Title:  Uncommon Distractions
Author:  Kay
Email:  kaygrr@hotmail.com
Feedback:  Please?  Because watching a grown girl cry is just pathetic.
Website:  ssfdu.tripod.com/kay/journal.htm (love for Sandy) Archive:  Just
let me know, eh? Fandom:  Buffy Pairing:  (Xander/Graham) + (Xander/Spike)
= Xander/Graham/Spike Rating:  PG-13 Disclaimer:  Mine?  What? *These*? 
No, they're Mutant Enemy's.  They just followed me home and wouldn't leave
until I played with them. Spoilers:  The last season of Buffy.  The
incident with Glory, and the ep "The Body".  (Look at me, trying to be
vague).  And that ugly rumor about Spike and a certain blond slayer? 
Never happened. Summery:  Graham and Riley are called back to Sunnydale
when the area destabilizes.  When they return, they discover there are new
factors in lives of the Scooby Gang, especially in Xander and Spike's.

Part 14/?

Graham scrubbed his towel over his head, ruffling his hair as he wiped
away the water that clung to the strands after his shower.  He hadn't
slept well. 
  Images of Xander had haunted him, keeping him awake as his mind had
replayed the events of the past night again and again:  Xander laughing up
at him as they walked through the cemetery; Xander closing his eyes and
leaning into Spike's touch as the vampire stroked his skin with his
tongue; Xander staring at him in misery and confusion.  He'd tossed and
turned for most of the night and was now hoping that a shower would help
to wake him up.

He walked into the living room and nodded at Riley, who was sitting on the
couch.  "Hey, Ri."  He tossed the towel back over his shoulder and headed
for the kitchen, wanting to grab something for breakfast.  He paused when
Riley didn't say anything in response and turned around.  "Ri?"

Riley looked up abruptly.  "Graham."

"Yeah, that would be me."  Graham walked back into the living room, 
wondering what had Riley back down to the very basics of me, Riley, you,
Graham.  An envelope lay on the end table, the name 'Giles' written on it.
 "What's that?"

Riley rubbed his hand over his forehead.  "While you were in the bathroom
I got a phone call.  It was Xander."

Graham froze.  "What did he want?"

"He said he needed a favor and asked me to meet him.  He wouldn't explain
what was going on, so I decided to go."

"Without telling me."

"If it was going to be just another game, I didn't want you to get 
involved."  Riley shrugged apologetically.  "I figured he'd be less able
to fuck with my head."

Fine.  Graham wasn't sure that he wanted to see Xander again, anyway.  He
didn't know if he wanted to see how much it would hurt to look at Xander
and know that everything that they'd shared together had been a lie.  "So
what's with the envelope?"

"Xander wants me to hold on to it for a few days."  Riley went back to
staring at the envelope, which had been distracting him when Graham walked
in.

Now Graham was distracted as well.  What was inside the envelope that was
so important that Xander was willing to ask Riley for help?  He sat down
beside Riley.  "It's not sealed."

"I noticed that."  Riley picked up the envelope.  "I'm wondering if the
contents could be a part of a larger security concern."

"There's only one way to find out."

"Our names aren't on it."

"It's not sealed.  Whose to know we took a peek?"

Good point.  Graham took the envelope and emptied its contents out onto
the coffee table.  The envelope was filled with smaller envelopes, also
unsealed.  Names labeled the envelopes:  'Buffy', 'Willow', 'Dawn',
'Tara', 'Mr. and Mrs. Harris', 'Anya', and a thicker one marked 'Giles'
once more.  Two folded sheets of paper caught his attention.  One was
marked with Riley's name, the other with his own.  Graham was reluctant to
pick up the one designated for him.  Did he really want to know what
Xander had to say?

Riley picked up his sheet of paper.  "This has my name on it.  That makes
it my business."  He unfolded it and began to read, with Graham staring
unabashedly over his shoulder.

//Riley-

I know you have no reason to want to hear anything from me, much less
advice, but I have to say this.

You have to talk to Buffy.  You can't leave things the way they are.  When
you left, there were a hundred things going on that distracted both of you
from the only thing that matters:  the way you feel about each other.  I
know you love her - I saw it in everything you did for her, in the way you
looked at her and talked about her.

You were wrong when you said that she didn't love you.  She didn't want to
lose you.  When she realized that you weren't going to come back, that the
fight was real and that it could be forever, something in her eyes died a
little.  She ran across town and made it to the field in time to watch you
leave.  She went really quiet after that.  You took an important part of
her with you.

Forget the orders that you're under.  Forget pride and hurt and 
distractions.  You love each other.  People go their whole lives without
ever getting the chance to taste what you could have and keep forever.

Talk to her, man.  You're never going to get a chance like this again.//

It wasn't signed, but it sounded just like Xander.  Riley put the letter
down carefully, eyes still locked on the words scrawled across the page in
obvious haste.  Graham stared at him.  "Where did that come from?"

