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Hallo, flist!
*hugs you all*.
:)
Anyway - NaNo! Yis, i've been slackin'. Ah well, Still *writing*, and that's all that counts.
Let's see, what else?
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nwhepcat finished Keeper of the Book. Absolutely wonderful fic that starts after the robot-dad incident. Mostly gen - there's a little sparking between Wes and someone, there's humor and horror and cliffhangers! and...it's all in all just a lovely read. Go! FB!
Vastly enjoing our new and improved cold weather. *snuggles my space heater* It's the best! We've even had below-freezing mornings! Bird-feeders full and suet hung! Watching the little ladder-backs and chick-a-dees and titmice is so much fun.
savoytruffle finished There's Your Trouble, a delightful cross-universe Spander romp. Read! Laugh! Love! :)
And now, the fic! Previous parts are here.
Thank you thank you! as usual toreremouse, who encourages and snarks and pokes and bounces.
*smoooch*
Spike yanked his jacket off - flung it across the small room that served as their in-dock 'office'. Customs, vendors and clients never saw more of the Dru than this. It was what used to be a holding cell directly off the main access hatch and they hadn't done much to it beyond getting out the stains and adding a narrow desk bolted to the floor and a chair in a locking track. Chaddock, like Outsiders, were slavers. The walls were still studded with recessed rings - handy for chaining up purchases. The trio of Outsiders looked around them with something like disdain and Spike changed, too angry to maintain his more polite human mask.
"What the fuck are you doing, coming here? We had a deal."
The central Outsider - distinguished by a thick ruff of brindled hair around her neck and shoulders - lifted her head, long tongue licking out for a moment. Rather like a snake, scenting the air. "Deal hass changed, Sss'ike," she snapped and Spike snarled.
"I've got your seal in blood says otherwise, Rrahn."
"Do you have the m'ryi?"
Spike resisted the urge to launch himself at Rrahn. Outsiders were too strong - too bloodthirsty - and they were on his ship. Which meant his crew were in danger every minute they stayed. "Don't even think of coming down here. Any of you." The sub-vocal mic was still patched in and he hoped to the bloody gods his crew would listen to him. "Of course I have it. That was the deal. And the other part of the deal was we were to meet at coordinates specified -"
"That 'oint hass 'ecome...inhoss'itable. Sso now we meet herrre." The growl in Rrahn's voice was unmistakable and Spike growled back but he was already reaching for the com-panel on the wall.
"Get the box out of the safe, put it in the chute. No one comes down." He shut the link before anyone could answer and they waited, the Outsiders shifting uneasily in the small room. It smelled of disinfectant and old blood and his crew - and now the rank, sharp musk of Outsiders - and Spike knew the light was too bright and the air too warm for them. Outsiders came from somewhere cold - somewhere dim - and their bulky, coarse-furred bodies preferred a heavier gravity. One of the reasons they were so strong, in the human zones. Spike watched long-fingered, clawed hands flex and curl.
*They're nervous. Bloody fucking hell. Move it, Xander - get it done.*
"It's in." Nia's voice, a ghost of a whisper in his ear. "We're still in prep - three minutes to undock." Spike acknowledged her with a subsonic growl. A moment later the spreading membrane of the Outsider's bat-like ears twitched and swiveled as they all clearly heard the box hissing through the chute. Little delivery tube system that the Chaddock - who were not always easily mobile - tended to have in their ships. Spike made a small motion with his head - slight tilt of his body and the Outsiders filed out of the office. Spike strode past them - slid the chute-cover up and removed the small steel box that rested on the bottom of the shaft. He pressed his thumb to the underside - print-lock - and it opened silently, revealing another box made of a dark, non-reflective alloy peculiar to Outsiders.
"Like the deal said. Your m'ryi." Spike held the boxes out and Rrahn came forward - lifted the smaller one carefully out and pressed her claws in a complicated pattern on the seemingly blank surface of the lid. The alloy shimmered to transparency and Rrahn gazed downward for a moment. Another touch with a claw and the box was once again an opaque block and she turned and handed it to the right-hand, shorter guard that flanked her.
"I am 'mm'ressed, Sss'ike."
"And I'm bloody pissed, Rrahn. Just pay me the fee and be on your way, yeah? I'm in countdown to undock."
"Yess, sso am I. Here iss a new 'oint. 'Ou will receive the fee there." Rrahn was holding out a slip of paper and for a moment Spike just stared at her, fury growing. He took one long step forward, his hand coming up and back - the antique straight-razor glinting in his fist. When the roar bellowed up out of his throat he heard a squeak of pain from Nia, who'd just had her ear-drums blasted. But he didn't care. His fist came down, straight for Rrahn's sensitive snout.
