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The More Things Change	By : slashtheboyz Category: AtS/BtVS Crossovers > Slash - Male/Male > Spike(William)/Xander > Spike(William)/Xander Views: 12377 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own BtVS or AtS. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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The More Things Change 22/?
Author: slashtheboyz
Title: The More Things Change
Chapter: 22/?
Pairing: Spike/Xander
Rating: Adult++
Feedback: Comments, email and Journal
Concrit: Comments, email and Journal
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Joss and a bunch of lawyers. I only wish they belonged to me cause I'd make em do naughty things together forever. I'm just playing with them. No disrespect intended. No reflection on real persons or places intended. I'm not making any profit from this. This is strictly for entertainment.
Warnings/Squicks: Angst, Language, References to torture, Death, Violence. I think I got em all.
Summary: Xander goes to LA on a fact finding trip and finds Angelus instead. Scariness happens.
Previous chapters:here
Notes: Hokay. Big scene with Angel and the LA gang. Jeesh. I'm not used to so many characters. I hope I managed to preserve the characters somewhat. Though naturally Xander is the most changed of all of them. This chapter was a real challenge for me with all the different characters interacting. Let me know what you think. What's good and what's not so good. As always if you spot any errors, I'll be glad to hear about them. This doesn't strictly follow canon. Sooo if you don't like that sort of thing you might want to skip this. This is my first story so feedback is very welcome.

Well isn't this cozy?" A familiar voice jeered from the doorway. "You just keep collecting vamps to play snuggle bunny with as you go along don't you Buffy?"

Cordelia stood there blocking the entrance, with more people behind her.

Xander sneered back as he eased himself out from between Buffy and Willow; crossed over to Spike and sat down in his lap. "Well if it isn't the Hell God's bitch. Quick Willow do a reveal spell and find out what she's been knocked up by this week. Cause we sure don't need any of her freaky brats getting together with The First."

Cordelia's eyes went round and her mouth moved but nothing was coming out. She stared at Xander in shock as the others pushed in behind her. Xander looked around and everyone was staring at him like he'd grown two heads. "What?" Spike had his face buried in Xander's back and his arms wrapped around his waist. He could feel his mate shaking with laughter. The link was humming with it. Giles was coughing to hide his amusement. Anya was looking at him with amazed speculation; she had a crooked grin on her face.

A reproachful ",Xander," came from Willow, and a shocked one came from Buffy as she got to her feet.

"Don't do that Willow." Xander said evenly. Taking his eyes off Cordelia for a moment to look at Willow.

"Do what?" Willow looked confused.

"Correct me like I'm some brainless lackey and you have the right." Xander replied. Turning his yellow green gaze to Buffy ",I'm not a verbal rug. She doesn't have the right to come in here slinging insults and I don't have to put up with that bitchy shit from anybody." He moved his gaze back to the door, and the crowd bunched there, as he relaxed against Spike.

Connor pushed his way through the group to stand beside Cordelia and stared hard at Xander. Recognition slowly dawned on his face. "You! You're the bastard that sneaked into the hotel and killed our baby."

"Well, fuck me, if it isn't the B movie wannabe. Baby? Damn man. I wouldn't run around claiming to be the DNA donor to that maggot faced horror if I were you. Carrying around genes for a congenital evil Hell god defect will really reduce your chances of fathering offspring in the future."

Connor made an aborted move toward Xander as Angel's arms went around him from behind, pinning his arms to his sides. He writhed and cursed, and stomped on Angel's feet, to get loose. Cordelia came to life and started screeching. Everyone was gabbing at the same time. Buffy was hotly denying that Xander could kill a baby. Willow still looked confused.

Angel bellowed over the babble. "Enough." Everyone fell silent with a few lingering mutters. "That's why we're here. To talk about what happened, not fight with each other. We're not going to get anywhere if this turns into a brawl."

"Count Duckula, to the rescue, you tell em fangless." Xander cheered from Spike's lap. Spike was literally snorting with laughter now, his nose buried in Xander's back to stifle the sound, arms around his waist, hands clenching spasmodically in Xander's ribs.