"I talked to Xander a few times, back when things with Buffy first started
to go wrong.  He was the one I could talk to then.  He probably knows more
about what happened to Buffy and me than I do."  Riley blinked and forced
himself to look away from the words that so distracted him.  He nodded
toward the sheet of paper waiting for Graham.  "Aren't you going to read
it?"

Graham reached out and picked up the letter.  "What could he have left to
say?"  He opened up the letter, angling the page so that Riley could see
it as well.

//Graham-

I don't know if you're even going to read this, but I need to say this,
need to know that I tried to let you know.

Thank you.  I know that you hate the fact that you wasted so much time on
me, but I still have to thank you for it.  You are an amazing guy and the
fact that you took any kind of interest in me...thank you.  Someday you're
going to find the person who can love you like you deserve, and he's is
going to be the luckiest man on the planet.

Thank you.  You showed me something I thought I'd never have a chance to
ever experience and no matter how it turned out, I can't regret it.//

Graham frowned down at the letter.  It didn't sound right.  It wasn't an
apology and it wasn't an angry rebuttal continuing the argument from the
other day.  "It's a good-bye."  He dropped the letter and grabbed the
envelope marked for Giles.

"What are you doing?" Riley asked.

"This letter was a good-bye.  So was yours.  Why is he writing good-bye
letters?"  He opened the letter to Giles, the fear inside him growing.

//Giles-

I'm sorry to be telling you the news like this, but there really isn't a
better way to do it.  If you're reading this, then I'm dead.  I'm telling
you because I need you to be the one to hold the others together.  Buffy
and Willow are both going to blame themselves and you're the only one who
is going to be able to make sure they don't.

This isn't anyone's fault but my own.  I walked into the situation with my
eyes open, knowing what could happen.

I know you're going to be upset, but I need you to do a few things for me.
 Could you please give these envelopes to the people they're for?  I've
also included my will in this letter to you.  I don't have much, but I do
know where I'd like it to go.

The second favor is going to be harder to do, I think.  I need you and
Buffy to watch out for Spike for me.  He is the reason that I actually
made it this far, lasted this long.  He had my back, risked his life for
me over and over and kept me alive.  You're going to laugh, but he turned
out to be a friend and I don't want anything to happen to him.

The only other thing I have to tell you is thank you.  Not for pulling the
answer to stopping the apocalypse out of the book no one else knew
existed, although that was always pretty cool.  I want to thank you for
showing me what a father, what a man is supposed to be like.  You've been
my guide for both and I'm sorry that I waited this long to tell you.  And
I guess I won't curl up and die of manly embarrassment if I write this
down - I love you.

Thank you, G-man.

Sorry.  I just had to get that in one last time!//

Graham dropped the letter.  "He's going to get himself killed."  He stood
up and walked back to the bedroom, pulling on boots and gearing up.

Riley followed him.  "And he was going to let me be the bearer of bad news
to Giles?  Great."  He grabbed boots and gear as well.  "Where do you
think he is?"

"I know who we should ask."  Graham felt the need to move jittering
through him, making him anxious to be moving.  He didn't know what Xander
had gotten himself into or if it might already be too late.

"Not Spike."  Riley's voice was firm as he moved toward the door.

"No."  Graham led the way to the car, opening up the driver's side door
and sliding in.  If Xander was going to get into something that he was
pretty sure was going to kill him, then there was no way Spike was
involved.  Graham had witnessed how protective the vampire was of Xander;
Spike would keep Xander alive at all costs.  Xander must have shut Spike
out and left him behind.

Graham drove to the cemetery with controlled haste.  Riley figured out
what he was thinking and was at his side the whole way to the crypt where
they'd seen Xander those weeks back, emerging from the shadows shaking and
pale.  This was where Xander got his information.  This was where they'd
find out where he'd gone.  "We're going to go in fast and hard, get what
we need and get out."

Riley nodded.  "Let's go."

Graham turned to move toward the crypt, but before he could even take a
step forward, he was knocked aside.  As he tried to catch himself, he
caught sight of a figure enveloped in a dark cloak and heard a stream of
curses as the figure blew past him.  Spike.  Graham followed the snarling
vampire into the crypt, Riley following close behind.

Spike threw off the protective covering he'd worn to ward off the sun and
lunged across the crypt, grabbing the blue demon within around the throat.
 "What the hell did you do to him?  Where is he?"  He punctuated his
demands by slamming the demon's head against the wall of the crypt.

Graham hurried forward and grabbed one of Spike's arms.  "Riley!  He'll
kill him!"  With Riley's help, he was able to drag the enraged vampire
away from the demon.  If Spike killed it, they'd never know what Xander
was planning.  They'd have no chance of saving him.

Spike struggled and swore, but Graham and Riley managed to hold him.  The
blue demon slumped against the wall of the crypt, staring at Spike with
alarm.  "Hey!" Graham called, getting the creature's attention.  "We're
not going to be able to hold him forever.  Tell us what we want to know,
or we let him go."  He kept his voice level, not allowing the fear and
urgency that filled him to show in away.  "Tell us where Xander is."

*****