The taller guard's hand stopped his cold, nearly snapping his wrist and he stood there, breathing in and out in sharp pants. Rrahn stared back, lips lifted away from her mouthful of fangs in a deadly display. "H'ru will accom'any 'ou to be shhure that 'ou arrive on time. If 'ou do not arrrive...'ou're bounty iss sset at fifteen million." Rrahn reached out and tucked the paper into Spike's shirt-pocket, her bony fingers hot through the thin fabric. She growled something in the Outsider tongue and H'ru let go of Spike - stepped back. Rrahn made a short sort of bow in Spike's direction and then she and her remaining guard stalked out.
Behind him, Spike heard the lift doors shush open and he spun around as H'ru's hand went to his belt - to a weapon. "Stand fucking down you fucking dog," Spike snapped. H'ru growled but he subsided and Spike glared at the lift - at Xander - who was trying to look as if he'd only come down accidentally.
"Guess we'll need that extra safety web rigged then?" he asked, all eager helpfulness and Spike wanted to strangle him. Instead he took a long, hard breath - folded the razor and tucked it away.
"Guess we will."
In the lift Spike pushed Xander back into the wall - slammed his hands down on either side of Xander's head, trapping him there. Spike's face inches from Xander's - gold shimmer in his eyes and a rumbling growl down in his chest. His hair was tangled and tufted and soap-bubble-sheen over white, with some sort of ventilation-shaft lint or something stuck in it. Xander clenched his fists to keep himself from reaching up and plucking the lint out. *They need to clean the damn vents. Fuck. Ferro took my god-damn filters.* There was a smudge of black on Spike's jaw and more fuzz on his trousers and boots and Xander knew it had pissed Spike off to deal with Outsiders in that state.
"I told you to stay topside."
"Too fuckin' bad," Xander snapped - pushed Spike back hard. Spike barely rocked on his feet.
"It was a fuckin' order!" Spike's fist hit the lift wall right next to Xander's ear and Xander jerked - glared. "I don't want any of you down there!"
"I don't want you down there! Or that fucking dog!" The doors slid open and Xander pushed past Spike - stomped to his chair and flung himself down, his hands shaking a little as he pulled the belts up over his shoulders. Spike didn't come out of the lift for a minute and Xander busied himself scrolling through his screens - getting the headset on and listening to station chatter with half an ear. Trying not to give in and turn around - trying not to look at Spike. *Owe me an explanation, Spike. Owe all of us. A fucking deal with Rrahn? What fucking deal?* He heard Spike's boots on the deck - heard the chair sigh as Spike sat down. Opposite him, Ferro lifted his head and looked back at Spike - glanced over at Xander and made a sort of 'What the fuck?' face. Xander made a 'No fucking idea!' face back. Ferro snorted softly and turned back to his boards.
Xander put his com on ship-wide so the Outsider down in the office could brace himself. As much as he hated the thought of a dog as a passenger, he didn't want him splattering his brains on their decking. "Undock in five, four, three, two, one - and - we're free. Thank you, Fenris Station - we've got them on our screens."
The Drusilla went momentarily weightless as they undocked. One hard kick from the trim-jets to get them free of the clamp and then slow reorientation under the jets alone. The giddy flyingfalling of it swamped Xander for a few seconds, like it always did. He swallowed spit and soda-dregs and watched a Chaddock ship - the Tchis, according to station - undock right behind them, yellow oblong on their short-range radar.
"Got another ship," he murmured and Nia hissed an affirmative, intent on ship's controls.
"What's our heading, Cap'n? Rennick?" Nia asked, and Xander finally looked over at Spike, who was looking at his boards with a murderous expression.
"No. Something new," Spike said. Xander watched him pull a slip of crumpled paper out of his pocket and tap a string of numbers into the computer. They echoed to all the other boards and Xander stared down at them, biting his lip.
"I don't know this, Cap'n," Nia said finally and Xander looked over at Spike again - watched him run his hand back through his hair, habit he'd fallen into. The ventilation lint drifted to the floor.
"It's an Outsider point." Spike's voice was tense - his face expressionless. "Just - get it in nav-comp, Nia, and tell station - get us our outbound track. Ferro, get us set up for the skip. I'll tell you what's going on during power-up."
"Aye," Nia said, and sent the request after a split-second hesitation.
"Spike, what in the hell -"
"Just do it, Ferro!" They waited tensely while station processed their new heading and assigned them a lane. Spike stood abruptly - held grimly to the edge of his console for a moment as Nia swung the Dru on course, hard nudges with the trim-jets. Aligning them to the lane that would keep them from colliding with other outgoing and incoming ships. "I gotta get cleaned up," Spike muttered and stalked off the bridge into the lift. The doors worked and then he was gone and Xander sat frozen for one long minute, until Nia sat back in her chair with a small sound of satisfaction.
