his right hipbone. A soft kiss was followed by the slow sinking of fangs into the tender flesh. Xander�s toes curled and his hands clenched the bed-sheets as he exploded onto his chest and stomach. The vampire smiled against the larger man�s hip and lapped at the dual puncture wounds until the bleeding subsided and moved up the bed to lie at his beloved�s side. The two men lay side by side for several minutes simply enjoying the others� company.
Xander hissed softly when Spike�s body came in contact with the fresh bite on his hip; the salt on the vampire�s body making the open wound sting a bit. He smiled at him as if to say �really, I�m fine.� Leaning over, Xander kissed Spike languidly, savouring the feel of their lips moving together. He sighed against the vampire�s slightly warm lips.
�The second we move into a new house, Peaches is taking the kids for the weekend.� Spike smirked, giving down at Xander who was lying with his hands behind his head. Their moment of peace was interrupted by a soft knock at their bedroom door. �Yeah?� Spike called softly and tossed Xander a t-shirt.
�Can�t sleep.� The little boy said, clutching his blanket in one hand.
�Come on.� Xander held his arms open for the boy as he climbed onto the bed between the two men. �G�night, Nicky.� He whispered, kissing Nicholas on his forehead. The child�s only response was a yawn and to snuggle further into the bed.
The next morning, Xander and Nicholas awoke to the sounds of Spike rummaging around the house. Sliding off the bed, Xander lifted Nicholas and sleepily made his way into the kitchen. �Good morning, Xanpet.� Spike leaned in, kissing Nicholas on the head and Xander on the lips.
�Mm, syrupy.� Xander grinned, licking his lips before leaning back in for a second kiss. Just as their lips touched, Nicholas pouted and attempted to push them apart.
�No kissy.� Said the little boy in Xander�s arms as the two men laughed.
�What�s so funny?� Came the sleepy voice of Ariel as she stumbled to the counter.
�Nicky doesn�t seem to like us kissing.� Xander answered, pressing a kiss to Nicholas� baby fine hair.
�You�re too old to kiss. It�s gross.� Ariel pulled a somewhat disgusted face at the two men and waited for Spike to finish cooking.
�I�m 22! I�m not old, missy. Your other daddy�s old.� Xander snickered before having to duck from the flying waffle bits. �If you�re gonna throw food at me at least get it in my mouth!� He rolled his eyes and walked around the counter to the refrigerator.
��M not old, whelp.� Spike waved a spatula at his lover. He turned to Ariel who was now drinking a glass of Orange juice that Xander had handed her. �Are you packed yet?� The girl nodded.
�Why do we have to go to LA anyway? Can�t we stay here with you?� She whined.
Spike sighed heavily. It pained him to think that the people who had become his whole world would be leaving in a few hours and that he probably wouldn�t see them again. He walked over and wrapped an arm around her. �I love you, Ariel and your brother, and you da, that�s why you have to go to LA. I want you to be safe. I just have to do this then I�ll come out to LA, too, okay? You�ll be fine. You won�t even notice I�m not there. You�ll be with your Grandpa Angel and everyone else.�
Xander placed his own glass of juice down. �Why don�t you take your brother to get washed up.� His voice was soft but it was obviously a command rather than a suggestion. He waited for the two children to leave the kitchen before embracing his boyfriend. �Just come with us.� He pleaded, his breath tickling the shell of the blonde�s ear. �I can�t lose you now, Will.� He whispered. �I just found you.�
�I love you.� Spike murmured against his lover�s lips in between fierce kisses. Finally pulling away, Spike rested his forehead against his lover�s. �I�ll be there as soon as I can. I help you pack the car when the sun goes down.� The two embraced once again, Spike listening to the soothing beating of Xander�s heart and Xander listening to the unneeded breathing coming from Spike, completely oblivious to the two children watching them with sad expressions.
For the rest of the day, the two children stayed close to Spike, even if they were only at home. They watched silently as the blonde made them lunch and later, Ariel listened intently as Spike read a story to Nicholas before his nap. Ariel had wound up falling asleep beside her brother.
With the two children napping peacefully, Xander and Spike retreated to their own bedroom, spending the time lying shirtless in bed enjoying the feeling of skin on skin contact with the occasional languid kissing. Neither man wanted to think about what would happen in the next few hours or days. The only thing that mattered was that they were together now and nothing could pull them apart, well almost nothing. The phone beside the bed had been ringing non stop for the past two minutes and Spike was about ready to throw the blasted thing out the window. �What?!� He growled into the receiver. �Piss off, slayer.� He slammed the phone back on the base and turned to snuggle back into his lover. He sensed Xander was about to say something and promptly shushed him, placing a finger over the young man�s lips
Nightfall came sooner than expected with Spike helping Xander load boxes into the boot of Spike�s car. On the sidewalk, a pile of labelled boxes sat with several duffel bags and back packs that still needed to be fit into the already stuffed car. A box labelled �Will�s things� was the next to be crammed into the small space left in the back of the boot. He was having serious doubts as to whether he should stay �for the greater good.� After all, why was it that all of a sudden he needs to help save the world and probably die in the process? Sure, he was �good� now but why couldn�t the slayer save the world herself? Wasn�t that in her job description in the first place? He wanted to cry but willed himself not to for the sake of the children. Their children. The children they saved. Together. The children he had become something of a father to which was something he had never thought would ever happen in his un-life. He watched Xander come out to the car with a child holding each hand. He watched as the two children ran to him, embracing him tightly. He knelt on the ground and took them both in his arms, kissing them both on the head and reassuring them that everything would be just fine and to take care of their daddy for them until he got to LA. He was shocked to see just how attached the two were to him already and wiped away their tears with his hand. After several minutes, Spike ushered them into the backseat of the car and waited until Xander had stowed away the last duffel bag in the boot and the last box in the backseat to pull him into his arms and kiss him fiercely. He no longer cared that tears were running freely down his face. After many whispered �I love you�s� and reassurances, the two finally broke apart and Xander got into the car and started it up. He watched with a pensive expression as the car drove down the road and toward the city limits.