Angel glared at them from over Connor's head, as Connor renewed his efforts to get free, and grunted out. "You're not helping, Xander. Spike, it's not funny."

"Oh come on, Duckula, you wouldn't want me to ruin my rep by helping you, would you? Besides your brat is just as annoying as you are. Does he do the brooding in the dark thing too? Like father like son?" Xander couldn't help feeling a little niggle of gleeful maliciousness at the site of Angel trying to hold on to Connor while he twisted and bucked. "Oh hell alright, damn, can't you do anything?"

Xander stood up. Spike giving him a little shove in the ass. Permission. And before anyone realized what he was about, he was across the space dividing them. He snatched Connor out of Angel's arms by the nape and an ear, kicking and squirming. He picked him up and shook him viciously like a rag doll; until his head wobbled on his shoulders, and he lung limp. Then dropped him on his ass in the floor.

"Are you gonna act like a civilized being or am I gonna have to take you out in the back yard and teach you some manners, you ignorant brat?"

"You couldn't teach m....., Connor started and it ended with the back of Xander's hand right across his mouth rocking him back against Angel's legs, the sound echoed sharply in the absolute silence that followed.

"Right." Xander growled. "Lesson the first: Keep your disrepectful comments to yourself. Everyone here has been through all kinds of shit. Some of us for a lot longer than you. You aren't the only one who has to deal. And whatever your issues are, don't give you the right to make everyone else here miserable with your verbal diarrhea and shitty attitude."

"Lesson the second: Get your ass off the floor and park it in a chair. Shut up and listen. If you so much as make a peep until everyone else has had a say, the exception being Cordelia of course. She's already dug her hole deep enough without any help. I will personally kick your ass until your nose bleeds. And no one will interfere. Do you understand?" He glared at Connor. When Connor didn't answer, he changed to game face and reached for him. Connor scrabbled back against Angel's legs and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and examined the blood on it. "Okay, okay, I understand," he muttered resentfully glowering up at Xander.

"Good boy." Xander straightened. "Pick a chair, any empty chair, or sit on the floor, I don't give a shit. Just park it." Xander growled.

Connor dragged himself off the floor with a helping hand from Angel and picked the chair furthest from Xander and sat down in it glaring around at everyone.

Angel growled ",Xander." And stared at him with his game face forward. Angel was the first one to break the staring contest, his eyes moved to the earring dangling and swaying beside Xander's right cheek. Xander growled back. Spike was there suddenly arms around his waist pulling him back.

Buffy jumped between him and Angel. Gunn had enough nerve to bring a loaded crossbow out and shoot it at Xander. The bolt bounced harmlessly off the chain mail he wore under his shirt. Spike let go of him and he leaped on the man with a yowl like a hunting cat. He moved so fast no one had a chance to stop him. Buffy was holding Angel back. Grabbing the crossbow from Gunn's hands he squeezed it in his hand shattering it into splinters and pieces, and flung it to the floor. Then he got in the man's face and backed him up against the wall snarling. "Who the fuck do you think you are coming in here with a loaded weapon like you own the place, you sonuvabitch?"

He turned his back on Gunn with a sneer, and went back to Spike and resumed his seat. Spike's eyes were glittering at him and the link sparked with pride/want/mine. He wiggled a little in Spike's lap to get comfortable and returned to watching the group by the door.

Everyone filed in quietly and took a seat. Surprisingly Angel took a chair instead of sitting beside Buffy even though she sat down again and looked at him expectantly. He still looked like hell, healing spell or not. He had dark rings under his eyes, and the fading bruise from his broken jaw was still faintly visible on his pale skin. Cordy was still shell shocked and she sat beside Buffy and didn't say anything even when Buffy looked daggers at her.

Xander just sat and watched everyone from his comfortable perch. And waited. This was their thing. They wanted to discuss everything to death. Let them start this shindig.

