Spike and Xander knocked on their landlady’s door. Amidst her protestations at their need to leave, Senora was lovingly kissed on both cheeks and paid generously for her hospitality. Spike went on to explain in eloquent Italian, how dear she was to them and that she was to treat the family to a night out with the ‘little extra’ they had included (adding in a conspiratorial whisper, that there was a rather beautiful item in a jewelers nearby that had already been set aside for her as he pressed the receipt into her hand). The lady of the house beamed and wished them well, along with insisting that they return soon.
Spike waited in the shadowed doorway as Xander piled their luggage into Buffy’s elegant silver Audi convertible (with the hood up for Spike’s benefit).
The blonde slayer stared incredulously at her two allies of old.
Spike was as always, Buffy noted, ethereally beautiful. The longer hair, pigeon pair earring and elegant clothes were not lost on the slayer. She also noted that Xander now looked the older of the pair, leading to more personal reflections on decisions made with her own partner.
Xander was all brunette and tall, with mature lines and hard muscles, and a self confidence Buffy had only glimpsed once or twice as she remembered Xander the ‘site manager’ before the ‘year of the First’. Now sporting a goatie beard, neat haircut and notably expensive, casual clothes, and a stunning earring, the man she watched heaving luggage into her car was definitely drool-worthy, eye-patch included!
Buffy groaned as she realized she was channeling her ‘inner Dawn’.
She finally blurted out, “How?! You both rob a bank? And what’s with the perfect speech and the, oh by the way, designer clothes and … and… God! I don’t know you at all any more, do I?”
“You never did in the first place, luv.” Spike answered, the statement barely audible before he made dive for the backseat of the car and safety of the blanket Xander had waiting,
The drive north was relatively quiet with all parties seemingly engrossed in their own thoughts. Buffy naturally took the role of driver as Spike lay curled up under the blanket with his head in Xander’s lap. Still in his heat suit, he nuzzled into his consort’s crotch, becoming increasingly lulled by the reassuring, familiar scent and pulse, and the consistent hum of the car. Sleep came easily.
Buffy looked into the rear vision mirror several times during the ensuing four hours. She watched with increasing fascination as her high school friend and former Scoobie, gently petted and stroked the figure under the blanket, obviously soothing and reassuring himself as much as the vampire ensconced in the sun-protective wrap.
Sometime in the fifth hour, Spike felt the car halt. “We’re just stopping for petrol. You guys want anything?”
“A juice would be good, thanks Buff.”
“Spike?”
The rather muffled reply came, “Got all I need right here, taa.” And as Buffy moved to refuel the car, Xander felt his crotch nuzzled in earnest.
He whispered as loud as he dared, “Spike, no you can’t! She’ll be back soon!”
Spike swiftly lowered Xander’s zip and released his partner’s obviously leaking arousal from the confines of his underwear. “Nothin’ like a spot o’ danger pet.”
He licked up the shaft and tickled over the tip, tasting the precum already emerging. “Anyway looks like you’ve been waiting a while already.” He went back to his task in earnest, swallowing Xander to the back of his throat.
Xander arched in his seat “Gahhhh!! What… do you ex...pect when you’re…. Gahhhh! Lying on my….lap all that …..Oh God!”
Spike deep throated his partner and swallowed as hard as he could, also managing to wiggle his tongue against Xander’s now pulsing vein.
“F#$% Spike!..... Coming…..”
The vampire was rewarded with a series of hot pulses of fluid flowing direct into his stomach and pulled off slowly, grinning. Xander dove under the blanket, taking care not to lift it away from his vulnerable lover. He caught Spike’s grin with a passionate kiss.
Spike moaned then purred into the contact as Xander’s hand found its way to the vampire’s unsatisfied manhood. At that moment the car door swung open.
“Far out! You two! Gahhh! Wait till we get to the villa at least! Still getting used to the whole who’s gay thing, no need to wig me out any more right now!”
A very rumpled and blushing Xander emerged from under the blanket, patted down his hair with all the dignity he could muster, then sat quietly as they started off again. Buffy did notice that his hand was still under the covers and obviously rubbing Spike… somewhere. She chose not to comment and focused hard on the road ahead.
They passed through Pisa sometime early evening and Xander broke the silence for the first time since they were ‘caught under the blanket’. He requested a drive past the only thing he could remember about the town from high school history. Buffy complied easily and grinned at her friend’s excitement. The construction manager was stunned by the angle on the Leaning Tower – and by the fact it was still standing, noting that tourists were wisely no longer welcomed onto its skewed balconies. He mused idly regarding who might pay were such an error of engineering to cause one of his company’s buildings to list so badly!
They were another hour north with signs pointing to Lucca, when Buffy veered more toward east, taking them away from the coast. The hills were lit with a dark rust color as the sun set.
Xander had continued stroking his, once more sleeping, partner’s form absently as they sped through a darkening countryside peppered with small farms, vineyards, olive groves and villas. As sunset completed, his vampire stirred and sat up.
No longer threatened by sunlight but still groggy from sleep, Spike curled into his consort’s side, wrapping arms around Xander’s waist and pulling in with a satisfied purr. Despite concentrating on the ever darkening narrow roads, Buffy heard the move and the purring. “Oh my God! Vampires really *do* sound like big cats! But then Angel never did the purry thing!”
Spike simply buried his face into Xander’s shoulder as though for a kiss, and whispered for Xander only. “He did for me pet… always for me….. Now I purr for you.” The human grinned.
Around fifteen minutes and a number of quiet consort kisses later, they both broke off the touches as the car lurched to the right and crunched its way up a long gravel driveway toward a whitewashed villa with impressive grounds – obvious to all, even in the dark.
