Some Favorite Spander Fics

Here's a listing of some of my favorite S/X fics, partially to keep it as a convenient record for my own reference, and partially in case anyone else wants some recommendations. I'll list authors by their LiveJournal usernames when possible (with links to their LJ accounts), because many of them write additional fic in their journals which isn't archived elsewhere. I, like many other authors, write individual chapters (or even snippets of chapters) in my LiveJournal, only posting a story to my website when the whole thing is completed. Many many many stories are happening out there in LJ-land if you want to go looking for them.

I will try to also include multiple links for the fics when I can, in case links break or someone's server is down. (This last bit is mostly for my own benefit, since I have upon occasion found myself ficless when LJ was having technical problems. "But all my links and bookmarks are to fics on LJ!" I cried. Okay, I didn't actually cry, but you know what I mean.)

The fics are alphabetized by author, but there's a separate section at the bottom for hyena!Xander fics, because I noticed I had so many of them.

Warning: Almost all of these fics are rated NC-17.

Disclaimer: I'm not necessarily saying that these are the best fics around or the most well-written (though I do feel that way about some of the fics on this list) ... I'm just saying I like them. If a story caters to my emotional kinks (e.g., h/c, amnesia, reluctant Xander, vulnerable Spike, angsty false assumptions about the unrequitedness of their feelings, etc.), I can sometimes have a high tolerance for cliched plot and/or OOC characterizations. It's all a matter of taste.

ahestele's Caught -- Short. Season 7 Spike and Xander end up trapped in a car in a blizzard, and their snarking ends up leading to a sort of dare to have sex. I like Ahestele's characterizations here. She writes a crazy!souled!Spike that doesn't annoy me (which some of them do), and her Xander has a nice tinge of resentment and defensiveness. (Also located here.)

ahestele's Midnight at L.A.X. -- Medium length. I'm so glad tiashome recommended Ahestele's fic to me, because I hadn't read any of it before and this one immediately became one of my favorites. It's set 15 years after the end of season 6 (but season 7 never happened), starting with a chance meeting between Spike and Xander which leads into what I like to call angsty schmoop or schmoopy angst. Schmangst. A nice combination of romance and emotional hesitations and miscommunication eventually set aright. Oh, and smut. (Also located here.)

Alexandria Brown's Brown Paper Packages -- Longish. Season 4(?) Xander discovers that Spike had a career in porn. Mostly just a string of PWP scenes, though there's a lot of schmoop, too. (Also located here.)

Alexandria Brown's Waiting Here -- Longish. This is one of those "Xander's dad rapes him" fics, which are surprisingly numerous. I've put this fic on my list, taken it off, put it back on, etc., because it's really over-the-top h/c -- but I like the romance it portrays, even if it's schmoopy. In addition to the rape, there's a lot of squicky self-injury stuff, so be warned. (Also located here.)

amejisuto's Everlasting Love -- Medium length. Just a little Season 6 offering in which some weird weather is attacking Sunnydale and the Scoobies are a mess. The romance is a bit too easy, but I was able to ignore that. I like this one primarily for the Spike/Xander/Dawn friendship. Probably not a fic I'll reread often, but I enjoyed it enough to give it a second look.

apreludetoanend's In So Deep -- Short. Just a Season 4 PWP.

Anna S. (eliade)'s The One in the Cave -- One-shot. Anna S. is one of the finest Spander writers in existence, and everything she writes is worth a look. This is one of those "Xander and Spike have to get jiggy to save themselves from evil demons" fics, but fabulous. Almost entirely PWP, but there are some nice emotions involved, too.

Anna S. (eliade)'s Involuntary Bodies -- Medium length. In Season 5, Buffy, Willow, Angel, and Giles vanish, leaving Xander to take care of Dawn and still-crazy Tara. He turns to Spike for help with the responsibilities.

Anna S. (eliade)'s Sidelines -- Longish. An alternative Season 4, with added smut. Instead of Willow falling for Tara and realizing she's gay, it's Xander who goes through the coming-out drama as he falls for Spike. Everything Anna S. writes is amazing, and this is no exception. Great characterizations, great plot, great everything. I bow at her feet in awe, as always.

