Title: Halloween's Not What it Used to Be
Author: Forsaken2003
Pairing: S/X
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I own none, all belong to Joss Whedon
Comments: Always welcomed!
Summary: Halloween seems almost nonexistent now.
Warnings/Spoilers: Post NFA
Beta'd by: Unbeta'd

Xander was watching the second Halloween movie while eating Halloween candy. It was eight in the evening and he had yet to have a single trick or treater knock on his door with a bag eagerly waiting for candy. When had Halloween died? When he was a kid everyone was out later than they should have been getting as much free candy as possible. Now Xander had six boxes of assorted chocolate bars and he was going to end up eating all of it.

In the movie the EMT was strangled to death with a length of cord and Michael was now getting ready to drown the nurse in a scalding hot therapy tub when the doorbell rang. Xander jumped up almost dumping the bowl of candy he had on his lap. Without pausing the movie Xander rushed to the door and pulled it open and said with a smile, "Happy Halloween!" The smile disappeared. "Spike? What are you doing here?"

"Trick or treat," Spike said before stealing a Kit Kat and pushed Xander out of the way. "Oh, Halloween 2. I haven't seen this in ages!" He hopped over the back of the couch and made himself at home.

With a sigh Xander closed the door and carried the bowl back over to the couch. "You didn't answer my question, bleach head."

Spike dug his hand into the bowl again and took several different candy bars. "Got bored. The slayers are having a movie night but instead of good ones like theses their watching Halloweentown, Nightmare Before Christmas and Casper."

"Well some of the slayers are pretty young. Besides they see enough demons, they shouldn't be watching stuff like this," Xander answered.

"We're not watching the third Halloween movie are we? I don't know what those blokes were smoking when they decided to put that rubbish in with the Halloween series," Spike griped. "Do you have any more candy?" He asked as he stuffed a Mars into his mouth.

With a grumble Xander stood up and went to the kitchen. At least he wouldn't be eating all of the candy now.

When Halloween 2 ended Xander turned to Spike. "Did you go trick or treating as a kid?" He asked.

"We didn't have trick or treating in Britain when I was a human. We didn't dress up in costumes," Spike replied.

"Really? That sucks," Xander commented. "I loved dressing up for Halloween as a kid. We'd go to school and have little parades showing off our costumes. We'd get treats, watch Halloween movies and maybe play some games. After school me and Jesse would meet up and we'd start trick or treating early. It used to piss some people off; they were just getting home from work and hadn't even had supper yet. The next day me and Willow would go over to Jesse's house to split up the goods. Willow's parents wouldn't let her go with us, being Jewish and all."

Spike stared at Xander gobsmacked. "You actually went out on your own without your parents and would go to strangers' houses for candy? On the Hellmouth? Were you mad?"

"We were kids, Spike. Besides we didn't know monsters were real." Xander paused. "I wonder if we ever bumped into a vampire or succubus."

"I have no idea how you survived all those years before Buffy came to Sunnydale," Spike said with a scoff."

Xander shrugged. "I figure either luck or fate."

"Luck I understand. What do you mean fate?" Spike asked curiously.

"Well if it wasn't for Willow, Giles, Cordy and me Buffy would have died a long time ago. Maybe whatever brought Angel back from hell were also looking out for us until Buffy got to Sunnydale," Xander stated. "I want to believe that everything that happened was fate. It probably sounds stupid but that thought makes me feel a little bit better about Anya and Cordy. And when it's my time to go I hope it's fate and not because evil beat us."

"As long as I'm still walking around I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen," Spike promised. "I protect my family."

Xander stared at Spike. Family? Yeah, he guessed they were family. That was really weird. "That goes both ways. So don't do anything stupid that will get us both killed."

"Same goes for you, git. I like my unlife," Spike fired back. "Now put in the next movie and get some more candy. We're out." He shook the bowl in front of Xander's face.

Xander took the bowl and dumped the empty wrappers that they had been throwing back into the bowl on Spike's head and walked away. Spike swore and Xander grinned. If you didn't annoy family what was the point of having them?

The End