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White Lightnin'
by
BmblBee
Part Twenty-One
Xander woke slowly.
All the wonderful warmth and pleasure of the night before came washing over him like a hot spring. Feeling around next to him, he was surprised to find that he was alone in his small bed.
Sitting up, he wiped the sleep from his eyes, and looked around the dim room. Morning had not yet risen and the sky still carried the deep blue of a false daybreak.
Quickly becoming frantic, he found that the cabin was empty. Leaping from the bed, Xander rushed to the door just as it
opened and Spike, holding tightly to the door latch for balance, stumbled in.
"Where the hell were you?" Xander's words came out harsher and more angry than he meant.
"Well, good morning to you too." Spike was confused and trying his best to balance on wobbly legs.
"Oh, God, I'm sorry. I just woke and you were gone. I was worried. Are you sure you should be up?" Xander rushed over and slid an arm around Spike's waist.
Spike chuckled as he let Xander help him to the chair by the hearth. "Yeah, had to pee, didn't I. You were sleeping so well I hated to wake you. Anyway, I wanted to try out my sea legs."
Spike eased himself into the rocker as Xander knelt in front of him to begin rubbing his legs to warm and stimulate them.
"I'm afraid if you have an outhouse I didn't find it. I Made it as far as the large oak tree." Spike smiled.
He felt fantastic.
When he woke this morning, the booze was not the first thing on his mind. He was with an amazing man, his legs were healing, and last night was an earth shifting revelation. He had something he had not known for years. He had hope for the future.
He sighed and sat back as Xander massaged this feet, calves and thighs. Xander was also lost in thoughts of the future.
His brain worked frantically to remember if there was anything out there that would give him away.
He knew that Spike could not have made it back to the clearing where the still was and the barn was locked securely.
He mentally traced a path around the property looking for anything that might appear suspicious.
Gradually he relaxed as he reassured himself all was good. His caution and paranoia had served him well.
Spike was starting to become uncomfortable with Xander's silence and assumed it had to do with their activities.
"Xander? Everything all right?"
Reassured, Xander finally looked up. What he saw took his breath away.
Spike's face was bathed in the combined colors of gold from the dying fire and the purple hues of early daybreak.
His soft blond curls were messy and sex rumpled.
But the eyes.
The eyes held Xander's gaze locked. They were almost too blue to be real. They were so open and honest. They showed Spike's soul and made Xander feel as if his own was an open book.
Rising to his knees, Xander leaned forward and took Spike's face in his large hands. With no words spoken between them, Xander kissed him. A kiss that started out gently, but deepened when Spike was the first to open and allow his tongue to search for its match.
In his attempt to deep mine for Xander's tonsils, Spike pushed forward causing Xander to tip back. Without ever losing each others mouth they tumbled to the floor with Spike on top. "Let's do it again, Xander." Spike's voice was breathless and raspy.
"Are you sure? Are you too sore?" Xander was fumbling with his buckles even as he ask. With both of them naked, Spike started to lay down.
"No, not too sore."
Xander stopped him, holding Spike's hips firmly. "Stay on top. I'll help you ride me. That way if you are sore, you can make sure it feels good to you and doesn't hurt." Xander turned and grabbed a tin can sitting by the fireplace.
Wrinkling his nose, Spike peered into it. "What the fuck is that?"
Xander laughed "It's animal fat I use for cooking. It'll make it easier when I slide my big cock in your tight little pink hole."
"Oh, fuck, Xander." Spike closed his eyes. At that moment Xander could have spread motor oil and jelly jam on his dick and Spike wouldn't have cared. He had never heard a man talk like that. So intimately. So erotically.
Dipping his fingers in the tin, Xander scooped the fat and smeared it on his hand.
Wrapping his hand around himself, he coated it quickly, enjoying
only a few stroked on his already aching cock.
With Spike sitting on his hips, Xander used the rest of the grease on his palm to cover and slick Spikes cock.
He fisted it slowly from root to tip. Never giving enough speed or pressure to encourage completion. Spike groaned. It was heavenly torture.
Xander let his slippery hand ease down to Spike's sac. For a small man it was wonderfully full and heavy. Xander loved the feel of it rolling in his hands.