Willow was sneaking quick glances at Xander out of the corner of her eye, and looking weepy again. Anya looked deeply satisfied about something as her bright eyes moved from person to person, smirking a little when her eyes landed on a still pouting Connor, then moved on to Gunn. Giles was slowly polishing his glasses with a slight smile on his face. Buffy looked confused. Wesley was thinking hard if the crinkle between his brows was any indication. He just wandered until he found an empty chair and sat with a distracted air. Gunn and Fred found chairs side by side and clasped hands after they were seated. They kept sneaking amused looks at Connor under their lashes, and wary looks at Xander.

Angel was in full on brood mode, leaning, elbows on knees, hands clasped loosely between them, with a dark expression on his face. He kept looking at Spike and Xander with quick little disapproving glances, and turning his gaze down to his hands again. Xander couldn't figure out if he looked constipated or if he was in the beginning stages of coughing up a hairball.

Faith took the last chair and she smirked more obviously at Connor. He sat up straight and opened his mouth to say something. She just shook her head grinning widely at him, and jerked her chin toward Xander.

Xander turned a hard unwavering stare on the boy, without saying anything, Connor looked his way and subsided. Faith chuckled and looked back at Xander with an unexpected gleam of respect in her dark eyes. "Boy toy, you got it going on don't ya?"

The tension in the room dropped several notches. Wesley cleared his throat and spoke. "Yes, you seem to be somewhat different than you were, the last time I saw you Xander. May I ask when you were....ah..," he hesitated. "Turned, killed?" Xander finished for him. Wesley winced and sighed, rubbing at his chin. "Well yes, if you put it that way."

"Oh that's not a problem, Wesley. I was turned a week or so ago by Angelus, when I went to LA." Wesley's head snapped up and his sharp gaze met Xander's bland look. His face flushed and then went pale. "Oh, dear Lord," he whispered as he sat back in his chair with a thump. Everyone else just froze and turned unbelieving eyes to Angel.

Angel's sat up abruptly, his head jerked around and he stared at Xander, eyes tracing over his features, they narrowed as the earring brushing Xander's right cheek caught his gaze again. "Oh no. Not you." He said in an almost begging tone. "It couldn't have been you."

"Fraid so, Duckula."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand how that could have happened, Xander, we never saw you in LA." Wesley sighed out rubbing his forehead. "Would you be so good as to explain it to us, please?"

"You know how childer are made. I don't owe you any fucking explanations. I was there and I know who killed me and turned me. And you did see me. When I dumped Angel in the lobby at the Hyperion, Wesley. You just didn't recognize me. I was only two or three days turned. Starving, weak and confused. You, Faith and Connor, tried to waylay me and keep me there against my will. No fucking way I was staying there with you ungrateful assholes, after all that shit. I wanted my Sire." Xander rubbed Spike's forearms still encircling his waist.

"But Angel is your Sire. Isn't he? Fred's tiny voice squeaked out eyes still wide and alarmed and looked around at the others for confirmation. "Wouldn't that mean you would want to stay in LA with him?"

"Oh no. Not only no, but a big freakin' humongo hell no." Xander denied, shaking his head for emphasis. "I'd walk into the sun first. My demon rejected Angelus, the psychotic bastard, and I chose Spike as my Sire instead. All of me agreed."

"Oh man," Gunn breathed out. "No wonder....Man I'm sorry, dog. You had plenty of reasons for messin' him up." He glared at Angel.

Wesley's face looked pinched, and Angel look like he'd been poleaxed right between the eyes. "How... did? Spike looked up and looked Angel straight in the eye, gloating. "Wanted me for his Sire, didn't he? Kicked your poofy lard ass to the curb, hard. Then left you to find me."

Angel growled eyes bleeding to gold. "Xander and Spike both growled back at the challenge. "Never yours," Xander hissed.

"But how did he do that? Buffy questioned, eyes rounding at the hissing and growling. "Spike, Xander, Angel. Stop that!" She ordered.

Angel sat back reluctantly giving Spike a 'we'll talk about this later' look. Spike just smirked at him, reached up and pulled Xander's head back against his shoulder and placed a possessive kiss on Xander's throat. Xander purred and reached up behind Spike's head to pull his mouth tighter against his neck, growling subvocally at Angel again. Spike's hands wandered over Xander's belly and his fingers found the front pockets of Xander's pants. Everyone was watching the byplay with either amusemant or shock.