"That it, Nia?"
"That's it. You go on, then." Nia looked over her shoulder at him, narrow pixie-face and corona of wispy honey-gold hair under-lit by her boards. Wide, tilted eyes full of concern.
"Yeah, go. I'll unlock the bath for the dog - see if he needs anything," Ferro said. "From my station," he added, as Xander opened his mouth to say something.
"Fuck. Okay." Xander undid the safety belts and stood up - put his boards on stand-by. "Where are we going anyway?"
"I'm not sure. It's - two degrees off Midway and toward the zenith... Outsider space for sure but -" Nia shook her head. "I just don't know." Xander exchanged a glance with Ferro, feeling a twist of unease in his gut. Nia always knew. Fairies always did, it was part of their magic or...whatever. Ferro jerked his head back in the direction of the lift and Xander nodded and went after Spike.
"That is going to be some fuckin' fireworks," Ferro said, watching Xander go into the lift and stab for the next level down, mouth set and grim.
"Cap'n is acting like an ass," Nia grumbled. She stood up and stretched, five-foot nothing in a form-fitting coverall. Body of a ten-year-old boy and bare feet and hands a little too long to be normal. No wings, but her kind didn't need 'em. They had their peculiar and very secret magic. Or super-duper-tech brains, or something. Ferro didn't know, and didn't care. It all came down to the Dru flying as if she had the brain - never missing a mark, never losing a degree of course or a c of power.
"Hey, Nia..." Ferro put his boards on stand-by - joined Nia by the forward port, the only actual view the Dru had of space that wasn't from a camera. Spike had put it in, saying something about listening to the stars. Sometimes Spike was a little freaky. "What'd you...? I mean, do you really not know where we're goin'?"
Nia turned her gaze from the port - turned it up to Ferro and made a face, irritation and worry. "I think I do. I...feel like I should know. Perhaps when we get there. It is..." Nia considered, looking out the port again - flicker of pale light over her face as the running lights of some tug or tender found her narrow cheekbones and thin, blue-lipped mouth. "I think this is only a - way point. I'll see better when we skip."
"Yeah." Ferro ran his hands back over the half-inch mat of dense curls he'd cropped his hair to, rolling his shoulders and listening to the left one crackle. Left-over from his Marine days when he'd popped it out of place twice in one month. "Gonna get the dog settled, gonna get something goin' in the galley. You wanna get the packs up here?"
"Sure. I can do that," Nia murmured, distracted-sounding and walked aft, heading for the storage locker that was at the far back corner of the bridge. It was filled with cases of vitamin-rich drinks laced with electrolytes and bars dense with fat and protein and carbs. Solid hit of nutrients to combat the leeching effect of skip-space. Pretty much all he and Nia had ever had to eat, when they'd been slaves on the ship. Except the Chaddock pilot had bought the cheapest, that tasted like chalk and chemicals.
Spike always sprang for the best - real chocolate and butter and nuts, real fruit. Fuck, Spike bought 'em actual tree-grown, hand picked shit sometimes, if they were anywhere near a planet that had hydro-gardens. Grapes like drops of purple-blue glass and apples pink-green-white that tasted like sex. And actual slabs of blood-red animal meat, although Nia wouldn't touch that. Ferro grinned to himself and moved back to his board - reached out and hit a couple of buttons and then opened a link to the office and the Outsider. Camera-link, so he could be sure the dog wasn't up to tricks. His loyalty to Spike didn't come from tree-grown oranges - it came from something much deeper, but the deal - the dogs - still had Ferro feeling a bit - twitchy. *Better have a good deal for us, Spike, 'cause we were never gonna do business with Rrahn again.*
The Outsider seemed to be asleep, or just trancing. Curled into the air-mattress they'd inflated, the safety webbing like a cobweb over him, secured to the various rings in the walls. Every time he saw that room, it made Ferro smile 'cause Spike had staked the Chaddock Captain out in it and run his intestines through the rings like half-assed knitting until the fat toad bastard had given him what he wanted.
*Dog needs a fucking collar and chain,* Ferro thought, and hit the audio. "Hey - dog! That access at the back is unlocked - bath in there if you get sick or need water. Don't have any dog food on board so you'll have to go hungry for now. Too bad your buddy didn't leave you anything." The Outsider stirred - lifted his head, ears flaring wide and lips curling up a little, showing fangs.
"I have...sssufficient," it said, stumbling a little over the words. A hand reached out and patted a medium-sized belt-pack that was tucked into the corner.
