Xander sighed happily and snuggled down on the hard chest under his cheek. Spike began purring and stroking Xander’s lower back. “Afternoon, love.”

Xander lifted his head and smiled up at Spike. “Hi.”

Spike wrapped his hands under Xander’s arms, pulling him up for a kiss. Their lips met and parted, tongues slipping out to taste. Xander pulled away. “I thought you were going to take me and make me yours.”

Spike laughed. “I was, pet. Guess we were both a little worn out after last night.” He leaned in and captured Xander’s mouth again. A knock on the door pulled them apart. “Yeah?”

“If you are done with your nap, could you come out here, please?” Giles’ voice was muffled.

Xander groaned and got up off of Spike. Spike felt bereft without the warm weight that had been pressing him into the mattress. Xander stumbled towards the bathroom and Spike listened to Xander’s heart rate increase as he began to wake up. His stream flowed loudly and a yawn could be heard over the rushing water.

Spike grinned and went off in search of a shirt. He pulled out a sleeveless black T and slipped it over his head. He glanced down at his feet and decided that it would take too much energy to put on his shoes. He glanced up as the bathroom door opened and held out his arms. Xander slid into them, seeking another kiss.

“Better head out. Watcher wants us.” Xander nodded and yawned again, dragging Spike behind him as he walked into the living area. 

*****

Tara glanced up from the book she was reading to grin at the two men as they stumbled out of their room. As Xander helped himself to the new cart full of food, Spike headed towards Giles’ room.

“Spike!” Spike turned and glared at the watcher. Giles pointed towards the kitchen counter, never once looking up from the parchment that he was reading. Spike saw his cooler sitting on the counter and grabbed several bags, tossing them into the microwave to heat.

Once his blood was warm, Spike settled down on the couch next to Xander, pressing his thigh against the other man. Xander turned his head to smile, then returned to his plate. He moaned around a bite of chicken fried steak and gravy. “Whas twi th fd hre?”

“Swallow before you talk, please, Xander.” Giles frowned.

Xander swallowed the large bite with some difficulty before commenting again. “What is it with the food here?” Giles lifted an eyebrow, Spike style.

“It is so good! How do these people not weigh eight hundred pounds apiece?” Xander quit talking as he shoved another forkful in his mouth. Spike looked down at his plate and laughed at the food that decorated the white china.

“Thought you were allergic to healthy stuff.” Spike indicated the greens, baby carrots and various fruits that were spilling over into Xander’s lap. The brunette snorted and continued to eat. Spike smirked and looked over at Giles.

“What’s going on, Watcher? Flight’s not for another few hours.” Spike sipped at his blood, eyeing the thick slice of toast that was about to fall off of Xander’s plate.

“Back off,” Xander growled.

“If you are quite finished.” At their blank stares, Giles continued while Tara giggled. “This text that I borrowed from Angel has been quite revealing. It seems that for an untold number of years, the people of Bermuda would make ritual sacrifices to a god called Annuptha.”

Xander swallowed and stared. “What kind of sacrifices? Please don’t tell me that they were human.”

“They were human. The priests would determine what type of sacrifice needed to be made by the time of year, the position of the sun and the moon and several other variables that I have not been able to translate as of yet.

“According to this text, the people quit sacrificing to Annuptha some time after Columbus ‘discovered’ the new world.” Giles formed quotes with his fingers around the word discovered.

“So what? What’s this got to do with anything?” Spike finished his blood and set the mug on the table, covering it with a napkin when Tara grimaced at the blood-tinged rim.

“Even though the Council has only actively investigated the Hellmouth for the last fifty years or so, there are reports dating back hundreds of years of strange animal attacks. However, the disappearances have increased drastically in the last few months.” Giles paused to take a swallow of tea.

“So you are thinking that all these disappearances can be attributed to an angry god?” Tara’s lilting voice danced through the room. Spike smiled at her.

“You know, you have a lovely speaking voice. I never knew that before, what with your hiding behind Red’s skirts and all.” Tara blushed and looked at Spike’s bare toes that were stretched out between them.

“You paint your toenails, too?” Spike laughed and lifted one foot to look at the chipped black paint decorating it.

“Was bored, now, wasn’t I? Nothin’ else to do.” Tara and Spike stopped laughing when Giles cleared his throat.

“Sorry,” they both muttered, still grinning.

Xander eyed them, looking as though he was contemplating saying something, but focused back on his food instead.

“As I was saying, yes, I do believe that this god has something to do with it. However, as I looked further into this ritual, I have found that there is really no basis for belief that there was really any god. I believe that these demons somehow coerced the population into worshiping them and offering up sacrifices.”

“Free food. Don’t even have to hunt.” Spike nodded as he spoke.

“Too right.” Giles looked around at his small team. “The only problem is that throughout everything that I have read, there are no descriptions of Annuptha anywhere. I am unsure as to what these demons look like, how they function, whether they can walk in the daylight or even if they can be differentiated from the humans.” Giles removed his glasses and began rubbing them in frustration. Right then, the phone rang.

