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 23/24 Spike watched Buffy and Willow eye Graham and was fairly certain that a fight was inevitable. He thought it was a fairly good idea; a nice little fight would relieve tension and he'd get the chance to maybe see Buffy get smashed upside the head. Of course, Red would most likely turn him and Graham into rabbits or kittens or some other sort of harmless furry creatures before any real smashing took place, so maybe a fight really wasn't a good idea. Xander apparently agreed with him. The dark-haired man moved to stand between Graham and the women he faced. "Buff, Wills, just hang on a second, all right?" He raised his hands in a placating gesture. Willow cocked her head to the side. "What's he talking about?" "It's not like it sounds." Xander laughed a little nervously. "Well, actually it is like it sounds, but it's not a joke. Graham and I really are together." "Um, Xander? You're not gay." Buffy sounded reluctant to point that out. "No, I'm not," Xander agreed. "I'm bi." He glanced over at Willow. "I just kept it to myself longer. I'm not as brave as some people." "So what about Spike?" Buffy asked. "There was huggage there, too." "Yeah. I'm with Spike, too. I love him." "And you're ok with this?" Buffy shook her head. "Xander, that's nuts. It's Spike and you're in love with Graham." "I'm also in love with Spike. I love both of them." Spike felt his smirk slip. Xander's voice was quiet, confident. He didn't lapse into doubt or uncertainty when his emotions were questions. Two days ago he probably would have. The Cynon's taint was finally gone. "Xander, you're talking about Spike. Evil, remember? Soulless vampire?" Buffy took a step toward Xander, her expression frank and worried. "I know exactly who I'm talking about." Xander's smile was gentle but determined. "He's the one who moved in with me when I needed someone around to get over the silence Anya left behind. He's the friend that had my back for the past couple of months, making sure I lived through fights I couldn't have gotten out of on my own. He's bandaged me up and made me laugh and kept me alive and kept me sane. He loves me and I love him. He's not going to hurt me. He wouldn't. He can't." Spike watched in concern as Willow dropped back beside her girlfriend, the two of them whispering back and forth so quietly he couldn't understand them. They were the ones that worried him. He didn't think Buffy would stake him or kick Graham's ass - not too badly, anyway - but he didn't want to send Red off into a fit of overprotectiveness. Buffy nodded her head as though responding to something only she could hear, then shifted her weight so she was looking past Xander at both him and Graham. "So, Fangless, Soldier. Tell me again what you're doing with Xander. Tell me the truth." Someday he was going to find a way to make her pay for all the cute nicknames she liked to give him. He was going to make her scream out her apologies and beg for mercy. Or maybe he'd just make another round of the town with his trusty permanent marker, writing out her phone number and 'for a good time call Slutty the Vampire Layer' on any surface that would take a mark. Xander and Graham would probably object to hurting her, so he'd be better off with the marker. Swallowing his anger, he met her glare evenly. "I love Xander. I'm falling for Graham and I'm not going to hurt either one of them." Graham moved to stand closer to him. "Same here. I love Xander and I'm not far off from loving Spike and anyone who wants to get to them will have to go through me." Willow and Tara's voices rose as they chanted in unison, speaking words in a non-human tongue. As the spell came to a climax, a bright flash of light appeared and swept through first Graham and then Spike. Spike jerked as it passed through him. It didn't hurt but it felt decidedly strange. "What the hell was that?" "Truth spell," Willow said, smiling. Her eyes and softened and she looked much less frightening. "They're telling the truth," she declared. Buffy nodded. "Fine, then. I guess nobody gets their asses kicked." Xander shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "Most people live in terror of having to introduce people to their parents, doing the whole meeting the in-laws thing. Lucky me, I get to worry about my lovers meeting my friends." "There's nothing to worry about, Xan," Buffy said. "We know all the best places to hide the bodies. If they slip up, no one will ever find them." Spike glanced over at Graham, watching the other man's eyes widen. He could read surprise in his blue eyes, mingled with a small amount of relief. Spike moved closer to him. "You all right?" "I think I will be," Graham muttered quietly. "We passed the test, didn't we?" "Yeah. Lucky for both of us, we get to leave with our balls." Buffy could be an absolute raving bitch, but she had a strong protective instinct where her friends were concerned. If she believed that he or Graham were a real threat to Xander then there was no way they'd just be walking out of the house with him. Spike watched Giles draw Willow and Tara away a little bit, eavesdropping shamelessly even as Buffy told Xander and Graham how she and Giles had healed Dawn. He listened in as Giles scolded Willow and Tara for performing the spell without warning or preparation. Spike knew that the scolding wasn't going to do any good. Willow would continue to do whatever she thought she had to in order to make sure that Xander