Spike woke up warm and content. He immediately began to purr when he remembered the reason why. He could feel Xander’s snores vibrating through his body. Sable hair streamed across his chest and soft warm breath tickled his side.

What on earth had he done to deserve this? Xander make a small noise and snuggled closer. Spike smiled.

“Spike.” He heard his name called outside the door. Frowning, he pulled himself out from under his lover and pulled on his discarded jeans. Opening the door, he found Tara waiting quietly outside.

“Hungry?” She smiled infectiously.

“Sure, pet. Give me a minute.” He shut the door and began hunting for the key to his trunk. Opening it, he pulled on a shirt and socks. He ran his fingers through his hair before pulling on his Docs.

He looked down at the sleeping figure on the bed and his heart warmed. He leaned in and kissed Xander’s brow.

He frowned. Xander shouldn’t wake up and just find him gone. He looked around the room and found a pad of paper and a pen.

Warmth bleeds into my skin,

His touch… paradise

Xander,

I’ve gone to eat with Glinda. Didn’t want to wake you.

Spike

Spike examined the note. Maybe he shouldn’t have written the bit about paradise.

“Spike?” He heard Tara outside the door again. He pressed another kiss to the man he was quickly becoming addicted to, and, laying the note on his own pillow, walked out the door.

*****

Xander woke up to knocking on the door. He reached for Spike only to find a piece of paper in his place.

“Hang on!” he shouted at the door as he began searching for his clothes. Remembering that he had stripped in the bathroom, he stumbled into the small room and tugged on his jeans.

He opened the door to find Giles standing outside.

“Come in.” Xander turned and staggered back to the bed, reaching for the note. He smiled when he read it, folding it and slipping it under his pillow.

Giles gestured towards the hidden note. “Spike?”

“Yeah.”

Giles help up his own note from Tara. “Shall we hunt them down?”

Xander nodded and headed towards the bathroom. “Give me about ten minutes.” He quickly showered and shaved, brushed his teeth and dressed as Giles waited for him. He was surprised at the space available in the cabin. He walked out and sat on the bed, tugging on his shoes and socks.

Xander looked around for a key, deciding that Spike had probably taken it with him. “Ok, G-Man, ready to go.”

Giles rolled his eyes and the two men wandered into the main area of the ship. After searching several floors, they gave up on finding Spike and Tara and headed into a restaurant to eat.

*****

“We should have known they’d be here.” Xander pointed towards the back of the dining room where Tara and Spike were halfway through eating what appeared to be an enormous banana split.

Giles made his way to the table as Xander headed for the buffet, returning to the table with a plate full of food. Biting down on a piece of chicken, he sighed. “I want to go back to Texas.”

Spike smiled at his lover, teasing him with a look. “Don’t want you to weigh eight hundred pounds, love. You’ll have to deal with what’s here.” Spike winked at Tara and they continued to spoon their way through several pounds of ice cream, fruit, nuts, toppings and cherries.

Giles frowned. “What on earth are you eating?”

Tara giggled, covering her mouth. “It’s a Banana Bombshell!”

“Too right.” Giles sighed and looked at the food on Xander’s plate. He wanted to go back to Texas as well.

“I’m sorry, what?” He looked at Xander.

“When are supposed to get to Bermuda?” Xander repeated his question before starting in on an apple.

“Some time this evening, I think. It’s a relatively short trip. Did you see any tea over there?” Xander shook his head and Giles considered pouting. It seemed to work for the rest of the Scoobies. He rose from his chair and went to the buffet, finally choosing some dry toast and coffee.

*****

After their meal, Tara and Giles decided to go spend some time on the decks doing a little sun worshiping. Xander refused their invitation and he and Spike returned to their room.

Xander pushed Spike down onto the bed, climbing on top of him. “Hey.”

Spike smiled. “Hey.”

“Whatever will we do until we get to Bermuda?” Xander’s sly look thrilled the vampire, He rolled them, pinning the younger man beneath him.

“I have no idea, love.” Spike leaned in and kissed the brunette, drawing his taste into his mouth.

Xander smiled into the kiss, allowing the vampire to take whatever he wanted. This was heaven. This man, this demon wanted him and was going to claim him. He was afraid, but couldn’t wait.

Xander mumbled something against Spike’s mouth that the vampire couldn’t quite catch. He pulled back and looked into the beautiful brown eyes that he loved. “What was that, pet?”

Xander looked down, and then purposefully looked back at Spike. “I love you.”

The smile that that statement earned him melted Xander’s insides. Then came the words that melted his outsides. “Oh, Xander, I love you, too.”

“Will you claim me?” The words came out muffled and unsure. Spike could see that the boy was afraid of rejection.

“Are you asking me to marry you?”

Xander’s blood rushed from his face and he suddenly felt dizzy. “M..marry?” he squeaked out.

“Yeah, pet. A claim is like a marriage, we would be bound together for life. Only difference is there could never be a divorce.”

Xander thought for a moment, pushed the smaller man off of him and then slid to the floor in front of Spike, one hand on his chest, the other flung out in front of him. “Spike, my love, would you do me the honor of biting me on the neck and making me your own?”

Xander made it through the proposal with a straight face, Spike didn’t. His laughter came from his gut and he rolled around on the bed, clutching his stomach and gasping for air he didn’t need.

Xander leapt on top of him, rolling with Spike and laughing delightedly. The two men finally calmed and found themselves locked in an embrace, their lips pressed against each other and their tongues dueling for dominance.

Spike pulled away, leaning his head back to look at his lover. “I get to be the husband.”

Xander snorted. “Whatever, Spike.” Spike tickled his lover when Xander rolled his eyes and they enjoyed several minutes of wrestling before their touches became more purposeful.