Anna S. (eliade)'s Subtleties -- Longish. My absolute favorite of Anna S.'s excellent stories. Heartbreakingly wonderful whore!Spike fic full of emotional manipulation of the very best sort. Anna wrote this in a very unusual way, scribbling it in her LiveJournal as if she were just kicking around ideas for scenes, but the informality of the style works surprisingly well. Much of it is dialogue, which is written amazingly in-character. One of the plot turns, in particular, sticks in my brain and sometimes still makes me cry when I read it. Sometimes I revisit this story just to reread the section that wrenches my heart. I love this fic big time. (Also located here and in its original LJ incarnation here.)

Anna S. (eliade)'s A Week of Wrong -- Short. Terribly funny, including a scene in which a very (unintentionally) high Spike makes me almost cry laughing. I find myself nearly uncontrollably tempted to quote favorite lines here, but can't seem to narrow the choices down to a manageable few. Hee. Just read it.

Anna S. (eliade)'s Your Horoscope For Today -- Short. This is the fic Anna S. wrote for me in the Spander Inquisition ficathon, in which events conspire to show Xander an unexpected side of Spike ... and some unexpected aspects of himself, as well, as he finds himself taking care of a Spike who's been whammied by a wizard. Yummy amnesia h/c. I love me some amnesia h/c. (Also located here.)

anniesj's Spanderverse -- Medium length. Wonderful season 4 Spike/Xander smut, with both of them getting reluctantly drawn to each other against their will. They still insist they can't stand each other, and yet there's something else going on at the same time, something tenderly needful developing between them. It's aching and sweet and lovely. Not to mention sexy as hell.

_beetle_'s Awakenings -- Medium length. A sort of amnesia!fic, told in an interesting fashion, combining past and present events together. The story is that Spike shanshued after NFA, but woke up with no memory and proceeded to live a life as "Will." The story is set six years later, when Spike suddenly wakes up again with no memory of his six years with Xander.

Benaresq's Raising the Stakes -- A short Season 4 basement smut that's hot as hell. Just smut smut smut.

byrne's Truth or Dare -- Short. Very cute fluffy smut. More romantic than smutty, really.

china_shop's This Year's Vamp -- Short. Spike and Xander accidentally swap bodies a la Buffy/Faith in "This Year's Girl." Except Spike and Xander stick together instead of racing off in different directions, and things get just a little (understatement) hot.

cicirossi's Chocolate Hurricane -- Longish. Xander gets some mysterious chocolate in the mail, and it's having a strange effect on him. Why is he suddenly lusting after Spike? This is one of my very favorite S/X stories, because it's funny and sexy at the same time, with a fluffy h/c element, and I love the characterizations. It's lovely light reading. (Also located here.)

Circe (circe_tigana)'s Coming Home -- Light, yet angsty short fic (complete with character death) that somehow manages to communicate a world of emotional depth with very few words. From the start of the fic to the end, the perspective on what's happening changes drastically, but the change happens with grace and a heart-breaking clarity. Yes, there is angst, but I don't find the story depressing at all. (Also located here.)

Circe (circe_tigana)'s No Power on Earth -- Medium length. Xander meets up with Spike in Oxnard during the summer after Season 3. (Also located here.)

crazydiamondsue's Choices -- One-shot. Spike goes to Xander in Africa right after having his hands cut off (in the AtS season 5 episode "Damage"), looking for someone to tell him he's a monster. Xander doesn't oblige.

crazydiamondsue's Sunday Morning Coming Down -- Longish. Set in the summer after Buffy's death, this fic shows a slowly developing relationship between Spike and Xander that I love. Plus, lots of tasty smut. (Also located here.)

edibbea's Secrets series -- A series of 16 chapters telling one longer story about Spike and Xander in a D/s relationship in Season 4. It's big on kink, which is a bit much for me, but I still think some of it's pretty sexy. My biggest problem with this series is that the easy romantic feelings (especially at the beginning) seem really unrealistic, given the timeframe, but I try to ignore that. Probably a permanent WIP, since it was last updated years ago. (Also located here and here.)