"Better not be anything illegal in there. We'll put it out the air-lock and you with it. We're on approach to skip out - 'bout half an hour and we'll do the count. 'Til then, stay quiet." The Outsider nodded and lay back down and Ferro stabbed the 'off' button, frowning. He'd kind of hoped for it to have started something so he could go down and shoot it. *Be a total accident, too.*
"I'm done here - you done?" Nia asked, and Ferro glanced around at the skip-packs clipped into the webbing on the sides of the consoles - the four ruby-dark bags of blood for Spike.
"Yeah - done. Let's go see what's in the freezer. Can't believe we didn't get to go shopping this trip! Wanted some more of that cake, man."
"You and cake," Nia giggled. Ferro headed for the lift and Nia jumped up on his back, thin arms curling around his shoulders. "Piggy-ride!"
"I'm not a fuckin' pig, you gnome!"
"I'm not a gnome!"
"Smell like a gnome -"
The one advantage to the Dru being Chaddock-built was that Chaddock were big. So individual quarters were much roomier than on a human-built ship, and the showers were twice the size, with multiple heads. Chaddock liked water. The hydro system on the ship was top-notch, too - hot water in an instant, and for as long as you cared to have it.
At the moment though, Spike was oblivious to it all. He stood in the pounding spray of six heads, eyes closed and fists on the wall - head down. Furious and a little nervous, because Rrahn might be double-crossing him...and because he had to explain himself now to Xander and the rest. He'd wanted to wait until their very healthy fee was banked and theirs before confessing his little...deal. Now -
*Now I've gotta justify it to three people who're pissed off and scared. Fucking dog - what in bloody hell is she playing at, changing the deal? Have her guts for garters, if she tries anything more.* There was a small noise behind him - slight waft of cooler air and Spike turned around, arms crossed over his chest. Frowning at Xander, who was scowling back, shutting the shower cabinet door.
"Care to tell me what the fuck that was all about?"
"Xander -" Spike sighed, and Xander took a step and shoved - knocked Spike back and pinned him, blinking water from his eyes.
"Don't, Spike. Don't fucking go there! I can't believe you made some kind of - of - secret deal with Rrahn! Jesus!"
"Xander -"
"And, what - she's not keeping her end up? She did some kind of fucked up double-cross or -"
"Xander!" Spike changed when he yelled - half growled the name and Xander stopped short and stared at him. "She's not double-crossing us, she's - it's bloody complicated!"
"Then use small words," Xander snapped. But he was pressing the bar on the soap dispenser - moving gel-slick hands over Spike's shoulders and chest and Spike slumped back against the wall.
"Fuck, love - I'm sorry."
"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Xander muttered - pushed at Spike until he turned around. Spike put his arm up on the wall of the cabinet and leaned his forehead on his wrist - sighed again when Xander's strong, warm fingers dug into his neck, easing tense muscles. "You could've been shot, Spike."
"That wasn't Rrahn, that was Y'yis. He's always got a digit in some pie or other, and Fat Jack's always selling."
"Rrahn took the m'ryi - was it her jyiiy's?" Xander leaned into Spike hard, thumbs sinking in deep under his shoulder blades and Spike groaned aloud - pushed back and felt Xander's thigh brush his.
"No... long story, Xan, why don't we just - forget about all that for a minute." Spike turned - pulled Xander close by one soapy arm, wrapping it around his own waist and pressing their bodies tight, ribs to knees. "Hard evening, love." Spike trailed a hand down Xander's back - let the other trace a random pattern over Xander's chest - over the three parallel scars there.
"Yeah. And you made it a lot harder, showing up here with Outsiders on your tail." Xander glared at him but his hips were doing a slow, subtle roll, pressing hardness to slippery hardness. "You're trying to distract me with sex, Spike."
"Mmm. Course I am, Xan. You're so bloody hot - can't keep my hands off you." Spike ducked his head a little, smiling up at Xander through water-heavy lashes - ventured in close for an open-mouthed kiss, his hand creeping from the small of Xander's back to his arse - squeezing the dense muscle there.
Xander snorted softly - snaked his head to the side and nipped strongly at Spike's neck. Spike jumped - and so did his hips. "Yeah, right." Xander let his tongue glide over the place he'd just bit - heaved a sigh of long-suffering that made Spike grin. "I'm such a fuckin' slut."
"Thank Christ," Spike breathed as Xander slid down.
Part four.
*la la la*
I wonder what a 'Scaling Heaven' icon would look like?
*la la la*
ETA: Just watched my 'Bones' tape - the gun convo at the start! Heeeeee!! I'd be happier with that show if they did *not* do a 'sympathize with extraneous characters' bit. Just concentrate on the forensics and, you know...Agent Booth. :)
ETA2: Now i've watched 'House' - wheeeee!! House confirmed! And the gay patient confirmed! *snerk* Jayzus, Cameron, get over yourself. Skeery eyebrow lady! BWAAAhaha! *ahem* No, i have no morals.
