They had been at the new Watchers’ Headquarters, apparently now the ‘Hogwarts for Slayers’, for exactly two hours and Spike was already questioning every rationale they had concocted as reasons to visit.
The concept of a trip to the ‘old country’ had not been the problem, rather, it was the whole slayer/watcher thing that had the vampire on edge. Regardless of whether the aforesaid folks had any interest in dusting the school’s benefactor, Spike, the master vampire, knew he would be tingling all over as soon as they entered the grounds and be positively vibrating with slayer ‘feelings’ by the time they were in the building.
Eventually Spike had been the organiser. His motivation for “crossing the bloody pond” simple – Please his consort, spend time together, revisit some old haunts, and pick up a couple of items from a safe deposit box at the Lloyds Bank in Berkeley Square, London. The jewelry would now be significantly more valuable than when he put it there some fifty years earlier and would make suitable gifts for the Niblet and Red… and a little gift for his significant other.
Xander had been willing to travel anywhere. He did want to see Willow, Giles and Dawn again. Buffy was apparently still in Italy somewhere visiting a ‘special friend’ for the fourth time that year. When Xander queried Spike about the slayer, the vampire had stormed out of the room muttering something about a “Bloody pretentious ponce” and “the Immortal git”.
Ensconced in their rooms and no longer prepared to be the attentive partner of twelve hours ago, Spike stormed around the space searching for his cigarettes
“No, I’m *not* going to bloody well help you unpack! I’m *going* for a cigarette… it bein’ dark ‘n all! Possibly even recki the area”
“Do wha..?”
“A reconnoiter you goit!”
“So..what’s a goit?”
The vampire groaned, lit a cigarette then spun around to exit through the suite’s glass doors in the bay window, escaping into the quiet of the garden.
Xander rose and had begun to follow his petulant partner, so was just in time to observe the blinding flash of gold and white, and the sudden disappearance of the vampire. He could still ‘feel’ Spike, and just started to wonder what exactly had happened, when he saw Spike’s new ‘duster’ on the ground.
“Oh, No!!” Xander began to run toward the spot.
>>>>>>>
Giles had taken off his glasses and was holding them with the hand at his hip while he pinched the bridge of his nose with the other.
“Explain to me again, *Exactly* what it was that you were attempting to do. And more importantly, the precise words you used!”
Dawn was sobbing, “I … just …. I didn’t think… anyone was out there… Oh…[hic] Giles *please*… “
Giles spun on his heel and walked over to hold on to the edge of an elegant, leather settee. He looked over to Willow in exasperation.
Willow took up the interrogation, “What. Did. You. Say. Exactly?!!” The glare and ‘resolve face’ was enough to crush the will of the most powerful master vampire.
“Ummm Umm… I was just doing a…. doing a general transformation spell … Out into the night … You know, ‘cause I didn’t think there was anyone there… just bushes and stuff… but I kind of… Oh Goddess…” At this point Dawn’s explanation was plagued by tears.
“’Cause you know!.... OK.. OK! [hic] It was the Beatrix Potter spell OK!… But,[hic].. but, it didn’t do anything too bad did it?[hic] I mean… did I turn one of the slayers into a cat [hic] or something… Oh God,[hic] I didn’t turn Kennedy into a cat did I??”
Dawn dropped onto the classic leather couch nearest the doorway of Giles’ study, just as Xander stepped through the door, hugging a near asleep Spike close to his chest.
Xander waited for Dawn to notice them then spoke “No Dawn, your spell hit Spike!”
Dawn turned, then with a look of horror saw the results of her folly and began to sob uncontrollably, “Oh My God! Oh-My-God! Oh My God!!!!”
Xander wanted to include Dawn in a three way reassuring hug with Spike but a look from Willow confirmed that letting the beginner wiccan suffer temporarily was, in itself, the lesson and punishment necessary. “Dawn, we need to know the exact words before we can fix this. C’mon you can remember for me can’t you… remember for your Xanman?!”
Xander leaned over as best he could with the sleepy friend still nestled in his arms, and gently stroked the upset girl’s long auburn locks with his free hand.
“Please?!”
Spike chose that moment to shudder and wake, nipped his partner gently on the collar bone causing Xander to release his grip. His friend suddenly twisted and wriggled out of the protective arms of his lover, falling inelegantly to the floor.
