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 7/?

Xander hurt.  The inside of his head throbbed, protesting the Cynon's
invasion of his mind.  His eyes burned from the tears he had shed and his
arms and legs were weak with reaction.  He felt battered inside and out. 
When he stumbled outside, he just wanted to get away from the Cynon and
reach the comfort of Spike's company.  He called for the vampire as soon
as he left the crypt.

Spike was at his side in an instant.  "Are you all right?  How are you
feeling?"  He gently touched Xander's arm and guided him over to a low
gravestone so he could sit.

Xander raised his hands to his temples.  "It hurts," he admitted quietly. 
"But it always hurts."  His headache was intensified by the new
information pressing in on his awareness:  the locations of various
demons, the plans they'd made, how long he had to find and kill them
before they could hurt any innocents.  He looked up at Spike, wanting to
tell him what he'd learned and what they should do next.  Before he could
say anything, he caught sight of Riley and Graham staring at him.  "What
the hell are they doing here?"

Spike pressed a few aspirin into his hand.  "They just showed up.  They
wanted to interrupt, but didn't get the chance."

"Are you all right?"  Spike could've been hurt trying to stop them.

Spike laughed.  "You're asking me that when you're the...take your
aspirin."

Xander obediently dry-swallowed the pills, grimacing at the foul taste. 
"I don't know why I bother with these.  They don't help."  He knew he was
going to have to deal with Graham and Riley's presence but he wasn't up to
it.  He needed a little while longer to recover first.

"No?"  Spike's fingers were cool against his forehead.

"Not any more.  I'm almost at the point where I'm willing to try...your
alternative."  At the last moment he remembered they had company and he
censored himself.  Spike seemed to dislike the pain and exhaustion that
shook him every time he went to the Cynon.  After a few encounters, Spike
went so far as to offer Xander his blood.  Not to turn him, though;
apparently a vampire's blood held certainly healing qualities.  Xander had
refuse the offer when it was first made but he was almost willing to try
it now.

Spike's hand moved down to grip his shoulder hard.  "Anything you want,
pet. 
  Anything."

Xander thought the blue eyes staring down at him darkened and that Spike's
voice sounded eager and almost...husky.  He stared up at Spike for a
moment before he realized how ridiculous his thoughts were.  Spike was
just offering to help him as a friend.  Imagining that there was anything
else behind the offer was foolish and dangerous and Xander already had
enough of both going on in his life at the moment.  He contented himself
with smiling up at Spike.  "Thank you."

Spike squeezed his shoulder again, then shifted to stand beside him rather
than in front.  He still kept his hand on Xander's shoulder, though.

Xander had an unobstructed view of Graham and Riley.  "What are you doing
here?"

"That's what I want to ask you," Riley said.  "What the hell happened to
you?  What's inside of there?"

Xander stared at him steadily.  How had they found him and Spike?  They
weren't supposed to meet them for another hour.  "You were following me. 
You, or a surveillance team you've got targeting me."  It was the only
thing that made sense.  It also explained why the soldiers hadn't been all
that surprised to see Spike.  "How long have I been under surveillance?"

Riley hesitated, then sighed and gave in.  "Under a week, I promise you. 
There's surveillance in your apartment and you've been followed to work. 
Beyond that, no one's been able to stick with you when you've gone out on
patrol."

Spike snarled.  "You've been following us?"

Xander laid his hand on Spike's stomach in a light restraining touch. 
"Standard procedure.  What else would they do if the situation in dear old
Sunnyhell went to shit?"  He turned his attention to Riley and Graham.  "I
want it called off."

"On one condition," Graham said.  "What was going on in there?  What hurt
you?"

"I've got one more condition, then," Xander countered.  "I'll tell you,
but I need your word that you won't interfere."

"Fine!" Graham said.  "What happened?"

Xander chose his words carefully.  He really didn't want to explain the
whole thing to them.  "I've got an arrangement with a demon.  He gives me
information about the other demons in town in exchange for the privilege
of scaring the hell out of me.  It's not a big deal."

