Oh, poor babies... I really like the way you do angst. Completely realistic and appropriate in the context of their relationship. It's funny that the more an author gets into Spike and Xander's relationship (even in what starts out as a plot what plot), the more inevitable the angst becomes. Those to have so much baggage, separately and together, that it just can't be simple between them. You are really handling it beautifully, though. More, please :-)