Part 01

“So… tell me again where the slayer is?” Spike snarls between angry drags from his cigarette.

“God, Spike. I thought Xander was slow but you are even… “ Xander flinches slightly but only Spike sees it. Willow frowns for a second then goes on with her tirade as if speaking to a nearly deaf child: “Buffy. Is. In. L.A. With. Dawn. Visiting. Their. Father.”

“Yes, I did get that. Willooow.” He drags out her name in mockery. “But I want to know why!” He yells a bit too loudly.

“Because… because he is their father?” Xander chips in and Willow looks at him, forehead scrunched up. “I really don’t think that is the reason for their visit.” She finally says.

“Anyway, interesting bloke this father is… nothing in mind but shagging the … DUCK!” Spike shoves Willow out of the way to get to “Huh… shagging the duck?” Xander.

The next moment the two boys are on the ground in a tangle of limbs, Spike’s elbows on either side of Xander’s head and his hips resting between Xander’s spread thighs, Xander’s arms around his waist.

Brown eyes stare up into midnight blue ones which are twinkling with mischievous laughter.

“Eeep?”

“Wish I had time right now pet.” Spike grins, gives Xander a loud wet peck on the forehead and is back up on his feet in the next moment. He launches himself into the fight against… erm… around ten fledglings with a joyous yell. Xander just stares after him. What the hell just happened?

Willow’s scream for help rips Xander from his reverie and he is up on his feet and running over to her. A vampire attempts to drag her away but Xander manages, after a bit of struggle, to dust him. Of course, Willow’s immobility spell helped.

He looks over to Spike who fights against seven fledglings at once. They are teaming up in pairs now, systematically attacking him from at least two different sides and the Master vampire struggles to keep them at bay.

Another vamp falls to dust but with him also goes Spike’s current stake. When the blond grabs for another tucked in the waistband of his jeans in the small of his back, he exposes his chest and one of the vamp gets a kick in that makes Spike double over, going down on his knees screaming like a wounded animal.

“Wills, it’s a trap, they only want Spike. Fuck, run!” He calls to her and shoves her away.

“And what are you going to do?” She cries out, tears making her eyes glisten like a dark green lake in the midday sun. “I…” Xander’s subconciousness, his white knight, fights against the flight instinct, encourages Xander to help his injured … comrade.

His heart starts to pound even faster, his hands getting sweaty as always when he knows he is close to making a right, but pretty dumb decision.

“I’ll help him.” He says gravely and takes a step in Spike’s direction but Willow clutches onto his arm.

“Wait!” She screams and her eyes lose focus before they fade to black. The previously inviting green sea after sunset, suddenly dangerous and bottomless.

Spike’s scream of frustrated rage makes Xander shudder down to his bones or maybe it’s Willow, draining the energy from his body, making him feel cold inside.

There is a loud slapping sound and what can only be categorized as a whoosh, the flash of golden light and then… eerie silence.

Xander turns around expecting to see the blond vamp, smirking and lightning a cigarette in an after battle habit, but there is no Spike.

There is nothing but slowly fading clouds of dust and something on the ground that reflects the moonlight. Xander walks over there, dreading what he might find, or more, might not find with every step until… yes, the buckle of Spike’s belt, silver alight.

Xander kneels down and grabs for the clothes, duster, jeans, t-shirt, button-up shirt, boots… everything’s there but no Spike.

The loss he feels is unexpected but it feels kinda right. Spike was their … comrade, fighting on their side even if his motives weren’t from the depth of his soul.. erm.., weren’t to do good just because it was good to do good but… anyway.

“Scoobies got you in the end, hm?” He whispers to the dust on the satin shirt. “But I never thought it would be Willow finishing you off.”

“Oh god… Xander… I didn’t mean to! I was just trying to … I really didn’t want this to happen… I mean…”

“It’s … Wills, I know you didn’t do it on purpose.” But you won’t get my absolution for what you did. He thinks grumpily.

“I just wanted them to explode, not… him! Xaaander…”

“I want to go home.” The brunette says and stands up, taking all the clothes with him.

Half an hour and listening to several redundant excuses later, he is in his basement. The packed duffel bag waits against the bed, as it has for days now, tomorrow night he would – finally - sleep in his own first apartment.

He lays Spike’s clothes down on the recliner he used to tie the vamp to when he was newly chipped. Heavily he slumps down on the edge of the bed, staring at said recliner, remembering how Spike bitched about it…

“Bloody hell!”

Huh? Xander shoots straight up the bed, frantically looking around to find out where the voice came from.

“Spike?” He whispers and in his head he mocks himself… I can hear dusted vampires.

“The last time I checked I would have said yes but right now I’m not so sure, mate.” He hears the tiny voice again, so low but unmistakeably Spike.

“Here whelp, on the bloody bondage chair!” Xander jerks around, staring at the chair in horror.

“Oh my god!” Xander squeals and gets down on all fours, crawling over to the chair.

“What the bloody hell happened?” Spike yells, a high pitched, desperate tone in his voice.

“I… oh god… Spike… damn, you’re cute!” Xander grins and then realizing what he said he blushes a pretty dark shade of red.

“No, I am not cute! I am …”

“About three inches tall.” Xander says in awe.

Spike groans in despair, drags the edge of the duster’s collar tighter around himself in an attempt to either hide or protect his tiny frame.

“… tell me I’m dreaming Harris… please, I beg of you!”

Part 02

Slumped in defeat, shivering from shock, if that is possible for a vampire, Spike sits and looks up at Xander, as if the boy had all the answers to his questions. Xander is still staring at the little vamp in awe.

“Wow.” He says at last. “You’re not dead.”
“Wish I were though. Well, technically I am, but final death would be better than this.” He shrugs his tiny shoulders in a helpless gesture. The boy feels a sudden pang in his heart at Spike’s admission. It sounded so honest and he doesn’t doubt the vamp means it.

“Come on…” Biting his tongue, he catches himself just before letting a casual insult slip from his lips. “Spike. It’s only for a while.” He frowns inwardly at his white knight, who encourages him to say something reassuring. “Erm… I bet Willow can fix this and if she can’t, Giles will…” He trails off, realizing how much doubt underlies his words.
“Red did this?” Spike fakes surprise, little scarred eyebrow cocked.
“She just wanted to…”
“The hell she just! You and I, we both know there is something coming up on the horizon of her future and it’s not the bloody sun.” He spits, and Xander can’t help but nod. Yeah, Willow has gotten kinda overboard since…

“Be a mate and give me something to cover up?” Spike interrupts his way of thinking and Xander nods, getting to his feet. “Yeah, sure. I’ll get you something… erm… a handkerchief?” Xander holds up the clean but wrinkled piece of white fabric.
“Anything will do right now.” Spike murmurs uninterestedly and takes it from the large, slightly unsteady hand that holds it out for him. He struggles with the handkerchief, which for him is as big as a 7 by 7 feet blanket. Xander looks away from the expression on Spike’s face. Big bad is near tears.

Finally Spike is tucked into it safely. “Better?” Xander asks and flinches, waiting for the snarky answer. To his surprise Spike’s only reply is “Yes.”
Spike turns away, he doesn’t want to see the look of pity in the youth’s eyes.

On Spike’s back there is a large red stain; blood is seeping through the handkerchief.
“You’re injured, Spike.” Xander states, voice hoarse, from seeing the red stain spreading further.
“’S nothing.” Spike shivers and it’s the last straw for Xander, he has to do something. This indifferent, tame Spike makes his skin crawl. It doesn’t feel right.

“I don’t think so.” He says, and lowers his hand down to the chair directly in front of the three inch Spike. “You up for a lift to the kitchen?” He says, and grins at the frowning blond. “Come on Spike, get on my hand. I won’t let you fall. I promise.” Words uttered without thought but they both get the honest meaning behind them. This is Xander helping and comforting Spike. And it feels good – to both of them.

Spike still looks suspicious, but nevertheless, climbs on the big calloused hand.
“OH!” Spike exclaims and Xander looks down at the blond. He looks like he took a spin in the tumbler, the hair tousled and his skin smeared with dust, the wrinkled white handkerchief now with red stains on his side where the blood has already made its way around, but over all that now: A look of pure bliss on Spike’s face.

“What ‘Oh’?” Xander asks, smiling because Spike is. He lifts his hand up, carefully cupping it around his tiny weight, using his other hand to make it even safer for Spike.
“This is – bloody hell – like a big, pulsing electric blanket! All warm and soft and…” He stops himself, ashamed by his poncy eruption about a warm hand. The youth holding the small vampire in his hand, chuckles a bit, making Spike bounce up and down on his palm, against his efforts to keep his hands still. “It’s okay, Spike. I’m glad that not everything of this state you are in is bad.” And where did that come from? “I think we’d better get some blood in you, so you can heal before you get blood stains on your … electric blanket.”

Slowly Xander makes his way over to the kitchen. “Hope you don’t get travel sick.” Xander jokes and Spike laughs for the first time, despite the spell and his injury. “I won’t puke on you, you git!” He replies and looks up into Xander’s concentrated face, the tip of the youth’s tongue poking out through his lips.

“So, here we are.” Xander says finally and lets the back of his hand rest on the counter so Spike can climb down, which he does, even if he only reluctantly leaves the surrounding warmth. Xander gets out a very sharp, pointy knife and a blood bag, lays both on the counter while he searches for a cup on the shelf. Fascinated, Spike stares at the blood bag, nearly as high as he is himself. Xander sets the cup down besides Spike, comparing their height and finding the vampire isn’t even able to look over the rim without effort.

“Erm…”
“Can I pour the blood into a bowl and swim in it?” Spike asks, eyes as big as… well saucers his size.
“Erm…”
“Always wanted to swim in blood!” Spike says dreamily.
“Spike… it’s pig’s blood.” The blond’s face contorts into a mask of distaste. “Ah yes. Right. Never dreamed of swimming in pig’s blood.” The hopeless expression slips back into his eyes and Xander takes the knife.
“Tell you what Spike… you only need a tiny amount of blood. Only a droplet or two and the bag is way too big and it would all go to waste and … ouch.” Spike jerks around just in time to see Xander put the knife back on the counter and then his nose is filled with the smell of fresh human blood. Involuntarily, Spike moans.