electricalgwen's Animal -- One-shot. Xander is possessed by a hyena-like demon/spirit that renders him incapable of talking. Spike babysits him. Mostly just hot smut with a bit of bloodplay. This isn't really a hyena!fic, in that Xander isn't acting like he did during the season 1 episode "The Pack." This possession makes him much more of an animal. Hence the name.

electricalgwen's Ironing out the Kinks -- One-shot. Not kinky, as the title might suggest -- just good hot smut.

Esmeralda's The Deal -- This is actually the first chapter in a longer series (Stranger Things) which is A/S/X/D (if I've heard correctly), but this first chapter is just S/X and I think it works perfectly fine as a stand-alone. Very hot first-time smut, with Xander kidnapped by demons and rescued by Spike. (Also located here.)

estepheia's Cues and Balls -- A season 7 one-shot snarkfest while the two guys play pool at The Bronze, with the competitive snarking leading to a rather different kind of tension. (Also located here.)

estepheia's Pandoraverse -- A wonderful series of short smut fics set in Season 7, with an adorably vulnerable newly-souled Spike. I love love love this series and have read it several times. I love her characterizations of both Spike and Xander, and find the entire fic emotionally realistic -- not too shmoopy and not too angsty. (Also located here.)

estepheia's Perdition Catch My Soul -- Medium length. Another h/c fic (because I love them so), in which Xander is the one who follows Spike into the church (in Season 7's "Beneath You") and first learns about the soul, rather than Buffy. Things progress from there, with Xander dealing with the vulnerable newly-souled and mildly crazy Spike. The S/X seems to be just getting started when the fic leaves off. Probably a permanent WIP. (Also located here.)

estepheia's Sixty Minutes -- Estepheia's own one-shot response to her challenge on Nummytreats: Has to be set in S7: In order to make peace with Xander, (or at least a kind of ceasefire) Spike offers Xander an opportunity to get even: One hour of payback for past insults and Spike's involvement with Anya: "Sixty minutes. You say it - I do it. You dish it - I take it." Estepheia's version is dark and twisted and angsty, including non-consensual sex and physical and emotional torture. Still, it's compelling and excellently written. (For another excellent -- and less dark -- response to the same challenge, check out Anna S.'s Closure.)

estepheia and ladycat777's Checkmate -- A short fic in which Spike and Xander put on a bit of a show for a visiting member of the Watchers' Council, stirring up some unexpected stuff. This one is both funny and sexy.

eyezrthewindows's I Don't Know How It Happened -- Medium length. Fighting is like foreplay.

fanbot's Coercion -- Long. Season 4ish fic focusing primarily on the boys' sexual exploits, but with a bit of Scooby/Initiative plot mixed in. The author has an occasional problem with verb tenses, which I found very distracting when it cropped up, and I'm not too fond of the last few chapters, but I enjoyed the porn.

fanbot's Unbreakable -- Long. Post-Chosen, Xander was captured by slave traders and forced to fight for his life in an arena against demons and humans. Five years later, he is rescued by Spike, who becomes a great support to Xander as he recovers from his ordeal.

FeatheredQuill's Love of the Loveless -- Medium length. Xander's been going to a gay club, and Spike finds out. There's a lot of messing around with Spike keeping his identity a secret, which is hot.

firehorse's Two Beer Queer -- Just a short, light fic with Xander and Spike messing around while drunk -- repeatedly -- and not acknowledging it while sober. I've seen this basic plot premise before, but this is a unexpectedly (and pleasantly) fluffy look at the situation. (Also located here.)

fitofpique's Keeper series (a.k.a., Five Minutes Ago I Loved a Girl) -- A series that begins with the fic "Keeper" (which takes place during the BTVS episode "Sleeper") and then progresses through rescuing Xander when he's bleeding onto the seal, all the way into the BTVS episode "Get It Done." The author does an excellent job of using the canon events and reworking them into an S/X story. Probably a permanent WIP, ending in a very frustrating place. (Also located here.)

flaming_muse's Conjunctions Series -- A series of six short fics -- really more like chapters of a single fic -- that focus primarily on the relationship between the two boys rather than sex, though the last fic is rated NC-17. The first fic was written as a joke, if I remember correctly, and it's a bit silly, but she developed things nicely afterward. (Also located here.)

flufshepherd's Sour Revenge -- Long. Season 2 Spike becomes obsessed with Xander in the aftermath of a love spell. WIP being updated infrequently but still definitely in progress.

