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 5/?

Graham watched in concern as Xander yawned again while walking back to his
apartment.  The dark-haired man wasn't just tired from the fight; he was
utterly exhausted.  Some of it could be expected:  Xander had acquitted
himself well during the confrontation with the vampires.  He'd fought with
determination, relying on experience instead of fancy maneuvers.  Coming
down from an adrenaline high usually sapped one's strength, but Xander
looked ready to curl up and sleep in a convenient alley.

He shifted impatiently.  He wanted to make sure Xander was all right, but
he was having a difficult time even getting a clear view of the other man.
 Spike was constantly beside Xander, blocking Graham's access to him.  It
was making the soldier a little crazy.  Finally meeting Xander hadn't
helped him get over his crush; instead, it only made things worse.  He'd
gotten to see Xander up close, look into his dark eyes and hear him say
his name.

He'd *touched* him.  He reached out and taken Xander's hand.  He'd cheated
a little during the handshake and held on for a few extra seconds,
memorizing the feeling of Xander's callused palm, the strength in his
fingers and the heat of his skin.  That little touch had sealed Graham's
fate.  His crush was rapidly becoming something stronger with every moment
he spent with Xander.

Even if there was a vampire with some kind of peroxide fetish standing
between them.  Refusing to look at Spike any more than he had to, Graham
put his secret ops training to use and managed to maneuver around the
blond man so he could walk next to Xander.  "Are you sure you're all
right?"

Xander's smile lit his eyes.  "Yeah.  I'm fine."

"You just seem awfully tired."  Graham hoped he was coming across as
concerned rather than nosy.

Spike laughed derisively.  "Can't imagine why he'd be tired.  He just
worked a full day at a construction site and then went running about a
bloody cemetery."

Graham glared at him.  He didn't care how touchable Spike's cheekbones
were, he wasn't going to just sit there and let the vampire snipe away at
him and interrupt his Xander time.  Besides, he didn't like how close
Spike was staying to Xander.  The blond man was practically hovering over
him.  He was distracted from making a snide comment in return by their
return to Xander's apartment building.

Xander smiled a little hesitantly.  "You guys want to come up?"

Graham nodded quickly.  "There are still a few things we should discuss." 
He refused to turn around and look at Riley.  He was technically stepping
into Riley's position and usurping his place, but he knew his friend was
going to be amused rather than upset.  He didn't want to turn around and
see Riley laughing at him.  On the upside, his quick agreement seemed to
have irritated Spike, which made up for the vampire laughing at him, just
a bit.

Once inside the apartment, he settled down in the chair he'd occupied
before.  He watched Spike follow Xander around the apartment like he was
his shadow, only stopping once Xander sat down on the couch.  Spike
flopped down beside him, sprawling across the rest of the available space.

Riley cleared his throat.  "I'm kind of surprised that Anya isn't here
waiting for you."

Xander's gaze dropped to his hands.  "Anya left," he said quietly.  "She
sort of freaked out after Joyce died.  It was like she all of a sudden
realized that being human meant dying.  She said she couldn't stay in
Sunnydale.  Not even..."  His voice trailed away into silence.  "I
couldn't leave.  She did."

Graham hated the pain he could hear in Xander's voice.  He hated Anya for
not being willing to stay with him.  He hadn't like thinking about his
crush being with someone else, but he liked knowing that Xander had been
hurt even less.  He noticed that Spike was glaring at Riley.  Because his
question upset Xander?

Spike stood up abruptly.  "I think it's time for you two to go."

Graham wanted to object, but Xander's yawn made him reconsider.  Xander
did need to sleep.  He rose to his feet.  "Do you want our help tomorrow
night?"

Xander smiled gratefully at him.  "It would make things a lot easier. 
Could you meet us back here around ten?"

"Why not right after sunset?" Riley asked.

"I've got something to take care of."  Xander's voice sounded extremely
casual, but the shadows that appeared in his eyes and Spike's sudden
restlessness sent off warning bells in Graham's head.  Whatever this
something was, it couldn't be good.

