ROAD TRIP
~ Epilogue
by
Maz
September was fading into misty October when Spike came up
from the bar one evening clutching a letter and chuckling quietly to himself.
He threw himself down on the sofa, propped his feet up on the coffee-table and
glanced across at Xander, who was carefully chiselling a set of dovetail joints
at his workbench in the corner.
"Got a letter from my Sire," he said. Xander put
down his tools and came to sit with Spike, noticing with relief that his mood
was amused rather than annoyed. He snuggled into Spike's side, butting his
shoulder with his head. Spike lifted his arm around Xander's neck, his hand
coming to rest in Xander's hair. "You'll never guess where it's
from," he said.
"From the fact that you ask the question, I'm guessing
not L.A."
Spike laughed out loud. "He's in Fairclough," he
said. "Been there for over a month. Took Soldier Boy with him and between
them they cleared Venetia and all her get out of town. Out of existence."
His hand tugged gently at Xander's hair and his voice became a bit more
serious. "Sounds like he'll be there for a while. He's got angry town
elders and encroaching rivals to deal with. Soon as word got out that Venetia
was gone, all the would-be masters from miles around started moving in."
He grinned again. "He's asking if we want another holiday in New Mexico."
Xander looked up, surprised, and shook his head in wonder.
Spike chuckled. "At least he'll be healthier. Seems it
took young Riley all of two weeks to talk his way onto Angel’s fangs and into
his bed. There'll be others, too, who can't give up the habit. Now he's had a
taste, he won't let them go wandering off in search of other, less soulful
customers." He tilted his head. "Don't know about you, but I'm not
that keen on another trip to the desert this year." He looked down at
Xander, gauging his response to the news, relieved to see his own inclinations
clearly mirrored in Xander's face. "We'll go see him some time. But it'd
be a shame to spoil it for him by going too soon. The constant need to kill his
rivals is probably the only thing stopping him from drowning in guilt for
drinking again, no matter how willingly given." He laughed with delight.
"He's gone from burnt out recluse, to pimp, to Sultan with his own bloody
harem. He'll be in his element." Giving Xander a light shove he added.
"Go fetch us both a drink, Luv. I think we should toast the health of the
new Master of Fairclough."
As Xander stood up and went through to the kitchen, Spike stretched back in the chair and gazed up at the ceiling. "What a bloody fantastic comedown for the vampire who was once Master of the Hellmouth and Master of L.A." he observed. Xander's answering laugh sounded from the kitchen, followed by the clink of glass and the snick of the fridge door closing.