The Quickening

Previously:

Xander felt as if a great burden had been lifted from his heart, though he knew his decision would have more consequences than he could imagine. However, before he began to worry about what he was going to do to support himself, he had to find a place to spend the night, and he knew exactly where to go.

Chapter Twenty-Eight:

Xander shifted his bag on his shoulders and lightly knocked on Giles's front door. It was nearing midnight and he did not want to wake the Watcher. However, he knew that Faith was a light sleeper and that she would hear him. A few seconds passed and he could see the living room lights suddenly pop on. The front door swung open to reveal Faith standing in the foyer, her hair slightly tussled from sleep. Xander unconsciously let his eyes roam over her body. She was clad in a tight tank top and a pair of rather short shorts that revealed her toned, tanned legs.

"Hey," Faith said, her voice raspy from sleep. "What are you doing here?" She watched as he stepped closer. His face, hidden in the shadows, was revealed and she drew in a sharp breath. "What happened?"

"My dad got a little riled up," Xander replied. Faith stepped closer and reached up, gently tracing the wound under his eye with her fingertips. Xander leaned into her touch, relishing the feel of her fingertips against his skin. He could feel her breath against his face and all he wanted to do in that moment was kiss her.

"You have a bag," Faith pointed out. "Did you leave?"

"Yeah," Xander replied, his voice low and gravely from the desire coursing through his body. "I just need a place to crash tonight."

"What're you gonna do after that?" Faith asked, leaning closer. She could see his pupils dilating as she flicked her tongue out over her lips, wetting them.

"Thought I'd get an apartment. Find a job. I don't know. I'm just figuring things out as I go along," Xander replied.

"And you want to stay here for the night?" Faith asked, her hand dropping down to his neck. She could feel Xander pulling her closer. His hands were resting on her hips and where his fingers touched, she felt as if bolts of electricity were shooting through her body. She had been close with many people, but she had never felt anything as intense as when she was with Xander.

"I was hoping," Xander replied as his eyes locked with Faith's. Their lips were only inches apart. Faith could hear her heart beating in her chest, the pace quickening with every second that passed.

"What were you hoping?" Faith asked, resting her other hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating wildly under his shirt. She smiled a little.

"I really want to kiss you right now," Xander replied huskily. Faith involuntarily shivered as she gazed into his eyes. She could plainly see desire in them, but there was something else there, something more than concern, something more than care. For a second she forgot to breath as she looked into his eyes and saw love staring back at her.

"What're you waiting for then?" Faith asked breathlessly as Xander's lips crashed into hers. She moaned deeply as his tongue slipped through her parted lips. Then she was moving backwards. Her back connected with the doorframe and she realized that sometime in the seconds before their lips met, she had given up control to Xander. She had never given up control to anyone before, but she found as Xander began to massage her tongue with his, while slipping his hand under her shirt to touch the skin of her stomach, that she didn't particularly miss being in control.

In the back of her mind, she could hear something vaguely resembling a cough coming from behind Xander. Breaking the kiss, she looked over Xander's shoulder to see Giles standing a few feet behind them, looking rather bemused. "Someone's standing behind us, huh?" Xander asked, his cheeks starting to redden from embarrassment.

"That would be Giles," Faith replied. Xander moved away and Faith distinctly missed the warmth of his body pressed against hers.

"Xander," Giles said, trying to restrain his laughter to keep from causing further embarrassment to the two teenagers.

"Hey, Giles," Xander replied. "How's it going?"

"Isn't it about time you were heading home?" Giles asked, noting that it had passed midnight.

"Well, that's kinda why he's here," Faith interjected.

"Oh?" Giles asked, noticing, as Xander moved into the light, the cut below his eye.

"Xander needs to stay here tonight," Faith replied. "I think you can see why."

"Your father did this to you?" Giles asked, watching as Xander looked down at the ground.

"Yeah," Xander replied softly. "I only need to stay here one night. I'll find a place tomorrow."

"Don't be ridiculous," Giles responded. "Stay here as long as you need to."

"Thanks," Xander replied gratefully.

"Of course," Giles replied. "It's getting late, you both should go inside."

"What about you?" Faith asked.

"I just came back to check on you," Giles lied. "I have one more stop to make before I can call it a night."

"Oh, okay," Faith answered, knowing that Giles was not telling her the truth. However, as she looked at him, she could see a bit of the Ripper coming through his eyes and she distinctly knew where he was going. "Be careful."

"I will," Giles replied, smiling softly. He watched as the two teenagers went back into the apartment. Then, he turned and walked back into the night.

………………………

It did not take long for Giles to find Xander's house. Walking up the sidewalk to the front door, he slowly began to roll up his shirtsleeves. He could see the lights on in the house, indicating that its occupants were still up at least. He stopped in front of the door and raised his hand, curling it into a fist, before knocking swiftly. The sound of footsteps rang through the house and Xander's father approached the door. It swung open a few seconds later.

"What do you want?" Xander's father asked, his speech slightly slurred from the alcohol he had spent the greater part of the night drinking. Giles repressed a disgusted shudder.

"You're Alexander Harris's father, yes?" Giles replied, watching the man intently.

"Yeah, where is that bastard? He took off tonight. And who the hell are you anyway?" Xander's father asked, his voice harsh and angry.

"I'm a friend of your son's," Giles said calmly. "And he wanted me to tell you something."

"Oh? What's that?"

Giles smiled a little before lashing his fist out. It met with the other man's nose and Giles heard the distinct crack of bones breaking. The man stumbled back, clutching his broken nose as blood began to pour from it. "Xander wanted me to tell you that he's not coming back," Giles answered. "And I wanted to tell you not to try to find him, though I doubt that you actually would. I also wanted to tell you that if you ever touch that boy again," Giles said, stepping forward menacingly, "I will kill you." The other man looked up at him with fear in his eyes and nodded quickly.

"You…you got it," he stuttered.

"Good," Giles replied. "In that case," he said, stepping back, "have a nice night." Turning, Giles stalked back down the sidewalk. Xander's father watched him leave and quickly shut the door. Giles shook his fist as he walked away, trying to ward off the pain that punching the other man had caused. "I think that went well," he muttered to himself and smiled.