Unable to wait any longer, he dipped his fingers in the can one last time and reaching between their legs, coated Spike's
hole thickly.
Flicking his finger tip over the wrinkled entrance, he rubbed and relaxed it. Slipping first one then two fingers in, he was pleased to find Spike eager and seeming pain free after what was assumed to be his first time last night.
"You ready?" Xander's words shot through Spike like a knife through hot butter. His whole body felt flushed and weak with the need for Xander's cock.
'One time and I'm a slut. Maybe Xander will be my new alcohol. I'm turning into a Xandaholic.' Spike chuckled "Fuck yes I'm ready. Just help me, yeah?"
Spike leaned forward chest to chest as Xander reached behind him and lined his cock up to Spike's ready opening.
Guiding his hips, Xander eased Spike up and held him on shaky arms till Spike was sitting flush on Xander's cock.
Spike braced his hands on Xander's chest and slowly rocked back and forth till he found what he needed. As soon as his body jerked, Xander knew Spike had hit it. Holding Spike's hips and helping him move, Xander knew this would be a quicky.
Spike moved regularly slamming Xander's cock into his prostate as hard as he could. With his head thrown back, he rambled. "Fuck. So good. So good. Xander. Xander."
Bending his knees and placing his feet flat on the floor, Xander held firmly onto Spike's slim body and picked up the pace. Pumping up deeply, Xander could already feel his balls start to tighten. "Come on Spike. Show me."
Spike pulled one hand off Xander's chest and wrapped his fist around himself. The sight sent Xander over the edge. Letting Spike's body drop plunging his cock deeply, Xander felt his balls empty.
The feel of it and the sight of Xander's face tipped Spike over the edge with him. Spurting thick streams on Xander's stomach and his own hand, Spike's upper body collapsed down like a deflated balloon. He laid there listening to Xander's heart slowly return to normal.
"Hey, Spike?"
"Hmmm?"
"You stink."
Both men snickered.
Part Twenty-Two
Lying on the floor, Spike watched as Xander carried in the copper tub and started hauling buckets of water to heat.
"Xander?"
"Huh?" Xander paused in his task.
"Don't you ever want to comforts of life? An indoor toilet, electric lights, running water? Or have you just always lived
like this?" Spike was propped up on one elbow.
Xander was now stoking the fire and hustling about to collect the soap and some clean clothes for them both. Thinking back on his years at college, he had thought it such a luxury. The lights, the showers, the plumbing, the heat.
Xander concentrated on the water in the pot. "I know most people have those things, but it didn't seem worth it just for me. Now if I had somebody else here I would make it nicer. At least pipe in water from a well or the spring."
Xander shrugged and resumed tending to the details of his task. Letting his mind continue on that path, Xander thought of all the things he would do if someone like Spike were to live here with him.
He would make a real home. Maybe add a room, a second fireplace. A kitchen of sorts. Someone like Spike, but not Spike.
Xander knew if Spike found out that he was nothing like the man he pretended to be, Spike would hate him. He would know how dishonest Xander was.
Being a moonshiner was one thing.
Being a liar was unforgivable.
"After we both wash I'll heat more water and wash all the clothes. I usually take them to the creek to rinse then hang them out. While I'm doing that I'll also check my garden and chop some kindling for the fire. Also been neglecting my traps.
You relax here and I'll be back in a few hours."
Xander glanced at Spike sideways to see if he would accept all that. Truth was, all that did need seeing too, but mostly he had to get the car ready for tonight's run. He wasn't sure how he was going to manage it, but would think of something later.
He also needed to make some decisions about starting the next batch of shine. Tonight would deplete all his reserves in the cave and the copper lines had gone cold.
He was a business man with a business that could slip away. His customers were loyal, but that loyalty only extended to
whomever was running the shine, and a lot of good ole boys round here wouldn't mind taking over his route.
Selling their own more inferior lightnin'. Not caring who they blinded or poisoned with it. Buyers knew that was the risk.
Spike was also lost in his own thoughts. "What? Oh, sure. That's fine."
Something Xander had mentioned off handedly had bothered him very much. The thought that Xander would make the cabin more comfortable for...who? Make it a cozy home for ..what? Some slutty tart from the nearest town?
