Title: Best Laid Plans 14/16
Author: Forsaken2003
Pairing: Spike/Xander
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I own none; all belong to Joss Whedon
Comments: Always welcomed!
Summary: Xander decides he wants to help Spike and Buffy get together. What better way than to pretend they are dating?
Warnings/Spoilers: Season 5
Beta'd by: Whichclothes
Part Fourteen
Xander avoided his friends for a couple days throwing himself into his work. He knew it wouldn't last long. Eventually someone would come looking for him. So when a knock came on his door Wednesday night, Xander had assumed it would be Willow. He was surprised to see that it was Tara. "Hey, Tara."
"Hi," Tara said as she walked into his apartment. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, just been busy with work." Xander closed the door behind her. "What's up? New big bad or something?"
Tara shook her head. "I wanted to make sure everything was okay. You haven't been around since the Bronze incident. I'm sorry that guy turned out to be a vampire."
"Hey, that's the life of the Xanman. I should have suspected it. After all, he was way too interested in me," Xander said.
"Spike isn't acting like himself," Tara said, deciding to change the conversation. She didn't want Xander feeling like the only reason someone would be interested in him was to kill or eat him.
Trying to look uninterested Xander replied, "Really? Is the happy couple fighting?"
Tara sighed. "Xander, they aren't together."
"WHAT?" Xander asked. He then cleared his throat and tried again. "What?"
"I don't know the details but they decided that they make better friends than anything more," Tara explained. "Apparently from what Buffy told me and Willow, Spike was going to tell you at the Bronze."
Xander didn't understand. "Why would he want to tell me?"
"I don't know. All I know is he has been moody and brooding. Willow says she's afraid he's going to turn into Angel," Tara replied.
"It can't be that bad!" Xander exclaimed.
"It's pretty bad," Tara confirmed. "When he isn't around killing demons he's holed up in his crypt."
Xander collapsed onto his couch. "Damn. What am I supposed to do?"
"You know the answer to that," Tara said, sitting down beside him. "Go and talk to him."
"And if he blames things not working out on me?" Xander asked. "He's probably going to leave now."
"If he does, do you want it to be without talking to him?"
Xander leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "No."
"Then go talk to him." Tara stood up and grabbed his hand. "Now!"
Xander smiled and stood as well. "When did you become so bossy?"
"I'm only bossy when I think I'm right," Tara said as she pushed Xander toward the door. "Go and talk to him. You never know what might happen."
"Fine," Xander said while he took a deep breath. He had to face Spike, Xander knew that, but the knots in his stomach said otherwise. If Xander could face down demons who tried to end the world he could talk to Spike.
Spike lay on his bed, his arm thrown over his eyes. Of course once again his unlife went down the toilet. What he thought he wanted wasn't and what he never thought he wanted he did. Being with Drusilla had been so much easier. Even though she cheated and strayed he always knew that she was the only thing he wanted.
He heard the crypt door open from above. It must be Buffy. She kept coming around threatening to beat him up if he didn't confront Xander. Not that she actually would, it wouldn't do any good, but she was tired of him snapping. And Buffy knew if Xander was in hiding there was no way to get him out.
Shoes hit the ladder as the person carefully climbed down. "Bugger off," Spike growled dangerously.
"You don't even want to see the person who came up with the stupidest plan in history?" Xander asked as he got to the bottom of the ladder, his feet on the floor but his hands wrapped tightly around the bars of the ladder in case he needed to make a hasty retreat. "Well, maybe not the stupidest. Blackmailing Amy into doing a spell to make Cordy fall in love with me but instead put the whammy on all the women in Sunnydale had to be the stupidest."
Spike's arm dropped to the bed and he sat up. "Xander?"
"You know anyone else that fucked things up for you?" Xander asked chuckling nervously.
"You didn't bollocks anything up," Spike stated. "There was nothing there and we couldn't force it. You've been avoiding me," he accused.
Xander shrugged. "I've been avoiding everyone."
"Why are you here?" Spike asked with a tilt of his head.
"Tara stopped by and told me what happened. She thought maybe I could make things better."
"Why would the little witch think that?" Spike asked, his brow furrowed.
Xander sighed. "She knows about the plan. I didn't tell her; she figured it out on her own," he rushed out. "Why have you been so moody?"
"Oh, now you want to talk, do you?" Spike asked sarcastically. He tossed the covers from his body and Xander silently thanked God that he was wearing boxers. It was bad enough that Spike was showing off his magnificent body but if he saw anymore he'd probably come in his shorts. "I remember wanting to talk at the Bronze but you had no bloody interest then."
"Spike, I was making out with a vampire who had his hands down my pants and was most likely going to kill me. It was a little embarrassing," Xander said frustrated. "All I wanted to do was go home and lick my wounds." He waited for Spike to say something but gave up. "Fine, whatever. You be a dick and I'll go see if the girls want to catch a matinée."
Spike rushed and stopped Xander from climbing up the ladder, his arms wrapped around Xander. "Don't go."
Xander's breath hitched as Spike pressed up close to his back. "Why?"
"I told you we needed to talk and we still need to," Spike said. He nuzzled his nose against Xander's neck. "Don't you want to know what happened between me and Buffy?"
"It's none of my business," Xander replied, as he fought the urge to lean back into Spike. What was Spike doing?
"That's what has me confused. It is your business. You helped me and now you don't care? It makes me wonder if you had a problem with me and Buffy from the start," Spike said. His hands didn't let go of Xander but they did wander lower.
Xander tensed up. He realized what was going on. Because things didn't work out with Buffy Spike blamed Xander so he was going to torture him. "Look, I'm sorry you and Buffy couldn't make things work but don't do this."
"Don't do what, pet?" Spike asked, confused. His hands dropped from Xander's hips.
"Don't play mind games with me because my plan was stupid!" Xander turned around almost bumping noses with Spike. "When did you figure it out?"
Spike was getting confused more by the minute. "Figure out what?" Xander was getting so worked up and Spike was at a loss about why.
"Don't play stupid. I'm better at it then you. When did you find out about my feelings for you?" Xander demanded to know. The look on Spike's face would have made Xander laugh if he wasn't so pissed off.
"You… bloody hell did you make this easier," Spike said before diving in, his mouth attacking Xander's.
Xander's hands gripped Spike's hips subconsciously. He pulled Spike in as close as possible. Oh, they'd kissed before multiple times but this was different and new. Spike was putting everything he had into this one kiss. He felt Spike push him against the ladder and grind against him. Xander's eyes popped open and he pushed Spike away. "I've got to go."
Spike couldn't believe what he was hearing. Here he was standing with a raging hard-on and Xander was going to leave? "What?"
"This is… moving too fast. I need to think," Xander said and scrambled up the ladder and out of the crypt into the sun where Spike couldn't follow.