Tara stood and reached across the coffee table, taking the phone from its perch next to Spike. “Hello? Willow! Oh, sweetheart, I’ve missed you! Yes, yes… Willow!” Tara gasped, turning her back on the men watching her and whispering into the mouthpiece. Spike smirked at her back.

“Oi, Glinda! I can still hear you!” Tara spun and blushed; she thrust the phone at Giles and frowned at Spike.

One graceful finger pointed at the blond man. “Hey! Privacy!” Spike stuck his tongue out at her, causing her to giggle.

Giles was speaking into the phone, receiving Willow’s report on the shop and Buffy’s report on patrol. Xander finished his food and Spike got up, taking the plate back over to the cart and bringing back a large glass of iced tea. He took a mouthful before offering the glass to Xander.

“Nasty. Why would anyone drink cold tea?” Xander eagerly downed the sweet concoction, satiated and slightly sleepy from his heavy meal.

“Yes, of course, Willow. Thank you so much for your report. Yes, our flight leaves soon. We should be in Bermuda within the next… No, please! Yes. Hello, Anya. Yes, I can wait…” Giles tapped his foot as he waited for Anya.

“Going to the training room.” The group nodded at his explanation and continued to wait.

“No, my dear, I don’t think…” Giles blushed and silently handed the phone to Xander.

Xander hesitantly brought the receiver up to his ear. Anya’s voice trickled over the line. “Have you and Spike had any orgasms, yet? Did he give you your kiss from me?” Spike kicked Xander in the thigh and shook his head hard.

“Anya! Nice to hear from you. No, I am not going to talk to you about that.” Everyone in the room heard Anya’s shriek of disgust.

“No, Ahn. Forget it!” Spike grabbed the phone from Xander.

“Demon girl! Sod off! Did the Slayer and Red… Good… Yeah… Yeah… All right, Anyanka. Bye.” Spike slammed the phone back down on its base, forgetting to turn it off. Tara quickly reached over and disconnected the line, all four pretending not to hear Anya’s continuing questions.

“Well, on that note, our flight is in less than three hours. Everyone should go and get ready. We have one more layover in Atlanta. Hopefully, it will only be a few hours before we board the ship in Miami. Let’s meet back here in exactly an hour and a half.” Giles shooed everyone away with his hands before falling on the couch and cradling his head in his hands.

*****

Forty-five minutes later found Spike and Xander lying on their bed, both quiet and listening to Xander’ breathing. Both men wore slacks and socks and had slightly damp hair.

“Shoulda let me shower with you, pet. Woulda been relaxing.” Xander rolled over and looked down at Spike.

“Spike, there is no way that being naked in a small enclosed space with you could possibly be relaxing.” He thrust his half hard cock into Spike’s thigh, leaning in to capture a kiss. Spike threaded one hand through Xander’s damp locks, twining the hair around a finger as he kissed the other man.

Their tongues met and Spike adjusted them both so that Xander was lying on top of him, their burgeoning erections side by side. He thrust up, encouraging Xander to move. Xander took the hint and began rocking his hips. Spike allowed his free hand to trail down Xander’s bare back, dragging his fingers over Xander’s ass, cupping one strong cheek and squeezing.

Xander pulled back and looked closely at Spike. He brought one hand up and traced it across Spike’s forehead, down his nose, back up one cheekbone and down the other. He traced full, rosy lips and trailed his hand down Spike’s chin, cupping it and turning his head from side to side. Spike looked back, unblinking, allowing Xander to examine him.

“You are so beautiful.” Xander’s quiet words made borrowed blood rush to Spike’s cheeks. It really wasn’t a blush, but Xander noticed the change in color. He grinned down. “You are!”

Xander brought his other hand up to run it through Spike’s heavily gelled hair, allowing his full weight to push down on the vampire. He tugged at the bleached strands until they started relaxing into Spike’s natural curls.

Spike began to purr under Xander’s attention. He continued to lightly squeeze the strong muscle in his hand, running his other fingers up and down Xander’s back, reveling in the little shivers that occasionally shook his body.

Xander leaned back down for another kiss, pushing Spike’s legs further apart so that he could fall in between them. Spike smiled into their kiss, enjoying Xander’s almost shy touches.

Xander pressed deeper into the kiss, pulling Spike’s tongue into his mouth, sucking gently on its silky length. He remembered Spike’s fangs dropping during a previous kiss and searched for them once again. He probed at them gently, hoping that Spike would understand what he wanted.

Spike allowed his fangs to drop slightly, opening his mouth wider to allow Xander more room to explore. Xander gently touched a fang, wrapping the sharp tooth with his tongue. When Spike moaned, Xander pulled back and grinned. Spike smiled back, allowing his game face to come out.

Xander plunged back down and again drew his tongue down the length of a fang. Spike’s purring rumbled in Xander’s mouth, running straight down to his cock. Curious, he tested the sharpness with his tongue, accidentally drawing blood. Spike’s response was immediate.

He spun them quickly in the bed so that he was straddling the larger man. He sucked hard, drawing out every drop of sweet elixir that he could from Xander’s slippery tongue. When he could no longer taste the blood, he lapped at the tiny wound, insuring that it closed and would heal quickly.

