Chapter 8

Xander paced nervously as Willow drew the spell circle. Angel leaned calmly against the wall by the door, to make sure no one interrupted. He'd told Wesley, who had probably told Cordelia, what they were doing, but couldn't bring himself to tell Fred, and telling Gunn was absolutely out of the question. Spike lay very still inside the circle; only his eyes moved, following Willow's every movement.

Finally, she sat just outside the circle, and began the ritual. To Spike, it felt like hours had passed before anything happened. When the pain started, he almost wished it had taken longer to get set up. Xander growled and paced faster at the pained cries coming from his sire. Angel almost put a restraining hand on the boy, but thought better of it. If he made a wrong move now, Xander could attack and might accidentally mess up the ritual. Angel wondered idly if Spike had any idea why Xander's attachment to him was so extreme. It was clear that the kid felt the bonds of family, but that level of attachment didn't seem usual to Angel.

Watching the boy pace was frustrating, but he understood the urge. Even though he and Spike didn't get along anymore—they were rivals, and they always had been—he didn't really want to see him hurt, at least, not unless he was causing it in a relatively fair fight.

Two hours passed, and Spike's groans of pain intensified. Xander and Angel worried that something might be wrong, but, other than excessive perspiration, Willow showed no signs of distress. Just when Angel began to worry that he'd have to step in to stop the ritual before Xander became so nervous that he killed Willow, Spike let out an agonizing scream, and both he and Willow were enveloped in a bright blue light before all noise stopped. Willow slumped to the floor, and Spike groaned, but sat up slowly.

"Spike! Did it work?" Xander rushed to his sire's side, but stopped just outside the circle. He didn't want to mess anything up if the ritual wasn't done. He didn't want all that to have been for nothing.

"Yeah. Did it work?" Willow's voice was groggy, but she seemed unharmed as Angel helped her back into a seated position.

"Dunno. Best test it somehow." Spike looked at Willow hopefully.

"Oh, all right then. But hold back. If you actually damage me, Angel is now under orders to kill you," Willow said firmly, despite the fatigue on her face.

"You just did me a solid, Red. Won't soon forget that." Even as he spoke, Spike's fangs came out and he launched himself at Willow. He was able to knock her to the ground, but he had to be sure. He pressed her hands to the floor, and exerted just a tiny amount of pressure.

"Ouch! Okay. That's enough, Spike."

Spike immediately sat up and helped Willow to her feet, steadying her when she swayed.

"Looks like it worked," he observed.

"I'm…" Willow hesitated, but decided her first word choice was correct. "I'm happy for you, Spike."

"Thanks, Red."
"And my conditions…"

Spike nodded, willing to agree to almost anything.

"Just look after Xander."

"Of course, Red," he said, turning to smile at the boy.

"Willow. I'll walk you back to your room, and make sure you're okay," Angel said as he motioned toward the door.

"Okay," Willow agreed. She was more than ready to sleep for a week.

As she passed Xander, she was surprised to be caught up in an almost bone-crushing hug.

"Thanks, Willow. You don't know what this means to me."

She hugged her best friend for a moment before pushing gently at his shoulders. Xander dropped her immediately, and stepped back.

For the first time since she arrived, she looked him in the eyes. "You're welcome."

"Yeah. Thanks again, Red."

She smiled tiredly. "You're both welcome."

As Angel escorted her to her room, she felt certain that she'd done the right thing.

A few hours later, Wesley stood in the room with the three vampires, arms crossed, but his stance otherwise relaxed.

"You want me to do what?"

"Stand still while I attack you."

"Spike." Angel didn't know why he bothered to reprimand him. Spike always did whatever he wanted anyway.

"Well, it's true." Spike smirked as Angel's face grew more annoyed.

"We just need you to let Spike try to attack you," Angel explained.

Wesley blinked and cleared his throat. "Yes. That's what I thought you said. Perhaps I should have asked a different question. Why?"

"We have to make sure it wasn't a fluke earlier with Red."

"Ah."

Angel thought Wesley was remarkably calm, considering the situation.

"And if I refuse?"

"No one will force you, Wes," Angel promised. "But it would help a lot."

Wesley sighed before lowering his arms. One came back up with a stake. "I'll agree to this only if you tell me exactly what you plan to do, and that you understand that if you do anything else, I'll stake you."

Xander growled, but didn't move from his comfy chair.