Riley stood up.  "Then I guess we'll see you at ten."  He moved toward the
door, eliminating any chance Graham had for asking questions.  He had no
choice but to wish Xander good night and follow Riley to the door.  He and
Riley paused, waiting for Spike to join them.  When the vampire gave no
sign of leaving, Riley stopped Xander from closing the door behind them. 
"Isn't Spike leaving?"

Xander shook his head.  "Spike lives here, most of the time.  He doesn't
pay rent, but he's my roommate.  A lot has changed since you left." 
Behind him, Spike stared directly at Graham, one eyebrow arched.  Xander
hesitated.  "Have you seen Buffy yet?"

"No.  I can't."  Riley shrugged helplessly.  "I just can't."

Xander reached out and touched Riley's shoulder briefly, his eyes full of
commiseration and understanding.  "I'll see you tomorrow."  His gaze slid
over to meet Graham's and then he disappeared behind the closing door.

Graham fumed quietly as they headed back for the vehicle.  He wasn't
imagining things:  the look that Spike had shot him had been a challenge. 
What was Xander thinking, letting a vampire stay with him?  Sure, Spike
was chipped, but he was clearly still up to something.  "I don't like this
at all," he said, climbing into the driver's seat.

"What, that you don't get to stay with him?"

"Besides that."  Graham drove back toward base.  "Did you notice that
Spike was the one leading us to the vampires?"

"While last night it was Xander who was doing the leading?"  Riley nodded.
 "I caught that.  I want to know how they know where to go.  If it's
through Spike's contacts, then why was Xander leading last night?  I also
caught on that whatever Xander's doing tomorrow, he doesn't want us to
know about it.  It's a good thing we'll be following him."

"What about Spike?"  Graham knew that it couldn't just be his imagination.
 "He's acting weird, isn't he?"

"He's always rude, but you're right.  He's staying too close to Xander." 
Riley stared blindly through the windshield.  "If he can't get close to
Buffy right now, he might be doing this as a way to stay on her good side.
 You know, protect her friend and win points with her that way."

Graham didn't reply, but he didn't agree.  He could understand that Riley
was focused on Buffy but he believed that it was twisting his friend's
perspective.  Whatever Spike was up to, it was centered around Xander. 
The vampire had been Xander's deadly little guardian devil, always at his
side, warding him from every threat.  That sort of dedication went beyond
trying to get on someone's good side:  Spike had a vested interest in
keeping Xander safe and keeping him close and Graham wanted to know what
it was.

Back at base, he and Riley reported immediately to Tyndal's office.  Riley
briefly laid out the events of the evening.  He concluded his report by
saying, "I believe that both Harris and Spike bear further scrutiny and
they definitely deserve our continued cooperation.  They are the only ones
taking an active role against the descent of chaos."

After Graham nodded his agreement, Tyndal considered Riley's words.  "I'm
going to keep the surveillance on both of them.  I want you two to work
with the surveillance teams, but your chief concern is to work with Harris
and Spike and make sure the HSTs don't take over this town.  I'll be
expecting reports from you every evening."

"Yes, sir."  Graham saluted and followed Riley out of the office toward
their quarters.  He watched Riley strip down for bed.  He couldn't do the
same:  he had too much restless energy inside him.  He knew that he'd just
end up staring at the ceiling and shifting continuously until Riley
threatened to kill him.  "I'm hitting the gym."

Riley grunted his acknowledgement.

Graham made his way to the gym and started doing laps around the empty
track, setting a fast pace to burn off the nervousness that filled him. 
As he ran, he pictured Xander smiling a greeting at him, Xander reaching
out to take his hand, Xander focused and determined in a fight, Xander
working in a white undershirt and gleaming in the sun... There was no
denying it; he had it bad.  He knew it was only going to get worse, now
that he was under orders to spend time with Xander.  Maybe he'd be able to
figure out what Spike was up to.  No matter what Riley thought, Graham
knew that the vampire's real focus was Xander.  It didn't matter how much
help Spike was being, or how sexy he looked in black:  Graham wasn't going
to sit there and let him get away with whatever he was planning for
Xander.  Not when Graham was there to stop him.  Not when Graham had some
plans for Xander himself.

*****