Spike felt a jolt of adrenalin as he dropped and a desperate need to run and hide as he landed, suddenly aware that *everything* felt different but still unable to take in why. He stopped and flattened himself to the ground for a moment in an attempt to get his bearings. Fortunately the animal instinct of his new form took over mere seconds later, and he fled to relative safety behind a settee without further thought. Shaking with inexplicable fear and… listening to *his own* very rapid heartbeat! He knew things were very different, but had had little time to assess exactly how or why. His current hiding place smelt of old leather and newly deposited dust, and had several interesting pieces of paper which he felt compelled to chew the edge of… *What the….???*
Xander tried desperately to catch the escaping animal, dropping to his knees to coax his terrified partner from his hiding place. Looking up, he begged a still teary Dawn.
“Why a rabbit? Just explain to me, Dawn… why did you have to make him a rabbit??!”
Spike, had been virtually semi conscious from the flash until his instinctive scramble to settee safety. He had known that warm arms with a familiar smell had lifted him from the garden, and he’d simply relaxed against Xander’s comforting chest as he had done many times before. As awareness slowly returned however, he had noticed that the chest was significantly bigger than he remembered. He felt very odd and now was acutely aware that he needed to assess other differences. The only real way to look at himself and analyze what had happened was to get out from behind the furniture.
His breathing was too fast, he knew it was too fast, so he instinctively licked his paws (*Gahh what?!!!*), then reached up and pulled a silky ear down and began to groom to comfort and calm himself. His inner self let out a terrified scream, as he realized, *Oh Hell… I don’t just have the body, I have its instincts too…Xan! help! please!!”
His friend was kneeling down, cheek to the ground, looking along the dark corridor formed by the back of the couch, “C’mon Spike. C’mon buddy… please?! I’ll keep you safe… I’ll keep you safe!”
Spike stopped what he was doing, flattened himself to the ground again and sniffed his partner’s scent. The world didn’t look the same when one’s eyes were on either side of one’s skull and he struggled to block out the conflicting messages from his, now near three hundred degree, peripheral vision, but Xander smelt like… home.
He scampered forward then hesitated at the juncture of light and the safety of the couch tunnel. Xander remained perfectly still. Spike sprinted (as best he could given his feet were now fur covered and the floor, polished boards!) into the waiting arms of his partner, and snuggled into the comfort and safety of the welcoming embrace.
Xander rhythmically stroked the silky fur of his… partner. Watching as Spike’s eyes closed and the vampire calmed, he couldn’t help but wonder at how beautiful Spike was – even in his current form!
His partner now had chocolate colored floppy ears and honey colored coat, with chocolate feet, and a tiny white patch on his nose. The fact that his eyes had not altered in color, but remaining a deep azure blue with long black lashes, gave him an extraordinary look and provided unnecessary confirmation that this was no ordinary rabbit. Xander came to the conclusion that it was a given… in any form, his lover would be stunningly attractive.
He kissed the fuzzy front paws in turn, then the furry forehead, petted the silky ears then finally looked into the desperate blue eyes with concern and love.
“Oh sweetheart!! C’mon, Willow and Giles will figure this out. But let’s you and I go back to our room, yeah?” Xander didn’t expect nor wait for, any response instead he shot a begging look at the watcher and the powerful wiccan, and headed back to their quarters.
Giles and Willow nodded, and Willow pulled Dawn to her in a tight hug.
“S OK…..We’ll fix it…. We’ll fix it!... I know you didn’t mean to hurt Spike…. We’ll fix it…..” Willow held on as tears flowed from the girl again….
Xander had carried Spike back up to their room via the kitchen, snatching baking tray, kitty litter and a handful of greenery and carrots on his way through.
Spike understood the concept of the litter, what he didn’t expect was how easily he adjusted to the need for his current body to relieve itself, given that as a vamp, toileting was a nonevent. Food was a different matter.
Though he felt drawn toward the lettuce and carrot that had been carefully placed in a bowl on the floor, he simply could not bring himself to eat more than a nibble of each. He pushed the vegetables away and flopped dejectedly on the floor next to the rejected meal. Leaving Xander to wonder what he might do to help. Xander next tried a small bowl of blood. The vamp-come-bunny seemed tempted but apparently lost interest in that also after a quick taste.
“C’mon Spike, you’ve gotta eat something!”
Xander returned to the kitchen and made himself hot chocolate and toast. On impulse, he poured some of the sweet drink into an open dish and placed it carefully on the floor near his upset friend. He then dipped a sliver of toast in some blood and placed it along side. This seemed to work. Spike quickly consumed the hot milk, finished the toast then hopped up onto the couch to nestle beside his partner. He fell into a light slumber with his head on furry front feet and Xander stroking his ears.
