*~*~*~*

"Giles, it's like three in the morning," Buffy whined, sitting on the couch and leaning against Riley. "What the hell could Xander have that's so damn important he can't wait till in the morning?" She rubbed her hand across her face, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She still wore her flannel pajamas, only covering up with one of Riley's robes.

"I don't know," Giles said. "He sounded as if it were important. . ."

"Oh, it's important," Willow said, after opening the door and stepping in. She turned, looking at Xand. "Promise?"

He rolled his eyes. "I promise, Willow of mine."

"Stop that," she hissed. "Come on in, Xander." She pulled him inside.

Buffy's eyebrow rose at the black leather pants and blue silk shirt that Xand was wearing. She was surprised. She'd never seen him look as good as he did then. And then her eyes narrowed. "Vampire," she hissed.

Xand narrowed his own eyes. "Slayer," he said, vamping.

Riley jumped up. "Xander! He's a vampire!"

"Oh, dear lord," Giles whispered.

Xander ran into apartment. "Wait, wait, it's ok, it's not me! I'm still human!"

Angel and Spike walked in after him. "Rupert. Buffy." He ignored Riley.

"Great," Riley said. "It's the ex. Just who *I* was looking forward to seeing." He sat back down with a grumble.

"Xander Harris, what the hell is going on here?" Giles cried.

Xand grinned around fangs, pulling Willow to him. "I've come to get my Willow." He glanced back at Angel. "And Puppy too. Don't forget about Puppy."

Angel rolled his eyes and pushed past him. "Please, Rupert, you *have* to send him home. I'll kill him if you don't."

Spike grinned, leaning up to Xand. "Don't listen to him. He's just trying to fight his attraction," he whispered.

Xand chuckled. "I know. I will make him scream, you know that, don't you?"

Spike threw the vampire a big grin. "I just want to be there to see it. I've never seen someone dominate the great almighty Angelus."

Xand clapped his hand on Spike's shoulder, laughing. "We will make a party of it! Everyone who wants to see my Puppy scream will be invited!"

Angel threw Xand a dark look across the room.

Xander went to the couch and sat down, a little lightheaded. "You are making me ill. Do you have to talk about Angel like he's. . .sexy?"

Xand crossed his arms. "Xander. I know you too well. I *am* you. You cannot honestly tell me you haven't had the dreams. . ."

"What. . .dreams?" Xander asked, paling slightly. < Please, he can't know about the dreams. >

"The ones where he comes to your room and ties you down. . ." Xand stalked his human self, intent on letting him know exactly how he felt about the vampire. "He ties you down and runs that delicious mouth all over your naked quivering flesh. . .dominating you, claiming you as his. . .hell, Xander! *I've* had that dream, and I'm the vampire in mine and Puppy's relationship!"

Xander stared at his vampire counterpart with his mouth wide open. < He knows my dreams, > he thought.

Buffy slapped Xander's arm. "You are dreaming about my ex-boyfriend? Don't do that!"

"Yes, please," Angel muttered, almost non-convincingly. "Don't do that." He turned his head, trying to blink away the image of tying Xander up and ravaging him. He'd never entertained those thoughts before, mostly because the boy hated him. So he thought. It was very obvious by the bright blushing and open mouthed gaping that Xander had dreamt of him in that capacity. < Since when did Xander want me? > Angel absentmindedly thought. < And why doesn't that exactly. . .bother me? >

Willow shifted from foot to foot. "Guys?" she said softly.

Xand leered at Willow. "My beautiful Willow. Do you want me to make Puppy scream before or after I show you *exactly* what I can do to make you quiver?"

Willow shuddered, closing her eyes. "Xand, please. . ." she whispered. "Don't do this."

He got up, walking to her. "You weren't complaining a while ago, little girl," he purred. "As I seem to remember. . ." He grabbed her arms and pulled her to him. Her eyes flew open and she gasped as she felt his erection against her body. "You were lying on your bed, shirtless. And if the heartbreakingly human version of myself hadn't come rushing in to save the day, you'd be writhing under me right now, as we speak." He tilted her face up to his. "You wouldn't have stopped me, would you, Willow?"

"Xander. . .I. . ."