Or worse, an ignorant hillbilly from down the way? A man who would not have the sensitivity to understand someone like Xander? No! Xander was so much more than that. He deserved the best. He deserved the world.
Silently he watched his mountain man fuss around for him and it touched his heart.
If only he wasn't a government agent. Not that Xander had anything to fear. Xander was the type to live his whole life and never break a law. Xander was an innocent, but how could Spike tell him that he was a lie.
He was not a book salesman. He was a revenuer. A fuckin' g-man sent to snoop around and destroy the way
these simple people lived. Probably people Xander knew.
Maybe one of them was the bastard Xander wanted to make a home for. Well that much he didn't care about. He only cared that Xander would see him as a liar.
Finally ready, Xander helped Spike sit down on the floor with him and they took turns with the soap and rag, washing, rinsing and playfully touching.
Both men forgot their earlier thoughts and fears and relaxed in the company of the other. After drying them, Xander helped Spike dress and sit back in the rocker.
He threw all the dirty clothes in a pile and fetched clean water. Xander had a cup of soap shavings he used and proceeded to scrub each of their belongings.
He and Spike chatted easily while he worked and they spoke on different subjects. Comparing backgrounds and families, they found they had a lot in common.
Xander was enjoying the companionship more than he could have imagined. He had always been very content by himself, but now after just a few days here with Spike he dreaded the thought of facing a solitary life again.
It had fallen into place so naturally. Seemed like Spike had been here for months instead of just days.
Finally washed, Xander tossed all the soapy items back in the tub and hoisted it onto his shoulder. "Well, I'm headed out. You need anything before I go?"
Spike rocked back and forth in the chair rhythmically, eyes closed and a big smile on his lips. "No, I'm very content, thank you. I may just take a short nap while you are gone. Seems something has worn me out."
Chuckling, Xander turned to go. "Yeah, a nap would be good cause that something will hurry back as quick as he can."
Xander headed straight for the creek and dumped the clothes in the water. After rinsing them as well as he could, he wrung the water and hung them to dry. In this foggy mountain air Xander knew it may take a day or two to completely dry.
On the way back, Xander checked where his traps were stored. He hadn't reset them in almost a week and knew he was missing out on some very valuable pelts.
Coons were a regular, but beavers were more plentiful this time of year as they built their dams thick for winter. Soon as Spike was gone he would get himself back on track
Looking at all the empty traps and knowing his nearly abandoned still was sitting cold in the woods, Xander started to get pissed off.
"God damnit, Xander you're going to lose everything you've spent a lifetime building. And for what? Someone that will be gone in a day or two. Get your fuckin' head out of your britches and do what you need to do to protect yourself.
Winter's coming and you need all the money you can put back to see you through to spring."
Stomping and mumbling, Xander headed up the path to collect the last of the stored jugs and load them in the car.
He had made his decision and just wanted done with the liquor.
He wanted to focus on the trapping.
He wanted to be the man Spike thought he was.
The time for cocking off was over.
Part Twenty-Three
Spike sat quietly and watched Xander leave for the morning. He knew the man had been neglecting his chores in order to
tend to Spike and his injury.
He had never known anyone as selfless as Xander. He had taken Spike in and cared for him so well. Feeding him,
bathing him, even helping him wipe his ass.
Spike could not even imagine any of the people he worked with, some he even considered friends, of a sort, doing any thing remotely like that.
He knew entering into a sexual relationship was probably a stupid thing to do, but how could he not?
Being alone offered Spike the chance to look at things honestly, and he had to admit the truth, at least to himself.
He was in love.
He had fallen hard and knew no matter what happened, his heart would always live in this small cabin in the mountains.
Feeling clean, fed, warm, and in love, Spike rocked by the fire and fell asleep.
Using all his stealth, Xander darted through the trees to the path at the rear of the cabin. Loading up the last crate from the cave, he crept toward the barn.
Keeping to the side of the cabin that had no window he spun the dial on the padlock to the combination and opened the door.The sight of the souped up Lincoln shining, patiently waiting, filled him with confidence.
He had made several decisions and knew now what he wanted. Running his hands lovingly down the side of the car, he wanted her to be the first to know.