Xander holds out his ring finger, a tiny droplet of blood welling up from where he pierced himself with the pointy knife tip. “I swear you are drooling.” He says smiling and looks how Spike slowly comes forward. “You won't pull back, will you? You’re not teasing, right? It’s all for me?” Tiny blue eyes look up, surprise, mistrust and want mirrored clearly.

Xander wants to point out that he wouldn't go to all this trouble, just to tease the bleached blond, wants to joke how Spike would burst before he himself would even feel dizzy from blood loss. But he doesn't.

"You want me to … pour it into … something?" Spike looks up, slightly bouncy from excitement, despite his injury, game face to the fore that just looks cute now it's all so small and not frightening at all. Of course, Xander wouldn't say that out loud.. Thoughtfully – a look that really doesn't go with the game face – little Spike nods and looks around searchingly. Finally Xander produces a spoon from one of the drawers and puts it down on the counter top. He lets the two big droplets of blood drip onto it before sticking the finger in his own mouth and isn't that just kinda strange? Spike, in the meantime, is on his knees, his hands cupped, he dips them into the ruby fluid and up to his mouth where he greedily slurps it up.

Xander watches the tiny figure closely, the look of pure bliss on the blood-smeared face, blood-smeared hands and arms up to the elbows, blood stains that are not getting bigger anymore on the make-shift tunic. Eventually, when the spoon is all shiny again, Spike staggers to his feet, swaying as if drunk and looks up at Xander, eyes content, like a summer sky blue. "Ta, m…" Mate, Xander guesses Spike wanted to say but lets out a quick burp instead that makes the youth chuckle and Spike smiles nearly … shyly?

"Would give a virgin for a hot long soak in a tub." Spike sighs sleepily and Xander frowns just for a second before he raids the cupboards again, getting out a small oval lasagne dish, the rim about an inch high.
"You think this'll do?" Xander asks holding it out for Spike's inspection. The blond’s eyes light up. "Sure, yes that would be…" Just in time he catches himself again from showing a bit too much enthusiasm than would be good for his big bad reputation. "…good."

Without another word, Xander turns on the water and waits for it to warm, testing it with the inside of his elbow for the right temperature, then filling the dish. He sets it down and grabs the two empty packs of cornflakes, sets them up so Spike will be shielded from any curious looks, giving the little big bad a bit of privacy.

Spike has watched what Xander's doing with half narrowed eyes, not sure what surprises Xander has for him next. To show he cares for the not-so-big-bad is enough for Xander Harris, passionate vampire hater, in one day and it already confuses the hell out of Spike's brain. While he thinks about the unexpected changes in the boy, staring at the make-shift bath tub, he hasn't even realized that Xander has gone to the bathroom and came back with a bar of soap and a dry washcloth as a towel substitute. "Think this'll do best," Xander says and sets the soap down beside the lasagne dish. "You can take as much as you like from it and we don't risk you choking on bubbles." The 'we' Xander used rings loud in both their ears and Spike nods curtly once, before he disappears behind the cornflake packets. Seconds later, the splatter of water and a deep contented sigh can be heard. Xander grins to himself. Mission accomplished. Huh? Which mission?

Twenty minutes later, Xander has set up the highest drawer of his bedside cupboard as a make-shift-crypt for Spike with the help of a small dark blue towel and several handkerchiefs, partly folded as pillows, some as blankets. He also made himself ready for bed, slipping on a comfortable t-shirt and boxers. He finds Spike, tucked into the washcloth, sitting on the edge of the counter, legs hanging down, staring down at the floor with a far away expression on his face. To Xander he looks like someone about to commit suicide, sitting on the edge of a high building, getting up the courage to jump.

"Will it kill you?" He asks carefully, so as not to startle the vamp, even though he must have heard Xander like a human hears an elephant storming towards him.
"Don't think so." Comes the mumbled reply. "But it'll hurt a lot." Spike chuckles. "Was waiting for you to give me a lift." He says, cocking his eyebrow in a suggestive manner, to lessen the effect of him needing to ask for help.
"Well, come on then. Time for good little vamps to go to bed!" Xander jokes and regrets it as soon as he hears Spike growl.

"You know I didn't mean it like that!" He relents. "It's just a saying. I was not making fun of you." No, Xander really wasn't. He would never make fun of someone for something they are not responsible for. He knows how much that hurts, hearing others joke about something you aren't able to change. Like your drunken parents. Or your clothes, when you don't have money for new ones.

Spike has already climbed onto his hand again, so he makes his way over to the bed, setting the vamp gently down in the drawer. Spike wonders again what happened to the Harris he knew, when he takes in the nearly lovingly set up sleeping arrangements.

"I'll push the drawer nearly closed, so you can feel…" safe, he wanted to say but instead continues. "…on your own. If you need anything, wake me." I'm just here, beside you. He clamps his mouth shut and tells his white knight to shut up too, Spike is not the damsel in distress; he is a shrunken vamp for god's sake! He climbs in the bed and pulls the covers up over his shoulders, turns his back to Spike.

Some seconds later: "Harris?"
"Mhm."
"Thanks… mate. I… I am in your debt."
"Night Spike."
"Yes, right."

Part 03

Barely four hours later Spike wakes, with a start. Scared, he presses himself deeper into his covers and into a corner of the unfamiliar room. He finds himself naked, which isn’t unusual for him when in bed, but he can’t see his duster and the white blankets remind him of the initiative. He clamps his mouth shut to stop himself from screaming, holds his hands over his ears to block out the penetrating rattling above him.

When the alarm clock starts to let out its furious cry, Xander can’t believe it. He feels as if he hasn’t slept at all. Groaning, Xander turns over and grabs the angry clock which is rattling and jumping all over the surface of the bedside cupboard, vibrating from the loud ringing sound emitting from it.
Eventually he turns it off.
Blessed silence.

The old-fashioned alarm clock is the loudest Xander could find, as he always has problems waking up in the morning after the late night patrols. Not everybody has slayer or vampire constitution.
Vampire!
He sits upright suddenly in the bed, looking at the nearly closed drawer.
God. Spike!

Carefully, he knocks on the drawer. “Spike? It’s Xander. Are you okay? I forgot to tell you about my alarm clock. Sorry.” There is no answer but Xander doubts Spike is still asleep after the alarm went off. He must be scared.

“I’ll open the drawer now. Alright?” Again there is no answer so Xander just pulls the drawer slowly open.

The room around Spike starts to move, the ceiling sliding back slowly, the wood making a gnashing sound that makes him shudder.

“Hey Spike, it’s Xander.” The youth says again, voice low and gentle. And when Spike sees the oversized finger tip, his memory of the last night comes crashing back to him. Brown caring eyes look at the tiny figure intently and Spike groans in despair.
“It wasn’t a dream, was it?”

Sadly, Xander shakes his head, indicating that this is the reality, that Spike really was the victim of a bad spell that made him three inches tall.

“You okay as far as…” Spike nods and slumps back down, hugging the handkerchiefs around him.

“I’ll go shower, back in a few. I still have to go to work.” With that Xander goes into the bathroom, closing the door behind him, leaving the vamp alone in his misery. For just a moment Spike considers his possible day time activities in this …state he is in. No. He wouldn’t stay here, couldn’t be alone. Who knows what may happen to him if the witch or the watcher’d come to get him? He looks at one of his white blankets thoughtfully then rips into the fabric.

Under the shower Xander considers what to do with Spike. He dreads to take the vamp with him to his work but also he can’t leave him here on his own. Wills has a key to his apartment and if she came by and found MiniSpike she could be tempted to try all kinds of stuff to… oh god, does he really think that badly of good old Wills?

Sadly, he has to admit to himself that yes, he does and that Spike is right with his assumption that something is coming and it won’t be the nice kind of coming for sure.
In the end, he eventually says to himself, Spike can still decide for himself. We’ll see what he says.

Out of the shower and dressed, back in his bed-/living-room/kitchen, still rubbing at his hair with a yellow towel to dry it, he stops short. Spike stands on the bedside table, a handkerchief around him like…

“Are you going for Arabic rich man or religious sacrifice?” Spike’s lips quirk up.

“Usually I am the one doing the sacrificing and I don’t have the turban, do I?”

Xander goes over and takes one of the little torn off pieces of fabric. “Hm… could make you one! Just look over there and tilt your head…”

“Oh no mate! Not the hair! Never the hair!” Spike yells in mock-shocked voice.

“Thought Deadboy was the one oh-so-sensible about the sticky things on his head.”

“Comes with the … “ Heritage. Spike nearly says, but stops himself just in time. “… poofiness.” He concludes lamely.

“Yeah, right.” Xander frowns, thinking about his job again and what Spike will think of him after he knows what Xander does. Not that Xander cares about Spike’s opinion about his life or job or whatever. And whether it’s just because Spike is the only non-oestrogen laden …person in Xander’s proximity.

Well, there is Giles but Xander doubts Giles has room for oestrogen or testosterone when he is saturated by all his British stuffiness and his staid watcher-esque behaviour and Ripper really isn’t friend-material.

"Xander? Is there any chance you could…um, what I mean is, I don't want to be…" Spike takes a deep breath and tries again. "Would you allow me to accompany you on your lengthy, but necessary, sojourn to the place of your employ, thus enabling me to make use of such facilities, as may be needed, without being placed in the ignominious position of having to ask for.." Spike trails off when he sees the look of shock on the youth’s face. “Wot?”

“You did this thing…”

“Thing?”

“Called me by my name.”

“So?”

“And I didn’t understand one word of what you said.”

“Erm…I was asking if you..”

“Shit.. I am late for work!” He suddenly exclaims after he takes a look at the alarm clock just behind Spike.

“Harris, I need you to…”

“Spike…” Xander searches through Spike’s duster until he finds what he searches for: the pack of cigarettes.

“You really think now is the moment to start smoking?”

