Chapter 11

Two weeks later, Angel wandered out from his office. Looking around the spacious foyer, he paused, addressing Wesley and Cordelia. "Where are the others?"

Wesley looked up from where he was reading a large tome. "Gunn and Fred have a date. Spike and Xander should be here somewhere, unless they snuck out."

That was a new favorite thing for them to do. Spike insisted it was practice for Xander's vampire abilities, but Angel knew it was also because it was fun for both of them. Spike was far too indulgent of Xander, but Angel supposed one day he might learn the reason for that.

Angel closed his eyes, listening. He only heard the rustling of paper as Wesley read his book and Cordelia read her magazine, and the swishing beats of their hearts. Unless Spike and Xander were being perfectly still, they weren't here.

Just as he wondered if he should wonder where they were, they came in the front door, laughing with their arms slung around the other's shoulders to keep themselves upright. Angel could tell from his posture that Spike was mostly putting on a show. But Xander…unless Angel missed the mark completely, Xander was smashed.

"Spike," Angel began, "It's only eight o'clock."

"So?" Spike's grin was unrepentant.

"Y'h, s'wha? W' 'ad fuhn." Xander's words were so slurred that Angel had a hard time understanding him. "Angel's no fun. He's a real fun-sucker, huh, Spike?" Angel marveled that this was spoken clearly, despite the fact that Xander could barely stand. "Get it? Fun-sucker? 'cause he's a vamp'r who sucks all the fun ou'." Xander giggled uncontrollably.

Spike grinned indulgently. "Yeah. I get it. Come on, now. Let's straighten up and…"

Spike trailed off, wondering what was going on. Xander had straightened up, but had also moved away from him. He was now looking across the room with a curious expression on his face. Wesley moved in front of Cordelia and they slowly backed away, but Xander took a step forward.

"Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"'m hungry." He took another step forward.

Angel tensed, but Spike remained relaxed, though he was clearly more alert than before. "You wanna eat Angel's pets, kid?"

Xander stopped and turned to look at Spike. Wesley and Cordelia remained alert, but relaxed a little. "Stop it," Xander said.

"Stop what, kid?"

"I dun like it when you call me tha'." Xander pouted.

Spike took a step to his right, not backing up, but moving farther from the humans. "Oh yeah? What're you gonna do about it, kid?"

This was too much for Xander in his drunken state. He flew at Spike, with an angry shout, and threw punch after punch, most of which Spike dodged, only allowing the one to connect with his cheek before vamping out. "Xander." His voice was low, but not yet a growl. Angel backed up toward Cordelia and Wesley. He remembered using that voice and wondered how this would play out, but not enough to stand too close.

Xander stilled, horrified, blinking at Spike as though he'd never seen him before. "Did I…I'm sorry, Spike."

"Still feel hungry?" Spike asked, not acknowledging the apology.

"No." Xander hung his head. "Feel sick."

Angel frowned. Vampires couldn't get sick. Not even from alcohol. And that fight with Spike, brief though it was, should have burned most of the alcohol from Xander's system, no matter how much he'd drunk. Spike didn't seem confused, though, and when he spoke, he proved that he knew the Slayer's friends better than anyone, no matter how much stalking Angelus had done.

"I know, but it's all right. You didn't hurt me. You're not like him. Do you need to talk to Willow," he asked softly.

With Xander's background, Spike knew that he didn't mind a fair fight, but to hit someone, especially someone he considered family, while he was in a drunken rage, no matter if Spike was taunting him, would hurt Xander more than the person he'd hit. The kid was more like his human self than even Spike had imagined possible.

Xander shook his head, still looking at his feet. Willow would understand the drunken hitting part, but not the reasons he'd been out drinking in the first place. He couldn't talk to her about everything anymore. He couldn't tell her how amazing it felt when he fought. He couldn't tell her about the rush he felt when he chased his own dinner, and caught them, or about the thrill he felt when he smelled their fear or tasted their blood. The fact that she was no longer his best friend made him a little sad, but the vampire part of him recognized that it was just the natural way of things. His old ties were broken in order to make room for newer, stronger, more solid ties. Spike was his new best friend.

"Do we need to talk about it?" Spike's voice was still soft, and it carried only to vampire ears.

Xander looked at his sire. "Are you mad?"

"No." Spike paused. "You know I called you that to divert your attention."

Xander nodded. "I heard their heartbeats and almost couldn't control myself. And if I lose control, they'll kill me or we'll have to leave. And we want to stay for a while."

"All right, then." Spike nodded, and Angel wondered at his self-control. If Spike had hit him when he was playing the part of his sire, drunk or no, he'd have put the younger vampire on the ground, or in it. He supposed it was Spike's understanding of human nature that allowed him to relate to and connect with other people, or in this case, vampires.

It seemed the matter was closed, because Spike silently moved up the stairs and Xander trailed behind him. Angel marveled once again at how in sync the boy was with his sire. Spike rarely had to correct the boy, and even though Xander had gotten over his total obedience phase, he didn't question Spike when it counted. If they were in a fight, and Spike told him to jump so that he could take out a baddie, Xander would, even if it meant he'd take a punch to the face, because he trusted Spike not to put him in a situation where he'd be truly injured. Angel realized some of that trust must have existed before, when Xander was still human. He wondered, not for the first time, what had happened in Sunnydale after he left. What had Spike been doing? What had happened between his "big bad" evil vampire childe and the seemingly useless vampire-hating human boy to cause such trust between them?

As they disappeared into the upstairs hallway, Angel felt a keen sense of loss. He would never know unless they told him. They would never share if they didn't trust him. And he knew that they would never trust him, no matter how friendly they'd become lately.

Still, never was a long time, even for a vampire.