Spike pressed down on top of the brown-haired beauty. He ran his fingers through Xander’s hair, learning the shape of his skull. He leaned in and claimed Xander’s lips in a passionate kiss before he began peeling clothes from their bodies.

Xander lay still, allowing Spike to undress him. Spike pressed kisses to each bit of skin that he uncovered, slowly covering Xander’s body with his touch.

Xander’s skin tingled wherever Spike touched him, and soon, there was nothing but Spike. Xander was blissfully aware of Spike’s body as it spread out on top of his. Suddenly the feeling of Spike was gone and Xander opened his eyes to find himself in the bed, alone.

Unexpectedly, a blond head appeared over the side of the bed. “Looking for someone?”

Xander smacked Spike on the head and the vampire pounced, pinning Xander once again underneath his body.

“Tell me you want me.” Spike looked deeply into Xander’s eyes, dissolving the playful mood they had been enjoying.

“I want you.” Xander meant every word. He wanted to belong to Spike, no matter what.

Spike gently lifted Xander’s legs to his shoulders, nestling down between them and never moving his eyes from Xander’s face. “I know you’ve never done this before, love, but if you are relaxed, there is no pain, only pleasure. Let me give you pleasure.”

Xander made an effort to relax which was totally blown when Spike pulled his cock into his cool mouth. Xander panted at the feeling of Spike swallowing around his cock and hardly noticed when one slick finger breached him.

Spike released Xander’s swollen member with a pop and concentrated on preparing his lover. “Feel good, pet?” Xander nodded wordlessly.

“More, Spike.”

“Demanding…” Spike slid in a second finger, scissoring them, stretching the virgin muscles.

When Spike felt Xander relax around his fingers, he allowed the tip of his index finger to brush against the younger man’s prostate, just once.

Xander bucked. “What was that?”

Spike laughed at the shocked look on Xander’s face. “That’s your prostate, love. Would you like to feel my cock pressed up against that spot?”

Xander nodded his head vigorously. “More!”

Spike looked at Xander, he seemed relaxed and eager. It was time. Spike covered his hard cock with the lube that Anya had packed in his toiletries case and pressed the head against Xander’s opening. “Look at me, Xander.”

When chocolate eyes met blue, Spike whispered, “I love you.” Xander smiled and Spike pushed past the guardian ring of Xander’s ass and thrust his cock up against Xander’s prostate.

Xander forgot to tense at the pain when Spike began to massage that sensitive area with the head of his cock. He was basking in the sensations when he felt a tickling sensation against his ass. Looking down, he could see that Spike was completely buried in him.

“You’re inside me.” Xander’s voice was breathy. He raised a hand and placed it against Spike’s cheek, feeling the softness of the hard-looking area. Spike nuzzled into his hand like a cat, purring.

“Are you ready?” Xander nodded and Spike began to pump.

Spike couldn’t believe how warm and tight his boy was. His cock felt as though it were sheathed inside a heated velvet glove. Each thrust brought him closer to his inevitable climax, much too quickly in his opinion.

Spike wrapped an arm around Xander’s thigh and reached for the other man’s cock. He began fisting him gently as he thrust harder and harder into Xander’s ass. Xander was moaning and twisting his head from side to side. He’d had no idea that this would be so incredible.

Spike felt Xander’s balls tighten and his own body responded in kind. He leaned close, kissing his lover.

“Are you sure, Xander? Are you sure you want this?” Xander nodded and bared his throat.

“More than anything, Spike. Make me yours.” Spike’s demon needed no more encouragement and he dove for Xander’s throat, slicing through the skin with his needlelike fangs.

Xander came as soon as Spike’s fangs split his flesh. He could feel his semen and his blood pumping out of him in the same pulsing rhythm. Spike pulled his fangs from Xander’s throat and his golden eyes glowed as he looked at his lover.

“Mine!” Spike looked at Xander expectantly.

“Yours, Spike, all yours.” Spike’s orgasm crashed over both men and the vampire collapsed on his mate.

His mate. He had just claimed Xander as his mate. Xander beamed at him through tear filled eyes and reached up to touch the marks on his neck. Spike batted his hands away and leaned closer, examining the bite.

“It looks good, love. Will scar beautifully.”

“Really? I want to see.” He tried to push Spike away, but Spike refused to move from where he was still buried deep in Xander. He growled at his mate and Xander smiled.

Spike leaned in and laved the marks, cleaning away all traces of blood.

Xander’s cock twitched as Spike cleaned the wounds. He moaned and leaned his head back further. Finally, Spike allowed his cock to slip out of Xander’s warmth and rolled to lie beside his lover. Xander shuddered at the feeling of emptiness. Realizing that he could now get up, he scooted to the end of the bed and stood, walking over to look in the mirror.

There on his neck was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Right above his jugular was a perfect impression of Spike’s teeth, each having broken the skin, emphasizing four puncture wounds made by the predator’s elongated canines. He turned to look at his mate. “What will it look like when it scars?”

Spike lay on the bed, his ankles crossed and his hands behind his head. “Pretty much what you see there, love. Claim marks heal quickly and will scar up overnight.”

Xander turned to look back at the mirror. “Will you bite me again?”

“Why, pet, did you like it?”

Xander frowned at Spike, wanting more of an answer. Spike grinned back. “Yes, Xander, I will bite you again. It will strengthen our bond each time we share blood. We could stop now and be joined as mates forever, however, if I continue to drink from you, we will begin to see changes. If you drink from me, there will be even more.”

Xander crinkled his nose at the thought of drinking the vampire’s blood, but the thought of Spike drinking from him again was exciting. He fingered the mark on his neck, looking at it in the mirror. Being married to a vampire was fun!

THE TRIANGLE 17