Waking a little time later, Spike hopped onto the floor then began to ponder the implications of this current state. He was perfectly conscious but still seemed compelled by the instincts of the body to which he had apparently been assigned. His hearing and smell seemed as good as that of his vamp self, but his instinctive responses were pure rabbit. He was surprised to feel his ears move as he attempted to pick up particular sounds and was intrigued by the vibrations coming from his whiskers. Without Xander’s reassuring touch he felt unreasonably nervous, remained overly watchful, and shivered with fear when far off noises could not be identified. To his shame, he had twice bolted in startled terror, to the perceived safety of behind convenient furniture, when doors had slammed somewhere close by.
Xander observed the nervous behavior and had carried his friend to bed with him as he retired for the night. He changed into boxers then lay on his back and lifted his small soft friend onto his bare chest. Spike snuggled into the warmth and safety of his now relatively huge companion. Reassured by the steady heart beat and sound of Xander’s breathing, he slept for a few hours with just his twitching nose poking from the covers.
When Xander groaned and rolled, Spike slid off, wriggled free of the blankets and hopped onto the floor. Stopping perfectly still for a time, he listened for anything untoward. Hearing nothing he thumped his back foot then listened again, thumping a second time, he then hopped around their room several times to get his bearings in the dark. He chewed the edge of a magazine that had somehow fallen from the side table and was surprised that it was strangely satisfying to gnaw at something, though the flavor was rather nondescript (*perhaps I should have found a Playboy or something*).
Spike was pleased that he could still feel the sunrise coming and idly wondered whether his current status meant the vampire ‘burning up’ still applied. He waited for a sliver of light to reach the floor then crept forward and placed a tentative paw experimentally in its path, and was thrilled to discover that there was no burning, in fact it felt… wonderful.
Sometime later that morning Xander awoke to see Spike fully stretched out on the window ledge staring at nothing in particular and soaking up the warmth of the morning sun. He rose and walked over to stroke the pale fur, noting the look of real pleasure in the crystal blue eyes as his companion cocked his head sideways in a very Spike like gesture.
“Well I guess going all Bugs Bunny had to have some advantages. Looks like we can let you out for a run later – better ask Giles if there are any nasties around – last thing we need is you being beaten up by the local dogs or getting picked off by a hawk.”
As they entered Giles’ study, Dawn rushed to greet the pair, still apologizing profusely but also keen to pet Spike. She sat beside him on the floor and proceeded to massage behind his ears, ruffling his fur in the wrong direction then smoothing it back again. After some initial irritation at being treated like a pet, Spike found it surprisingly satisfying.
There had been some progress with a reversal spell, however Willow was keen to wait until the following night when the full moon could lend extra energy and virtually guarantee magical success.
Satisfied that he would have his friend back the following evening, Xander asked, “It seems like Spike’s sun allergy doesn’t apply to his Peter Rabbit status, so is there any reason you can think of that he shouldn’t go outside?”
“I can’t see why not Xander, it’s unlikely he’ll run away or get into too much trouble. Perhaps you should restrict him to the walled garden outside the library though, just to be safe.” Giles absently leaned down and stroked the fur of the little animal.
Dawn piped up “Ooh, I wonder what would happen if he met another rabbit – wouldn’t that be cool” She giggled then added “Hee hee, he could really do the bonking like bunnies thing.” She scratched behind his ears again but was given a sharp nip for her trouble. Spike was quickly tiring of being treated like the house pet and discussed as though his had lost his mind not just his body. His frustration was heightened further when he realized that his body had felt a strange tingle at the thought of a decent shag, though he was positive it was Xander he was thinking about, not some random wild rabbit.
Xander held the door open for Spike and they headed for the library. The polished floor was incredibly frustrating, Spike’s fur covered feet slipping and skidding.
“You OK there buddy, or do you want me to carry you?” Xander smiled down at his friend with genuine affection. Carrying Spike in his current form was something Xander thoroughly enjoyed, petting the plush pelt and silky ears something he knew he could happily do all day.
He pushed open the bay windows of the library and let Spike hop out into the enclosed garden.
Xander grinned with pleasure as he watched his small furry friend bounce with the sheer joy of being outside in the sunshine. Spike sped around the yard, dodging imaginary obstacles, reversing, and stopping occasionally to nibble at the greenery. He sprang over non existent tussocks, experimented with flips and spinning jumps, and bounded around the garden beds, disappearing behind a rhododendron bush only to reappear at speed and lap the garden again..... Xander settled comfortably on a chair near the open doors and simply watched. After almost two hours, a floppy pair of chocolate colored ears appeared at the doorstep. Xander picked up his friend and wandered back to their room.
