Love Heals

By Cat

This work is not to be reproduced in any way without the express written permission of the author.

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Chapter One - Unexpected Meetings

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Los Angeles, CA

June 10, 2003

Garish, red neon light filtered through the curtains of his motel room, bathing the semi darkness with a bloody tinge. The heat outside was still stifling though the sun had been down for almost an hour. But the occupant of the room didn't feel it, even though the air-conditioning system was broken and only gave off a brackish lukewarm air.

'Bloody damn Poof,' Spike thought angrily as he downed another gulp from his bottle of whiskey. 'Just needed a place to drop me kit for a few days. But could he spare a room in that great monstrosity of hotel for his childe? No, not even a dark corner in the bleedin basement.'

In a fit of rage the blonde vampire threw his bottle across the room. He watched as it shattered against the far wall, the amber liquid leaving a brownish stain on the wallpaper as it dripped down to the floor. Then he smacked himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand for being a stupid git. The bottle had still been half full.

He looked at the watch on his wrist and growled. "Where the hell is he, they said he'd be here by ten o'clock, it's almost that now."

He'd called an escort service that catered to demons. Providing cheap sexual entertainment to their clients. They'd even had the dark haired human he'd specified. He drew in a deep unneeded breath and let it out slow as he thought about who he wished would be sharing his bed. But he'd searched, searched for two years and found nothing.

Even now after all this time he could close his eyes and see a pair of chocolate brown eyes that sparkled with a hidden intelligence. Eyes that only rarely lit with a smile even when the boy laughed. Eyes that held shrouded depths of pain. And a lopsided smile that tugged at beautiful sensual lips.

Not even Willow knew where Xander had disappeared to, after they all returned to Sunnydale that fateful night in June two years ago. They'd finally defeated Glory, but the cost had been so high. High enough that the Scooby Gang had never truly recovered from it.

The last time he'd talked to Willow had been six months ago, when he stopped by her place in San Francisco. She'd told him that Tara was starting to show progress. The regimen of spells and potions that Red had been using was finally beginning to lift the veil of madness on the blonde witch. Willow had transferred from the UC Sunnydale to Berkley and taken Tara with her. The distance from the Hellmouth had helped her lover some.

They had saved Dawn, but the child had been traumatized by her time with Glory to the point where she didn't speak. When he'd been in Sunnydale last month, she'd actually responded to him for a few minutes, even giving him one of her rare beautiful smiles before retreating back into her shell. His unbeating heart ached at the loss of the precocious young teenager he'd been friends with for so short a time.

The Slayer, Spike shook his head, she looked like she'd aged ten years in just the two that he'd been gone. She was still fighting the good fight, but her heart wasn't in it anymore. He wondered how much longer she'd last.

The fight to save Dawn had finally lain to rest the last of their distrust and old antagonism. He'd stayed for two days just filling her in on the news of Willow and Tara and his ongoing search for Xander. He'd almost stayed to help her, but his need to find his nummy was too compelling. But he'd promised to return more often. Even with the new truce between them, Spike had been surprised when Buffy had thrown her arms around him and just clung as they stood on the porch the night he left.

The Watcher was still there, backing up his slayer as much as he could. But his health had never been the same. He tired too easily, and the loss of a kidney had forced him to take a backseat, only able to help with research. Even magic was too taxing for his limited stamina. But he still retained his British stiff upper lip and he had promised to keep Spike appraised of the happenings in Sunnydale.

Anya had barely survived. The ex demon had spent months in the hospital undergoing grueling therapy. No one knew what had transpired between the two lovers that night at the hospital. Anya wouldn't talk about it and Xander had disappeared that very night. Giles had gotten her a position in England working with Watcher's Council, sharing her extensive knowledge of demons and magic. She was married now, the ex Watcher had told him, to a member of the Council and living quite happily.

Spike had been outraged by the callous way that the ex demon seemed to have just gotten over her missing lover. But then Giles had explained that she had searched for a long time using the Watcher's Database, finally giving up when nothing had turned up for a year. The vampire was still angry, but more willing to accept that Anya had done the only thing she could now that she was mortal. Gotten on with her life and the time she had left.

Spike grimaced thinking about the three days it had taken for him to heal from the punishment he'd sustained. Glory had nearly killed him, again. He'd spent the first twenty-four hours in agony, barely conscious. Buffy had come round with two bags of whole human blood that she'd gotten somewhere and that had helped with his recovery time, but it had still been slow. By the time he had recovered, Xander was gone and the trail had been cold.

Xander had been the only one to come out of the fight with only minor injuries. Spike could still see him, bravely darting in and out of the fray, like a dancer. Landing blows and then dancing back out of the way as the three of them had kept Glory busy, so that Red could do her work with the magic spell they had finally found.