Green (xanphibian)'s Addiction -- One-shot. A brief look at Xander feeling sexually addicted to Spike. Focused more on thoughts and feelings than description of events, it is nonetheless extremely sexy.

Green (xanphibian)'s Amnesia!Xander -- Medium length. A really interesting fic that focuses on a canon-in-his-mind Xander waking up with amnesia, only to learn (much to his shock, disbelief, and dismay) that he has apparently been in a relationship with Spike for the past few years he doesn't remember. Because it's told primarily from Xander's point of view, this is also a great meta-fic look at criticisms of the unbelievability of Spike/Xander slash. I love this story. Unfortunately, it's probably a permanent WIP.

Green (xanphibian) and ladycat777's Figured You Out -- A short one-shot smut fic filled with domination/submission-type kink stuff. Incredibly hot, but then that could be assumed simply from knowing the names of the authors. (Also located here.)

Green (xanphibian) and ladycat777's Fragment -- Longish. An eventually extremely smutty h/c fic written on LiveJournal through posts and comments by both authors. It's kind of emotionally messed up and twisted, in that the Xander in the fic has been severely brutalized and is almost not recognizable as the same person, but if h/c is your thing then you probably won't mind. Personally, I love it to death and idolize both authors for writing such lovely fic. I love them. Love love love. Probably a permanent WIP, not located anywhere but on LJ. The authors aren't writing it anymore, so you should only read it if you don't mind an unfinished story. (Note: In one or two places, the "continued here" link is missing at the bottom of the section, but you should just go back up to the top of the entry and click the "next" button to go on to the next part.)

Green (xanphibian) and ladycat777's A Place Called Home -- Medium length. Extremely schmoopy fic focusing on Xander having a very girly crush on Spike and a home improvement kink. I'm not usually fond of schmoop, but this fic just charms me and makes me smile. (Also located here.)

Herself (herself_nyc)'s The Approved Mode of Payback -- A lonely, grieving post-NFA Spike meets up with a bitter, angry, hurting Xander, and there's general emotional messed uppedness, all wonderfully written. There's a lot of Spike/Angel, as well, which isn't my thing but was done so well that it caught me up anyway. I love the first sequel -- Blue-Eyed Boy -- even more than the first fic, because it's chock full o' relationship stuff, all the fits and starts and misunderstandings that make for my favorite kind of fic. I like the second sequel -- Some Scenes from the Later Life of Two Heroes -- less, because it doesn't include Xander, but it's still good. It's all amazingly well-written.

jackson_rayne's Divided, Two's Company, and Male Bonding -- Long. When the demon Toth uses his magic stick to split someone in half (in the Season 5 episode "The Replacement"), he hits Spike instead of Xander, and Spike is split into his vulnerable side and his demony side. His vulnerable side falls in love with Xander. The third fic -- apparently the final installment in this story -- is not yet completed, and is being written (very rarely) in the author's journal. My only quibble with these is that without benefit of a beta reader, Jackson's fics tend to have everyone speaking like Brits (which makes sense, since the author lives in Liverpool, England). But I don't mind Xander talking about "buying petrol" or "ringing someone" if it means I get to read a good plot full of emotional complexity. Plus, this one is full of prolonged pining, which is one of my kinks. Possibly a permanent WIP, though I've heard a rumour that she still plans to complete it.

