Prompt/Challenge: kissbingo Body: hands and Xander finds himself playing mom to a hellhound puppy and someone steps in to help, Spike! from The Spander Files

 

The bang at his apartment door woke Xander out of his half doze. He stared at the door in confusion for a moment until a second bang had him up and racing over. Grabbing a stake, he threw the door open and stopped, shock running through him. On the ground in front of his door was a tiny form. The tiny form of a hellhound. There was a hellhound puppy sitting in front of him. Gaping, Xander looked down both side of the hallway but there was no one and nothing there. He looked down at the puppy and sighed as it gave him the demonic version of puppy dog eyes.

“I’m going to end up bathing in holy water,” he muttered as he leaned down a picked the puppy up.

The hellhound yipped softly and snuggled into his arms and Xander carried it inside and closed the door. Snagging the blanket he kept on the back of the couch, he quickly made a little nest for the puppy and situated it on the couch.

“Are you a boy or a girl?” he asked. The puppy only stared up at him adoringly so Xander picked it up and checked. “A girl then. So what am I going to do with you?”

~*~Xander resisted the urge to bang his head off the wall as the hellhound whimpered and whined. He had no idea what it wanted. Or what it needed. What did a hellhound puppy eat anyway? He picked the puppy up and cuddled it, crooning softly in an attempt to get it sleep. It still cried at him, shaking a little.

“Fine,” Xander sighed. He put the puppy down and grabbed the phone, dialling the one number he never thought he never call. “i need your help.”

“Really? Doing what?” Spike asked.

“Just get over here, Bleachy,” Xander snapped before hanging the phone up. The puppy looked at him. “Yeah, I know, not the best way to get help.”

It wasn’t that long before Xander heard Spike pounding on his door and cussing. Giving the puppy one last glance, he opened the door and let the vampire in. Once inside Spike zeroed in on the hellhound, eyes flashing gold before he turned to glare at Xander.

“What is that doing here?” he snarled, pointing at the whimpering, shaking puppy.

“I found it abandoned on my doorstep,” Xander told him.

“Abandoned on your doorstep?” Spike echoed, disbelief loud in his voice. “Only you, Harris.”

“Yeah, demon magnetic, I know. But I need help taking care of her,” Xander said, turning his own version of puppy eyes on Spike. “Help?”

The vampire groaned. “Have you fed it?”

“No,” Xander sighed. “I know don’t what it eats.”

“It’s still young, it eats like a normal dog at this stage,” Spike informed him. “Dog food should be fine, water and the like.”

“Okay,” nodded Xander. “Can you watch her while I run to the store?”

“Got beer?”

“Of course.”

“Fine, but don’t take forever.”

~*~“And he’ll help you grow up to be a big, bad hellhound,” Xander heard Spike say as he opened the door. “You’ll probably only get to eat bad guys, but they can be tasty. Oh, you’re back.”

Xander grinned at the sight of Spike sprawled out on the couch, the puppy curled up on his chest. He wished he had a camera to preserve the moment. Still smiling, he carried the bags full of food and toys into the kitchen. Opening the food bag, he poured his puppy a bowl and filled another with water. Tucking one of the toys under his arm, he carried the bowls out into the living room and placed them on the floor by the couch and put the toy on the table. Picking the puppy off of Spike’s chest, he put her down in front of the bowls and grinned happily as she attacked the food. Reaching over, he grabbed the toy and hissed as the cardboard it was tied to cut into his hand.

“You okay?” Spike asked, sitting up.

“Just a cut,” Xander shrugged, examining the injury.

“Let me see,” Spike commanded.

Xander showed the vampire his hand, stilling when Spike caught it in his own. Spike turned Xander’s hand this way and that as he stared at the cut. Finally he dropped a kiss over it.

“My mother always said kisses make hurts heal faster,” Spike said softly.

There was a small smear of red on Spike’s lips and Xander watched as Spike’s tongue darted out to taste it.

“You can if you want,” he said softly, holding his hand up a bit higher. Spike stared at him in shock. “Really.”

Holding his gaze, Spike brought Xander’s hand up to his mouth and slid his tongue across the small cut, lapping up the tiny amount of blood. Xander felt his breath hitch at the eroticism of the act and shifted a little as arousal burned in his gut. After placing another soft kiss on Xander’s palm, Spike let his hand go.

“Thank you,” the vampire whispered.

Xander opened his mouth but was interrupted by his puppy jumping into his lap and barking excitedly. Smiling down at her briefly he looked back up at the vampire. “You’re welcome.” He looked down the puppy then back at Spike. “Stay and help me?”

“Yeah, pet,” Spike agreed quietly. “I can do that. So, have you thought of a name for her?”

~*~Two months later

“Spike, where’s Edith?” Xander asked, looking around the apartment.

“She was on the bed last I saw,” Spike answered from the kitchen.

“Damn. Edith. Edith, come here,” Xander called as he headed toward the bedroom.

When he entered the room he didn’t see their puppy anywhere, but there was a sheet of paper lying in the exact middle of the bed. Picking it up, he read it.

Alexander and William,
Thank you for taking care of my puppy for me these past months. I unfortunately was called away on business and couldn’t take her with me. I hope she was well behaved for you. Since you went through the process of naming her (which I hadn’t done yet), I’ll leave the name you gave her. Edith she will be. She will visit when she gets the chance. Thank you so much,
Belonire

“Spike?” Xander squeaked, bringing the paper to the vampire. “Who is Belonire?”

Spike quickly read the note and then looked at Xander with startled eyes. “Belonire is the demonic version of Cupid,” he managed to say.

“Cupid?”

“Yeah,” Spike swallowed. “He’s said to match demons with their, well not soulmates, but the demonic equivalent. He makes perfect matches.”

“So we’re perfect matched for each other?” Xander stepped closer with a smile.

“Yeah, pet, we are,” Spike said, reaching out to pull them together.

“Why use Edith?”

“Probably a fast way to get us together,” Spike shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“No,” Xander said, leaning against his lover.

They stood together in the middle of the apartment, arms wrapped around each other, both happy than they could ever remember. Occasional soft kisses were passed back and forth.

“I miss Edith.”

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