![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Title: In Sunlight or in Shadow (5/?)
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
chocgood84
Pairing: Spike/Xander
Rating: PG-13ish
Notes: Sleeping Beauty fic, AU, character death
Disclaimer: I don’t own Spike, Xander, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If I did, this wouldn’t be fanfic, it’d be cannon. These belong to Mutant Enemy and its creator, Joss Whedon. No harm, no foul.
Author's Note: This chapter's short. Feedback's really a great idea - not sure about this fic yet. Let me know what you think (good or bad). Be honest, I can handle it:)
Previous parts here:
They made their way through the forest, choosing the unbeaten path versus the road. Even this far out this early in the morning there would most likely be one or two passers-by. Two men, one nude, covered in blood and walking arm in arm down a dark highway in the early morning hours was not a sight Xander thought people would take lightly.
Xander’s game face was in place, and every scent and sound around them was like a tiny explosion of sensory perception. Spike had to tug on his arm a few times when Xander was so distracted he was paralyzed with wonder.
They were nearly to Xander’s truck when both of them heard sirens in the distance. Still miles away, but Spike knew they were coming. Xander noticed as well, as game face slid away to reveal panic face.
“C’mon, luv. They’re still a few miles off. We can get to the truck and be gone before they know it. Hurry, now.” Spike took Xander by the arm and pulled him toward the road, twigs snapping and leaves crunching beneath his bare feet.
Xander didn’t need any encouragement to move quickly; it took all of his restraint not to break into a run. Something was pulling him back into the darkness of the forest. Must be the demon he thought, his own feet quick on the heels of Spike.
Soon they broke through the layers of trees and shrubs to find the truck just as they had left it. Xander dug his keys out of his pocket and sprinted once, twice, to the driver’s side.
The sirens, though still a ways off in the darkness, provided the rhythm that his heart would have. Closer they came, the high pitched staccato piercing through the quiet of this still country. Within minutes they would arrive, and Xander felt his other seething at the prospect of violence.
He fumbled with the keys, dropped them, found the right one and seconds later was reaching across the bench to open Spike’s door. He slammed the key into the ignition and nearly shouted in ecstasy as the engine roared to life.
Spike clambered into the cab, wincing as bare flesh stuck to iced leather. He turned to find Xander, frozen and staring at his hands locked on the steering wheel, knuckles white with pressure.
Spike quickly glanced out the back window. In the distance, perhaps two miles away, he could see pinpricks of red and blue light, revolving and flickering in the pre-dawn blackness. One, two, three sets of lights cresting the hill. The crying sirens were nearly deafening to his sensitive ears, but Xander seemed not to notice. He still sat frozen, staring at his hands.
“Xander, love, what’s the matter? We have to go now.”
“B-b-blood, Spike.” Xander muttered between teeth clenched shut.
“Wha-oh,” Spike stuttered, noticing for the first time what Xander was staring at. Blood, clotted and clumped, covered Xander’s hands. They hadn’t taken the time to wipe it off in their haste to get back to the truck. First kill…shoulda known this would happen
“Love, pet, it’s alright. Look, those bastards were animals, Xander. They were bad men, Xander. You’ve got nothing to feel bad about.” Spike crept across the seat, gently placing his arm around Xander, laying his head on his shoulder.
“Spike, they were men. I killed them! I…God I am different. How could I just – how – oh God, Spike!” Xander’s voice was just below a whisper. Hard to hear above the wail of the approaching sirens. By the light of the instrument panel, Spike could see tears streaking through the blood caked on Xander’s face.
“Xander, they would have killed those girls. Love, it’s only right. What if it had been your girls, pet? What if it was Red and the Slayer they had bound and gagged like that? What would you have done?” Spike was trying so hard trying to get Xander to understand.
Xander shrugged against him, words failing to escape his chest. Spike took him in both arms and turned the younger vampire so their eyes met.
“You don’t know, love?” Spike asked, his voice soft and understanding.
Xander silently shook his head, lowered it in shame. Spike shook him, gently but firmly, until he made eye contact once more.
“I do.” Spike’s voice creaked up in volume, frustration dripping into his words. “You would have done the same thing. Don’t be angry at me for saying it, love. You know it’s true.” Spike deflected the look of hatred that flashed through Xander’s features. He winced at that brief remembrance of a long-ago Xander. “You know you would have. This is no different, Xander. Those girls…would have been killed if we hadn’t stepped in.”
Xander said nothing, but after a moment the tears slowed and stopped, only to be replaced by violent trembling that quaked through Xander’s body. Spike pulled him close, crushing their bodies together. Still the quakes shook the younger man, but not as violently.
They both became aware of their surroundings as suddenly the hoarse cry of the police units muted. Spike flinched and looked through the window again. He could see that four SDPD squad cars had found what was left of the Hummer as well as the cooling corpses of the poor bastards who had been sent to protect it. The red and blue lights strobed across the forest, causing leaping shadows and reflected nightmare faces.
“Xander?” Spike asked.
“Yeah?” Xander answered, his voice crisp but no longer faltering.
“Let’s get out of here before those apes come down the road a ways, yeah?” Spike turned back to find a smile on Xander’s lips. Pale lines striped his face where the tears had purged his skin of the blood.
“So you wanna Thelma and Louise it, huh?” Xander joked, his voice ripe with the usual ‘I’m not going to deal with this’ denial.
Spike nodded, laughing. He leaned in and kissed Xander possessively.
“Hit it.”
Author:
chocgood84 Pairing: Spike/Xander
Rating: PG-13ish
Notes: Sleeping Beauty fic, AU, character death
Disclaimer: I don’t own Spike, Xander, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If I did, this wouldn’t be fanfic, it’d be cannon. These belong to Mutant Enemy and its creator, Joss Whedon. No harm, no foul.