“HUH?” Xander takes out the cigarettes and stuffs them back in the duster pocket, he lays the pack down besides Spike and then gets Spike’s clothes together in another duffel bag, grabs them and slings them around his shoulders onto his back. He hurries to make a quick clean up of the bathroom and living room/kitchen area and then stands before Spike. “Get into the pack.”

“Are you kidding?” Wide, blue eyes stare in utter disbelief at Xander.

“I am not coming back here and I have to take you with me and I don’t want to crush you, so you have to get into the pack that offers at least some protection and I’ll put it into my shirt pocket.” Xander indicates his chest, just over his heart.

“You’ll take me with you?”

“If you get into that pack in the next three seconds: yes. Otherwise: no.”

“Bossy git!” Spike hisses and climbs into the pack, which Xander takes and puts, as promised, in his chest pocket. “Ready?” The youth asks, when Spike pushes open the lid of the cig pack so he can see where they are going.

“Yep. Off we go.” And Spike grins, then shuts the lid again to keep himself safe from the rays of the barely rising sun. “Not so stupid this boy.” He murmurs to himself, before he settles down on the bottom of the pack and lets himself be lulled to sleep by the boy’s movements and his slightly faster than usual, but regular, heartbeat.

Xander is scared and excited at the same time, none of the scoobies know about his job or that he’s going to move. It’s not that Xander wouldn’t tell them. They just didn’t show any interest and he is still disappointed in them. At least Wills could have asked once in a while how he is doing. They are too stressed by their own life. College and all. He understands. Really. It just… well yes, kinda hurts.

The bleached blond may find it kinda comfortable right now but as soon as he is restored to his old self he’ll be back to his bad ass attitude and Xander can already hear the snarky comments and the mocking laughter. Whatever. Doesn’t mean a thing to him. And his white knight insists on helping the Minivamp… just can’t help it.

The journey to work takes him about half an hour. It’s near the docks but not quite in the docks district. Close to the city’s core but not quite in the center. As usual, he stops for a second before he enters the big grey building, strains his ears for unusual voices or signs of a fight, he looks up to the emergency bulb and finds it not lit up, meaning everything should be alright. So he steps inside.

“You stink of vampire, toyboy. Got yourself turned have you?” Broum has him by the throat, nearly lifting him off his feet, his back to the door. Spike is awakened quickly by the suddenly increasing heartbeat. It pounds like it wants to beat its way out of Xander’s chest and the boy reeks of shock and confusion, and just a bit of fear.

“Let me go, I have not been turned! I came from out there!” Xander indicates the sidewalk, on which, the sun shines down with all the power of her early morning rays.

Fuck, Xander knows, has always known there was something off about Broum and his wife Garld, suspected they were demons of some kind, even if their appearance – two middle-aged average people – gives nothing away.

“So what, you did the nasty with one of that bunch?” Broum frowns at him.
“Didn’t think you were that…”

“What, so dumb as to do that? I didn’t.” Xander shoots back, on defensive mode.

“Actually I was going for ‘Didn’t think you were that audacious’.”

“Oh.” Garld chooses that moment to appear from the back of the shop, grinning widely until she comes closer to him and also smells ‘vampire’ on him.

“Oh boy, what did you get yourself into this time?” She asks concerned and Xander has to chuckle. These two are the parents he always wanted to have.

“Well since I now know that you know… I have to erm… you know I am friends with the slayer?”

Broum and Garld start to laugh, then Garld tugs at his arm, whispering. “Of course we know that. We are informed about your life.” She says and sniffs at him again. “Soooo, you wanna tell us why you reek like a vampire? An old one nonetheless?” She smiles warmly.

“Erm…” Xander makes a gesture as if writing something down and Broum nods, and goes over to his desk, getting notepad and pencil. Xander takes it, writes down a few sentences and gives it back. Broum takes it and reads it, clamps his hand over his mouth so as not to laugh out loud. Garld takes the notepad from him and reads it too. Her eyes dance with laughter, but she contains it better than her husband and makes an encouraging gesture.

“Well, I have a vampire with me, Willow… you know Willow?”

“We don’t know her but we know about her.” Garld says with a frown.

“Well, she did a spell and it went wrong. A … friend, the vampire, his size was decreased down to about three inches.”

“And where is he now?” Garld asks, getting this curious where-is-the-cutie-look. Uh oh.

“Erm here.” Xander points to his pocket and then looks around, searching for a place away from the eyes of potential customers and without direct sunlight.

“Can we use your office?” Xander asks Garld and she nods, turning and going there, the two men hot on her heels. Garld sits down on her chair and Broum takes the one in front of her desk.

Xander turns away from them, getting the pack out and opening the lid. Alarmed, the vampire stares at the youth in full gameface. “Spike,” Xander says, taking a deep breath before continuing. "… we're at my work place. My boss and his wife want to see you. They're demons too…" He trails off when he hears the low snickers from Broum and Garld.

"Can't say I like it. But don't have a choice, do I?" Spike murmured, displeased.

"Okay then." Xander says and turns around to the desk. He carefully sets the pack of …Spike *snicker* down and the vamp climbs out elegantly.

"Name's Spike." He says and tries to be as cocky as always, as nonchalant and cool as he appears when he is in his normal size. Broum takes in a ragged breath and hisses "William the Bloody" under his breath.

Garld just squeals as foreseen… "God, aren't you the littlest cutie?"

Part 04

The male occupants of the room groan in unison.

"But he is cute… and little… isn't he?" Garld asks and looks from one to the other with a frown. Then, suddenly, she remembers something and pulls open a drawer and gets out… Dawn.

Xander's frantic head shaking doesn't even make her reconsider it. Spike growls, more out of confusion than anything else, when Garld presents Dawn to him.

"You have a doll looking like Dawn?" Spike exclaims, irritated.

"Yes! And oh my god. She fits perfectly doesn't she? Just the right size, don't you think?"

Spike looks at the doll more closely. "She is a bit too tall." He eventually says uncomfortably, subtly trying to look taller than he was.

"Oh wait I have to get the other ones!"

Spike's eyes widen. "The other ones?"

Xander's hands come up to hide his face. "Oh god."

Spike turns sharply. "You, whelp, will tell me immediately what is going on here!" He says, with an authority one wouldn't think he still possesses.

Garld comes back and then Spike is as speechless as Xander.

"How… I mean… I just.. and..so fast!" Xander trails off, stunned by the accuracy of the figures.

Broum just chuckles and relaxes back into his chair, determined to watch the scene going on.

"You're not doing some obscure voodoo shit are you?" Spike growls redundantly, because he already knows there is no chance of danger from these two. M'reit demons just aren't any danger as long you don't come between them and their children. And Spike hasn't seen any children, so he considers Xander and himself safe.

Garld laughs. "No voodoo. William." She smiles at him and holds up the doll of the watcher. "You think I've got him right?"

"Name's Spike!" Spike snarls, vehemently, then cocks his head, taking in the doll. "He is a bit fatter around the middle." He says, smirking and makes a step towards the doll, grabbing its waistband. "Are these anatomically correct?"

"Oh no!" Garld pulls the doll back out of Spike's reach.

"No they aren't or no I am not allowed to check?" Spike quirks.

"There is no need for you to check it, even if you did, it's not like you could compare and really…" Xander trails off when Spike just looks at him, an eyebrow cocked, lips in an amused smile.

"God, tell me you haven't seen Giles' … delicate bits!" Xander cries, holding his hands a few inches away from his ears so he can clamp them down and block out everything Spike might say next.

"I was chained to his bath tub, wasn't I? Haven't seen a second bathroom in old Rupe's flat." Spike bites his own lip when he revises the sentences he just said. Damn, had he really admitted to being chained to a watcher's bath tub?

Broum takes in a hissing breath. "Can't help saying it, but these 'friends' of yours, toyboy, sure have dubious methods." He says, an angry tone underlying his words.

"I.. he.. we.. it was for his own good." Xander stutters, feeling weirdly embarrassed under the disapproving stare of his boss. Spike snorts and Garld tries to chase away the uncomfortable tension between the men by showing off the other dolls.

"Here is Willow – the witch." She says, and presents a red haired doll that looks pretty much like Willow, but the eyes don't seem right somehow, Xander thinks. Too dark and too hard somehow, not the friendly light in them like from the Willow he has known since he was little and remembers so fondly, way more like the woman Willow is today and maybe the eyes aren't so wrong at all. Xander frowns and watches as Garld lays the Willow doll on the table and Spike kicks it.

"That's for making me.. little!" He kicks it again, then: "Can we have a pyre? It's not like it’s the real witch, but it’d sure be great to see her burn." He grins evilly, eyes sparkling and Xander feels oddly amused by the words, even though he knows he should feel repulsed by the idea.

It's kinda like when your kid learns their first bad word and yells it out loud in a family meeting – everybody laughs and even though you know you should really talk to it and tell it why it's wrong to say something like that, you can hardly suppress the smile when you do.

Garld pulls out a Buffy mini, a little Anya doll, even Cordelia in smaller than life size and Spike just stares and you can practically see the drool forming, with one wicked idea chasing after another.

"Wow, Garld – these are so great, thank you so much." Xander finally manages to say, taking the Cordelia doll in his hand and stroking back the long dark brown hair, tracing the plastic face with a soft smile that makes Spike want to puke.

"So, Lady, where is mine? Maybe I can use the clothes and get out of the white – it makes me sick-er." Spike looks expectantly at Garld, whose gaze darts to Xander and then to her husband.

Xander feels ill suddenly – he'd never thought about Spike when he asked Garld to build the dolls for him as gifts for the Scoobies for Christmas. He'd given her photos and descriptions, even a newspaper article with a photo of Cordelia, slime drenched with the headline: Sewer system of L.A. has unexpected dangers.

Never had the thought of giving Spike a gift come into his head, there where no pics or anything of Spike when he sorted through the material he could maybe use, so he didn't contemplate the vamp for one second. He swallows hard.

"Erm.."

The telephone on the counter in the store rings and Broum stands up, gives Xander a strange look, as if he's figuring out something new and unpleasant about the youth, then he drawls: "Well, toyboy, looks like you’ll have to find a new present for Spike here, looks like the surprise is spoiled." Broum leaves the room with a pointed glance to his wife, satisfied by the deep flush on Xander's face.