*hugs you all*.
:)
Anyway - NaNo! Yis, i've been slackin'. Ah well, Still *writing*, and that's all that counts.
|
Let's see, what else?
nwhepcat finished Keeper of the Book. Absolutely wonderful fic that starts after the robot-dad incident. Mostly gen - there's a little sparking between Wes and someone, there's humor and horror and cliffhangers! and...it's all in all just a lovely read. Go! FB!Vastly enjoing our new and improved cold weather. *snuggles my space heater* It's the best! We've even had below-freezing mornings! Bird-feeders full and suet hung! Watching the little ladder-backs and chick-a-dees and titmice is so much fun.
savoytruffle finished There's Your Trouble, a delightful cross-universe Spander romp. Read! Laugh! Love! :)And now, the fic! Previous parts are here.
Thank you thank you! as usual to
reremouse, who encourages and snarks and pokes and bounces. *smoooch*
Spike yanked his jacket off - flung it across the small room that served as their in-dock 'office'. Customs, vendors and clients never saw more of the Dru than this. It was what used to be a holding cell directly off the main access hatch and they hadn't done much to it beyond getting out the stains and adding a narrow desk bolted to the floor and a chair in a locking track. Chaddock, like Outsiders, were slavers. The walls were still studded with recessed rings - handy for chaining up purchases. The trio of Outsiders looked around them with something like disdain and Spike changed, too angry to maintain his more polite human mask.
"What the fuck are you doing, coming here? We had a deal."
The central Outsider - distinguished by a thick ruff of brindled hair around her neck and shoulders - lifted her head, long tongue licking out for a moment. Rather like a snake, scenting the air. "Deal hass changed, Sss'ike," she snapped and Spike snarled.
"I've got your seal in blood says otherwise, Rrahn."
"Do you have the m'ryi?"
Spike resisted the urge to launch himself at Rrahn. Outsiders were too strong - too bloodthirsty - and they were on his ship. Which meant his crew were in danger every minute they stayed. "Don't even think of coming down here. Any of you." The sub-vocal mic was still patched in and he hoped to the bloody gods his crew would listen to him. "Of course I have it. That was the deal. And the other part of the deal was we were to meet at coordinates specified -"
"That 'oint hass 'ecome...inhoss'itable. Sso now we meet herrre." The growl in Rrahn's voice was unmistakable and Spike growled back but he was already reaching for the com-panel on the wall.
"Get the box out of the safe, put it in the chute. No one comes down." He shut the link before anyone could answer and they waited, the Outsiders shifting uneasily in the small room. It smelled of disinfectant and old blood and his crew - and now the rank, sharp musk of Outsiders - and Spike knew the light was too bright and the air too warm for them. Outsiders came from somewhere cold - somewhere dim - and their bulky, coarse-furred bodies preferred a heavier gravity. One of the reasons they were so strong, in the human zones. Spike watched long-fingered, clawed hands flex and curl.
*They're nervous. Bloody fucking hell. Move it, Xander - get it done.*
"It's in." Nia's voice, a ghost of a whisper in his ear. "We're still in prep - three minutes to undock." Spike acknowledged her with a subsonic growl. A moment later the spreading membrane of the Outsider's bat-like ears twitched and swiveled as they all clearly heard the box hissing through the chute. Little delivery tube system that the Chaddock - who were not always easily mobile - tended to have in their ships. Spike made a small motion with his head - slight tilt of his body and the Outsiders filed out of the office. Spike strode past them - slid the chute-cover up and removed the small steel box that rested on the bottom of the shaft. He pressed his thumb to the underside - print-lock - and it opened silently, revealing another box made of a dark, non-reflective alloy peculiar to Outsiders.
"Like the deal said. Your m'ryi." Spike held the boxes out and Rrahn came forward - lifted the smaller one carefully out and pressed her claws in a complicated pattern on the seemingly blank surface of the lid. The alloy shimmered to transparency and Rrahn gazed downward for a moment. Another touch with a claw and the box was once again an opaque block and she turned and handed it to the right-hand, shorter guard that flanked her.
"I am 'mm'ressed, Sss'ike."
"And I'm bloody pissed, Rrahn. Just pay me the fee and be on your way, yeah? I'm in countdown to undock."
"Yess, sso am I. Here iss a new 'oint. 'Ou will receive the fee there." Rrahn was holding out a slip of paper and for a moment Spike just stared at her, fury growing. He took one long step forward, his hand coming up and back - the antique straight-razor glinting in his fist. When the roar bellowed up out of his throat he heard a squeak of pain from Nia, who'd just had her ear-drums blasted. But he didn't care. His fist came down, straight for Rrahn's sensitive snout.