"Yeah," Willow piped up. "Xander wasn't anything special." When everyone's attention switched to her in astonishment. She stammered. "Well, in the super duper magic or powers way, I mean."

"Thank you Willow, for your vote of confidence." Xander drawled out.

"Well, you have to admit Xander, you were the one being rescued most of the time." Willow protested.

"Not anymore, Willow."

Willow flushed red and dropped her gaze to her twisting fingers.

He turned to look at Spike over his shoulder. "It's good to have friends, you know? I don't know what I'd do without em." His voice harsh.

Giles finally spoke into the strained atmosphere. "I believe Xander's rather unique circumstances at the time are what enabled him to reject Angelus' claim, and there was also the prior legal issue of Angel gifting Xander to Spike."

Willow and Buffy both chimed. "Wha.. what unique circumstances? Xander is just Xander."

And from Wesley. "What kind of circumstance would enable a fledge to deny his sire, Giles? I've never heard of such a thing."

"I placed a soul anchoring spell on Xander years ago. He requested it after he was possessed by a primal Hyena spirit. Apparently she was the Alpha. She was still inside him, as well as that Soldier from that blasted Halloween spell Ethan Rayne cast. He didn't see fit to inform me of those others before I did the spell." Willow made a muffled sound like a moan. "When Xander's body died, the spell merged everything in him at the time, and anchored them to his body, including the demon that came expecting an empty vessel." Giles exclaimed, gesturing with his glasses. "You don't know how grateful I am, that I did as he requested at the time. God only knows what kind of vampire he would have made, If I hadn't cast that spell." He shuddered. "It is obvious from the events as they happened that even Angelus wouldn't have been able to control him. And with his visions...." He broke off.

"That's why Xander was able to do so much damage to Angel then? Huh? Wait?...What?..Damage? what are you talking about? There was damage done to Angel by Xander? I don't understand. Visions? What do you mean? Xander never had visions before. You want us to believe that Xander is special power boy now, just like that? Since when does getting vamped mean you get visions? Are they from The Powers That Be?" Everybody babbled questions at the same time.

Giles let his glasses hang limply from his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, waiting for the babble to stop.

When it was quiet again. "I know for a fact that Xander has some kind of precognitive visions, because I witnessed the occurrence myself. The night I went to Xander's apartment, before we did the cross siring/bonding ritual. And as of tonight at least two of them have come to pass."

Buffy picked at the seam on her pants. "Why would Xander hurt Angel?" She looked at Xander. "Why would you do that, Xander?"

"Buffy," Xander gave an exasperated huff. "It wasn't Angel. It was Angelus. Angel wasn't even in that body at the time. Angel's soul was in a bottle in Cordelia's room. She stole his soul. And I just repayed in kind what Angelus did to me." He dropped that like a bomb. And waited.

Westley licked his lips and tried to speak. He had to swallow once, hard, before he could get out another. "Oh dear Lord."

"Yes, precisely." Giles agreed with him. "You went through days of torture under Angelus' hands. Three days wasn't it Xander?"

Xander nodded head down. He was concentrating hard on the bond, and the reassurance Spike was sending to him. The love/want/mine/always that grounded him, gave him the confidence, the strength to stay in this room and put up with all the bullshit.

Everyone was looking at Angel, faces filled with stunned horror.

*Jesus* Thought Xander, *Looks like an evil anonymous meeting. Any minute now. Captain Cavevamp is gonna get brave: "Hello, My name is Angel aka Angelus. I'm an evil, psychotic, bloodsucking fiend, I've had a soul now for a hundred years. I keep falling off the bandwagon and losing the pesky thing every so ofetn, I never give up though.(angst, angst, angst) I've been dry for a week, this time. I only ate several dozen people. Oh, and I tortured and turned Xander Harris. Then his exclusive fan club is gonna clap and cheer. He's the poster boy for the seven day, miracle soul treatment for fangless vamps.* Xander wanted to gag.