Spike nodded. "That's fair. I'm gonna push you a bit. You'll probably knock back against the wall. It won't be a light tap, but I won't throw you." Wesley snorted. That was reassuring. "Then, I'm gonna take a bit of blood from your neck."

Wesley tensed, and Angel rounded on Spike. "No," they said in unison.

"I have to make sure I'm functioning at full capacity." Spike shrugged innocently.

Angel opened his mouth, but Xander cut him off.

"Oh, come on, Wes. Spike's old enough to have lots of control. He won't hurt you much, and he won't take more blood than he says he will."

Xander's defense of his sire was nothing new, but the reasoning behind his words made so much sense it was hard for Wesley to refuse. Still, it was his neck on the line. Literally. So, he fought the impulse to acquiesce. He suspected, but couldn't prove, that Xander's new persuasiveness was part of his vampire cunning. That would be something to study.

"If I only agree to the shove?"

"Then I won't bite you," Spike promised, meeting Wesley's eyes without hesitation. "But it would be better to test it now than later when I'm out in public, or when we're up against humans who're trying to summon something."

Wesley frowned, weighing his options. Finally, he sighed. "Why is it always me," he mumbled. "Fine. One shove. I hit the wall. I say 'ouch.' And you bite me just enough to take a taste. If I feel like you've crossed a line—"

"I know," Spike said. "You'll stake me."

"Right. Well, as long as we're clear," Wesley replied, unable to completely hide his nerves.

Spike was true to his word. When he shoved him, Wesley could tell Spike was holding back. He hit the wall with a thud, and though Wesley didn't say ouch, he definitely couldn't stop a grunt of pain from escaping his lips. Before he could open his eyes, having closed them on impact, Spike was on him, his fangs centimeters from his neck. But Spike didn't bite him. Wesley felt Spike leave him, and heard a thud before several voices started shouting at once.

He really didn't want to open his eyes to see what he thought he was going to see. But when he heard a scuffle, and Gunn's shouting being accompanied by taunts from Xander and curses from Spike, he couldn't keep his eyes closed any longer. Opening his eyes, he saw Gunn being held down by Xander and Angel trying to explain and keep Xander from killing Gunn and hold Spike back from killing Gunn, and keep Gunn from killing anyone, all while Spike tried to get around Angel, his face twitching like he didn't know whether to be furious or to laugh.

"Let me go!"

"No." Xander's voice sent shivers down Wesley's spine. "You tried to kill Spike."

"He tried to kill Wesley. And Angel, why're you so calm over there?" Gunn's voice was laced with anger.

Angel finally released Xander and stopped pushing Spike back. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed. Gunn thought this was calm? "Spike wasn't trying to kill Wesley. Do you really think I would have let him?"

"Yes," Gunn replied without missing a beat.

Before Angel could start to brood about the lack of trust that he'd more than earned, Wesley spoke up before things got more out of hand.

"I did agree to this, Gunn. It's very complicated. I am not under the influence of a drug or spell; I am not under duress or in distress. Please refrain from trying to kill Spike and Xander, or…" Wesley trailed off. Gunn had been with Angel Investigations a short time, but it didn't seem right to threaten him for wanting to kill vampires, even ones who mostly behaved.

"So you're on their side now? I get it." Gunn shoved Xander off him as the latter loosened his grip.

"What is going on in here?" Cordelia spoke from just inside the doorway, where she'd entered with Fred, drawn by the shouting.

"A misunderstanding," Wesley said calmly, slumping back against the wall.

Cordelia frowned as she glanced at the scene before her, then pointed at Wesley. "You will tell me everything later." She turned to point at Gunn. "You leave with us. And you three…" she pointed to each of the vampires in turn. "Behave yourselves. Finish what you were doing quickly. I just had a vision. Come on, Fred. Let's leave the weird non-humans alone."

Wesley frowned as Cordelia led Gunn and Fred out of the room before shutting the door firmly behind her. "Did Cordelia just take charge of a situation?"

"So, do I still get to bite you or what?" Spike asked, taking a step forward.

"Oh. Yes, all right," Wesley said tiredly. He only thought he'd escaped. "How about from my wrist instead? Less likely to be seen as a threat."

"Yeah. That'll work," Spike agreed.

"Why not just do that from the start," Wesley wondered as he offered his wrist to Spike.

"Wasn't as much fun." Spike grinned cheekily, and Wesley rolled his eyes.

Wincing in pain as Spike's fangs penetrated his flesh, Wesley marveled at how many strange things had happened since the two vampires had arrived. He certainly never thought he'd give a vampire his blood willingly.