Title: Vamp for Rent 3/18
Author: Forsaken2003
Pairing: S/X
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I own none, all belong to Joss Whedon
Comments: Always welcomed
Summary: After Anya dumped Xander he has become the fifth wheel. The girls start to notice he isn't hanging out with the gang as much so Buffy and Willow decide to do something about it.
Warnings/Spoilers: Season 5 No Dawn, No Anya.
Beta'd by: My Sister
Note: One chapter each week.
Part Three
The gang was able to convince Xander to go out with them that night with the help of Giles.
"You're too young not to be going out with your friends," Giles told him. "With all the horrible things we encounter we need to enjoy life to know what it is that we are fighting for."
Spike was sitting on the counter. While he had been on patrol a few times since the incident with Xander, Xander had not said a single word to him. Which if you thought about was pretty impressive considering Xander couldn't keep his mouth closed. "And for you watcher, that's a cup of tea after cup of tea?"
"Yes, Spike, that is all I enjoy in life. It's as if you've known me my entire existence," Giles said sarcastically.
"All you watchers are the same," Spike replied with a shrugged his shoulder.
Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. He was nothing like as Buffy would refer to the other watchers as fuddy duddies. "Please get out. All of you. Leave me to my... tea." Tea was the last thing he wanted to drink. A bottle of scotch was what he needed after putting up with Spike.
"Bronze it is!" Buffy jumped up excitedly.
Xander pushed his chair away from the table. There was no way he was going to get out of going this time, and Giles was right. He needed to do fun things now because tomorrow he could die. "Let's get you guys on the dance floor."
Willow squealed and hugged Xander. "This is going to be awesome!"
Why was Willow acting like something exciting was going to happen? Nothing ever happened at the Bronze except for the occasional vamp attacks. Oh that would be better than watching his friends have fun without him.
Xander was able to get them a table close to the dance floor. As soon as they got there he was ditched not that he expected anything else. It wasn't that he was mad at his friends. In fact he was happy for them, he just wished (not a real wish!) that sometimes it could be like how it used to be. The three musketeers.
There was a local band playing, nothing special in Xander's opinion. He missed Dingos Ate My Baby. Not that Xander would ever tell Willow that. He didn't need to reopen that wound.
So engrossed in his thoughts Xander jumped when a beer was thumped onto the table in front of him. He looked up and saw Spike standing there with a second beer in his hand. "You scared me!" Those were the first words he had spoken to Spike in a week.
Spike turned a chair around to straddle it across the table from Xander. "Well, I am naturally terrifying."
"You're naturally a pain in the ass," Xander quipped. He held up the beer. "What's this?"
"A peace offering." Spike left out the part where the money came from to pay for it.
Xander didn't believe that for a minute. Spike wasn't the 'peace offering' kind of vampire. "Uh huh."
Spike took a quick look out at the dance floor where both Buffy and Willow were watching them. With an unnecessary sigh. "I may have been a tad harsh on you that night."
Xander crossed his arms over his chest. "A tad? You were a bigger dick than normal. I might not be a slayer, witch, soldier or a watcher but I have heart."
"You do," Spike agreed. And Xander was right he had more heart than anyone he'd ever met. "And that is what's going to get you killed." He didn't say it to be cruel it was just a fact.
"Better than dying a coward."
Twisting the lid off of his beer Spike tilted the bottom towards Xander. "I respect that," he said before taking a swig.
"Whoa, respect from the big bad? That's actually pretty cool." Xander opened his own beer but before it could even touch his lips the bottle was grabbed out of his hand. "Hey!" He saw that it was Riley who stole it. "That's mine!"
"You aren't twenty-one. It's illegal for you to drink this and if the wrong person found out the Bronze could lose it's liquor license," Riley reprimanded Xander. He placed the open bottle on an empty tray as a waitress walked by and ordered Xander an orange soda.
Spike slammed his beer down on the table annoyed. "I paid for that, wanker!"
"Probably with stolen money."
"Poker winnings. You owe me for that beer."
Riley was about to take a step closer to Spike ready to throw fists but was stopped by Tara's quiet voice. "Guys, c-can you not fight? Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Including Xander surprisingly with Spike." It was unusual to see the two getting along so the fact that it was happening was a miracle why ruin it?
Buffy smacked Riley not to gently on the arm. "Stop it," she ordered.
Riley glared at Spike before backing off.
"Go dance,"Xander shooed his friends away. When they were back on the dance floor getting down with their bad selves Xander focused on Spike. "Well for what it's worth I accept your apology. Maybe sometime we can have some beers when I'm out of the basement and watch some... sports?" He was fully aware of how stupid he sounded.
"Sure," Spike said before taking a pull of his beer.
Automatically expecting to be rejecting Xander replied, "yeah, no I get it."
Spike raised his eyebrow. "I said yes, whelp."
Xander looked surprised. He was sure Spike was going to call him every name under the sun for so much as that suggestion. "Oh! Great!" This was what he needed. A single friend so that he wasn't alone all the time.
It was almost pathetic how easy it was to manipulate Xander but seventy-five bucks a week was worth putting up with the loser.
"What was up with last night?" Willow asked playing dumb. "I thought you and Spike hated either other?"
"We do but... it was nice hanging out with him." Xander thumbed through Willow's textbook.
Tara smiled. It was nice seeing Xander happy. While she didn't know him very well, his aura had been off since Anya dumped him. A new friend was just what Xander needed and maybe it was exactly what Spike needed as well. "Having a guy friend isn't a bad thing."
"I really haven't had that since Jesse..." Xander trailed off. Sure there had been Oz and even Riley now and while they were friends they had never just hung out without the girls.
Willow bit her lip stopping herself from crying. She missed Jesse so much but she knew for Xander it was so much worse. The guilt of staking him stayed with Xander to this day. "No one can replace him, Xan, but Spike could be a friend if you let him."
Swallowing back his emotions Xander nodded. "I'm afraid that this is just some kind of game."
Trying not to react, Willow responded, "have some faith in him. Maybe he isn't as bad as he makes us think."