The taller guard's hand stopped his cold, nearly snapping his wrist and he stood there, breathing in and out in sharp pants. Rrahn stared back, lips lifted away from her mouthful of fangs in a deadly display. "H'ru will accom'any 'ou to be shhure that 'ou arrive on time. If 'ou do not arrrive...'ou're bounty iss sset at fifteen million." Rrahn reached out and tucked the paper into Spike's shirt-pocket, her bony fingers hot through the thin fabric. She growled something in the Outsider tongue and H'ru let go of Spike - stepped back. Rrahn made a short sort of bow in Spike's direction and then she and her remaining guard stalked out.
Behind him, Spike heard the lift doors shush open and he spun around as H'ru's hand went to his belt - to a weapon. "Stand fucking down you fucking dog," Spike snapped. H'ru growled but he subsided and Spike glared at the lift - at Xander - who was trying to look as if he'd only come down accidentally.
"Guess we'll need that extra safety web rigged then?" he asked, all eager helpfulness and Spike wanted to strangle him. Instead he took a long, hard breath - folded the razor and tucked it away.
"Guess we will."
In the lift Spike pushed Xander back into the wall - slammed his hands down on either side of Xander's head, trapping him there. Spike's face inches from Xander's - gold shimmer in his eyes and a rumbling growl down in his chest. His hair was tangled and tufted and soap-bubble-sheen over white, with some sort of ventilation-shaft lint or something stuck in it. Xander clenched his fists to keep himself from reaching up and plucking the lint out. *They need to clean the damn vents. Fuck. Ferro took my god-damn filters.* There was a smudge of black on Spike's jaw and more fuzz on his trousers and boots and Xander knew it had pissed Spike off to deal with Outsiders in that state.
"I told you to stay topside."
"Too fuckin' bad," Xander snapped - pushed Spike back hard. Spike barely rocked on his feet.
"It was a fuckin' order!" Spike's fist hit the lift wall right next to Xander's ear and Xander jerked - glared. "I don't want any of you down there!"
"I don't want you down there! Or that fucking dog!" The doors slid open and Xander pushed past Spike - stomped to his chair and flung himself down, his hands shaking a little as he pulled the belts up over his shoulders. Spike didn't come out of the lift for a minute and Xander busied himself scrolling through his screens - getting the headset on and listening to station chatter with half an ear. Trying not to give in and turn around - trying not to look at Spike. *Owe me an explanation, Spike. Owe all of us. A fucking deal with Rrahn? What fucking deal?* He heard Spike's boots on the deck - heard the chair sigh as Spike sat down. Opposite him, Ferro lifted his head and looked back at Spike - glanced over at Xander and made a sort of 'What the fuck?' face. Xander made a 'No fucking idea!' face back. Ferro snorted softly and turned back to his boards.
Xander put his com on ship-wide so the Outsider down in the office could brace himself. As much as he hated the thought of a dog as a passenger, he didn't want him splattering his brains on their decking. "Undock in five, four, three, two, one - and - we're free. Thank you, Fenris Station - we've got them on our screens."
The Drusilla went momentarily weightless as they undocked. One hard kick from the trim-jets to get them free of the clamp and then slow reorientation under the jets alone. The giddy flyingfalling of it swamped Xander for a few seconds, like it always did. He swallowed spit and soda-dregs and watched a Chaddock ship - the Tchis, according to station - undock right behind them, yellow oblong on their short-range radar.
"Got another ship," he murmured and Nia hissed an affirmative, intent on ship's controls.
"What's our heading, Cap'n? Rennick?" Nia asked, and Xander finally looked over at Spike, who was looking at his boards with a murderous expression.
"No. Something new," Spike said. Xander watched him pull a slip of crumpled paper out of his pocket and tap a string of numbers into the computer. They echoed to all the other boards and Xander stared down at them, biting his lip.
"I don't know this, Cap'n," Nia said finally and Xander looked over at Spike again - watched him run his hand back through his hair, habit he'd fallen into. The ventilation lint drifted to the floor.
"It's an Outsider point." Spike's voice was tense - his face expressionless. "Just - get it in nav-comp, Nia, and tell station - get us our outbound track. Ferro, get us set up for the skip. I'll tell you what's going on during power-up."
"Aye," Nia said, and sent the request after a split-second hesitation.
"Spike, what in the hell -"
"Just do it, Ferro!" They waited tensely while station processed their new heading and assigned them a lane. Spike stood abruptly - held grimly to the edge of his console for a moment as Nia swung the Dru on course, hard nudges with the trim-jets. Aligning them to the lane that would keep them from colliding with other outgoing and incoming ships. "I gotta get cleaned up," Spike muttered and stalked off the bridge into the lift. The doors worked and then he was gone and Xander sat frozen for one long minute, until Nia sat back in her chair with a small sound of satisfaction.