"I'm sorry Xander." Angel closed his eyes and whispered in that tortured broodyvamp voice.

"Oh Hell's Bells, Angel, give it a rest, would you?" Xander snarled. "You don't have to apologize for anything. You weren't even there. I got my revenge on Angelus, all done up in a red ribbon. I even have it on DVD." He looked Angel in the eyes as he said. "My ultimate revenge was stealing your soul back from Cordy. And getting it stuffed back in. Then merging Angelus with your soul. He'll never get free again." Xander grinned maliciously as Angel stared at him with an expressionless face. "No fucking escape clause this time either me boyo."

"My God," Wesley whispered.

"Told you so when he dumped the poof off on you tossers." Spike spoke up. "Ya didn't listen to him. Ya tried to beat him up and keep him there. And fancy pants over there" Spike looked at Faith ",tried to bash his brains out on the car door." He flashed his fangs. "Better not do it again missy. Won't have you hurting mine."

"Wait..Wait..wait a minute." Buffy said throwing a hand out. "I'm confused."

"Now that's a news flash, pet. When aren't you confused?" Spike grinned when Buffy glared at him. "I thought you were his Sire. How can you be his mate too?"

"Well it's like this ducks." Spike began, but Giles cut him off. "We performed a siring/mating ritual. We had to use that particular ritual because of Xander's unique makeup. He's four entities merged into one. The demon didn't have a previous Sire, having rejected Angelus. This was the only ritual we could use to make Spike his Sire. Xander consented without coercion, otherwise the ritual wouldn't have been successful." He looked hard at Willow. "Xander wants Spike and he has him. If you tamper with anything you will kill both of them. Anything that happens to Spike, Xander feels. Anything that happens to Xander, Spike feels. There is no undoing it or neutralizing it. It's done. Do you understand?"

Willow sobbed and dropped her face into her hands. But she nodded. Giles, arched an eyebrow at her. "Don't try any covert magics Willow, as you've done in the past."

"Oh, how did you...?" She gasped out.

Giles looked grim. "I didn't until just now. You confirmed that you've used magic on people, as in plural, not just Tara, without their consent, Willow. That's as bad as physical rape."

"No, no it was for everyone's good. It wasn't anything bad, or evil." She stuttered out.

"Willow," Giles nearly shouted his face red with anger. "The spell may not have been evil, nor the intent. But the very act of casting spells on the unconsenting was evil. The way to Hell is paved with good intentions. Was the memory spell you cast on Tara without her knowledge or consent, good or evil? The ends don't justify the means, Willow. It was a misuse of your power. Great power brings with it great responsibility. Haven't you learned anything in the last year?" His voice was firm and caring, but despairing.

Willow twisted this way and that way on the couch, trying to escape the words. She finally stood up crying in great heaving sobs and ran blindly up the stairs. Xander's eyes followed her. He still loved her, but he hated her misuse of her power. They all heard a door shut a moment later.

Giles apologized. "I did not mean to subject everyone to that."

"Quite understandable," Wesley murmured. Everyone else nodded.

Xander smiled." No, no Giles. It's way, way past time. She's so mule headed it may take more than one lecture. She hates change. She's so sure she knows what's best for everyone. Even when she can't see all the variables and consequences. No one knows everything. She's so powerful. That's what makes her tampering so dangerous. I love Willow. I'm not willing to put up with any more spells on me and mine. With all the near disasters she's had, she should have learned by now." He mused for a second. "Don't make her feel cast adrift though. Love is the only restraint binding all that power."

Xander stood up and pulled Spike up to stand with him. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired. Spike is gonna take me home to sleep. The big stuff has been covered, I think. We can have another discussion later." He turned and walked to the door. "Tomorrow find another place if you can, Giles. A big place that can hold everyone. That next vision isn't too far off. We need to have everyone out of here by tomorrow night, if it's possible." He turned at the door and swept his eyes over everyone. "I have a spare bedroom and a couch. If anyone needs it, you're more than welcome."

There were murmurs and mutters of thank you's as he opened the door. Then he and Spike were out the door, and gone, striding out into the night side by side.
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The More Things Change