obsession is... [writings of claudia6913]

Title: Deep Water
Author: claudia6913
Rating: NC-17
Genre: H/C, Angst
Pairing: Spike/Xander
Summary: Xander is ill. Willow and Spike rescue him, but will they be able to save him?
Disclaimer: Joss owns all, I but play in the field of his imagination.




Part 1: You find yourself falling down.

Heat pounded down, seeping through every available surface, cooking everything that was unprotected from the sun’s deadly rays. Luckily, however, Xander had found a small rock outcropping that formed a sort of small cave. While it was not exactly an air-conditioned room, it was better than standing out in the middle of all that heat. The cave barely had enough room for him to sit up straight, and it was only wide enough for him to lay down in the fetal position.

-Nothing like home sweet home. What, you know, with the cave and all. It's nothing like a bat cave, but, can't have everything.-

Xander was not exactly sure where he was. Well, he knew he was in Africa that much he was sure of, but as to where in Africa, he was...that he could not say.

He had to admit, to himself at least, that wandering off by himself had not been the best of ideas. However, who was there to stop him? Besides, he had simply wanted to see more of the Savannah. It was a beautiful sight. Animals grazed near by, some running, others, younger ones, played. It was nature at its finest, or so Xander thought. No magic, no Hellmouth, no wicked, evil, eye popping Priests...just fresh air and animals. Therefore, when the opportunity arose, Xander took it, deciding to venture out a bit on his own. He had not realized just how far he had walked until, when he looked behind him, he could no longer see the village he was staying at.

-And now look at me, stuck in a makeshift bat cave with no water, no food, and no idea how to get back. Way to go me.-

His self-battering would do him no good, not when he needed, at the very least, water. Xander's mouth was dry, his tongue thick against the roof of his mouth. The sun was beginning its slow dip to the horizon. Looking out, he noticed there was a pack of Zebras just off to the right of the small cave. Carefully, Xander climbed out of the cave.

-Hey, everyone has to drink right? Right. So, faithful Zebras... lead me to water.-

However, it was not as simple as that. Sighing, Xander took off his shirt and hung it over a small, low bush. A wind came by, blowing a soft cool breeze for only a moment. Xander leaned into it, closing his eye.

-And I thought Sunnydale was hot. This place is just ridiculous. Why did I come here anyways? Oh, yeah, that whole 'prove I don't need to be a Scooby to live' thing. Well, I'm over that now and you can beam me home Scottie, 'cause I've had enough. I want air-conditioning, I want television, and I want a hamburger with everything on it, and water from a tap.-

Xander's stomach growled and he put his hand on it to quiet it. There was not much around him to eat but grass, and that did not look appetizing...not yet at least. Walking toward the herd of Zebras, Xander decided he had better find some water and soon, before he dehydrated and ended up being some pile of bleached bones on the Savannah.

-Morbid thoughts? Check.-

The Zebras did not seem to mind him, and he smiled to himself. At least he would be able to say he got close to the animals. Seeing them on the Discovery Channel was nothing like seeing them up close and personal. They were not as big as he thought they would be, but the black and white stripes were vibrant even in the orange dust of the African landscape.

Only feet away, and Xander was holding his breath, not wanting to make them run. There had to be a hundred of them or so, all eating, and drinking from a small puddle of water.

Staring at the puddle, Xander did not care that it was muddy, or that animals were drinking from it. It was liquid, it was wet, and it had a faint resemblance to water. That was all Xander needed. Slowly he walked forward. A few of the Zebras made that odd sound, telling him that they did not appreciate his presence among them, but he ignored it in favor of the water. It begged him, called to him to drink it, and he was helpless against that call. Dropping to his knees, Xander cupped his hands and picked up the water, practically throwing it into his mouth. It was different then he remembered water tasting, as he should have expected, but it was wet and that was all he cared about.

He could not remember the last time he had had a drink of water. Had it been that morning when he had left on his own? Did he have a water bottle with him when he left? He could not remember.

-It’s the heat. Come night I'll feel more like myself and try to figure out where I am.-

Taking another handful of water, Xander drank it and smiled, laughing a little. That small laugh was enough to startle the Zebras around him. At once, they all raised their heads and turned to look at him. There was a look of fear in their eyes, a look he recognized from his years in Sunnydale. He gulped, knowing that he had just done the wrong thing. One wrong move and they would stampede. He knew that too from watching the Discovery Channel. Television had its benefits.

Staying completely still, Xander watched. It was all he could do. The wind blew softly around him, but he did not make a move. The animals kept an eye on him and looked quickly at the others. His hands were still up to his mouth and he was leaning at an odd angle on his knees over the puddle. He had to move. Xander could not keep that position forever.

-Stupid Zebras. Just leave. Shoo. Go away and then I'll leave and you can come back and do whatever it was you were doing. But please, please go now. I can't keep this up.-

However, the Zebras did not seem to be listening to his internal monologue. Carefully, slowly, Xander sat back so that he was not bent over at such an awkward angle. A few of the Zebras took off, but they had looked young, and had been on the fringe of the group. The others still watched him with intense, frightened eyes. He did not understand why they did not just all walk away from him slowly. It was as if they were frozen in time, waiting for him to make the next move.

-Like some Clint Eastwood film. Do ya feel luck, Zebra? Well, do ya? ... Apparently they do. Well, I don't. I'm feeling distinctly un-lucky. Hmm...I wonder if I could move my arms down now. Maybe a few more will bolt.-

Inch by agonizing inch, Xander slowly lowered his arms until they were sitting in his lap. None of the Zebras bolted this time. He let out a long sigh of relief, realizing a moment too late that that had been the wrong thing to do. All at once, hooves were in the air and that odd half-whinny half-chirping sound drowned out everything. Dust came up, obstructing Xander's view and instinctively he covered his head.

The ground seemingly moved with the stampede, feeling more like an earthquake then a stampede. Everything that happened within minutes seemed to take hours to Xander as he tried to avoid being kicked or killed. A few stray hooves managed to clip him.

When the dust finally settled, Xander opened his eye and sat up. He felt bruised and beaten, but otherwise alright. Looking around, the Zebras were long gone. Groaning, Xander got up and headed slowly back to his cave. It would get cold once night fell.

********

Shivering, Xander tried to huddle closer into himself. Something was wrong with him he could feel it. His head was spinning, making him dizzy and his stomach was protesting, like he had eaten too many Twinkies, but he had not had any.

-Stupid Africa. Stupid Zebras. Stupid cave.-

Kicking out at the cave wall, Xander winced and cursed under his breath. There was not even enough room to get angry, let alone move so he could be more comfortable. Now his head throbbed, making him nauseous. He barely had enough time to make it out of the small cave before his stomach emptied its contents.

Taking great big gulps of air, he tried, in vein, to calm his body down. He kept going until he was left with dry heaves, causing the bruises on his sides to ache.


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Continued here.