Feedback: Yes please but be very gentle. First fanfic and first slash.
Archive: If you want, but please let me know
Pairing: S/X
Rating: PG - NC 17 (maybe, I've never rated anything before)
Disclaimer: Most characters misrepresented in this tale belong to Joss Whedon,
Mutant Enemy and Neil Gaiman. I'm only taking them out to play, changing their
clothes and then putting them back. There may be some original characters floating
about. They are mine but usually don't admit to it.
Spoilers: Up to Buffy Season 6 sorta but definitely AU
Summary: Spike and Xander get to take a trip and go a bit further than intended.
Crossover eventually with Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere.
'' '' '' '' '' '' '' ''
Xander studied the book-cluttered interior of the store. His Hellmouth
radar said no trouble currently, barring Katie picking up the crossbow
again. Which was a possibility, Xander decided, given the glares Spike was
sending in the demon girl's direction. Spike didn't like crossbows, and
certainly didn't like them pointed at him when he'd done nothing in
particular to deserve it.
Xander sighed and grabbed the back of the vampire's duster and pulled him
backwards into his arms. Circling his arms around Spike's waist, he rested
his chin on Spike's shoulder and looked towards Lomax. It was strange to
feel the vampire stiffen in surprise at the unexpected contact and then
almost imperceptibly relax into the embrace. Xander's private little study
into Spike 101 was rapidly coming to the conclusion that the vampire was a
cuddler, Big Bad or not.
"So," said Xander to Lomax, "it's obvious you've had some kind
of trouble.
Is there-"
"Yeah, yeah, can see that you've got difficulties an' all," Spike
interrupted Xander, before he could make his well-meaning offer to help.
Damned if he was losing any time with Xander over Somebody Else's Problem.
"Nasty bump, should get it looked at. So how about you give us our package
an' we'll be on our way, out o' your hair." He looked expectantly at the
bookseller. "Thanks," he added as an afterthought.
Lomax looked awkwardly at the pair and opened his mouth to speak.
Spike read the look successfully and pulled himself out of Xander's arms
and began to pace. "You," he said, fixing the old demon with a cold
blue-eyed stare, "are going to tell us that our book has been stolen,
aren't you?" Lomax nodded.
Spike turned and continued his pacing back towards Xander. "I knew it,
Spike's luck strikes again." The vampire turned again pacing back towards
Lomax. "Here I am, plannin' a nice evenin' in Whitechapel with ..with my
own, so of course the bloody book gets stolen." He turned again and paced
back to stand in front of Xander.
"Ohh, the Ripper. Cool," Katie's voice interrupted the rant from
her place
on the stairs. From the stair above a large, fluffy grey cat stepped down
and oozed deliberately onto her lap.
The vampire ignored her and stood in front of Xander, arms folded and a
scowl on his face. The Tome, while not a major work of magic, had a spell
Giles thought he might be able to adapt to help mask Dawn.
"Have you contacted the police?" Xander reached out and stroked the
vampire's chest. No rumbling purr but at least the vampire wasn't mad
enough to launch himself at Lomax.
"Not a bad idea, pet." Spike nodded. "Let the Bill deal with
it an' we can
have our date." He watched Xander's face. "He's shaking his head isn't
he?
Supernatural types, then. Bugger."
Spike turned back to face Lomax. "Call in some markers," and he waved
his
hands towards the door.
"I'm afraid that in this instance they would be useless where I suspect
the
book has gone. If it's any consolation, I don't think the Tome of Imarka
was the object of this little smash and grab. I think it got stolen because
it and a few other books, also stolen, had been left on my desk with
another book I was packing up for delivery to its purchaser." A brief look
of embarrassment crossed Lomax's face. "The Tome may turn up again in the
book market." A long thin tongue flicked briefly over dry lips. "Possibly
even here," he added obliquely
.
"Peachy, that is. Not only is our book stolen, it was stolen by accident!
Rupes is gonna dance for joy. So what illustrious company was our little
tome keeping?"
The look of embarrassment returned and stayed. "It on the desk with an
original Winnie the Pooh, The Lives and Habits of Tharll Demons and The
Vespertilio Invulnerabilis."