was safe and unhurt. Crossing her would be a very, very bad idea. Spike would rather have Buffy pissed at him then Willow. Buffy would only kick his ass and stake him. Willow would do interesting and probably messy things to him with magic before she killed him, once she'd grown tired of listening to him scream for mercy. As Giles stepped away from Willow, his gaze raked over Spike and Graham. The vampire was very glad that Graham missed that look; it might have sent him scrambling for the door. Spike had seen the way Giles looked at the children that surrounded him: under all the overly patient exasperation was pride and love so fierce its strength was nearly breath-taking. If he ever made an enemy of Giles by hurting the man's surrogate son, Spike knew he was better off facing Buffy or Willow. Giles wouldn't kill him. Giles would make him hurt, take him apart and put him back together in horribly painful ways. Giles would allow him to exist so he could suffer eternally, making sure the pain never ended. Spike was distracted from his scary thoughts by Xander's hand on his arm. "Do you want to go see Dawn?" "Of course, pet. Lead the way." Spike stayed close to Xander, completely abandoning Graham to the Scoobies. The man had to get used to them if he was going to stick around. They weren't going to go away; they were too important part of Xander's life. Dawn was in her bedroom, propped up on pillows and buried in blankets. "Hey, Niblet." "Spike! Xander!" She looked exhausted, but her smile was real. Xander walked over to sit on the edge of her bed. "How're you doing, Dawn?" "Better. I'm really feeling better." "Good." Xander smiled at her, and Spike thought he did a good job of suppressing the shakiness in it. Xander hadn't talked much about Dawn being ill, but the vampire knew that he'd been worrying about her silently ever since she'd gotten sick. "I don't think you should get sick again." "No," Dawn agreed. "This wasn't any fun." Xander started to say something, then just shook his head and gently pulled her into a hug. "Missed you, Dawnie," he said quietly. Watching made Spike realize all over again how much Xander cared about his friends. He was going to have to learn to play nicely with them to keep Xander happy. He was going to have to get along with them if he wanted to keep Xander, period. Dawn buried her face in his shoulder and nodded silently. After long moments passed, she sat back. Xander pushed a lock of hair back off her face and smiled. "I'm going to let the rest of your adoring fans come up and get a look at you. You left your public alone for too long. I'll be back to see you soon, though, K?" "Ok." Dawn looked at Spike. "Are you coming back?" "Course I am. Couldn't keep me away." Spike grinned at her and waved as he followed Xander out the door. As they headed down the stairs, Spike saw that Graham's eyes were looking just a little wild. No telling what the Scoobies had done to him. They might have been grilling him for details on his relationship with Xander, or they might just have been reminiscing on some of their high school adventures. Xander shifted his weight back and forth. "I think it's about time we got going," he said. "It's been a big day." He glanced at Willow. "Dawn would like to see you." Willow nodded. "I'll be talking to you later, then." It wasn't a question. "K, mom," Xander teased. "I'll call you." He looked seriously at his friends. "It's going to be all right," he said. "I love them. They love me." Spike glared at Buffy, daring her to doubt. She glared back at him, but said nothing. "Be sure to call," Willow said. "And Spike, Graham? I'll be needed to have a talk with you." Spike wasn't sure why that statement sent Riley off into a choking fit, but he didn't think that the reason was one he would like. Xander shook his head. "I'll call." He ushered Spike and Graham out the door. Graham waved goodbye to Riley and Spike resisted the urge to flash an obscene gesture as he passed through the door. Hey, it was a start. As they walked, Graham looked shakily over at Xander. "You have a very strange group of friends." "Yep," Xander agreed easily. "Try looking at it this way: you have to meet them, but you don't have to meet any in-laws. It all kinda works out in the end." Spike wanted to head off this conversation. He knew about Xander's parents and didn't want to depress the dark-eyed man by making him think about them. "What should we do with the rest of the night? Hit a bar and toast Dawn's recovery?" Graham shook his head. "I'm a little tired; I don't know if I'm up for a bar. We could catch a movie, maybe." Xander shook his head. "I was thinking that maybe we could stay in for the rest of the night. You know, at the apartment and, uh..." He flushed as his voice trailed away. He waved one of his hands back and forth in a vague gesture. Graham raised an eyebrow. "You want to play ping pong?" Spike thought he knew what Xander meant - he knew what he hoped he meant - but he couldn't resist the urge to tease him. "You want to play charades?" "No..." Xander flushed harder. "If you can't say it, Xan, we can't do it." This was important. If Xander was really over the Cynon's influence, then he was ready to move on. But not if he couldn't say it. If he couldn't say it, then he wasn't ready to do it. Xander glared at him. "Fine. You go to a bar. Graham can go to a movie. I'll go home and jerk off, since no one wants to have sex with me." He turned and walked back toward the apartment. *****