"You look like you've been through hell," Graham objected.  "We've got
trained surveillance teams at our disposal.  You don't have to do this."

"Did your surveillance teams know that a pair of Fritandor demons are
planning on making their home beneath the Second Street nursery school? 
Easy access to snacks for the young ones that are on the way."  Xander
shook his head.  "Your surveillance isn't going to cut it.  I need him. 
We need him if we're going to have a chance."

"I don't like it."

"Neither do I.  Neither does Spike.  That doesn't change the fact that
it's our best bet for keeping people alive.  Are you going to stay out of
this?"

"Yes," Graham agreed.

"And pull the surveillance from us," Spike insisted.  "All of it."

"So long as you don't resist us patrolling with you, that shouldn't be a
problem," Riley said.  "We need to keep open communication."

"Fine."  Xander didn't like the creepy feeling of knowing that he'd been
monitored for the past few days without his knowledge.  He understood why
it had been done, but he was glad to know that it was over.  "Now that
we've got that settled, I guess we should get moving."

"Are you sure you're all right?" Spike asked.

"I'm as good as I'm going to get tonight.  I think we should tackle the
Fritandors tonight.  I don't want them to establish themselves and then
have to dig them out later."  He rose carefully to his feet, aware of
Spike hovering over him, ready to offer him aid if he needed it.  He
smiled briefly at the blond man and stretched painfully.  "Let's go."

As they walked, Spike stayed close to him, watching him carefully.  Xander
knew the first time that he showed an overt amount of pain or weariness
the vampire would insist on taking him home.  Xander figured it was a
leftover from Spike's time spent with Drusilla:  the blond man had
definite tendencies to be a mother hen.  It messed with Xander's head,
making him think that Spike cared more than he really did, making him
think that he was special to Spike instead of realizing that it was just
the way Spike was.

Thanks to the information in his head, finding the Fritandors was easy. 
Getting a chance to fight them wasn't.  He was willing to take his chances
and try to take them down, but he never even got close.  Spike charged
into the fray immediately and took out the male of the pair before the
demons even knew they were in trouble.  Xander moved to take on the female
but Graham got there first.  Between the blue-eyed solder and Spike,
Xander and Riley never had an opportunity to try to land a blow.  The
other two men dispatched the enraged demon in a matter of minutes.  Xander
and Riley exchanged irritated glances, although Xander thought he saw
amusement in Riley's gaze as well.

When Spike and Graham fell back to join them, Xander asked, "There's a few
fledges who are aspiring to try to rise above the level of minions not far
from here.  We could go take care of them."  His last words were distorted
by a yawn.

Spike shook his head.  "No more tonight.  You need to rest."

Before Xander could object, Graham agreed with Spike.  "If you've got to
work tomorrow, you're going to need to sleep."

Finding no support when he looked at Riley, Xander gave in.  "Fine.  You
two can use the extra time tonight removing all the bugs from my
apartment."  He frowned.  "Are you watching anyone else?"

Riley answered quickly.  "Not any more.  All teams will be called off
tonight."

Xander nodded.  "Good."

Walking back to his apartment was an interesting experience.  Spike and
Graham both walked close to him.  Xander knew what was going on, of
course.  Spike might not say anything, but he had to be nervous being so
close to members of the Initiative.  He was staying close to Xander
because they were less likely to make a move on him in front of a witness.
 No doubt Graham was worried about a vampire being so close to a human, so
he was staying close to Xander to make sure that Spike didn't try
anything.

Not that Xander had to accept reality.  As they walked, he allowed himself
to build a little fantasy:  Spike and Graham were both attracted to him -
better yet, they were in love with him.  They were walking close to him
because they couldn't bear to be too far from him.  It was silly and
impossible, but it helped to pass the time as they walked home.  Smiling
quietly to himself, he allowed himself to pretend for a little while that
he had someone to love and, best of all, that he was loved in return.

*****