Spike pulled back and smiled at Xander. “You taste delicious, love.” Xander shuddered under those words. How could he have all these feelings for a soulless demon that could kill him as easily as kiss him? Xander decided that he didn’t care; he just wanted more of Spike’s lips.

He pulled Spike down roughly and rolled them once again, misjudging the distance and rolling them off of the bed. Spike turned them so that he was on the bottom when they landed, Xander’s fall padded slightly by his body.

Both men laughed and the intense mood was broken. Xander leaned down and kissed Spike joyfully, nipping at the full bottom lip and savoring the taste of the vampire.

“You’re delicious, too.” He glanced over at the clock on the bedside table and climbed up off the floor.

“We should get ready to go.” Spike agreed with a nod, digging through his trunk, looking for something in particular. Xander started repacking his new clothes. He had emptied his suitcase earlier, exclaiming over the variety of items that Spike and Anya had chosen.

Spike stood, drawing a handful of silver out of a silk drawstring bag. He sat in the floor and began separating the strands. He hung a heavy chain around his neck and selected an intricately designed bracelet, draping it over his wrist.

Xander scooted over to sit next to Spike, reaching out to help him with the clasp. “I like this on you. You look good in silver.”

“Bet you’d look nice in some, too. Here…” Spike dug around in the bag until he found a thick linked chain, then wrapped it around Xander’s wrist, fastening it deftly and spinning it so the clasp was against Xander’s pulse point.

“See. Told you.” Spike slipped a ring on his left index finger and on both ring fingers then closed the bag and placed it back in the trunk. He looked around the room before closing and locking the lid.

Xander was flipping the bracelet around his wrist, enjoying the weight of his gift. He glanced up when Spike nudged him with one bare foot.

“All done?” He motioned towards Xander’s suitcase.

“Yeah. No, wait.” Xander leaned over and pulled a pair of socks out before slamming the lid shut.

Spike gathered up all of their luggage and put them next to the door to the suite. He paused next to Tara’s open door on the way back, looking in on the girl. Tara sat in the middle of her bed, cross-legged with her peasant skirt spread out around her. She was singing under her breath as she stitched a colorful piece of cloth.

Tara smiled at Spike when she noticed him in the doorway, inviting him in with a wave of her hand. He settled in on the end of her bed. She bit the thread and held up the cloth that she had been working on. “What do you think? It is a blessing cloth.” Spike eyed the cloth carefully, wondering what kind of magic it housed.

“What does it do?”

Tara laughed gently. “Nothing. It is just something that you make for a friend. I’ve been working on this one for a while. I was going to give it to Willow to give to Xander, but I’m going to give it to you instead. Don’t worry, there’s no magic in it, just good feelings.” She held out the material and Spike took it.

When Spike was a child, a woman’s worth had often been judged by how well they could stitch. Tara would be worth a fortune, he decided. The original material was almost completely covered by thread, but he could see that the material was a deep red in color. A tight design covered the cloth in various shades of blue, green, yellow, red and orange.

The cloth felt soft to the touch and seemed warm to his cool fingers. No matter what the witch said, he knew that there was something magical about this. There was no way anything so perfect could be anything but.

Tara covered his hand with hers. “No magic, Spike. I know how you feel about that. Just a gift.” Spike lifted the hand that covered his and turned it over. Looking Tara in the eye, he kissed the pulse point in her wrist.

“Thank you. I will keep it close to me.” He slipped off the bed, suddenly aware of how little he had on. He walked down to the room he shared with Xander and held out the scrap of material.

“Look at this. Glinda just gave it to me. Says it’s a blessing cloth.” Xander carefully took the item, touching the simple design.

“Pretty.” Spike took it back and folded it before slipping it into a pocket of his jacket. He slid on his bright blue shirt and put on his socks and Docs. He stood and looked at his boy.

“Ready, pet?” Xander stood and waited as Spike slipped on his jacket. The two men then walked into the living area, lounging on the couch while waiting for the others.

Tara, who had piled her bags on top of the boys’, came to the couch and sat between them. She ignored Spike when he growled at her, smiling innocently. Giles struggled out of his bedroom door, dragging both of his suitcases behind him as he carried the box of books in his arms.

“Bloody hell, Watcher.” Spike lunged to his feet and relieved Giles of both suitcases. “It’s ten bloody feet from your room to the door, don’t you think you could’ve made two trips?”

Giles answered slowly. “It is twelve feet, ten inches to the front door and no, I couldn’t make two trips as I didn’t feel like it.” He sat the books down next to the door and walked to the phone.

“Hello, yes, we are ready to check out. Thank you.” He sat down on the couch next to Tara. Spike glared at the trio on the couch and settled on the floor next to Xander.

Tara poked Xander in the arm. “So what’s going on with Anya?”

Spike laughed as Xander and Giles moaned. “She knows about me and Spike and has been pushing us at each other all week. It’s like she went into super-matchmaker mode.”

Everyone shared in a laugh and Spike snuggled into Xander’s leg, happy and content.

THE TRIANGLE 15