"That it, Nia?"
"That's it. You go on, then." Nia looked over her shoulder at him, narrow pixie-face and corona of wispy honey-gold hair under-lit by her boards. Wide, tilted eyes full of concern.
"Yeah, go. I'll unlock the bath for the dog - see if he needs anything," Ferro said. "From my station," he added, as Xander opened his mouth to say something.
"Fuck. Okay." Xander undid the safety belts and stood up - put his boards on stand-by. "Where are we going anyway?"
"I'm not sure. It's - two degrees off Midway and toward the zenith... Outsider space for sure but -" Nia shook her head. "I just don't know." Xander exchanged a glance with Ferro, feeling a twist of unease in his gut. Nia always knew. Fairies always did, it was part of their magic or...whatever. Ferro jerked his head back in the direction of the lift and Xander nodded and went after Spike.
"That is going to be some fuckin' fireworks," Ferro said, watching Xander go into the lift and stab for the next level down, mouth set and grim.
"Cap'n is acting like an ass," Nia grumbled. She stood up and stretched, five-foot nothing in a form-fitting coverall. Body of a ten-year-old boy and bare feet and hands a little too long to be normal. No wings, but her kind didn't need 'em. They had their peculiar and very secret magic. Or super-duper-tech brains, or something. Ferro didn't know, and didn't care. It all came down to the Dru flying as if she had the brain - never missing a mark, never losing a degree of course or a c of power.
"Hey, Nia..." Ferro put his boards on stand-by - joined Nia by the forward port, the only actual view the Dru had of space that wasn't from a camera. Spike had put it in, saying something about listening to the stars. Sometimes Spike was a little freaky. "What'd you...? I mean, do you really not know where we're goin'?"
Nia turned her gaze from the port - turned it up to Ferro and made a face, irritation and worry. "I think I do. I...feel like I should know. Perhaps when we get there. It is..." Nia considered, looking out the port again - flicker of pale light over her face as the running lights of some tug or tender found her narrow cheekbones and thin, blue-lipped mouth. "I think this is only a - way point. I'll see better when we skip."
"Yeah." Ferro ran his hands back over the half-inch mat of dense curls he'd cropped his hair to, rolling his shoulders and listening to the left one crackle. Left-over from his Marine days when he'd popped it out of place twice in one month. "Gonna get the dog settled, gonna get something goin' in the galley. You wanna get the packs up here?"
"Sure. I can do that," Nia murmured, distracted-sounding and walked aft, heading for the storage locker that was at the far back corner of the bridge. It was filled with cases of vitamin-rich drinks laced with electrolytes and bars dense with fat and protein and carbs. Solid hit of nutrients to combat the leeching effect of skip-space. Pretty much all he and Nia had ever had to eat, when they'd been slaves on the ship. Except the Chaddock pilot had bought the cheapest, that tasted like chalk and chemicals.
Spike always sprang for the best - real chocolate and butter and nuts, real fruit. Fuck, Spike bought 'em actual tree-grown, hand picked shit sometimes, if they were anywhere near a planet that had hydro-gardens. Grapes like drops of purple-blue glass and apples pink-green-white that tasted like sex. And actual slabs of blood-red animal meat, although Nia wouldn't touch that. Ferro grinned to himself and moved back to his board - reached out and hit a couple of buttons and then opened a link to the office and the Outsider. Camera-link, so he could be sure the dog wasn't up to tricks. His loyalty to Spike didn't come from tree-grown oranges - it came from something much deeper, but the deal - the dogs - still had Ferro feeling a bit - twitchy. *Better have a good deal for us, Spike, 'cause we were never gonna do business with Rrahn again.*
The Outsider seemed to be asleep, or just trancing. Curled into the air-mattress they'd inflated, the safety webbing like a cobweb over him, secured to the various rings in the walls. Every time he saw that room, it made Ferro smile 'cause Spike had staked the Chaddock Captain out in it and run his intestines through the rings like half-assed knitting until the fat toad bastard had given him what he wanted.
*Dog needs a fucking collar and chain,* Ferro thought, and hit the audio. "Hey - dog! That access at the back is unlocked - bath in there if you get sick or need water. Don't have any dog food on board so you'll have to go hungry for now. Too bad your buddy didn't leave you anything." The Outsider stirred - lifted his head, ears flaring wide and lips curling up a little, showing fangs.
"I have...sssufficient," it said, stumbling a little over the words. A hand reached out and patted a medium-sized belt-pack that was tucked into the corner.