Spike had never been so proud of the vulnerable human as he had been during that fight. He knew that was the moment that he'd fallen in love with Xander Harris. A mere mortal with no special gifts, no inhuman strength, but he'd stayed with the battle doing all he could, even after Spike, himself had collapsed from his own injuries. Then Willow had finished her spell and Buffy, with her magically enhanced Slayer abilities had taken out Glory minutes later.

A knock on the motel room door caught his attention and Spike thankfully shoved the painful memories back into their dark corner, where he didn't have to see them anymore. Sliding off the bed he walked over and pulled open the door.

"Bout bloody time mate I was..." The words died on his lips as he looked into a pair of dull chocolate brown eyes. "Xander?"

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Spike stared in horror at the person he'd been searching for, for two long years. The boy looked horrible, the once firmly muscled body was painfully thin, almost emaciated. The beautiful golden glow of the skin was now sallow, with only two points of bright color on the high cheekbones. A pair of worn jeans hung loosely on his hips and the dark t-shirt barely hid the fact that his ribs stood out.

"Spike?" the brunette replied hoarsely. "Damn, must have the wrong room. Could of sworn this was it."

Xander started to turn away and leave, but Spike reached out and grabbed his arm gently. "No, Pet, no. You've got the right room, come on in."

Carefully the vampire led the boy into the room, his eyes still running over the silent figure. The Xander he'd known would have laughed, joked that there was some massive mistake here. But this silent, dull-eyed person in front of him didn't even give a token protest.

Spike noted a long white scar that ran just in front of the brunette's right ear along the side of his face and down along the jaw line. Then fury filled him as he saw the scars on his neck where other vampires, probably clients, had fed from him. How dare anyone touch the human he loved. He would find them all and make them suffer for hurting his Pet.

"You just stay right here, Luv. I'll be back in a minute."

Spike retreated to the bathroom his fists clenched in rage. For several minutes he paced back and forth in the small room trying to get himself back under control. Finally satisfied that he had his anger in check he left the bathroom and stopped dead in the doorway.

Xander lay naked on the bed waiting for him. He was stretched out facing the bathroom. One arm curled under his head, the other was tracing lazy patterns from his nipples to his groin and back again. His right leg was bent and pulled up, concealing his cock and balls from view, but showing off the thin curve of his pale ass perfectly.

Even emaciated as he was the brunette was beautiful, and Spike felt his dead heart clench in pain and sadness. "What are you doing, Pet?" he asked huskily.

Xander didn't speak, he simply held out his hand and smiled seductively. But Spike noted that the brown eyes stayed dull. He dropped his head in anguish, running a shaking hand through his short hair, trying frantically to think of something to say or do.

Slowly his feet carried him to the bed and he sat down on the edge, taking the outstretched hand in his own. He raised it to his lips kissing each knuckle tenderly. "No, Luv, not like this."

"How do you want me, Master?"

The words and the low seductive tone shook Spike to his core and he could only stare sadly at the shell of the man he had once known. "Why, Xan? Why this?" he asked, his voice choked with pain and sadness.

For the first time since he'd arrived, a quick flare of emotion showed in the brunette's brown eyes. Just for a moment pain registered, then Xander was rolling off the bed, reaching for his clothes.

"I'll tell them you changed your mind before I arrived. It won't be too bad, and they'll have another job for me pretty quickly." The quiet voice was dead, but Spike could see the tenseness in the muscles of the thin back.

"Xan, Pet, don't go, please. You don't have to do this. Come back to Sunnydale with me. We all miss you," Spike begged softly.

"Can't. Gotta go. Say Hi to everyone for me," Xander replied.

With preternatural speed Spike was around the end of the bed and catching Xander's arm as the boy started out the door. The brunette tried to pull away but Spike held on with his greater strength.

"Don't go, Xander. Stay - talk to me. Why, why did ya runaway without a bloody word? Why this of all things for God's sake?" Spike demanded his anger resurfacing.

Xander stared at him silently, a tinge of hopeless sadness flitted through his brown eyes briefly. His mouth opened as if he would speak, but his mouth snapped shut again. He jerked harder trying to get away. "Let me go!"

Spike shook his head, "No, I'm sorry, Pet."

Fast and accurate Spike landed a blow to the younger man's jaw. He caught Xander in one arm as the young man collapsed unconscious and grabbed at his head with the other as the chip sent waves of pain through his brain.

He leaned against the wall with his burden until the pain subsided enough that he could stand and see clearly. He laid Xander on the bed, then began to gather up his few belongings. Peaches, was going to have guests whether he wanted them or not.

End Chapter One

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