jackson_rayne's Sweet Revenge -- Long. A nefarious Spike seduces Xander as part of a plan to get to Buffy. This is one of my absolute favorite S/X fics -- very angsty, with quite a bit of borderline non-consensual sex and a lot of emotional manipulation. And yet it ends up being very romantic and heart-wrenching ... it's just a rocky road to get there. I really like her characterizations, and the situations (and character motivations) are surprisingly believable. At the end, the author suddenly starts writing the story in parallel with episodes of the series (Season 5), which I don't like as much because it feels forced, but the story is still great. (Also located here.)

jameschick's Quantum Xander -- Long. A spell causes Xander to do some involuntary dimension hopping, checking out other versions of himself and the changes caused by different choices he could have made. Though I have some minor quibbles with this fic, overall I think it's very unique and interesting. I've read it a couple of times and it only improved with re-reading. Warning: The story includes a lot of different unconventional pairings and threesomes. There's a sequel here, but I don't like it much for reasons I won't mention, since I would be giving away some of the plot. The reasons are a matter of taste, though, and not necessarily any reflection on the quality of the fic. (Note: The whole thing -- both the first fic and the sequel -- is red text on black background. Prepare yourself for eye strain and possibly a migraine. Alternatively, you can read it light gray on dark gray here.)

Juliatheyounger's Escape -- Medium length. Nicely angsty romantic smut that addresses how badly the Scoobies (with a focus on Xander, of course) tend to use and abuse Spike, and how he feels about the whole thing. It's a great fic for Spike fans, since it takes a very sympathetic view of his efforts to help the Scoobs in the fight against evil. (Also located here.)

Juliatheyounger's We're Not Gay. We're Just Friends. Who Have Sex. -- Longish. Funny, romantic smut, with a bit of light angst. This was the first story that made me actually appreciate slash, and I've read it many times. In fact, I worried that I might accidentally plagiarize it when I wrote my first S/X story, because I've read it so many times that it feels like canon to me. (Also located here.)

Kay Tee's Guilt, Horror, Love -- Short. An interestingly structured fic with some rather OOC characterizations (in that the guys are rather schmoopier than canon), but the OOCness isn't extreme and didn't bother me. It's set after season 6, with Xander encountering a vulnerably souled Spike before anyone else realizes he's in town. I'd call this one schmangsty h/c, which is a category I particulary enjoy.

Kayla's Sweet Memories -- Long. Fluffy, schmoopy, ultra-romantic amnesia smut. I found some of the "previous life" elements in this story too sappy even for me, but it's pretty easy to just ignore the parts that go a bit over the top. And, me, I love amnesia. In this case, they've both got amnesia. (Also located here and here.)

Kyrieane's Reparations -- A short NC-17 h/c fic set in Season 6, with Xander comforting Spike about Buffy's callous treatment of him. OOCly sweet, but good anyway. (Also located here.)

I could probably list almost all of LadyCat's fics here -- because they're all excellent and most are also extremely hot -- but I'll just focus on my favorites and encourage you to read the rest.

LadyCat (ladycat777)'s Half-Windsor -- One-shot. Xander is surprised when Spike insinuates himself into being Xander's date for a work function, then manages to actually become date-like. This short, non-smutty fic is one of my favorites. (Also located here.)

LadyCat (ladycat777)'s Lessons (with additional snippets in her LiveJournal here, here, and here) -- This one seems to hit a lot of my kink buttons. It's got whore!Spike, amnesia (of a "this person has been conditioned to be a mindless slave" type), and a reluctant dom!Xander. These combine to make for great fic. The basic premise is that the chip doesn't just cause Spike pain when he causes pain ... it also causes him pleasure when he causes pleasure. A novel idea. This fic has a lot in common with Fragment_RPG on LiveJournal (which I love with a devoted passion), though Spike and Xander's positions have been reversed. Fragment is listed above under "Green." WIP.

LadyCat (ladycat777)'s Quarry -- A one-shot showcasing a wonderfully nefarious Spike, subtly manipulating Xander into submitting to him, into wanting to submit to him. (There's a sequel to this fic here, also located here. There's a third bit in her LJ, here.)

