Title: Forgotten
Author: heeroluva
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pairing: Spike/Xander pre-slash
Rating: PGish
Warnings: some ooc and emo chars
Words: 1709
Spoilers: none really
Disclaimer: I don't own them. I just like to play with them.
Summary: The girls forget something very important but Spike is there to make it all better.
Notes: This is written for the livejournal community fall_for_sx.I apologize for the ooc-ness and the clichés. All mistakes are mine and feel free to point them out. I love reviews. There's a small note at the end to help explain.

Xander would never admit that he'd stayed up until midnight waiting for the girls to call even though he was bone weary and exhausted from a crappy week at work. There had been multiple screw ups on their shipments having received both the wrong ones and then defective ones. A miscalculation had also led to a large section of the foundation collapsing and sending the frame crashing down around Xander who had been walking by.

The rest of the crew said that he had a guardian angel looking after him because he's managed to somehow be standing in a spot that allowed the frame to fall mostly around him rather than on him. It had caught him in the arm but was lucky enough to only receive a pretty ugly bruise. It was funny that he was more relieved that he hadn't broken his arm than he was that he was still alive. He guessed that facing so many life and death situations had made it seem almost blasé and insignificant. The thought of a broken arm and thus being out of a job, left him much more terrified.

Which is what brought him here, sitting on his couch by the silent phone, wanting to do nothing but sleep, but instead he watched as the glowing red digits counted passed the sacred midnight time. He figured the girls were busy or that they had something planned for later. Xander didn't let the creeping thought that they'd forgotten surface.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but at some point he drifted off, only to be rudely awakened way too soon by the brightness of the rising sun streaming through his windows. Momentarily confused at where he was, Xander jumped up and ended up in a pile on the ground groaning as he tripped over his own asleep legs.

He made a mental note not to sleep sitting up again and made himself a quick breakfast as his stomach made its known before he headed to his bedroom happy to be dazzled by the darkness offered by his blackout curtains.

When he awoke again he had no desire to move, being way too warm and comfortable to get up out of his cocoon. But a glance at the clock had him darted out of bed and into a hurried shower before rushing to make it to the Magic Box before he was late for their weekly meeting. It wasn't like there was even any new big bad or a looming apocalypse that required their research. He didn't see the point, but he was tired of the shit they all gave him when he was late.

Plastering on a smile, Xander slammed open the door greeting everyone. "Hey G-man, ladies." He looked about to say something scathing to Spike but reconsidered. "How are my beautiful ladies this evening?"

Giles looked up from his book with a sigh, "Xander, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that."

Xander just grinned and plopped down into an empty chair, "At least one more time."

Willow never even looked away from the computer screen that she was engrossed with and when Buffy finally finished beating the stuffing out of the punching bag (quite literally) she just looked at him in mild annoyance, "Where's the food?"

"You know I don't work at any food places anymore." Xander kept the grin on his face even as the sinking feeling in his stomach made him feel sick.

"Well you should have picked up donuts or something." With that she huffed and disappeared into the backroom.

Feeling rather bored and not knowing what to do with himself, he grabbed the nearest book and began to flip through it. He browsed through a few only to be greeted with a piercing shriek as he'd picked up an odd oily, black book which was quickly ripped from his hands.

"Do you have any idea what this is?!" Willow waved the book wildly in front of his face.

"Um, no."

"You could have killed us all. You're so stupid Xander. You should know better."

Xander felt something in him crumble allowing pain and rage to take its place. He stood so quickly that his chair toppled over with a loud clank drawing Buffy out from the backroom. And he stoically ignored the piercing blue eyes that had been locked onto him all evening.

"You know what. Fine. I'm leaving. Don't call unless the world's ending." With that he spun briefly wishing that he'd had a duster like Spike to make it look so much more dramatic, ignoring the incredulous looks and the shouts for him to shop as he stormed out into the night not knowing or caring where he was going as long as it was far, far away from here.

The mantra of they forgot, they forgot, they forgot played through his head like a broken record as he cut through random parks and cemeteries. He was long used to his parents forgetting, but his closest friends was a different story.