"Oh! William – " she giggles. "I mean, Spike – I just finished Cordelia last night and wanted to start with your mini-version.." she frowns then smiles apologetically. "With your plastic-mini-version today. I am glad you're here – now you can help me with everything and you won't be too bored whilst Xander and Broum do their stuff."

Spike smiles at her – he'd get clothes his size and he'll even choose them, get them handmade exactly like he wants them to be, so it doesn't matter.

Doesn't matter if the whelp hadn't ordered a doll of him. Would be creepy even to see himself in plastic. Yes. Glad, the whelp didn't attempt that. Big Bad is unique. And as long as there – who was he kidding – it did twinge a bit but he had to admit, Harris and himself, they weren't on the best terms and all he'd give Harris for Christmas was a new improved, especially deep piercing, insult. But at least he'd have thought about the whelp, he'd have been creative and would have invested time and that has to count for something – doesn't it? He looks up and glares at Xander.

"TOYBOY!" The deep baritone voice has Xander up and moving in less than a second, or maybe it is more that Xander finally has a reason to leave Spike, who has forced him into an unexpected conscious analysis with the accusing look he has given him.

As soon as Spike is alone with Garld, his shoulders slump and he looks up sadly into the warm grey eyes of the woman that, like many others, doesn't look at all like you'd imagine a demon.

"Sssh, William. Give him time, he's learning." She whispers and cups her hand around Spike's small back. Spike lets himself lean into the touch and sighs when warmth envelops him.

"What do you say, let me measure you and let’s decide on some fabric and then you can go to sleep while I sew your new clothes together, agreed?" She reaches in one of the drawers under the desk, grabs the tape measure and shoves the half-finished plastic mini-figure of a darker, broader man to the back, as far as it goes, hoping Spike hasn't noticed the movement.

Upon seeing the tape measure, Spike leers at Garld, suggestively raising eyebrows and biting his lower lip. "How do you want me, baby?"

Garld laughs, her eyes twinkling. "I want you in the best clothes you can get around here." She says, and makes a gesture for him to get out of the pieces of handkerchief he has folded, not without some talent, and knotted around himself as a makeshift toga.

She does flinch, when she takes in his naked form and Spike grins at her, not in the least embarrassed about his unclothed state, sure of his looks and effect on women.

Garld however flinches because of what she can see are the signs of malnourishment, there are still bruises and scratches on the mini-vamp’s body, which can only be from the fight Xander wrote down about earlier, which was the cause of the shrinking. The skin seems a bit too white and too thin and the bones are better defined than the muscles on the tiny vamp's body.

"I am sure we can get you some blood around here which you can have before you go to sleep. You must be hungry." Spike looks at her, not really expecting that as an reaction to his body and for the first time in a while he glances down and *really* looks at himself, taking in his rib cage, his drawn-in belly and outstanding hip bones, knobbly knees. Oh.

"Blood'd be good. The fight.., was injured.., must have been more injured than I thought. Lost a lot of blood an' all." He says, trying to justify his appearance and Garld nods curtly.

"Good, then let's get this over with fast so you can get some blood. Wouldn't do any good to draw this out longer than necessary."

Xander stands in the door jamb, watching Garld and Spike, who are unaware of him. They are pretty involved in their measuring, Spike actually giggles when Garld tickles him with her fingernails accidentally, or more often now, on purpose. He just wants to tell Spike that he has to make some deliveries and will be gone until noon, just so the vamp knows, but now he doesn't want to disturb the easy companionship and good mood the two are in, so he turns away and leaves without saying anything. He grabs the boxes from the counter and does not meet Broum's curious gaze before leaving the shop.

Somehow this all went wrong and he wants the old Spike back, the one that's not vulnerable and who's snarky and annoying and strong and confident and who doesn't need help from him, isn't dependent on him, 'cause really – this is too much responsibility and he’s already managed to piss off Broum and to shift out of Garld's attention span.

He climbs into the delivery van and turns the key in the ignition, shudders when Cher cries out 'if I could turn back time' and decides no radio for him today, shuts it off and concentrates on manoeuvring the van out through the narrow gateway.

Maybe if he brings back some lunch, they'll be okay with him again.

Part 05

It’s 1 pm when Xander arrives back at the shop. In the back of the van sits a big old-fashioned sideboard which he collected from a customer who wants it restored to its original state. He takes the bag with the Chinese food he bought on the way and goes inside Broum’s shop.

“Hey, I‘m back and I brought lunch with me!” Xander calls out to Broum who sits behind the selling counter, sorting through papers. The demon looks up and smiles at Xander. “Oh, great. I’m starving – I could eat a human.” He says. Xander stops short, suddenly unsure whether it’s a joke or not. Broum just starts laughing. “No worries, toyboy. We don’t eat humans. M’reit demons aren’t a dangerous species.”

Xander blushes. “Sure, knew that, would’ve never thought you were and…” He stumbles and feels stupid again. He knows that Broum and Garld aren’t dangerous, aren’t demons who would be on Buffy’s slaying agenda… well, wouldn’t be at the top of Buffy’s slaying agenda. He sighs inwardly. Why does it get so complicated now? Colliding loyalties and all.

Garld comes out of her office; almost noiselessly she pulls the door shut behind her. “Oh nice, Xander, is that Chinese I can smell?” She grins and grabs for the bag in Xander’s hand. Xander laughs and lets her have it. “Yeah, Chinese. Thought we could eat together, if you want and… “ He stumbles and looks down.

Garld narrows her eyes at him. “Don’t be silly, boy, course we want!” She sends a hard look at Broum who in turn rolls his eyes at her. “Gotta sit down and talk, toyboy.” Xander shrugs helplessly. “’K.”

Garld starts unpacking the bag, little white Chinese food boxes quickly take up most of the space on the small office table. They sit down and each of them grabs what he likes and starts eating. Xander seems miles away, nobody talks and the silence is uneasy. They often eat together and talk about business or personal matters, not that personal like demon heritage or so, but...

Garld kicks Broum under the table. “Ow!” He scowls at her. She shows her fairly human looking teeth and he gives in. “Toyboy... Xander, we gotta talk about a few things. About demons and death and slayers and the good side and bad side of being a slayer or demon hunter and...” Garld sighs and rolls her eyes. Broum pauses and looks at her, irritated. “What?!”

“You’re getting it all wrong! He’s done nothing wrong!” Garld reaches over and puts her hand on Xander’s. The human has sunk down on his chair as far as possible and looks thoroughly miserable.

“Look, Xander, you’ve done nothing wrong in the past. But your past is past and you asked for a chance to prove yourself here. You meant by your work. And you do magnificent work. But Broum and I, we want you to, well, think about your views of life, your values.”

“Ah hem.” Slowly Xander nods.

“We thought you knew that we are demons. You didn’t, did you?”

“I... no... I didn’t think about your origins at all. You’ve been just normal people to me. My boss and his wife.”

“And now, Xander, what are we now? Not normal people anymore? Demons?” Garld’s voice stays warm and friendly but her eyes show her concern.

“I... don’t know. You’re demons but you’re good to me, you care about me more than... a lot of people I know and everything, but the last few years with the slayer, we fought demons, still fight demons and mostly don’t have the time to ask if they’re good or bad or whatever. I can’t just... I can’t just throw everything overboard and be a new person overnight...”

“We understand, Xander, we do understand. It’s hard for you but since you brought William with you, we see that you’ve already started to differentiate between demons. That’s great.” Garld smiles at Xander who shyly smiles back. “And about William... what are you going to do now?”

“I keep him, of course!” Xander says eyes wide. Broum starts laughing and Garld soon follows.

“Course you keep him, toyboy. We want to know what you wanna do so he becomes his old size again.”

“Oh, oh, right. I, erm, I wanted to settle in tonight and talk with Spike. About the circumstances and everything. I wanted to ask Willow, if she can make Spike big again, but I’m not so sure about her. Maybe Giles could help but I can’t imagine a reason why he should help Spike at all. Maybe Spike knows someone who could help...”

Garld and Broum listen and nod to Xander’s suggestions. When he stops talking, Broum says: “That sounds okay so far. I know some people and I will ask around a bit, too. I’ll tell you if there is any news.”

“Thank you. Thank you both. For the help and the clothes for him and everything.”

“You’re welcome, Xander. It’s all right.” Garld smiles at Xander.

They rest of the meal goes by in the easy companionship they shared before. After they finish, Xander puts the empty boxes in the trash, the boxes with leftovers in the fridge.

“I’ll go and look after Spike now. Call me when you need me.”

“Sure, toyboy. Don’t forget your work over the cute little blondie!” Broum yells after him and starts laughing. Garld slaps her husband on his arm, but starts laughing too, when Xander turns around and looks at them horrified: “Cute little blondie?!”

***

To see Spike sleep, cuddled into what might have been Garld’s sewing basket on a shelf, half under a piece of drapery, affectionately put there to protect him from the midday sun which was just a warm glow behind the heavy blinds at the window, makes Xander’s heart ache but produces a tingling feeling in his belly. Once again he thinks about how close Spike came to ‘really dead death’ and finds himself again feeling happy about Spike still being here.

“Spike?” He calls out to the sleeping vampire who is awake instantly. Three-Inch-Spike sits up and stares at the gigantic Xander with wide eyes. This time recognition sets in almost without hesitation. No frightened panic this time, just ocean-deep disappointment. Encouragingly, Xander smiles at Spike but the blond just rolls his eyes at the youth. “So, through with work? Ready to go home to the basement of doom?”

“No and no and furthermore: won’t go there ever again!” Spike is stunned for a moment, then: “What do you mean? You’re not going there again? We’re not going there again? I’m not going, well getting carried, there again?” Ah, back to the panic. Great, Spike.

Grinning, Xander sits down on Garld’s stool and is now pretty much eye-to-eye with Spike in the sewing basket on the shelf. “I moved out.”