LadyCat (ladycat777)'s Silk -- Medium length. Funny smut with a fantasy element, because a spell sets the guys to acting literally out of character, as they periodically take on the personalities of an Arabian Nights-style slave and his master. Their reactions are priceless. This one makes me chuckle every time I read it.

LadyCat (ladycat777)'s Soul -- Medium length. Touching Season 7 (slightly AU) exploration of a newly-souled Spike connecting with a post-wedding fiasco Xander. Probably a permanent WIP, but it ends in an okay place.

LadyCat (ladycat777) and secondverse's Out of Character -- Medium length. I don't normally like fics in which everyone is OOC, but that's sort of the whole point of this story. A spell makes everyone act more than a little off, including a bit of gender bending, with the gals being less compassionate than normal and the guys being more touchy feely. Most of this fic is simply ludicrous -- especially Giles -- but it's also loads of fun. And there's lots of hot kissing. (Also located here.)

Laikokae's What Makes Us -- Medium length. Angsty h/c, with Spike helping Xander through some bad memories. Mostly emotional interactions, rather than smut, with an emphasis on tenderness and shmoop. As with most schmoop, Spike is OOCly sweet and gentle with Xander from the beginning, but I don't mind it too much. Angel doesn't come out looking so good in this one. (Also located here.)

Lazuli's Hunger -- Medium length. Angsty, romantic, h/c consort!fic, set some years after the series takes place (a seemingly slightly AU version of the series, that is).

Lazuli's Repossession -- Epic angsty h/c which had me spellbound at the start. The basic story is that Spike was captured and tortured, only to find his severely damaged way to Xander. You should be warned that this fic is chock full of references to squicky things like torture and rape ... hence the "h" which requires the "c" of h/c, but if you like seriously angsty h/c, you should give it a look. Personally, I absolutely LOVED the first 20 or so chapters and really enjoyed the next 30 or 40. Too bad it lost me after that. I read through to the end, but I thought it got kind of repetitive, with a seemingly endless parade of traumas and recoveries. Warning: There's quite a bit of violent sex in this fic, with an emphasis on making the characters bleed by taking them roughly. If you're squeamish, you might want to steer clear.

lit_gal's Beautiful Broken -- Long. Another angsty h/c, with Xander the one who's broken this time, kidnapped and brainwashed by demon slavers. Major D/s kink in this one. There's a sequel here: Broken Revenge.

mahaliem's Amnesia!Spike -- I love a good amnesia story, and this one is funny funny funny. I'm tempted to quote some of the funny, but there's just too much of it. I can't choose just one bit. The S/X in this one is minor, but it's still definitely worth a read. (Also located here.)

Margie (margarks)'s Who? What? Huh? -- Medium length. Spike and Xander get body-swapped when a spell goes wrong. The romance in this is quick and easy, but I like it anyway. And there are sequels.

Mad Poetess (mpoetess)'s Chocolatey Goodness -- Long. Humorous and smutty unfinished epic with a prominent chocolate theme. The plot started going in some unexpected and rather odd directions not long before it went on indefinite hiatus a couple years ago. Probably a permanent WIP.

Melissa's Seeing Beyond Imperfections -- Longish. While the basic premise -- that Xander is now a seer with regularly scheduled daily visions from the PTB -- is a bit far-fetched, and some bits don't make perfect sense, I like this fic anyway. Xander encounters an incorporeal Spike 15 years after the destruction of Sunnydale, and the two become friends before more. (Also located here.)

metaforgirl's Payless -- Long. A post-Season 7 human!Spike epic, including lots of interaction with Angel and his L.A. crew and various other non-canon pairings (such as Giles/Willow, Angel/Wesley, a bit of Spike/Andrew, and several more, including some OCs). Some of the plot elements of this one -- specifically, some unnecessarily complicated stuff about a magic wand -- don't work for me, but the story overall is very emotionally interesting, making it worth re-reading, as far as I'm concerned. Metaforgirl's stories (including both this one and Who Wants To Live Forever?, described below) tend to start out focusing tightly on the developing relationship between Spike and Xander for about half the fic, and then suddenly shift to plots that involve tons of other characters and abruptly-introduced plot contrivances and such. The whole fic would be better if the plot elements were better integrated, but it's still good. I tend to enjoy (and reread) the well-focused first part of each of her stories more than the convoluted second part. Your mileage may vary.