Finally it was too much and he collapsed against the side a mausoleum and curled around himself as silent sobs tore out of him.

Oddly enough out of all of them, Spike knew the reason behind Xander's odd behavior, and decided to follow him figuring that if anything nasty was after Xander then he'd at least get a good fight out of it. The boy had masked himself with false cheer when he entered the Magic Box that evening, but it would take a blind man not to notice the sadness radiating from the man.

It became quickly apparent that the whelp wasn't paying attention as he stepped over a fresh grave, not even hearing the fledgling crawl out behind him. Spike just sighed as he ripped its head off and brushed the fallen ash off his duster as he continued his stealthy pursuit. After several similar encounters, he was highly annoyed. He stood behind a convenient tree and watches as the boy finally collapsed. Searching his pockets for a fag, he almost didn't notice the vampire that was about to make a meal out of Xander until it was too late.

As it was Xander barely even noticed that his neck now sported cuts from where the fangs grazed him or the layer of dust that settled over him. He did however notice the strong pair of arms that wrapped around him. He clung to the figure surrounding him, not caring who it was, just that he was being held, and finally allowed his sobs to become audible.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed like that – minutes, hours, years – before he finally calmed down and relaxed in the comforting embrace only letting out the occasion shuddering hiccup. But a niggling feeling that something wasn't right wouldn't leave him, and he drew back as the smell of cigarette smoke and musty leather finally registered.

Horrified brown eyes met calm blues ones before going cross-eyes as something was shoved in his face. Jerking back as far as the arms still encircling him would allow he realized that it was a handkerchief and took it hesitantly.

Spike motioned to his duster. "This thing is hard enough to keep clean without you using it as a Kleenex, whelp."

Xander brain whirled, but he wasn't sure what to make of this situation. It then blazed a warning as Spike reached into his pocket and pulled out a … present? He was pretty sure that's what it was at least, even though it was wrapped in black paper.

"Happy birthday, pet." Xander just stared at it in shocked confusion .

"Well don't just stare at it, take it."

"Is this…" Xander hesitated.

"Just said so, didn't I? Now open it." Spike grabbed his hand and placed the package in it.

Xander just stared at it, turning it over and over in his hands, not sure what to make of this whole situation. Examining the box, he saw it was rather small and hoped that Spike hadn't gotten him jewelry because that would just be weird.

"It's not going to bite, but I might if you don't open the bloody thing." Spike growled in his face.

Xander yelped and juggled the package before ripping the paper off. Inside was a small, nondescript black box which he hesitantly opened. Inside laid a set of keys. Xander looked at Spike in confusion. "You got me keys."

"Yeah, pet. I got you keys because you don't have enough keys already," Spike drawled sadarnicly. "No I didn't get you keys, you wanker. I got you a house. It needs some work but I know how you like to do that kind of stuff. There's also a little something for you in its garage as well to replace to death trap you've been driving."

Xander didn't know what to say. He was totally dumbfounded and speechless. "But…"

Spike covered his mouth, "Don't protest. You deserve it."

A sudden thought crossed Xander's mind. "Where you get the money?" he asked, worried about its source.

"You didn't really think that I was penniless after living for more than one hundred years did you? Angelus was a great investor, set up all kinds of accounts for his childer."

Xander was more confused than ever. "Then why do you always pester Giles for money."

Spike shot him a wounded look. "Now you should know me better than that pet. Why would I spend my own money when I can spend someone else's? Plus it's fun to annoy the Watcher. He's just too easy."

Xander's brows raised in shock even knowing it was the truth.

"And you've earned a place of your own. You'd have had it by now if it wasn't for you spending all your money on the witch and Slayer."

"But-"

"No buts. Is yours. Why don't we take you there to check it out."

Spike rose and pulled Xander to his feet and leading a still shocked Xander along.

Xander wondered what it all meant, but decided that it wasn't worth questioning and he wasn't one to kick a gift horse in the mouth. He'd figure it all out later. Much later.

Note: I wrote this mostly as a birthday present for myself, since it often seems to be forgotten and I'd love to have a Spike of my own to sweep me off my feet.