"This is it old girl. Our last run. We can't be destroying people's lives any more. Can live a good life on the trapping and growing. Maybe start to work on the cabin again. Maybe find someone to share it with. We're gonna stop and talk to Old Joe tonight. Everyone else can go to hell."
Xander felt light as a feather. He still had one more thing to deal with, then he could return to the warmth of the hearth.
He could return to Spike.
Hurrying to finish, Xander did the one thing he had never done before. When he left the barn he forgot to double check that the lock had secured.
He jumped.
Startled awake. Spike looked around the cabin.
Nothing had changed.
Nothing was wrong.
Xander still hadn't returned and Spike had no idea how long he'd slept or what the noise was that woke him. Reassured that all was fine, he yawned and stretched.
He would have liked to know what the time was, but Xander had no clocks. Didn't seem to need any. Xander always had a good notion of the time of day without a timepiece.
Hoping to doze back off, Spike soon realized that was not going to happen. His bladder would not allow it. "Damn." Straining to listen, Spike could hear no movement outside, but figured it was worth a try. "Xander?"
Nothing.
Struggling to his feet, Spike was delighted to find he was steady and in very little pain. Shuffling forward, he opened the door and peered outside.Xander was nowhere to be seen.
Spike almost hated to admit it, but he knew he was more than capable of going out on his own. He was almost healed and then Xander would be sending him on his way.
Making his way around to the side, he spotted the outhouse and decided to make a go of it. The walk was slow and his leg muscles ached and cramped, but each step was a little easier than the last.
The air was crisp and the landscape was breathtaking. Spike could easily see why Xander was happy to make this
his home.
Entering the toilet, the cold fog bit and curled around his cock and balls. Spike urinated and shook quickly, tucking himself away for the trip back to the house.
As this was the first time he had really been outside the cabin, Spike was curious to look around. Everything was surprisingly neat and organized.
The wood pile was stacked high and ready for the cold nights ahead. Directly behind was an open shed with some feed
sacks for corn and a wheelbarrow. It was all exactly as Xander had said.
Whistling, Spike headed for the porch but was reluctant to go in. Although it was chilly it was not unbearably cold.
He had been inside and laid up for so long it was beyond wonderful to be up and moving.
Walking around to the other side Spike saw a path leading to a barn. He decided that would be just far enough to walk without tiring himself too much, and Spike had a need to know everything about Xander. Looking all around again to make sure he was still all alone, Spike started toward the barn.
Unsure about over stepping his bounds, Spike approached the barn door slowly. He noticed a padlock on the latch, but when checked found it to be unsecured. 'Well if it was anything important Xander would have locked it up.'
Spike removed the lock and opened the door.
Part Twenty-Four
Xander hustled quickly through the trees and down the incline to the road. He wanted to check that Spike's car was still
undisturbed and that no one had stolen his papers or books. He had decided to load all the things up in one of the boxes
and return it to the cabin.
He was sure Spike would feel better if he knew his property was safe. He smiled at the thought of making Spike happy.
Approaching, he was shocked find another car parked close behind the wrecked one. Though unmarked, the man in the
black suit and plain car just screamed "government."
He considered ducking back into the cover of the woods, but cursing his carelessness, Xander knew he had already been spotted.
"Hey! You! Boy! Get down here." The G-man stepped closer. With his hand on his hip Xander could clearly see the gun holster strapped to his shoulder partly concealed by his suit coat.
Without missing a beat, Xander slipped into his alter ego and sauntered down the bank. "Hey mister. Looks like you all mashed up yer car real bad. You hurt?"
The agent studied and dismissed Xander as any type of interest or threat.
Flashing a wallet with a badge, the agent tilted his head back towards the damaged vehicle.
"My name is special agent Liam O'Connor. The man driving this car is also a government agent. His name is William Beemish. Short, blond, talks with a fucked up accent. He sometimes calls himself Spike. Do you know what happened to him?"
Xander was speechless. He felt like he had just been punched in the stomach. He felt dizzy from the rapid mental turn around and fought desperately to keep his face blank and not vomit.
"Hey, Dummy. I'm talking to you. Have you seen the man who was driving this car?"