“Oh what! That’s great! Wait, on second thought: You idiot!” Spike springs to his feet and starts to pace in the basket. Xander thinks he would look just like the old Spike if there wasn’t the screaming yellow nightgownish-y thing Spike wears and of course his size. “How could you! I mean where are we gonna stay! Can anyone be sooo stupid?! Give up a roof over the head and...”

There is a lot of more cussing from Spike and Xander gets a little sad but otherwise... he never shared his plans with anybody. The last person coming to mind there is Spike and all. He watches Spike ruffling through his hair until it stands up in all directions.

“Shut up, you... chick. I’ve got an apartment. Here. Right over your head.” Spike lifts his head and looks at the shelf above the one his basket stands on. “Well, a bit further above your head. Second floor of the building. Apartment. Two rooms, plus bathroom and kitchen.”

Spike looks back at Xander with an expression somewhere between curiosity and doubt. “Well, that’s great then. Smart boy. Thought of everything, didn’t you. At least about getting a new apartment before giving up the old one. Really smart.”

“Yeah, yeah. Stop it Spike! I didn’t take your brain black-out from two minutes ago seriously. See... you’ve got a way smaller brain now and...” Xander stops suddenly, regretting instantly what he just said, that he reminded Spike of his size, because Spike is watching him with golden eyes and full vamp mask on.

“Hey... sorry, I didn’t mean it... I just...”

“Did you just call me chick???” Spike growls.

Xander, who pretends to be frightened by the enraged vampire, stutters: “I.. didn’t mean chick as in girl... I meant because of your yellow skirt—ehm shirt-y-ish thing and your hair... it’s all fluffy... baby-chicken?”

“You’re soooo going to pay for that!” Spike growls and jumps out of the basket, he stops short on the edge of the, for him, five-floors high shelf. “Later!” He says grimly, not completely covering the sadness in his voice.

Part 06

Xander busies himself for a moment by getting his duffle bag and looking through its contents. A sad Spike is not a Spike he can handle. He feels for the little vampire and wonders just again if it’s because of his size or because it’s Spike. They had their differences in the past but lately they grew kinda closer to each other, not that they would ever admit it.

“So, blondie, wanna go see my new castle?” Xander asks and turns around. He is relieved that Spike seems more in control of his emotions again. Spike’s always the tough guy, why does he show so much emotion now? Is it the size that makes him so vulnerable or is Spike like this all the time just nobody watches close enough?

“Sure, mate. Can’t imagine anything worse than your previous habitation. Wait, have to correct that. At least you had a telly!” Xander relaxes slightly, when Spike is in mocking mood again. Things can’t be that bad.

The door is shoved open by Garld carefully. “Hey boys, are you decent?” She laughs lightly and Xander feels warmth spread in his chest. Family.

“Wouldn’t call this decent, luv.” Spike gestures to his screaming yellow night-shirt.

“He’s right, yellow so isn’t his colour!” Xander agrees and Garld holds up some black fabric, she had hidden behind her back.

“Oh well, what a luck then, that I have some brand new clothes with me, which happen to be just your size!” She smiles and winks at Spike who grins back.

“Really, luv? This fast! Give me, give me!” Spike gets excited like a kid on Christmas morning and Xander can’t suppress the laughter when Garld makes William the Bloody say please.

Without hesitation Spike strips off the yellow night-shirt and starts pulling on the black slacks and the black cotton shirt Garld had sewn him.

“I haven’t finished the jeans yet, the converting of jeans fabric isn’t easy when you do so small sized clothes.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, luv. You’ve done great on these already.” Proudly, Spike turns and twists as if posing in front of a mirror. “Don’t you think, Xander?”

Xander bows forward to take a real close look. The trousers and the shirt fit perfectly to the small body and once again Xander adores Garld’s sewing skills. “Yeah, really well done, Garld. Spike looks really ...good. Handsome and smartish.”

Both Garld and Spike stop their movements and stare amazed at Xander, who - after a second realizes just what he said and then blushes furiously.

“Guess, I better believe you, whelp, since I haven’t seen myself in a mirror for over one hundred years. Beggars can’t be choosers, eh?” Spike winks at Xander who fiddles around nervously. “What about showing me this new flat of yours now, mate?”

“Oh, yes, that’s a good idea. You still have to settle in. I cleaned up a bit. Take up your clothes and stuff, but don’t forget about the work that still has to be done. Wouldn’t be good to upset Broum.”

“’Course not. I just bring up my stuff and give Spike the tour. I’ll be back down soon. Promise.”

“All right boys, until later!” With that, Garld leaves the office. Xander gets together his things, then offers Spike a ride in his chest pocket again. This time he doesn’t need to put Spike in the cigarette pack because the stairway up to his new flat begins in the workshop in the behind.

Spike looks around in the workshop curiously when Xander goes through it to the stairway. There is a lot of different wood, pieces of furniture in varying states of progress and to Spike’s big surprise a lot of wooden toys. He sees doll houses and hobby horses and wooden building blocks, trees and cows and little cars. Spike wonders if Xander is the one building all this things in devoted detail work.

Finally they’re up the stairs and Xander fumbles with the keys. Screeching the old brown door opens and all Spike can see is a small hall. It’s dark and on the commode there is a layer of dust. Didn’t Garld say she cleaned up a bit? Looks like dust wiping isn’t her idea of cleaning up. Three doors lead from the hall to other rooms. Xander turns on the light and the small hall is enlightened by a single bulb hanging down from the ceiling.

“At least you’ve got electricity.” Spike comments and Xander snarls at him. “Just shut up until you saw everything!” Hearing Xander’s tone Spike actually shuts up. He doesn’t intend to hurt the boys feeling. At least not as long as he’s depending on him with his pure shrunken existence. Xander mumbles a short invitation for the vampire and enters the hall.

Xander opens the door to the left and goes into the room. “Here’s the kitchen.” Spike looks around and takes in the white kitchen cupboards, the stove and fridge and sink in silver. “Not bad.” He says. “Yes, and see here”, Xander turns a bit and gestures to a bit of open space to the right, “is enough space for a table and a few chairs. I could actually invite people over and have dinner with them!” Spike hears the excited tone and decides he likes this side of Xander. “Sure, mate, just one question: Who’s going to cook you that dinner you’re talking of?” Spike grins and Xander huffs. “Well, maybe, ordering pizza would work, too.”

Xander goes back to the hall and opens the middle door. Spike finds himself looking at a bathroom with a huge washstand with a mirror over it. The toilet is hidden behind a half high wall and on the other side is a big tub. It just looks great. “That’s more like it, mate.” He tells Xander, who smiles proudly. Spike notices that the bath is very clean, the same as the kitchen was. He’s sure that’s Garld’s work. She just left some things like dusting for Xander.

From the hall they go through the third door and for a moment Spike is completely taken aback. The room they just entered is huge. To the left two big double doors are open and behind them he can see a big bed and a big cupboard for clothes. The rest of the room is meant to be the living room. It’s sparely furnished with an old couch and a table. A big commode is on one wall, just waiting to have a big TV placed on it. The far wall is completely covered with a dark red curtain which looks very new and therefore a bit out of place.

“Oh wow, what a curtain!” Xander says. “Garld must have set it up. It wasn’t there when I saw the apartment last time. But wow, it’s great. Great colour.”
“And what’s behind the curtain?” Spike asks.
“Oh, two very, very big windows. You’ve got to see it. The sun shines right in the windows and the sunbeams even reach the bed!” Xander nearly yells totally thrilled, that he could exchange the dark basement against this light place.
“Well, isn’t that just great. Congrats to the new flat!” Spike sneers, not even trying to be nice in the face of the whelp’s enthusiasm. “Sun’s the last thing I want to shine into the bed!”
“Oh.” Spike’s inability to be in the sun hasn’t even crossed Xander’s mind before. He just saw the apartment and loved it from that moment on. He just thought about getting out of the basement, he never thought about anything else, like taking Spike with him. Now, he feels bad about it. “Spike, I didn’t plan on taking you with me. I’m sorry. I thought you’d find something for yourself. I never thought you’d even want to come with me, since we weren’t on the best terms before you went through this, erm, transformation.”

“As if I didn’t know that. If I weren’t like this, I’d never need you, Harris.” Spike snarls, surprised he’s so hurt by Xander’s words. Of course, he would never go with the whelp if he weren’t like this. He’s not a person who likes to depend on someone. Harris basement had been a place to watch telly and eat the fridge empty. Never anything more than that.

“Since you’re here now, until we solved your problems, the curtains just stay closed as long as it’s light outside. Okay?”

“Sure.” What else should Spike say?

Xander puts Spike carefully down on the table of the living room. “I’ll just get my things and put them away. Then we’ve got to decide where you want to sleep and get you what you need. We’ve got to talk about how we’re going to get you back to your old self. Maybe you know someone who could help with this?”

“Spike shrugs. Got to think about it a bit. Wish I had a fag.”

“Actually, I’m pretty happy there aren’t any cancer sticks in your size. Wouldn’t want you to smoke in here.”

Part 07

From the living room table Spike can hear Xander rummaging around. He’s putting stuff in the kitchen and bathroom, and then he comes through the living room and goes to the bedroom. His bright clothes disappear one piece after another in the big cupboard. The last items from his duffel bag, some comic books and CD’s are put down on the sideboard. The empty duffel bag disappears as the last thing into the sideboard in the small hall.

Xander’s moved in, Spike realizes. No basement anymore. Never again. The vampire didn’t comprehend before exactly what that meant. Another asylum gone. He seems to remember exactly all the times he went to the whelp to watch TV, grab some blood, beer or food, annoy the boy, hang out with him, even, have some good times with him, bickering about pretty much everything and what’s on telly.

Patiently, Spike waits for Xander to settle down on the couch. The shrunken vampire feels strangely exposed on the clear surface of the coffee table. To him the table is the size of a baseball field and he is the only person on it. It makes him feel even smaller.

Xander watches the little creature with newfound amazement. Never could he have imagined Spike this small. The vampire always seemed larger than life. The attitude and the duster always made Xander feel small whenever they met even if Xander was bodily superior. The power and enthusiasm combined in the vampire’s supernatural appearance always impressed the youth. Now Xander can only feel respect and empathy for the new friend in need.

