Title: Transplant Tragedies 2/5
Author: Forsaken2003
Pairing: Spike/Xander
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I own none; all belong to Joss Whedon
Comments: Always welcomed!
Summary: There is a demon stealing organs from people who have had transplants.
Warnings/Spoilers: Post NFA
Beta'd by: Whichclothes
Part Two
When Xander and Giles arrived back at slayer central they went their separate ways. Giles went in search of Willow and Dawn to help him with research and Xander went to find Spike. They needed to have a discussion that should have happened back in Sunnydale.
Xander made it to the second floor where the original Scoobies all had their own rooms. It wasn't much but it did give them a way to get away from the S.. Just as he was about to knock on Spike's door, Spike opened it wearing only a towel around his waist.
"Oh my God!" Xander screeched and covered his eye.
Spike rolled his eyes. "Grow up, Harris. It's not like you haven't seen more before now, is it?"
"Yeah, I remember. You loved to make me uncomfortable back in Sunnydale," Xander grumbled.
"Didn't stop you from looking, did it?" Spike said with a raised eyebrow. "Was there something you wanted? Getting a bit of a draft here. And if someone gets to the shower before me, heads will roll. Specifically your head."
Xander fiddled with his eye patch. "I wanted to talk to you…but it can wait."
Spike frowned. Xander only played with his eye patch when something was bothering him. "Didn't you and the watcher go visit some guy who was attacked by a demon?" He stepped back into his room, letting Xander enter. "What happen that has your knickers in a knot?"
"Yeah, we did. This demon stole this guy's eyes. I mean not like Caleb did but actually took them," Xander explained. "The guy… Josh was born blind and only two years ago he went for a cornea transplant."
"Bloody hell," Spike whispered. "Bad luck, that."
"I know," Xander said.
"Is that why you wanted to talk to me? Could have talked to Buffy about that," Spike said.
"No, I wanted to talk about me," Xander answered. "And you."
"Us?" Spike asked with surprise. "Didn't know there was an us." Spike leaned close to Xander and purred. "Do you want there to be an us?"
Xander blushed and stepped away. "Stop that!"
Spike pouted and sat back on his bed. "Well get on with it then."
"I wanted to thank you," Xander finally said.
"For what?" Spike asked, his head tilted to the left.
Xander waved his hand in front of his face. "For saving me from Caleb. I never got the chance after because everything was hectic."
"Hmm…" Spike said. "You're one of the few who have ever thanked me for anything." He looked Xander in the eye. "You're welcome. I only wish I could have been faster."
"You didn't know. We didn't think he'd go after the weak one," Xander said with a shake of the head. "You should go take your shower. Meet us in the research room when you're done?" He asked.
Spike nodded and before Xander could leave he was up and off the bed and had his hands on Xander's arms, looking him in the eye. "He didn't go after the weak one."
"What?" Xander said with confusion.
"Caleb went after the one who scared him," Spike said.
Xander's look of confusion didn't disappear. "What the hell are you talking about, Spike?"
"He said you were the one who could see, yeah?" Spike said. "I think he was afraid that you'd find out exactly where he was hiding that scythe."
"I'm not some sort of psychic. I never would have found out," Xander argued.
Spike shrugged. "You never know. You were a Sunnydale kid; all sorts of weird things happen. You should know that."
Xander smiled. "Thanks, Spike."
"Besides, the pirate look is really sexy," Spike added with a wink and a lick of his lips.
Xander laughed and left while trying to figure out if Spike was trying to make him uncomfortable or if he was actually flirting with him. Surprisingly, Xander hoped for the latter.
Spike joined the others forty-five minutes later. He loved a hot shower and nothing was going to make him get out of it before he was good and ready. Not even a demon.
"Thank you for finally joining us, Spike," Giles said sarcastically.
"Pleasure's mine, mate," Spike said with a grin. "Now what have you lot come up with?"
Giles glared at Spike.
"We think there is a demon that is going after people who have had some sort of transplant," Willow told him worriedly.
"Willow, why would a demon steal people's transplants?" Buffy asked. She'd seen a lot of weird things in her life but this one took the cake.
Willow shrugged. "I don't know but we have another two victims who weren't as lucky as Josh Lambert."
"What do you mean?" Spike asked. Maybe he should have come down sooner. He hated being out of the loop.
With a shaky Xander handed Spike a picture of a woman. "Julie Springer was twenty-nine years old. She had autoimmune liver disease. Five years ago she had a liver transplant."
"She was lucky to have survived the surgery," Giles added. "Two weeks ago her body was found and her liver was missing."
Willow nodded. "And a month ago," she showed Spike a new picture, "Joanna Montana age forty-two had lung cancer…"
"And she had a lung transplant?" Spike guessed. "No way is this a coincidence. How do you know it's not just some deranged human?"
"That's what I said!" Buffy exclaimed.
Dawn ignored her. "They weren't cut out, they were ripped out. I don't think a human is that strong." She looked at Buffy. "Well except for maybe a slayer."
"A slayer didn't do this," Xander interjected. "Whatever is doing this obviously knows what it's going after. Like maybe it knows the organs didn't belong."
"A demon that has a problem with transplants?" Buffy asked skeptically.
Giles pulled off his glasses. "We can't rule it out. There are some demons who can find fault with the human race and try to fix them."
"What should we do, then?" Spike asked.
"Willow, I want you to break into the hospital medical records and get us a list of every person who has had some sort of transplant," Giles ordered. "Go back as far as you can. Lord knows how many people out there are a target to this thing."
Spike snorted and stood. "That won't take days, weeks or possibly months!" he said cynically.
"Do you have a better suggestion?" Giles shot back. He received no answer. "Fine. Buffy, you, Xander and Spike take patrol. Maybe you'll stumble upon this demon."
"What about me?" Dawn asked.
Giles looked at the clock and sighed. Dawn had school the next morning but he knew she hated feeling left out. "You can help me research for another hour and then it's off to bed with you."
Dawn bounced in her chair and opened a book.
"Xander!" Willow stood causing everyone to look at her. "Erm… maybe you should stay here?"
"Willow, I'll be fine," Xander said sternly. "After all, I've got a slayer and vampire to watch my back."
"But what about…" Willow was cut off by Xander.
"I will be fine," Xander said through gritted teeth.
Willow bit her bottom lip. "Just be careful."