Backfire - Spander Files

as he watched the vampire morph into the monster, gold eyes glued to the vein that
Xander was stroking.
Back to focus on Cindy, Xander let his hands fall to Spike’s arms, sliding down and
covering the cold hands that were gripping the girl’s wrists.
“Cindy. Believe me when I tell you that whatever happens next, you won’t feel any
pain. We won’t hurt you. Do you believe me?”
Cindy’s eyes searched Xander for something that only she knew. It took about a
minute for her to find what she was looking for. “Yes. I believe you.”
“Okay.”
Spike took that as his cue. The vampire leaned forward slightly and when the fangs
split her skin, Xander felt the air around them still. He watched her eyes carefully
and saw no change in them as Spike continued into her, wrapping his lips around
the warm skin.
And when Spike started sucking, and Cindy’s eyes widened when the realization
finally hit her that she was going to die, Xander was so proud of her when he didn’t
see the fear return.
As her tears began flowing, and sadness and acceptance spread across her face,
Xander leaned forward and kissed the wetness on her cheeks. Then without
thinking, he pressed his lips against hers, marveling at how warm and soft she was.
Xander didn’t know how long he stayed in that position, but he felt instantly when
the life left her body. She stayed soft and warm, but the air around her changed.
Dead bodies were simply objects. Something for the loved ones to cry over and
bury. Aside from the moss growing on the side of the house, Xander was the only
living thing in this space.
He pulled away from her, not knowing if the wetness on his cheeks was her tears or
his own. He let go of the dead wrists just as Spike did, and the body fell forward
into Xander’s arms. He held onto it tenderly for a few moments before bending to
place it gently in a sitting position against the side of the house.