The eerie silence in the apartment gives Spike major wiggings. To disturb it, Spike attempts a conversation.
“So, when do you expect the rest of the gang here?”
Obviously dragged out of deep thoughts, Xander answers with a distracted: “Who?”
“Your mates? Red, Slayer, Watcher…”
“Oh.” Frowning, Xander ponders how to answer that question. Finally he comes to a conclusion. “Didn’t tell them about this.” Xander gestures to the environment and avoids looking at Spike.

Frowning, Spike paces on the table. As long as he keeps moving he doesn’t feel as much of a target.
“Is there a reason?”
“For what?”
“A reason why you didn’t tell them?”
“They didn’t ask.” Xander says, face emotionless.
Slowly, Spike nods, more to himself than to Xander since the boy seems very busy observing his fingernails.

More long silent minutes go by, neither of them seems to know what to say. Spike curses inwardly about the absence of a telly. Would have at least been a distraction.

Finally, Xander gets to his feet, stands thinking, undecided.
“You need to get back down?” Spike breaks the silence, indicates “back down” with his head as downstairs. Xander nods.
With an intense onslaught of fear, Spike realizes he doesn’t want to be alone in the apartment, doesn’t want to be alone at all being this size. He feels completely helpless to defend himself.
“Can I go with you?” he asks finally, all the pride he possesses forgotten. Xander crouches down and looks intently at the vampire. “I am gonna kill you if you laugh or make nasty comments. Understood?” Xander says with an icy voice and Spike wonders again just what other sides of the youth are still hidden from him and probably from the rest of the Scoobies.
“Wouldn’t dare to, mate.” Spike answers and earns himself a smile from Xander.

Moments later, Xander helps the three-inches-tall vampire climb back into the breast pocket of his shirt and together they make their way downstairs into the backroom with those wooden toys that Spike had seen earlier.

Xander goes over to the big workbench and sets Spike down on it.
For some time, Spike looks around wide-eyed. He can’t believe what his eyes are seeing. Everything around him is, again, in his size. There are tables, stools, chairs, sofas, beds, kitchen cupboards, dressers and even a tub in different states of readiness. With a look at the youth’s worried face, Spike goes over to a recliner in his size. Spike touches the armrest made of dark wood, he feels over the cream-coloured leather upholstery and then sinks down on the chair, delighted.

“Great, whelp, this is a treat!” Spike calls out and Xander lets go of his anxiety. He grins proudly and, suddenly, Spike fully understands. “You made this! You made this recliner and you made all the furniture, didn’t you?”
Xander nods enthusiastically.
“They’re great! And I’m not saying this because finally something fits me again. This is really good woodwork!” Spike praises and lets his hands glide over the wooden armrests again. “Bloody perfect!”
Grinning like a kid at Christmas, Xander asks Spike’s permission to show him more.
“Bring it on, mate. Guess you love having a test person.”
“Never dreamt of it.”
“Neither did I, whelp, neither did I.”

With patience and enthusiasm, Spike sits down or lays down on any piece of furniture Xander presents him. Cupboards and dressers, even deco pieces and mirrors are touched and praised by Spike. Soon, the vampire figures out the different collections made from different wood types. Of course, Spike likes the furniture made from dark heavy wood, mahogany, the most.

After Spike has seen pretty much every piece from the workbench, Xander lets Spike ride on his hand again and shows him various doll houses, tricycles, rocking horses, playpens, wooden play blocks and other items to make young children very happy. Spike is utterly amazed by the devotion and skill he can see Xander had given to every handmade piece. Spike doesn’t hold back on praise and Xander’s grin is soon so bright, it lightens the whole place.

“So, that’s what you do for a living, whelp?” Spike asks the boy, when he is settled back in the recliner on the workbench. Xander fiddles with a small piece of dark wood, he turns it in his hands again and again.
“My old boss from that carpentry company sent me to Broum’s shop to fix the front windows. Broum’s shop was attacked; the complete front area was destroyed. The customer service area, that big oak counter… everything was broken and turned over. I set up the windows first and saw Broum trying to set up the counter again. He couldn’t do it alone so I went in and helped him. He hired me for another week to help him clear out the shop and make it presentable again. After that week, he asked me to work for him, I agreed. That was about six months ago.” Xander shrugs, the abrasive paper in his hands lovingly sweeping over the little piece of wood.

“And how come you make toys?” Spike asks with real interest.
“No big story, Broum’s specialised in restoration of antique or at least old woodwork. We got some toys in from a museum, a dollhouse and a rocking horse from 1927. I loved restoring them, the museum director was unbelievably pleased with my work and I was asked to build replicas of old toys from photographs. Did a good job. The demand is high, Broum’s got orders for the next six months or so.” Xander grins proudly.

“And you learned to do this all from Broum?”
“Yeah, he showed me most of it. He’s a good teacher.”

“Don’t hide your light under a bushel all the time, toy-boy, you came with all the talent you needed already. The toys are your passion, all you needed was a little encouragement!” Broum says, a chuckle underlying his rich baritone voice. He makes no secret of him overhearing at least a part of the conversation between Xander and Spike. “This boy here is a genius. What he does with wood is enlightening. I am really glad I could get him to work for me. He’s gonna make all of us very rich.” Broum continues, patting a bright red Xander on the shoulder. “What are you working on now?”

“A foot stool to put in front of the recliner Spike’s sitting in. I still need to do a matching side table and standard lamp with a cream coloured lampshade by Garld for the set.” Xander explains.
“Well, the set isn’t due until next week, why don’t you concentrate on giving your friend here,” Broum points to Spike, “a nice place to stay in for the time being.”
Interest piqued, Spike sits up. “That’s a bloody great idea!”
Xander’s eyes light up and he nods excitedly. “I’d really love to! I could try some new things, modern things, if Spike wants…”
“Why not talk with him about the interior décor then?” Broum chuckles and leaves the workshop, taking one of the rocking horses with him to the front area.

Xander carefully sets down the piece of mahogany he was working on and then turns to Spike. “So, Big Bad, what’s your desire?” Xander raises an eyebrow and waits for the excited vampire to reply.

Unsure where to start, Spike hesitates for long moments until Xander helps him: “What do you think about deciding on a house first?” Xander puts out his hand so Spike can climb on it, then he goes over to the doll houses. “This one is the typical single house, two bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom. Big front windows and dormer windows. Well, I see why you don’t like this one.” Xander turns to another house, this one’s big with three floors. “Maybe this is more your taste, Spike, this one has a cellar, but maybe it’s too big altogether for just you.” Xander sighs and then pulls his hand up so he is eye to eye with Spike. “Guess, I’ll have to build you something fitting from the start, what do you think?”

Speechless, the shrunken vampire only nods.

Part 08

Xander sets Spike back down on the workbench, where the vampire starts to pace, unsure how to react. Xander rummages around in the drawers under the workbench and comes up with a few slim wooden boards. Some have rectangles in different sizes in them; soon Spike realizes the rectangles are cut out to set in windows and doors. The slim boards are going to be the walls, floor and ceiling to his new home. Snorting, Spike stomps his feet, shakes his head. “This is ridiculous! Bloody ridiculous!” Spike spits frustratedly and Xander stops short. He looks at his shrunken friend cluelessly. “What now?”

“You’re gonna build a fucking doll house for William the Bloody! To live in! To bloody LIVE in!”

“It’s going to be good. I promise. I’ve built a few already and not one came down again. I’ll give it special care since it’s for you and unlike having dolls, inside you could really be injured when it’ll come down, which it won’t but well, you never, but I know, I do good work, Broum says so, customers say so…” Xander stumbles in his babble since it seems to make Spike even angrier. The former praise from the vampire feels worthless all of a sudden. Sadly, Xander turns the boards in his hands, unsure how to continue.

“No! You bloody idiot! It’s not your work. You do a fabulous job with these toys!” Spike yells, outraged that Xander doesn’t get the point. “You’re building toys! Toys! Think I ever wanted to live in a toy house – even if it’s the best you can get on the market? I am a vampire. Vampire as in big, bad and bloody!” Frustrated, Spike slumps down on the comfortable mini-recliner. “I can’t believe this is happening to me!”

Xander stays silent and joins the handmade boards together so that a room is formed, one wall missing. In a doll house the back wall is always missing so the kids can set furniture in the rooms or play with the little figures inside. The youth is unsure how to handle just this situation again. Spike sits on the recliner, elbows on knees, face in hands. Is he crying?

After setting the board that builds the ceiling for the room so that the construction stands on its own, he gently reaches out towards Spike. With his pointing finger he softly pats the vampire on the back. “It’s not for forever, Spike. It’s just for a night or two, to give you some space of your own while you’re this… I mean… while you’re this size. I promise, tomorrow we’ll go over to Giles’ general Scoobie meeting at the Magic Box, we’ll get them all to work on it and find a solution. This house only gives you a safe place to sleep in. Can’t keep you in the top drawer of the nightstand since the nightstand does not have drawers at all.”

Helplessly, Spike shrugs his tiny shoulders. He feels so vulnerable, actually is. Some bloody cat could kill him. At least, the house would be a good hiding place. “But I want a back wall. Not gonna give you a damn freak show!” Spike grumbles and Xander nods quickly. “Of course! I’m gonna close it all around. Just one door which you can open from inside downstairs so you have a way out at all times.”
“Downstairs? So there’s more than one floor?” Like a child, interest piqued again, Spike looks for the first time at the half-ready construction.
“Two floors. Downstairs to sleep. Upstairs two rooms: one living room and one room with only a gigantic tub in. What do you think?”
“Doesn’t sound so bad.”
Xander is relieved to see a small smile back on Spike’s face.

As promised, a couple of hours later, Xander finishes the general set up of the doll house, edition ‘Spike’, just when Garld comes in.
“Hey boys, hope you are playing nice and nobody’s naked this time?” Xander chuckles, Spike grins salaciously.
“I brought you some food, the Chinese left-overs. You’ll take care of William’s other needs later, won’t you?” She addresses Xander directly, who nods quickly.
“Course I will.”

