Xander's hand emerged from the covers and groped around on the stack of milk crates serving as a nightstand. Ringing -- alarm? -- no, phone -- and the receiver was snatched and brought under the pile of blankets.
"Xander. Thanks."
Not that Xander didn't welcome Angel's customary not-overly talkative self, because he could still feel himself struggling into waking status. But . . . thanks? Not so much like Angel. And for what?
"I'll give a hearty 'you're welcome' as soon as I know what the heck you're talking about," Xander grumbled into the phone. "What's the big idea, anyway, calling me so early? You're not supposed to be up in the morning. And did I miss the memo about you suddenly getting on board the whole human courtesy thing?"
"For the box, Xander. I'm awake because it's nightfall." Angel paused, and then remarked petulantly, "I say things like please and thank you all the time."
Xander shifted, bringing the covers down and yawning into the phone. "Not to me you don't."
"Well, this was important enough for me to thank you. Key, in fact, to negotiating a truce between the two warring Glaz'broth clans just outside of Sunnydale. So I just wanted to let you and Spike know --"
"Spike!" Xander shrieked, and the lump of covers next to him jerked and began cursing.
"GottagoAngelbye!" he blurted into the phone and hung up.
"Wazzat?" Spike said in a cranky voice.
"Spike!" Xander exclaimed once again.
Spike rubbed his temples and gave a world-weary sigh. "Got that part down already. Me Spike. You Xander. We . . . " He left his sentence unfinished and pointed a finger at Xander. "Hey! You had sex with me!"
"No, I didn't," Xander protested. "You had sex with *me*!"
They glared at one another angrily.
"Fine. I may have had sex with you," Spike said grudgingly.
Xander huffed indignantly, but then nodded. "Well, guess it's fair to say we both were involved. But this is *so* much more your fault than mine!"
Spike rolled his eyes. "Can't admit to your own part. Typical. Who kept saying we should go again, now?"
"I resent that! Who was the one that was all, 'oh, need you, want you', and enticing me with the stomach stroking and thrusting?"
"Oh yeah? Well, who was the one that climbed aboard like a naughty boy and rode me like he couldn't get enough of--"
They moved desperately towards one another, breathing hard and bent on connecting their still-naked bodies, until Xander forcibly wrenched himself away.
"What the fuck?" he swore as he scrambled to his feet and backed away until he hit the wall.
"Oh, calm yourself," Spike snarled, but he looked worried as he began to scan the room for his clothes. "Can't go anywhere yet with the sun up, so we might as well try to make nice and get past this."
"Except not, because it's dark outside," Xander pointed out in a superior tone. "So you can just go ahead and leave any time you want."
"Like a casino in here, it is," Spike said. "How am I supposed to know?"
"What, like you thought after we spent all night doing it that we wouldn't sleep through the next day?" Xander asked hysterically.
"Truthfully, don't think I thought much about it, or wouldn't have done all this in the first place, would I?" Spike had gotten his jeans on, but when Xander met his eyes after pulling on a pair of cargo pants he dropped his t-shirt, plastered himself against the opposite wall and regarded Xander with a Must! Resist! face.
Xander pushed against his own wall and shook his head. "We don't have time for this. There's a meeting tonight, and it'll look weird if we don't show."
"It's odd if *you* don't show," Spike corrected him. "I've done my good deed for the week with that sodding box delivery, and until someone offers up more compensation to do more errand work for you lot, I'm my own vamp."
"Okay, fine." Xander said. He brought his hands up to rub at his face. "Just . . . can you not . . . that is, . . ."
"Don't worry," Spike muttered. "Won't tell anyone about your dirty deeds."
"Uh . . . thanks," Xander said after an awkward pause.
Spike gave him a dismissive wave and headed for the door.
"Wait . . . Spike?" Xander called, his voice trembling.
Spike turned back and looked at him intently, waiting. "Yeah."
"I . . . just . . . you . . . Angel said thanks," Xander finished weakly.
With a snort, Spike made for the exit once more.
* * *
"Perhaps we ought to run through the recent developments to start with," Giles said.