Liam was quickly getting pissed off. He did not want to be here much less wasting his time talking to an uneducated hillbilly that probably never finished the third grade. And frankly he sure the hell didn't care what happened to Spike.
The only reason he came out here was to save his promotion.
If he was to get the spot in Washington when they started that new agency, he couldn't have lost an agent on his record.
So here he was stuck in the boondocks talking to this idiot and getting mud on his new shoes.
"Nope, didn't see nobody. Don't usually come this way. I live up there." Xander pointed in the opposite direction, toward the town. "Ain't heard nothin' bout no strangers in these parts. Nearest town is ten miles up the road. They got one of them Greyhound busses there. Maybe your friend took the bus back to the city."
Xander's brain was frying. He had been taken.
He had been lied to.
He had let his heart confuse his common sense.
His thoughts centered on one urgent point. 'Oh Fuck! Spike is back at the cabin. Alone.'
Liam appeared to be considering this suggestion and headed back for his car. Yeah. the bus was reasonable. Before leaving, he reached into his coat pocket and handed Xander a small card.
"You hear anything about him you go find someone to read this to you. It has my name and address on it. Can you remember that?"
Xander nodded dumbly, and Liam walked away. He had already forgotten Xander was still standing there.
Watching him leave, Xander backed up and blended in with the surrounding foliage. As soon as he was satisfied that it was safe, he ran for home.
Xander was still a good one hungred yards away when he knew something was wrong. All his instincts and built in alarms were screaming. Before entering the cabin, he circled the property. The once neat wood pile was now scattered as though someone had tossed it piece by piece.
Darting to the side path he saw it when he turned the corner. The barn door stood wide open. Xander stopped. Took a deep resigned breath and slowly walked forward.
Funny how one afternoon can destroy a lifetime.
Xander now knew who the snake in his omen was.
The snake was Spike.
A man who had come up here and made Xander question himself and his plans for the future.
A man who made Xander fall in love.
The snake was Liam O'Connor for coming here and telling Xander about a man he didn't know. Spike was not that hateful man's William Beemish.
The snake was the still itself. The money and danger had been intoxicating.
He knew it would not end well, but like Spike's alcoholism, Xander knew he was just as addicted to the booze. He was worse because he was destroying lives for his own profit and pleasure.
And that was the bottom line, wasn't it.
The real snake was him.
Xander Harris was the snake.
The catalyst that would cause the end of it all.
If he hadn't been a shiner it wouldn't have mattered who or what Spike was.
Xander wiped the tears from his eyes and stepped into the barn. There sat his prized Lincoln. The doors wide open and the windshield smashed. Some of the jugs had been tossed to the dirt floor, but most were still sitting in the crates. Still waiting for the night's delivery.
Xander left, pulling the door closed and resecuring the padlock. Sighing deeply he turned and walked, not sure what he would be facing. He wouldn't stop Spike from arresting him. He had always known that was a possibility. His arrogance just didn't let him think it would happen.
Stepping up on the front porch, he noticed the door ajar. Pushing it open he entered. The room was cold. The fire had
been neglected and gone out. The oil lamp too was unused making the cabin dim.
Giving his eyes a minute to adjust to the lack of light, Xander finally found what he was looking for. There sitting in the rocker by the cold hearth, was Spike.
Drunk.
Part Twenty-Five
It had taken Spike a few minutes to truly understand what he was seeing.
When he had entered the barn his first thought was that someone else must have been storing his car in Xander's
barn.
Then the agent side of his brain kicked in and immediately started analyzing the situation.
This car was spotless. No dust meant it had not been sitting idly. It had been driven and lovingly cared for.
There was plenty of room outside and a padlock on the barn door which indicated the car was being kept out of
sight for a reason. Hidden from prying eyes.
Spike jerked open the passenger side door. It was everything he had been taught to look for. The rear seat was gone, replaced by wooden carrying cases that reached back into the trunk. Cases filled with brown jugs.
Spike pulled out one of the jugs and uncorked it. The smell that assaulted his nose made his shaky legs even
weaker. He tossed the jug to the ground and collapsed sobbing. "God damn you Xander!"
He couldn't believe he had been lied to.
Everything about Xander was a lie.