Before Xander can protest, Garld shoves him onto a nearby chair, Chinese food boxes thrust in his hands. Garld turns back to the house and minutes later, girly screams can be heard from Spike. Garld has set up Spike’s house with the dark mahogany collection, including the recliner Spike sits on. She even adds a couple of dark red rugs handmade by her to make the bedroom right cosy.
“See there, William. Fine place to stay in for a while. First class hotel with your personal 24/7 Xander-concierge. Any more wishes?” She beams at Spike.
“Telly?” Spike grins.

As if on cue, Broum comes in, carrying a small TV which Xander recognizes from the front area.
“Thought you could use this until you get your own.” Broum says, ignoring the surprised, open-mouthed face of Xander.
“Wow, that’s… You shouldn’t have… I can’t really…”
“’Course you’ll bloody accept this. Boy needs a telly. I need a telly, bloody boring otherwise, staring at the blank wall in your cosy living room.”

*

It’s late that evening when Xander and Spike are finally upstairs. Xander feeds the vampire just like the day before: dripping a small amount of his own blood into a spoon. Spike’s still delighted that Xander is so kind as to share his life’s essence with him. Grinning, the red-faced and red-handed shrunken vampire lets out a burp, he is so sated, he’s ready to burst.

Xander set up the doll house on a stool from the workshop, just beside the bed. Spike’s inside in his living room on the recliner. His feet are propped up on a packet of paper tissues.
The telly sits on another stool from the workshop so Xander can see it from the bed on which he’s lying already and Spike can see it from his recliner comfortably. They watch an episode of the new old Enterprise, lazily fighting about who the better Captain is: Archer, Kirk or Picard?

It could have been just another normal night in Xander’s basement but, well, it isn’t.

Xander feels himself dozing off again and again, so he puts the remote on the floor of Spike’s living room. Spike can zap, but he has to get up every time and change the channel by jumping on the button of the remote. Kinda supersedes the use of a remote. After a few times of ‘channel jumping’, Spike is annoyed and exhausted, he decides to go to bed, too.

Xander sleeps soundly and Spike watches the youth for a few moments. He is bloody thankful that Xander is such a white knight at heart and is helping him. Could have gone completely differently altogether. Tentatively, friendship for the boy builds in Spike’s heart.

Friendship, Spike muses, is the most ridiculous kind of relationship; it relies on nothing but trust and sympathy. No all-embracing passion, no mind-numbing love, no insular fervidness of hate – just a stupid ‘I like you and you like me’. Too often though, this bond of sympathy is not in the least as strong as those calling each other friends think. Whatever, doesn’t stop the heart from making new friends anyway. Which is of the good. Wouldn’t want to miss out on a friend ever, would you?

Xander kept his word, putting a back wall to the ground floor of the dollhouse and when Spike jumps down, ignoring the make-shift-ladder, he finds himself safe – at least from the sun and smaller animals. Spike strips off his clothes, folds them and carefully lays them at the end of the bed. Funny, how much worth things can get when they’re the only things you have. Been like that with his duster. It’d been with him for nearly thirty years and he plans to keep it quite a while longer. Glad the whelp brought it with him, first from the cemetery to his place and now even to his new place. He crawls into the fine bedding. Tomorrow, he hopes, the Scoobies will find a solution to his problem. Hopefully, they’ll handle his problem just like any other problem that comes up: solve it. He dreads meeting them, dreads Buffy’s malicious glee as much as Willow’s irritating pseudo-penitence. Gonna be a hard time for the boy, his loyalties colliding in open argument. He turns from one side to the other, unable to fall asleep. After a while, he starts listening to Xander’s breathing and to Xander’s regular strong heartbeat and it calms him. Soon after, he sleeps just like Xander, his newfound friend.

Part 09

The next morning when Xander’s alarm clock goes off, Spike has gotten used to it and there is no mind-numbing panic anymore. He hears Xander groggily get out of bed and go to the shower. Spike gets up too, dressing in his black slacks only. The vampire climbs up to his living room carefully in case of the sun, though Xander has kept his word. He’s left the curtain on one big window closed so the light only shines in Xander’s living room but can’t reach the bedroom.

Some time later Xander comes out of the shower, very wet and very naked, goes into the living room and then stands there, blissfully enjoying the sun beams warming and drying his skin. He uses a towel to dry his hair and Spike, his tongue wetting suddenly dry lips, watches that delicious body for the first time. Why the hell is Xander hiding his muscular form under those scary baggy and luridly coloured clothes?

The muscles of Xander’s arms and shoulders are well defined and they flex with every movement. Atop strong legs sits a very round, tasty ass leading up to a trim waist which splays up into a broad back. Xander’s skin looks soft. It’s tanned and Spike finds himself wanting to explore every inch of it. Of course, Spike also wants to see Xander’s fat cock swell and stand to attention, head purple with need for him.

Spike shakes his head in an attempt to clear away all those tasty images. He is not wondering any more, he always found guys equally as attractive as women, just – why didn’t he see Xander like this sooner? Just wait, whelp, when I’m back to my old self, I’m gonna show you a thing or two about… Wait – is Xander interested in blokes at all? Oh bugger.

Spike hides when Xander comes into the bedroom to get clothes from the monstrous cupboard. Just when he is fairly certain Xander is at least half decent he makes himself noticeable by turning on the TV. Don’t want to make the boy all unsure in his own flat, besides, it spares me the embarrassed babble.

“Oh hi Spike! Up so early? Hungry?”
“Always hungry, greedy vampire and all.” Spike leers. Xander doesn’t seem to notice.
“Well then, here’s your ride to the kitchen.” Xander holds out his hand, so Spike can climb onto it. The vampire hugs the big warm thumb. This way, Xander needs only one hand to transport him. And Xander’s warm skin feels damn good against his own cool chest.

In the kitchen, Xander repeats the bloodletting procedure into a spoon, than gets himself some Choco Pops and milk. Happily, Spike starts feeding and Xander chews spoonful after spoonful of cereal.
“Your back looks all healed again. Does it still hurt anyway?” Xander asks, watching the vampire’s naked torso.
“Nah, mate. All good. I’m back to my stunning self.” Spike answers, one hand sweeping over well built pecs.
“That’s good.” And Xander munches on until his bowl is empty.
“Any chance I can have a shower?”
Xander looks at the vampire, sizing him up, then at the sink.
“Sure, no problem.” Xander stands up and lifts Spike over on the kitchen counter. He turns on the water, gets it to the right temperature: A bit hotter than he himself likes it. He turns the water tap so the water is pouring down on the flat part of the sink where the dishes are normally put on to dry. This way Spike doesn’t feel trapped in the depth of the sink.
“Well, Spike, have a nice shower. I’ll be back in a few.” With that Xander leaves the room, just to come back seconds later with a towel. He lays it next to the sink.
“Thanks, whelp.”
“Don’t worry about it!” Xander grins and disappears through the door.

Spike chucks off the slacks and stands under the water tap. Bloody genius the whelp is, Spike thinks. Fulfils all my wishes, looks after me pretty good. Feeds me his blood, gets me clothes, even builds me a bloody house! Just my kind of thing. Sure, you’d agree! Spike chuckles and grabs his hard cock that remembers Xander taking his personal sun bath this morning.

After the shower and a decent wank, Spike manages to turn off the water on the, for him, way oversized knobs of the tap. He rubs himself dry on one edge of the soft towel and pulls his slacks back on.

Xander appears back in the kitchen a while later, offers Spike his hand without any need to be asked.
“I have to build a series of wooden logs today. You can come and watch or sleep some down at the workshop if you want.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Here we go.”
“Clothes first.” Spike reminds Xander and the youth grins.
“Sure.”

The hours fly by between watching Xander work and sleeping on a light wood single bed Xander made. Garld and Broum come in a few times to talk or bring food. By midday Garld proudly presents Spike his new jeans and a long black coat. She’s even managed to do a pair of boots. Spike is delighted and changes immediately. “Great job, luv.”

Just shortly after five, Xander finishes work for the day. The youth is pleased with himself. The vampire this size is pleasant company and not quite the distraction he used to be. Way less annoying, also.

Carrying Spike on his hand is already second nature to Xander and so they make their way upstairs. Xander showers and changes while Spike hones his skill in ‘channel jumping’. Then they’re on the way to Giles’. This time Spike’s safely transported in the cigarette pack in Xander’s breast pocket, for it’s still light outside.

While Xander’s pace grows slower the nearer they get to the Magic Box, the more his heart rate increases. Nervousness makes his hand sweat. Spike becomes jumpier with every step.

Finally, they’re at the Magic Box and Xander is hardly through the door before Willow is right in his face. Accusingly, she rams her finger into his chest with every word: “Alexander Harris, where were you?” Protectively, Xander cups his hand over his breast pocket. “I’ve been to your house and your mom… she’s been… in this state again, you know, and she said, you moved out and a few insults about you…”
“Oh hey, Willow. Great to see you, too.” Xander interrupts her, ignoring everything Willow said and looks around the Magic Box. “Just great, everybody’s here!” He calls out, more as information to Spike, than a greeting.

Giles and Anya are behind the counter discussing finances from the looks of it. Tara is reading a book at the big round table. Dawn is fighting with Buffy as usual.
“Hi Xander. Nice of you to come by. They thought you ran away again.” Anya greets him with her blatant honesty. Dawn comes running and hugs him. “I am soooo glad, you’re still here.”
“This is not over, Dawn.” Buffy yells and nods at Xander for a greeting.
Tara waves at him shyly, half hiding her curious eyes behind her hair.
“How was your weekend with your Dad?” Xander asks Dawn and she makes a face.
“Boring. I didn’t like it, him or his girl friend. Can you believe, she’s barely older than Buffy!”
“Dawn, she is twenty-eight!”
“So what? She looks as if she’s your age!”
“Don’t start this again!” Buffy warns, putting her hands on the sides of her hip.
“Sorry to hear you didn’t like it there, crumbs.” Xander distracts the starting fight between the sisters.