Spike returned to the still sun-drenched windowsill – undoubtedly the warmest spot in the room - and collapsed exhausted to sleep for the rest of the afternoon.
That night Spike was taken down to dine with the slayers and watchers-in-training. The eating hall was typical of most mass dining rooms with long tables and a smorgasbord style arrangement for the food. The head table was on a slight platform obviously used in formal ceremonies for other purposes.
Spike was placed gently on the table next to Xander, and gave him a withering look when the man returned from the self serve with a platter of piping hot lasagne for himself but a mere bread roll and salad for Spike.
Xander responded to the look by leaning down and whispering, “It’s OK buddy, I’ll fix your favourite later yeah?”
Spike nibbled at the roll but found that the proximity of so many slayers, and the level of noise in the room, was really jangling his nerves. When one of the girls dropped a plate on the far side of the hall, Xander instantly found himself with a lapful of terrified rabbit. And when a chair tipped over as one of the slayers got up to leave, he felt a furry head burrow under his t-shirt. Xander lifted the shirt slightly and tucked his friend all the way under, where he remained for the rest of the meal.
“So tomorrow night it’s all over? What time Wills?”
“We should be able to get started around 10 – as soon as the moon is up really but it’s best to wait until its high in the sky. We’ll have to be on the spot where the original transformation took place though. Do you remember where he was standing?”
“Um sure, I think, yeah I reckon I can put him pretty much on the right spot.”
Willow was grinning at him but it wasn’t until Dawn and Giles both started laughing openly that Xander realized the source of their mirth. The lump under his shirt was moving around getting himself more comfortable, giving Xander the appearance that he was about to hatch an alien.
The remainder of the meal was a pleasant enough affair and Spike later fell asleep nestled on his companion’s chest once again.
Spike spent almost the whole of the following day in the sun. Xander and Willow content to sit and talk on the garden seat for a while, but eventually left Spike to his own devices in the afternoon, comfortable with the thought that the garden was a safe enough haven for their small friend.
When Xander returned to collect Spike, he was nowhere to be seen. He began to push aside various bushes and searched under the garden seats, but turning back toward the house, he noticed with a sense of dread, that there was a very large tabby cat perched on the wall swishing its tail menacingly.
“Oh god Spike… No! He didn’t do something to you did he?!”
He hissed at the cat, then threw a small stick in its direction, at which point the feline stood, stared at him with disdain, stalked along the wall and jumped out of sight.
Xander’s search became frantic but there was still no sign of the rabbit anywhere in the garden, then he remembered the doors to the library had been left slightly ajar. He flew back inside calling repeatedly. After a quick glance around, he dropped to his hands and knees and began to search for the little animal under and behind all the furniture, still without success. With tears threatening he sat in the middle of the room desperately trying to figure out what might have happened to his dear friend. He was just about to ‘call in the troops’ when noticed a movement in the bottom corner of one of the bookshelves on the opposite side of the room.
“Spike?” As he reached the shelf, he saw a tiny dark ball wedged into an ‘A’ shaped space where two large volumes had fallen together. He stood the books up and let out a heavy sigh of relief.
“Oh God Spike! I thought I’d lost you! Oh sweetheart! Come here. I’ve got you. Shh. I’ve got you, Shh Shhh,” he stroked the shivering back then gently eased the little body to cradle him close and continued petting his traumatized friend in an effort to calm them both.
“That’s it. No more adventures for you. We’ll stay in our room until it’s time for the spell.”
Four hours later Giles, Willow, Dawn and Xander, along with Andrew and another girl Xander recognized as one of the slayers from Sunnydale, were standing around the place that Spike had been struck two nights previously. A circle had been drawn on the grass with powder of some description, and candles placed at the four points of the compass.
Xander placed Spike into the centre of the formation, gently rested his duster over the little body and stood back.
Willow nodded and Dawn chanted the reversal spell. Another blinding flash resulted in a wide eyed, fully formed vampire left crouching on the ground where the rabbit had been. Xander dropped to his knees and pulled his friend into a tight hug.
“Oh thank God, thank God you’re OK sweetheart…. Spike you are OK aren’t you?”
Spike looked into his lovers brown eye and smiled, “So long as I get to shag you *like* a bunny tonight instead of *as* one I think everything will be just fine luv.”