Backfire - Spander Files

“I will not calm down! Did you read the paper this morning? Two more mysterious
deaths near the lake. Every day you keep Spike’s whereabouts secret, more people
will die.”
“Spike had nothing to do with those two. And what would you do to him if you did
find him, huh? Chain him up, lock him in a cage. Only let him loose to mate?
That’s not what you do to people.”
“Spike’s not people!”
“If you can say that about Spike, then you should say that about Angel.”
“Angel doesn’t kill people. And he doesn’t torture his victims by forcing them to
perform sex acts on a demon.”
“Have you forgotten Angel’s past? Sure, he’s all angst, guilt-ridden, soul-having,
but remember why he’s so guilty? And the fact that he’s the one who taught Spike
how to do this in the first place. Let’s also remember that Spike hasn’t killed me.
After all this time, and he hasn’t killed me, yet. So you and Buffy and Angel will
just have to trust me that I can handle the demon in Spike. Maybe not for always,
but for now, and that’s going to have to be good enough.”
*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*
Giles placed his empty glass on the table and planted a scrutinizing stare on Xander.
Xander didn’t flinch. He was so afraid for this boy. This boy who had grown more
in the last few months than Giles had seen in the past year. Should he be giving
partial credit for that to Spike?
In the past few months, and more specifically in the past few weeks, Xander had
been walking with a straighter back. When he entered a room now, he did so with
confidence and determination. Like he belonged wherever he was. Whether it’s in
the library or a cemetery. His run-on babble had become much more pointed and
deliberate, as well.
What about the relationship between Xander and Spike was Xander not telling