His broken heart filled with hate and despair.
Everything he had come to believe in was a deceit.
All his adult life he had guarded his emotions against affection for another man. Then Xander came along and filled him with hope. He was shattered. Crushed. Full of rage.
Pulling himself to his feet, he held tight to the car for balance. Summoning all the strength he could, Spike unleashed all the fury he felt inside. Picking up a lug wrench from a tool shelf, he swung.
There was no satisfaction or relief in seeing the glass shatter.
It only made him feel worse.
He knew there was only one thing that would help the pain to go away. The same thing he had begged Xander for and was denied. "Don't have no booze here" Spike mocked in his best Xander voice.
Spike snatched one of the jugs from the car and pulled the plug. No longer caring about the consequences, Spike swallowed.
He felt every cell in his body welcome the burning drink. It warmed his throat and stomach as it ran down. He could almost count the brain cells that fried and died blessedly. Tipping the crock, he let another mouthful go down.
Laughing sourly Spike had to admit, "You make some quality shit, Xander. I just might become a regular customer."
Trying to clear his head, Spike considered his options. Even with reason and logic drowning in liquor, Spike knew he
would not arrest Xander. He just wasn't sure why. It would be the perfect revenge. The divine punishment, yet he also knew it would bring no satisfaction.
The half empty jug slipped from his hands and fell to the dirt floor, spilling. Grabbing another full one, he staggered back to the cabin with it to wait for the moonshiner's return.
He had no interest in finding the still.
"RULE ONE: Find and destroy the apparatus."
HA!
Maybe rule one should be 'Don't fuck the moonshiner'
He sat there for what seemed to be hours. The jug was almost dry and the fire had gone out.
The cabin was getting cold and Spike briefly thought of stoking it and adding some wood. 'Fuck it.'
He wanted the room as cold as his heart.
Besides, this was Xander's place.
If he wanted it warm he should be here to care for it.
The afternoon sun had passed to the other side of the cabin causing the room to dim. Xander had shown him how to light the lantern, but that too went untouched. Slipping in and out of his drunken haze, Spike finally heard the footsteps he had been waiting on.
Xander stood inside the door for a moment allowing his eyes to adjust to the faded light. "You're drunk. Or should I say, you're drunk, Agent Beemish."
Xander slammed the door behind him. Crossing the room, he angrily snatched the jug from Spike's lax fingers and threw it smashing against the hearth.
"What?" Spike had centered himself and prepared a somewhat coherent outraged speech. He would throw all Xander's lies in his face then sit back and enjoy his begging apologies.
Now he was off balance. How did Xander know who he was? The combined effects of the alcohol and confusion left Spike silent.
"Nothing to say, Spike? Good, cause anything out of your mouth would probably be a lie anyway. You're a fuckin' liar and a stinkin' drunk. You want to arrest me? Well kiss my ass!" Xander was pacing back and forth in front of Spike making him dizzy and causing his stomach to threaten a revolt.
The hate of the words cut through his heart and mind like a knife. "FUCK YOU, Xander! I'm a liar? Well what the fuck does that make you? A God damn back woods, ignorant, moonshining, hillbilly. Yeah, I'm an agent, but you're a ......"
Stopping in mid rant, Spike rushed to the door on weak legs and barely made it outside before vomiting what felt like gallons of alcohol onto the front yard.
Xander stood watching. He had always been disgusted at the weakness of a man trapped by alcoholism, but watching Spike he found the anger and disgust was only directed at himself.
He had done that.
He wanted to run to him and hold him while he threw up. He wanted to comfort him, but pride and shame held him back.
Spike slumped weakly against the door frame. The painful retching had somewhat sobered him up. "I hate you." The fact that it was said quietly did not lessen it's effect.
It knocked out what little breath Xander had in him. "Yeah, well, I hate you too."
Crossing the room, Xander grabbed Spike by the arm and tossed him roughly onto the bed. "Sleep it off, Spike. We got five hours before I start my run. When I go I'll drop you about a mile out of town. Get on the bus tomorrow morning and get the hell off my mountain and out of my life."
Xander turned and stomped out of the cabin hoping Spike couldn't see the tears that had already started to fall.
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