The car pulled up under a spectacular entry complete with columns and intricate classical mosaic on the floor. Xander gripped his partner on the arm tightly as they followed Buffy into a greeting space with vaulted ceilings, exquisite art and marble… everything else.
Heavy, richly carved, near burgundy colored, wooden doors pushed open to a figure whose face was obscured by the shadows cast by the open fire behind him.
Buffy rushed forward and wrapped herself around her lover, accepting a passionate kiss before introducing her charges.
“Anton – this is Spike and Xander… but um I guess now… William and Alexander??”
Buffy sounded oddly like a fifteen year old school girl introducing friends to her parents.
Spike simply stared, this was *nothing* like the man he imagined to have ‘violated [with consent!]’ the Aurelian women back in the day.
A tall, elegant male stepped into the light of the entry hall. Xander had heard little of Buffy’s beau, other than derisive snippets from Spike which came across more as schoolboy snark than any meaningful description.
Anton was undoubtedly striking in looks, and had a quiet confidence that seemed to draw in anyone around him. Wavy raven hair was cut short and styled impeccably, the color broken by a finger width splash of white from his right temple to just over his bejeweled ear. Xander noted the large diamond tipped pearl hanging from a thick gold loop and wondered at the story that no doubt went with the piece. But it was the man’s eyes that drew him in. They were the most extraordinary shade of pale green, bleeding in to deep emerald at their centre, and framed by long black lashes. His slender, smiling face was adorned by a jaunty moustache curled at both ends, but not to a point, rather it seemed natural and left the observer with the impression that the shape was borne of smiling a great deal.
Anton released Buffy and offered his hand to Spike, shaking it and pulling the vampire in for a full Italian welcome. After kissing him on both cheeks, he stepped back a little but kept hold of the hand. Smiling green eyes met rather puzzled blue.
“William, my dear fellow! How wonderful to meet you after all this time! I believed you to be dust! And now here with your lovely consort, wonderful, wonderful! You are *most* welcome.”
Spike’s eyes narrowed a little as he tried to reconcile the man before him with memories of Angelus and himself strung up in a barn while the immortal satisfied their women ‘concurrently’. He recalled Angelus’ rage and the pursuit of the Immortal to exact justice ‘back in the day’. What threw him the most was the upper-class English accent, though he knew the Italian would be just as polished. *Sod it, a thousand years of practice, I’d be a bloody expert too!*
Xander stepped forward and put his arm around his partner for a quick squeeze, then moved to receive his own traditional welcome.
Anton was slightly taller than Xander, with (the human noted ruefully) the perfect build of a 200m track runner. “I have heard of your Sunnydale exploits, Alexander, but had never imagined I would have the pleasure.” He paused and took in his other guest, Spike all but growled, “But as I would expect, William has impeccable taste in partners!” Noticing Spike’s increasing agitation, Xander shot his partner calm, love and loyalty through the link.
The Immortal smiled knowingly at the Blonde, “Oh my dear fellow, you needn’t worry! I am *strictly a ladies’ man, and these days it seems I have found the only lady I need.” He grasped Buffy around her tiny waist and spun them both a hundred and eighty degrees. The petite blonde finishing in front of her partner, delighted grin firmly in place.
With Xander’s continuing attentions, Spike calmed, smiled ruefully, then gave a small nod acknowledging his own ‘shift in circumstance’. It had been well over a hundred years, and Spike was hardly patient enough to hold a grudge for that long.
Spike brightened, caught Anton’s eye with a crystal blue, wicked stare and stated for all to hear, “So… bygones and all that rot…. You gonna offer a bloke a drink or what?”
Anton laughed out loud, grasped Buffy’s hand and led them all through a set of glass doors that opened onto a broad patio bright with fiery brasseries and outdoor candles. Though dominated by a lit fountain of classical design, there was a candle lit table to the right of the feature, laden with local delicacies and a generous selection of drinks.
Xander was once more, struck by the casual elegance of the whole affair and squeezed his partner’s hand reassuringly.
The meal and drinks were strangely comfortable. Spike was surprised and thankful to note the extra carafe of ‘classic vampire red’ on his side of the table, and the tall, antique red glass alongside. Xander struggled to take his eyes off the Buffy and Anton combination.
“I was sad to hear of your dear Sire’s fate, William” The Immortal looked at his vampire guest with genuine distress. “I know you were his favorite child…. I am so sorry. Angelus was a worthy advisory and might have been a good friend…. As I hope we will be from hence forth.”
“Angel…. He was Angel, with a soul… bloody champion and all that… I… loved him…” Spike trailed off, Buffy and Anton both noted Xander’s reaction.
Xander felt the distress through the consort link and immediately dragged the vampire into his lap where they rocked together for a few minutes as Spike fed from his partner’s wrist. Eventually they refocused on the room.
“I am sorry to have caused you distress Master William”
“It’s Spike, and… um… sorry mate… just a bit raw with the whole thing is all…” Spike sniffed hard and regained his composure, sitting up straight in Xander’s lap and directing his questions at the ‘man of the house’.
“Indeed he was a Master of his time… Vampire or ensouled… a fine individual….. William, now Master of the Aurelian line you and your consort are honored and welcomed into my house. I toast your company…” Anton stood and clinked glasses with all present, smiling as he noted the ‘O-positive’ in Spike’s glass. (The vampire had hoped for a comment, but gaining none, resolved to ‘go with the flow’ also!)
“So, what’s the story with our Initiative friends?” Spike looked to the Immortal but Xander spotted Buffy’s dark demeanor and pushed his luck…. “Buff?”