“Did you know, Spike left?” Dawn asks him, eyes wide with hope. Of all the people in the room, she was the only one who actually liked Spike, even if in a teenage-crush-y way. Well, and maybe Tara. Who knows, Xander thinks, including himself in the disliked-Spike-category. It‘s got to be hellmouth-y how fast things do change here.

“Spike left?” Xander asks, surprised and shoots Willow a look. The witch starts her tirade with a red face: “Yes! Xander, you know, that fight a few nights ago. You went home and Spike brought me home and we sat outside a while after and talked, like really talked. I mean, we always had this, this special bond between us since I was the one he tried to bite when he first discovered he had that chip and he told me, he said he’d had enough of it all and wanted to leave town, start over new somewhere where nobody knows him and I guess he really left, took his things and left – poof – gone. Nowhere to be seen anymore.” She shrugs, palms upward, eyes on the floor.

Xander swallows that big, big lump that formed in his throat the longer he listened to Willow. He can’t believe Willow could lie that blatantly to cover up her mistake, to cover up that she killed Spike. At least, that’s what she thinks. However, the people here are her friends, almost like her family and surely they wouldn’t be angry at her for killing an enemy. She didn’t even do it on purpose. She might even get some nice words from Buffy for off-ing Spike. Why does she feel inclined to lie?

Part 10

“Oh really, Willow, Spike just left?” Xander asks her again, watching her with angry, slitted eyes. She fumbles but nods. “Yes, that’s what he told me, didn’t you listen?” She rolls her eyes, looks at Xander as if he’s too slow to catch on and confirm her lie.

Xander holds his breath. He’s so angry and disappointed. Mentally, he counts to ten before he smiles, then gets out the pack of cigarettes.
“I can’t believe you started smoking! That kills people!” Dawn shouts, hands on her hips, a familiar gesture from Buffy.
“I didn’t start smoking, Dawn. Actually, I’ve got a surprise for you, especially for you, Wills.” With a malicious grin he opens the pack and helps Spike to climb out onto the big, round table.
“See, I found Spike that night in this state. Some spell gone wrong from a really ugly, middle-class witch, he told me.”
“Oh my god, look at him! He is sooo small!” Dawn cries out.

Everybody gathers around the table and looks at the 3-Inches-tall vampire.
“How’s tricks, folks?” Spike greets, cockily.
“Guess we have to fix this, don’t we?” Xander asks no-one in particular and looks at the Scoobies’ faces one after another. Buffy is laughing, gloating over her former enemy. Giles polishes his glasses furiously. Tara smiles with empathy and Dawn asks Spike all kinds of weird questions like if he lives in a kitchen cupboard. Only Willow stands at the table, trembling, guilt and panic taking turns on her expression.

“How did this happen, Xander?” Giles asks, retreating from the table.
Xander glances at Willow, unsure what to tell the watcher. Should he tell the truth? Should he tell Giles that Willow has yet again mucked up a spell? Well, she saved them, even saved Spike somehow from those vampires that night. Willow’s eyes are begging him not to betray her.
“I only found him like this. He said it was a spell by some witch he didn’t know.”
“Quite interesting.”
Willow seems to have found her voice again. “I could, I mean, Giles, if we research this maybe we can break this spell?”
Giles ignores her and addresses Xander again. “Is there any further danger from this witch? Did Spike mention her reason for her stay in Sunnydale?”
“I am right here, watcher.” Spike throws in, annoyed to be left out of the conversation concerning him. Otherwise he’s busy fighting off Dawn’s curious fingers and ignoring Buffy’s nasty comments.
With a short look at Spike, Xander answers Giles’ question: “No, I mean, there is no danger from her anymore.” Xander gives Willow a meaningful look. “She was just.. passing through or something. Wrong time and place to be for Spike, I guess.”

“Ah, bloody slayer bitch, take your hands off of me!” Spike yells and Xander barely stops himself from running over to the table, but he walks very fast. He holds out his hand to Spike who climbs eagerly on it, away from the poking fingers of the Summers’ women.

Willow in the meantime has found a big book about magic and carries it over to Giles, opens it and tries to start a conversation about undoing Spike’s shrinkage.
“Maybe, we can start here: ‘Lessening the impact of spells’?”
Calmly, Giles takes the book from her and without looking at the page, closes it.
“I don’t think we need this.” He says and, equally taken aback, the whole Scoobie Gang looks at Giles. Does he want to undo it by himself? Does he know how to without even consulting his precious books? Wow.

“Erm, Giles, I …” Xander starts but Giles stops him with a small hand gesture.
“Spike is quite lucky. This state allows him to stay undead but he is not a threat to us or any other person anymore.”

For a couple of seconds, there is no sound at all in the entire Magic Box. The room temperature seems to have dropped several degrees from Giles icy voice and calmness. Giles does not want to have the spell undone at all.

“Rupert, you bloody bastard!” Spike cusses, teeth gritted, voice thick with emotion.
“You can’t be serious, Giles.” Xander adds.
“I am quite serious, Xander. Did you think this situation could go on forever?”
“What situation?” Anya asks, aghast. “He has that chip!”
Giles gives her a long look but continues nevertheless.
“A demon fighting with us is just unnatural and…”
“And what? Do you realize what you are actually saying there, Rupert Giles?” Anya utters, with a voice full of threats.
“Anya, I am in full knowledge of – “
“No, you’re not! You can’t be! I’ve been a demon for a thousand years and a few days in a human body do not at all make me an actual human! Nevertheless, I do all the work here, answer every boring question you have about demons I might know, earn money for you and give you and your slayer a place to research and prepare for battle. I tend to your every whim and need when Buffy has beaten you just a little bit too hard in training and I abstain from sex when your body doesn’t ‘feel’ like it – and still you didn’t understand … WHAT?”

This time, Spike is the one laughing while the others are equally embarassed and shocked by Anya’s admission.
“Anya and Giles?” Xander squeaks.
“I am a woman, he is a man. So what? Physically that fits pretty fine.” Anya says incomprehendingly.
“I have to sit down.” Buffy says and sinks down on a chair.
Giles calmly retreats to the backroom.

“So can I keep Spike?” Dawn asks, unphased by the Giles/Anya comment.
“No, you can’t ‘keep him’. He is not some pet. He is still a vampire.” Buffy says. “Even if a teenie weenie one.” She starts laughing again.
“Shut your gob, slayer, or…”
“Or what, itsy bitsy vampy? I could kill you by unwittingly stepping on you.”
“Ah, see, slayer is fully in her element again, threatening the disadvantaged ones.” Spike mutters. Unnoticed by the others, Xander curls his fingers around Spike, sending comfort.
“This isn’t getting us anywhere, mate.” Spike whispers, so only Xander can hear him. “Can’t say I didn’t know this was going to happen.”
Xander shrugs sadly. “Guess it’s our cue to leave then. Not gonna waste my time here.” The boy whispers back. Louder he says: “Well then, nice to see you all again. I’ll be around.” With that, Xander starts leaving, holding Spike safely in his hand. He even pauses briefly at the door, but nobody tries to stop him and Spike.

Outside the Magic Box, Xander kicks a stone angrily so it flies across the street. He takes a few calming breaths. They don’t help to pacify him. “I can’t believe that just happened!” He says a little too loudly.
“Again: Did know that was coming.” Spike sneers.
“Willow lies like a, like a … I can’t even find the right words! And Giles is, is such a righteous ….!” Xander feels as if he can’t get enough air. The conversation about demons with Garld and Broum re-emerges in his head and he feels angry and like crying at the same time. He feels betrayed and like a betrayer, too.
“Hey, whelp, we’ll sort this out somehow even without that bunch of losers.” Spike offers strength and willingly Xander takes it and runs with it.
“You and me, we two against the world?” Xander croaks. The air smells of uncried tears.
“Well, wouldn’t be the first time, would it?” Spike asks and looks at the boy’s shiny eyes. There is this feeling somehow, the knowing look Spike gives Xander and the so-damn-cool cocked eyebrow, remind the boy of a night without fear, that night where he was pure steel.

In the basement of the high school:
XANDER: Hello, nasty. Less than two minutes. Dumb guy. Little bomb. How hard can it be?
Jack: And it just got harder.
XANDER: I'm not leaving till that thing's disarmed.
Jack: Then I guess you're not leaving. I'm gonna carve you up and serve you with gravy. You piss me off, boy. Now you pay the price. First the eyes, then the tongue. I'm gonna break every one of your fingers.
XANDER: You gonna do all that in forty-nine seconds? I know what you're thinkin'. Can I get by him? Get up the stairs, out of the building, seconds ticking away... I don't love your chances.
Jack: Then you'll die, too.
XANDER: Yeah, looks like. So I guess the question really is... who has less fear?
Jack: I'm not afraid to die. I'm already dead.
XANDER: Yeah, but this is different. Being blown up isn't walking around and drinking with your buddies dead. It's little bits being swept up by a janitor dead, and I don't think you're ready for that.
Jack: Are you?
XANDER: I like the quiet.

Spike watches Xander drift into memory land. He likes that proud grin that settles onto Xander’s face after a few moments. That’s the core of the boy: pure steel nobody can bend or break. That’s what he wants the boy to see, what Spike wants to discover, explore and, in the end, claim for himself.

“Let’s go home.” Xander says, his voice strong and rich. It makes Spike adjust his stance and smile evily. With the right coach, the boy could become the knight to the outside world he already is inside.

“Xander!” Suddenly a voice calls out from the shadows of the back door of the Magic Box. It’s Tara who called them, that’s why the voice sounded so strange at first. The shy girl always tries to be as quiet as possible. Spike had spent time thinking about the blond witch before, still she stays a mystery to him and, therefore, she is very precious. Why the hell she stays with that power-greedy, egomanic bitch, though, he’ll never understand.

“Tara?” Xander asks, carefully.
“Yes, it’s me. And Willow is here, too.”
“And?” Xander asks, not seeing a reason to go over to them just because they’re calling him. Spike smiles inwardly. Stubborn boy, adorable.
“Can we talk? We want to help.” Tara says the magic words and Xander’s feet start to move towards the couple.

Overview

=> 3 Inches
01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 |
11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | epilogue
+ Fanomics by Little_Tenshi