" 'Kay. Glaz'broth clans?" Willow asked.
"Check," Buffy replied absently. "Angel said he had the solution, and since it doesn't involve slayage, I'm more concerned about the new nest of vamps on the south side."
"Vampires," Xander put in. "You can't trust them further than you can throw them. Oh, sure, they say they had a bloody good time, and then they just take off like . . ." He trailed off as he realized that everyone was regarding him curiously. "Stake 'em all," he finished, and Buffy shrugged.
"Glad we have your go-ahead. You want to come along on this dusting expedition?"
"Sure, yeah," Xander said hastily. "Will?"
"Can't," Willow said. "I have to finish packing for the Wiccan Unification Summer Session. Three more days before two months of magic and fun in the sun!"
"Still trying to get my head around a Willow-less summer," Buffy said with a small smile. "Definitely go ahead home and get ready so that we can have a great time at your send-off tomorrow night."
"By all means, take care of your preparations," Giles agreed. "Though I find myself wishing the departure date were further off so we could keep you with us, at least we can look forward to your return all the sooner."
"You know I'll write and call and send you eerie astral projections of me frolicking by the pool," Willow said cheerfully. "Plus Oz'll bring back full reports when he visits every couple of weeks. So no need for the sad."
"Yeah, well, I'm not big on the idea," Xander said. "Especially now."
Buffy and Giles exchanged glances as Willow turned to Xander. "Wait. You're not? What's the what with now?" Willow asked.
Xander threw up his hands. "I . . . now . . . nothing. But isn't there a later session or something? Sure, you want to get your magic on, but did you ever think about *our* needs?"
"Xander," Buffy said softly. "We've been through this. Willow needs to connect to the coven-thing, and we all get the benefit of her skill-improvement.
Plus the summer's always a slow time. Better she take care of this now than have to take a semester off school and leave us high and dry during heavy-traffic evil season."
"I should think you'd be happy for Willow and the good she'll accomplish as a result of this experience," Giles commented.
"This isn't just about protecting the people and the volume of distress signals and blah-dee blah," Xander said in frustration. "What about me? I haven't had to cope with a no-Willow situation in forever. I have needs, important Willow-specific needs. Don't tell me that doesn't matter in the greater scheme of things."
"But Xander, you're the one who said it was a good idea after we talked it through. You were all, 'And high time, too,' and 'do some spells for me!' when we spoke about it last. You were the one who said I shouldn't worry about aban doning Oz for a few months while I did this. And, you even said 'Don't worry about me . . . you're due for some quality non-Hellmouth time.' I mean, did something change?" Willow's brow wrinkled in confusion.
"Damn your near-perfect recall," Xander said finally. "No . . . nothing's changed . . . much. You're right, Willow. Sorry."
"That's okay," Willow said. She nodded, but her eyes studied Xander's face as though she was searching for some hint to his unexpected outburst. "*You* okay?"
"Sure," Xander said. He shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. "Just feel . . . I don't know, like I'm coming down with the flu."
"Well, we can't have you getting sick when there are important bon voyage parties in the works," Buffy said. "Why don't you skip patrol and I'll see if Angel is lurking around?"
"Yeah, okay," Xander said.
"You want me to mix you up some medicinal herbs?" Willow asked. "Where are you sore?"
Xander opened and shut his mouth several times. "Uh . . . nowhere special. Kind of all over. And nah, I don't want to eat a bunch of dried grass. Probably just could use some sleep. I'll, uh, catch you all tomorrow night at the Bronze." He gave them all a half-wave, and left quickly.
"Okay, did anyone else think that was weird?" Buffy asked.
Giles frowned. "It did seem somewhat . . . I wonder . . . Has anything occurred recently that would have precipitated Xander's change of heart?"
"Not that I can think of," Willow said. "But I have been kind of preoccupied with leaving town."
"Haven't noticed anything myself," Buffy added. "Maybe we'll get more of a clue tomorrow night. Or maybe he's just grumpy with flu, and he'll be our sunshiny Xander again at the party."
"Well, then," Giles said. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see."
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