metaforgirl's Who Wants To Live Forever? -- Long. I just love the first half of this fic, all filled with angst and hurt and miscommunication and lingering resentments. The story is set about 5 years after Buffy's death at the end of season 5. Some pretty serious emotional shit happened between Spike and Xander all those years ago, and Xander has been gone since, but now he's returning to Sunnydale for Dawn's wedding, and he and Spike have to face each other again. In later chapters, the fic veers away from its focus on the two guys' emotions (as I mentioned above, this same basic plot shift also happens in her story Payless) and becomes filled with Watchers and Initiative guys and the proverbial Evil!Riley (who is so common in Spike/Xander epics, such as jameschick's Quantum Xander and Lazuli's Repossession), all of which interests me less ... but I still love all that earlier angst.

Nash (nashmaveric)'s Beggars Can't Be Choosers -- Longish. This is another "dirty little secret" story, this time with Xander as the one longing for recognition. It's set in a slightly modified Season 7.

poshcat's Brothers in Arms -- A short post-Chosen meeting at Wolfram & Hart turns smutty. (Also located here.)

reremouse's Wilderness -- Longish. Post-NFA Spike rescues Xander in Africa and takes him back to stay with him in England. Thing is, Xander saw a demon about a wish, and it's sorta messing him up. (This fic is also located elsewhere, but this is the only place where it's complete as I type this.)

rubywisp's FDR -- One-shot. Set during an alternate season 7 in which Spike is a bit more sane and has been living with Xander longer. This is another fic that just begs to be quoted. Oh, hell, I'll indulge myself just this once, with just a snippet of Xander's dialogue from very early in the fic: "Listen, buddy - and I use the term loosely, in an 'I'm trying to keep from using the word 'asshole'' way here - the idea was for me to be open to new experiences. Try something different. There was nothing about being molested in the fine print of our insano deal." Hee! It sounds so very very Xander! I love Ruby's characterizations, because she always manages to make the guys seem believable, and yet make the smut believable too. That's a feat most slashfic writers (and I'm including myself in this category) can't handle. I love this fic muchly. Oh, and the title cracks me up. Hee! If you read the fic, you'll understand.

rubywisp's The Spanish Inquisition -- A lovely, sexy two-parter that takes place in Season 7. Mostly smut, but really enjoyable characterization and hotness.

Saber Shadowkitten's Brass Knackers -- Medium length. Mostly just Season 4/5 PWP.

Saber Shadowkitten's Cricket -- Longish. Xander starts seeing Spike differently after seeing him with Angel & Co. I have some problems with this fic, including how perfect Spike's relationship with the Angel gang is, but I still like it, especially the unrequited love element. (Some of the "Next" links at the bottom of the page don't work, so you have to go back to the index to click on where you want to go.)

sajinn's Day of Days and Night of Nights -- Long serial smut that tries to hit every possible kink at some point or other. I like the early chapters a lot, but I lost interest part-way into "Night of Nights" and stopped reading. Still, I've re-read the early parts more than once, because they're fun. (Also located here: Day of Days and Night of Nights.)

saussy's Pantomime -- One-shot. Saussy's contribution to the Spander Inquisition, a one-shot look at the good and bad of Xander's demon-magnetism. A bit of angst, a bit of schmoop.

saussy's Talky Sex -- Hysterically funny one-shot season 7 phone sex fic mostly consisting of dialogue. Hee. Makes me chuckle every time. (For some other phone sex fics, you might also want to check out Kayla's Press "2" and its sequel Press...)

savoytruffle's Fulfilling a Fantasy -- Medium length. Xander casts a spell that makes Spike obey him. There are dubious consent issues in this fic, so be forewarned, but it isn't quite what it appears to be.

savoytruffle's There's Your Trouble -- Medium length. Two Xanders in different universes get switched and have to somehow find their way home. It's interesting to see canon (Season 4) Xander's life from the perspective of his double and the double's life from the perspective of canon Xander.

secondverse and wesleysgirl's Coming Around Again -- Short. Set a couple years post-Season 7, but Spike apparently didn't burn up. Spike and Xander were together, but then things ended. It's a year later, and an apocalypse brings them together again. No sex, but lots of romance. There's an NC-17 sequel here: Some Things Stay the Same.