Author's Note: This chapter's short. Feedback's really a great idea - not sure about this fic yet. Let me know what you think (good or bad). Be honest, I can handle it:)
Previous parts here:
They made their way through the forest, choosing the unbeaten path versus the road. Even this far out this early in the morning there would most likely be one or two passers-by. Two men, one nude, covered in blood and walking arm in arm down a dark highway in the early morning hours was not a sight Xander thought people would take lightly.
Xander’s game face was in place, and every scent and sound around them was like a tiny explosion of sensory perception. Spike had to tug on his arm a few times when Xander was so distracted he was paralyzed with wonder.
They were nearly to Xander’s truck when both of them heard sirens in the distance. Still miles away, but Spike knew they were coming. Xander noticed as well, as game face slid away to reveal panic face.
“C’mon, luv. They’re still a few miles off. We can get to the truck and be gone before they know it. Hurry, now.” Spike took Xander by the arm and pulled him toward the road, twigs snapping and leaves crunching beneath his bare feet.
Xander didn’t need any encouragement to move quickly; it took all of his restraint not to break into a run. Something was pulling him back into the darkness of the forest. Must be the demon he thought, his own feet quick on the heels of Spike.
Soon they broke through the layers of trees and shrubs to find the truck just as they had left it. Xander dug his keys out of his pocket and sprinted once, twice, to the driver’s side.
The sirens, though still a ways off in the darkness, provided the rhythm that his heart would have. Closer they came, the high pitched staccato piercing through the quiet of this still country. Within minutes they would arrive, and Xander felt his other seething at the prospect of violence.
He fumbled with the keys, dropped them, found the right one and seconds later was reaching across the bench to open Spike’s door. He slammed the key into the ignition and nearly shouted in ecstasy as the engine roared to life.
Spike clambered into the cab, wincing as bare flesh stuck to iced leather. He turned to find Xander, frozen and staring at his hands locked on the steering wheel, knuckles white with pressure.
Spike quickly glanced out the back window. In the distance, perhaps two miles away, he could see pinpricks of red and blue light, revolving and flickering in the pre-dawn blackness. One, two, three sets of lights cresting the hill. The crying sirens were nearly deafening to his sensitive ears, but Xander seemed not to notice. He still sat frozen, staring at his hands.
“Xander, love, what’s the matter? We have to go now.”
“B-b-blood, Spike.” Xander muttered between teeth clenched shut.
“Wha-oh,” Spike stuttered, noticing for the first time what Xander was staring at. Blood, clotted and clumped, covered Xander’s hands. They hadn’t taken the time to wipe it off in their haste to get back to the truck. First kill…shoulda known this would happen
“Love, pet, it’s alright. Look, those bastards were animals, Xander. They were bad men, Xander. You’ve got nothing to feel bad about.” Spike crept across the seat, gently placing his arm around Xander, laying his head on his shoulder.
“Spike, they were men. I killed them! I…God I am different. How could I just – how – oh God, Spike!” Xander’s voice was just below a whisper. Hard to hear above the wail of the approaching sirens. By the light of the instrument panel, Spike could see tears streaking through the blood caked on Xander’s face.
“Xander, they would have killed those girls. Love, it’s only right. What if it had been your girls, pet? What if it was Red and the Slayer they had bound and gagged like that? What would you have done?” Spike was trying so hard trying to get Xander to understand.
Xander shrugged against him, words failing to escape his chest. Spike took him in both arms and turned the younger vampire so their eyes met.
“You don’t know, love?” Spike asked, his voice soft and understanding.
Xander silently shook his head, lowered it in shame. Spike shook him, gently but firmly, until he made eye contact once more.
“I do.” Spike’s voice creaked up in volume, frustration dripping into his words. “You would have done the same thing. Don’t be angry at me for saying it, love. You know it’s true.” Spike deflected the look of hatred that flashed through Xander’s features. He winced at that brief remembrance of a long-ago Xander. “You know you would have. This is no different, Xander. Those girls…would have been killed if we hadn’t stepped in.”
Xander said nothing, but after a moment the tears slowed and stopped, only to be replaced by violent trembling that quaked through Xander’s body. Spike pulled him close, crushing their bodies together. Still the quakes shook the younger man, but not as violently.
They both became aware of their surroundings as suddenly the hoarse cry of the police units muted. Spike flinched and looked through the window again. He could see that four SDPD squad cars had found what was left of the Hummer as well as the cooling corpses of the poor bastards who had been sent to protect it. The red and blue lights strobed across the forest, causing leaping shadows and reflected nightmare faces.
“Xander?” Spike asked.
“Yeah?” Xander answered, his voice crisp but no longer faltering.
“Let’s get out of here before those apes come down the road a ways, yeah?” Spike turned back to find a smile on Xander’s lips. Pale lines striped his face where the tears had purged his skin of the blood.
“So you wanna Thelma and Louise it, huh?” Xander joked, his voice ripe with the usual ‘I’m not going to deal with this’ denial.
Spike nodded, laughing. He leaned in and kissed Xander possessively.
“Hit it.”
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
From:
no subject
*pet pet pet*
Poor thing. Bad time for trauma, but - poor thing.
*hugs him*
Now - let's just keep a level head, here, Xan, and not push any of your angst off onto Spike...
*bounce*
Nice way to cliffhanger me, bay-bee!!
:)
From:
no subject
Thanks, babe. *hugs*
More soon, methinks:)
From:
no subject
From:
no subject
More soon:)
From:
no subject
Soo in love with this story sweetie, and so very happy to see more of it!!
~Nebula
From:
no subject
*snogs* Thanks, hun. For some reason I feel like *no one* enjoys it. But you show me wrong:)
More soon bebe!