Backfire - Spander Files

Angel reached out and touched the brilliantly purple bruise on Xander’s right wrist.
The vampire then grasped him lightly by the elbow and guided him off the stairs
and into Giles’ office. He set him down in the chair, handed him a box of tissue
from the desk, then walked back out into the library, closing the door behind him.
Xander sat for a few moments before taking a tissue from the box and wiping his
face. He threw the crumpled tissue at the trash can, missed, and then popped two
more Advil from the bottle he carried with him at all times.
He sat there for what seemed like a very long time. He heard mumbled voices on
the other side of the closed door, then he heard people leaving the library. Finally,
Angel came back into the office with Giles immediately at his heels. Giles closed
the door behind them. Xander looked back and forth from the vampire to the
Watcher. He wasn’t really sure what was happening. He wasn’t sure how this next
part was supposed to go. What was supposed to be said. Angel broke the silence.
“Xander, I have to ask you some more questions, and I need you to answer me
honestly. I know it may be hard, but this is very important. I don’t want you to be
embarrassed or ashamed. It’s just us men here. Okay?”
Xander was panicked. “Please don’t ask me, Angel. Please?”
Angel squatted down next to the chair. “It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Xander started crying again and did his best to hide his face from Giles who was
cleaning his glasses and looking quite confused and concerned.
“Angel, if the boy doesn’t want to talk about it-”
“He has to,” Angel snapped back at Giles. “If what I think happened really
happened then…” The vampire seemed to be searching for the next words. He
shook his head slowly and turned back to Xander. “How much blood did he take?”
Xander wiped his eyes with another tissue and shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Angel’s eyes narrowed. “Well, it’s not like I had a measuring cup! How am I
supposed to know a thing like that?!”