Backfire - Spander Files

vampire waiting for him in his backyard. He had a growing red mark on the back of
his left hand caused by constant scratching at an itch that refused to be quelled.
Angel and Giles were the only two that noticed how increasingly uncomfortable he
was becoming, but neither could do anything but give him sympathetic looks.
At around midnight, everyone left the apartment, including Angel and Xander to
walk Buffy and Cordelia home. The four couples were all hand-in-hand by that
time. Angel and Buffy seemed to be doing better after the gift exchange. Angel had
given Buffy a ring that had some kind of significance, and he wore a matching one
on his finger.
Cordy and Xander spent some more time kissing on her front porch, until her dad
flipped on the porch light and opened the door, pinning Xander with a fatherly glare
that gave Giles a run for his money. Cordelia grinned shyly and shuffled passed her
dad, leaving Xander to mumble a “Mr Chase,” in recognition, and tip his imaginary
hat before skeedadling off the porch and into the cool night.
*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*
Spike wasn’t in the basement. Or anywhere in the factory for that matter. Xander
was having a severe panic attack as he wandered the streets looking for his vampire,
closely inspecting every pile of dust he came across, praying that each one wasn’t
Spike, and not knowing if he would even recognize Spike as a pile of dust if he was
one.
It seemed a miracle that he found him. Just ran into the vampire walking down the
sidewalk of a very affluent neighborhood, going toward nowhere in particular.
Spike was walking with some kind of determination, but Xander was so relieved to
see him, that he didn’t care what the purpose was.
Spike received a slap on the shoulder when Xander finally caught up to him.
“Where the fuck have you been?”
“Figured you’d find me.”
“Yeah, well. Don’t give me such a wiggins next time, geez… Where are you going?