The car stopped outside of the address Spike had given him. �We�re here.� He said, breaking the silence that had lasted since they left Sunnydale. Xander ushered the two children to the door and knocked hesitantly. He was surprised when Angel answered the door and ushered them in without a word. Angel explained to Xander that Spike had called a few days ago explaining everything that was going on .
The front door slammed shut and a pissed off teen stomped through the lounge and into the kitchen to grab a can of soda before locking himself in his bedroom. �I�d better go deal with this. Cordelia should be home in a few minutes.� Angel sighed and went to knock on the locked bedroom door. �Connor, open the door.�
�Go away!� Connor shouted back.
Angel groaned and decided that Cordelia was better at dealing with the teen�s social issues than he was. �That blur of teenage angst that locked himself in his room is Connor.� Angel said, plopping back down in his chair. He smiled at the two children who were, in their own ways, carefully studying the dark haired vampire. �These must be the kids Spike was rambling about when he called to say you would be coming here.� He watched as Xander smiled and placed an arm around each child.
�I need you to help me adopt them.�
Angel nodded and went to the sideboard where a file was sitting. �Spike told me so I pulled some strings and all it needs is your signature.� He said handing the file to a very grateful Xander. �You must be hungry.� Angel said and made to get up from his seat.
�Sorry �bout giving you and Buff all that crap about the two of you.� Xander mumbled as Angel ordered a pizza. For the first time in, well, ever, Xander heard Angel give a small laugh and to be honest, it kinda scared him a tiny bit.
�Xander!� He barely had a warning before Cordelia launched herself at her ex-boyfriend. �Oh my god, your eye.�
Xander�s hand absentmindedly went to the patch covering his eye and laughed. �Yeah, got a thumb in the eye.�
�You can stay here as long as you like. When did you get here?� She asked, barely letting Xander answer before getting distracted by the young girl on the couch who was tying knots in the cord of her pink hoody. �She�s adorable!� She squealed and went to sit beside Ariel. �Hi there, I�m Cordy.� The girl�s sad expression brightened momentarily. �Why don�t I show you where you can put your things?� Cordelia Chase Smiled warmly at Ariel and Nicholas and took them by the hand to show them to the guest bedroom.
Several moments later, Nicholas and Ariel came back to the lounge and quietly climbed onto their father�s lap. Ariel buried her head into the front of Xander�s shirt, curiously watching her father and the two other adults in the room. She watched as Angel came in and sat in his chair and as Cordelia came to sit on the arm of her boyfriend�s chair and give him a quick kiss. Her ears perked up at Angel�s mention of pizza and smiled. �I like dad�s pizza.� She said very softly, Nicholas nodding in agreement. Xander smiled at his daughter�s comment and looked to Angel. �It means a lot that the two of you are letting us stay here but sooner or later I�ll need to get something more permanent for the three of us and find a school for Ariel.� He said.
�I can help you look for a place!� Cordelia chirped with a satisfied smile.
�Um, okay.� Xander didn�t know what he should say. All he wanted was something simple that the three of them would be comfortable in.
The group sat in silence, waiting for the pizza to arrive. Occasionally, Connor would tap his foot against the floor or drum his fingers on the armrest impatiently. Around 10pm, the pizza arrived and they ate in companionable silence in the moderate dining room until the ringing of the telephone broke the silence and Cordelia got up to answer it. It was Giles. Xander got up, unable to stand being in the same room when Cordelia spoke to Giles about the destruction of Sunnydale. He mumbled something about needing fresh air and left the flat to sit outside for a while. Had Xander stayed, he may have heard something quite important. Completely oblivious to the world around him, Xander hardly heard the motorbike pull up and hardly noticed as someone sat next to him on the curb.
�It�s a nice night.�
Xander laughed bitterly. If it wasn�t enough that he had to lose someone so close to him, his mind had to be a bitch and play games with him, making him think his lover was sitting beside him and speaking to him. He turned his head towards the voice and laughed harder. Not only was he hearing things but he was seeing things as well! �You�ve really lost it now.� A voice in his head laughed. �You�re not real.�
�Of course I am.�
�No you�re � Great, now I�m talking to myself. I�ve officially crossed over into loony Ville.� Xander hung his head, glancing over to see the black lad blond sitting next to him, a cigarette between his fingers.
A moment passed and soon, Xander�s lap was filled with an eager, Spike-shaped mass kissing him enthusiastically.
�Xander, it�s Spike, Giles said he�s � oh, never mind.� Cordelia blushed and went back inside at the sight in front of her.
�That Red is really something. Have to send her a thank you note or something.� Spike muttered as Xander led him into Cordelia�s flat and into the guest bedroom where his children would have been staying.
Angel and Cordelia watched the couple enter then barricade themselves in the guest room before turning to each other and deciding the best plan of action was to get the two children and Connor out of the house before they were all scarred for life. �Wanna go see a movie? You can have all the candy you want but you have to promise me not to tell you daddies.� Cordelia grinned and led everyone outside leaving Xander and Spike alone for several hours.
In the guest room, Spike and Xander were making up for lost time. Or rather, the few hours they were separated. �Didn�t I tell you I�d come find you?� he smirked.
Finis
A/N: That�s it. The Sequel will be coming shortly. This chapter has been a bitch to write but eventually I�ll clean up the fic and add in bits and pieces here and there. I hoped you all liked it.