Spike's gaze became cold, gold and hard. His voice started soft as if he
couldn't quiet believe his ears. "'Vespertilio Invulnerabilis! The 'abest
iterum'. The bloody freakin' Gone Again." Spike's voice rose to a roar.
"The thrice damned Gone Again. And you didn't expect something like this
to
'appen. Oh, I am gonna to rip you to shreds and dance on the bloody pieces."
Now Xander decided the vampire was mad enough to launch himself at Lomax
and since a staked vampire wasn't on his agenda of fun vacation things, he
grabbed the vampire again, pulling him bodily against him, surprised when
the vampire allowed it. "Crossbow, Spike!" Xander hissed in the vampire's
ear. "I can't put out to a pile of dust." A glance at Katie told him
that
she had reached for the crossbow at the vampire's threat, dislodging the
cat in the process.
Grumbling and swearing, the vampire subsided into Xander's arms, shooting
poisonous looks at the bookseller.
"Ok," said Xander, when he was sure Spike was going to stay in his
arms and
not attempt any stake worthy acts. He looked up at Katie, who was looking
at the-subdued-by-a-human vampire in mild fascination. She caught his eye
and put the crossbow down and allowed the purring cat to resume his place.
"So, what's this Gone Again?"
"It's a book."
"No," corrected Lomax in a pedantic tone, "it's a grimoire."
"Yeah, pretty bloody grim for the vampire that uses it."
Xander looked from one to the other. "Hello, question still not answered here."
Lomax took on a lecturing tone. "It is The Vampire Invulnerable. It's
a
book of spells that are supposed to confer invulnerability upon a vampire."
"It's a bloody bear trap for vampires. Cursed, it is."
"While I admit that historically speaking."
"Historically speaking," snapped Spike, "every vampire that's
tried to use
the Vespertilio Invulnerabilis has ended up a pile of ashes with the book
sitting in the middle, or sometimes no book, just the ashes. That damn book
has been lost or apparently destroyed more times than that ponce Dracula.
It always turns up again. Oh, and it gets stolen," the vampire raised a
cynical eyebrow in Lomax's direction, "frequently."
"Very rarely in company, however, and usually it stays in non-vampire
hands
longer than the five hours I had it." Lomax rubbed his bump gingerly. "I
am
glad that it wasn't one of the more spectacular leave-takings in the
grimoire's history. I am sorry for the loss of your tome. It was
unexpected. I will recompense you for it."
Spike shrugged, a little mollified by the apology, temper easing in
Xander's warm embrace. "Who's the suicidal fool giving invulnerability
a
try this time?" Spike sounded genuinely interested in the answer.
"Oh, a youngster. Barely reached Master status. But he has money, wants
power, and won't listen to wiser heads. One of Master Phillipe's get. One
of his usual, all beauty and no brains. It was actually quite easy to find,
once I started looking." Lomax shrugged, "Almost too easy. Once he
took
delivery I was going to wait, with scholarly interest, for the result."
Lomax grinned wolfishly revealing rows of sharp, pointed teeth. "There
has
been some fascinating phenomena involved with the book, historically speaking."
"Oh, yes, the Great Fire of London was fun for young and old."
Xander spoke before the vampire could work up his temper again. "So even
though nobody has ever succeeded with this spell, vampires keep on trying?
Sheesh, you'd think they'd learn."
"We're a stubborn demon, pet, when we want somethin' bad enough, an' it's
a
great temptation, y' know, to walk in the sun again."
Xander squeezed the vampire in sympathy and looked at Lomax. "This is
all
very interesting and certainly explains the why. Now, we need to figure out
the how, as in how we get our tome back. You did say you had a suspicion
about where it had gone, didn't you?"
Lomax sighed and reached into his pocket. "The thugs dropped this on their
way out the back." He pulled something out.
Xander stared at the hand, which seemed empty. He blinked and caught a
flash of metal but when he looked directly at the hand there was still,
quite persistently, nothing there. His eyes slid sideways to look up at
Katie and the cat. Slitted eyes, purple and green watched him intently. He
could feel himself forgetting about the flash he thought he'd seen. It was
unimportant. Firmly he made himself look back, staring at the hand until
suddenly, as if it had always been there on Lomax's palm, was a 't'-shaped
piece of metal.
Spike also stared at the piece of metal. A faint, familiar, half-remembered scent rose from it. "Bugger me gently. London Below?"