"Better not be anything illegal in there. We'll put it out the air-lock and you with it. We're on approach to skip out - 'bout half an hour and we'll do the count. 'Til then, stay quiet." The Outsider nodded and lay back down and Ferro stabbed the 'off' button, frowning. He'd kind of hoped for it to have started something so he could go down and shoot it. *Be a total accident, too.*
"I'm done here - you done?" Nia asked, and Ferro glanced around at the skip-packs clipped into the webbing on the sides of the consoles - the four ruby-dark bags of blood for Spike.
"Yeah - done. Let's go see what's in the freezer. Can't believe we didn't get to go shopping this trip! Wanted some more of that cake, man."
"You and cake," Nia giggled. Ferro headed for the lift and Nia jumped up on his back, thin arms curling around his shoulders. "Piggy-ride!"
"I'm not a fuckin' pig, you gnome!"
"I'm not a gnome!"
"Smell like a gnome -"
The one advantage to the Dru being Chaddock-built was that Chaddock were big. So individual quarters were much roomier than on a human-built ship, and the showers were twice the size, with multiple heads. Chaddock liked water. The hydro system on the ship was top-notch, too - hot water in an instant, and for as long as you cared to have it.
At the moment though, Spike was oblivious to it all. He stood in the pounding spray of six heads, eyes closed and fists on the wall - head down. Furious and a little nervous, because Rrahn might be double-crossing him...and because he had to explain himself now to Xander and the rest. He'd wanted to wait until their very healthy fee was banked and theirs before confessing his little...deal. Now -
*Now I've gotta justify it to three people who're pissed off and scared. Fucking dog - what in bloody hell is she playing at, changing the deal? Have her guts for garters, if she tries anything more.* There was a small noise behind him - slight waft of cooler air and Spike turned around, arms crossed over his chest. Frowning at Xander, who was scowling back, shutting the shower cabinet door.
"Care to tell me what the fuck that was all about?"
"Xander -" Spike sighed, and Xander took a step and shoved - knocked Spike back and pinned him, blinking water from his eyes.
"Don't, Spike. Don't fucking go there! I can't believe you made some kind of - of - secret deal with Rrahn! Jesus!"
"Xander -"
"And, what - she's not keeping her end up? She did some kind of fucked up double-cross or -"
"Xander!" Spike changed when he yelled - half growled the name and Xander stopped short and stared at him. "She's not double-crossing us, she's - it's bloody complicated!"
"Then use small words," Xander snapped. But he was pressing the bar on the soap dispenser - moving gel-slick hands over Spike's shoulders and chest and Spike slumped back against the wall.
"Fuck, love - I'm sorry."
"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Xander muttered - pushed at Spike until he turned around. Spike put his arm up on the wall of the cabinet and leaned his forehead on his wrist - sighed again when Xander's strong, warm fingers dug into his neck, easing tense muscles. "You could've been shot, Spike."
"That wasn't Rrahn, that was Y'yis. He's always got a digit in some pie or other, and Fat Jack's always selling."
"Rrahn took the m'ryi - was it her jyiiy's?" Xander leaned into Spike hard, thumbs sinking in deep under his shoulder blades and Spike groaned aloud - pushed back and felt Xander's thigh brush his.
"No... long story, Xan, why don't we just - forget about all that for a minute." Spike turned - pulled Xander close by one soapy arm, wrapping it around his own waist and pressing their bodies tight, ribs to knees. "Hard evening, love." Spike trailed a hand down Xander's back - let the other trace a random pattern over Xander's chest - over the three parallel scars there.
"Yeah. And you made it a lot harder, showing up here with Outsiders on your tail." Xander glared at him but his hips were doing a slow, subtle roll, pressing hardness to slippery hardness. "You're trying to distract me with sex, Spike."
"Mmm. Course I am, Xan. You're so bloody hot - can't keep my hands off you." Spike ducked his head a little, smiling up at Xander through water-heavy lashes - ventured in close for an open-mouthed kiss, his hand creeping from the small of Xander's back to his arse - squeezing the dense muscle there.
Xander snorted softly - snaked his head to the side and nipped strongly at Spike's neck. Spike jumped - and so did his hips. "Yeah, right." Xander let his tongue glide over the place he'd just bit - heaved a sigh of long-suffering that made Spike grin. "I'm such a fuckin' slut."
"Thank Christ," Spike breathed as Xander slid down.
Part four.
*la la la*
I wonder what a 'Scaling Heaven' icon would look like?
*la la la*
ETA: Just watched my 'Bones' tape - the gun convo at the start! Heeeeee!! I'd be happier with that show if they did *not* do a 'sympathize with extraneous characters' bit. Just concentrate on the forensics and, you know...Agent Booth. :)
ETA2: Now i've watched 'House' - wheeeee!! House confirmed! And the gay patient confirmed! *snerk* Jayzus, Cameron, get over yourself. Skeery eyebrow lady! BWAAAhaha! *ahem* No, i have no morals.
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