"You can't lie to me," he purred. "You never could, not as a human, or a vampire. It's not your nature to lie. Not to me." He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Not to your best friend."

A small moan escaped her lips and his hands slipped under her shirt. He stroked her heated flesh, causing sensations to run up and down her back in the form of quivering muscles. "Xander," she purred, pressing herself against him.

The human Xander stared at his best friend pressing against. . .him. His mind kicked into overdrive as he imagined laying Willow down, pulling her clothes off, and sinking into her warmth. He groaned softly, closing his eyes as he became hard. < Need to get away, > he thought, his mind assaulted with images of naked Willow, naked Angel. < Need to leave now. . . > He stood up. "Home. Need to go home," he said softly.

"Come on, Xand," Willow said softly. "The sun will come up and I know Giles doesn't want you staying here. Let's go back to my house."

The vampire wrapped his arm around the redhead's shoulders. "I like the way you think, Willow."

Willow's face turned as red as her hair as the vampire's words settled in her mind. "No!" she squeaked. "I'm not *sleeping* with you!"

He brushed his lips against her earlobe. "I'm not asking you to sleep with me. I, personally, am not tired." He chuckled.

Xander glanced from Willow's face to the vampire's face. "I'm going with them!" he squeaked. "Someone *has* to protect her from him!"

Xand leered at the mortal version of himself. "Protect her? You want her writhing in pleasure underneath you just as much as I do."

Xander crossed his arms, locking his jaw. "No, I have *more* respect for Willow than you apparently do."

Willow looked away sadly. < Even now, after seeing the vampire version of himself try to get me in bed, he doesn't want me. > She frowned. < What the *hell* am I thinking? I don't *want* Xander to want me! This is such a bad thing. . . >

"I'm going too," Buffy said, standing up. "Someone needs to protect Willow."

"No, not the Slayer!" Xand cried. "God, I *hate* the Slayer!" He looked over at Angel. "You are a White Hat. You come."

Angel glanced at Spike, who smirked. "Fine," Angel said. He glanced at his watch. "I don't have enough time to make it to LA anyway. So we'll all go to Willow's house: Spike, Xand, Willow, and me. Xander, you go home and get some sleep, I'm sure you've had a traumatic night. I'll take some of Giles' books. . ." He looked at Giles to make sure that was ok. The former Watcher nodded his head. "Willow and I will do research there, and Giles will do some here. Buffy. . ." Angel stopped, looking down at his ex-girlfriend, the supposed love of his life. "Buffy, go home and get some sleep. I'll take care of them."

She fumed. "Fine," she hissed. "If you think you can handle it. But if something happens, then it's all your fault. Come on, Riley." She grabbed her boyfriend's hand and pulled him out of the apartment.

"I'm going with you guys," Xander said. "I don't trust any of you. Except *maybe* Deadboy, but then if Xand ties him up and makes him scream, then who knows what will happen."

Angel smirked at the human. "Like *you* could stop him," he said, purposely trying to ruffle the human's feathers. The feelings that had surfaced about Xander were getting under his skin, and he decided he'd try to intimidate the human in retaliation.

Xander stood up, his eyes blazing with anger. He grabbed the front of Angel's shirt, pulling the dark vampire inches from his own face. "Listen here, Deadboy," he said, his voice cold as steel, "this is my best friend we are talking about. She's the only person my whole godforsaken life who has stood up for me and loved me for who I am, and I'll be *damned* if some vampire hurts her. If it comes down to it, I will run a stake through his heart, cut off his head, and throw his body out in the sun, you hear me? I could stop him if he needed to be stopped. There's nothing that can change that. I *never* want to hear you doubt how I feel about Willow, or what I will do to protect her, ok?"

Angel blinked in mild shock. "Yea, sorry, Harris," he said softly. There was something wild in the human's eyes. . .something that let Angel know that he *would* go to any lengths to protect Willow.

Willow shuddered at the display of testosterone machoism. No one had ever stood up for her like that. Sure, Xander had stood up for her over her life, but never with such venom. She was sure that if it came down to it, Xander would do all of that and more to protect her honor. "Come on," she said softly, pulling away from the vampire and going to her best friend. She slipped her arm around his waist. "Let's go back to my house before the sun rises."

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