Shadow's Twilight Time -- Long Season 5 fic in which Xander is abused by his parents and Spike takes him in, leading to an eventual consort bond. From the beginning, Spike is OOCly nice to Xander and Xander is OOCly receptive -- there's no tension between them at all, which may be why the sex isn't hot. I don't mind a good fic with no real tension -- such as Green and LadyCat's A Place Called Home -- but it has to be well written, and this one isn't, particularly. Other people seem to like this fic a lot, but I'm not so impressed. Still, I may want to reread it someday, so it's worth noting here. You may like it a lot more than I do.

shadowscast's How the Light Gets In -- Longish. Post-NFA Xander finds Spike living with Illyria in L.A. and tries to convince him to come work with the Council. Great characterization (including Illyria) and a nicely developed relationship between the two boys. This is part of a longer series (Fragments), but reads fine on its own. (Also located here.)

shadowscast's London Calling -- Longish. Set after season 6. At Buffy's insistence, Xander goes to London to find Spike, who isn't dealing well with the soul. Nice h/c and a bit of demon hunting. The author started a sequel, but seems to have abandoned it without ever making it public. I'm disappointed, because if ever there was a fic that cried out for a sequel, it's this one. I hear she still intends to write it someday. (Also located here.)

shrift's Loserville -- Medium length. Xander has no life. Spike has no life. They end up having no life together, with much hotness and much funny along the way. (Also located here and here.)

shrift's Never-Ever Land -- One-shot. Season 3 Spike and Xander have a bit of a magic-induced encounter. The dialogue is really good in this one. (Also located here.)

spikedluv's Mission Implausible -- Medium length. Spike and Xander go undercover as a gay couple. Just a funny little adventure story, topped off with some sex. (Also located here.)

spikedluv's Stay -- Short. Spike is Xander's dirty little secret. Mostly PWP, but slowly develops into something romantic, too. A little bit of schmoop, a little bit of angst, and a lot of sex. (Also located here and here1/here2.)

spikedluv's When Visions Come True -- Medium length. Xander tries to disprove a vision of himself happy with Spike by seeing if they can even be friends. It's an adorably shmangsty unrequited love fic. Awwww. I'm a sucker for pining. (Also located here. Scroll almost all the way to the bottom.)

spikedluv's Women Suck -- A complete series of 9 unapologetically PWP fics (which are really so connected as to be chapters of one larger fic) filled with hot smut. Mmm ... smut. The 8th and 9th fics in the series are located only on LJ thus far, so you can find them here: fic 8, fic 9. (In case spikedluv's site goes down, the series is also located here and here, though not all the later chapters are included in those places.)

Spurglie's Joined at the Hip -- One-shot. Spike and Xander get trapped together thanks to a pair of magicked handcuffs, and things eventually turn smutty. (I know I read some other responses to this fic challenge, but I can't seem to find them anymore. If you know of good ones, let me know.) (Also located here.)

Spurglie's Out of Character -- Medium length. Spike and Xander start having interesting dreams. It's nice seeing Xander so aggressive. (Also located here.)

tabaqui's As If We Should Forget We Have No Hands -- Longish. Lovely post-NFA fic in which Xander loses his memory while doing Council work in Vietnam and is rescued and reluctantly cared for by souled Spike. The dialogue and characterizations are great, as is the tension between the two characters. I really like the way of approaching Xander's amnesia. It feels more realistic than most. (Also located here.)

tabaqui's Xander Doesn't -- Short. Xander moves out of his parents' basement and grows away from his friends, leaving Spike as the one constant in his life. This starts vaguely post-season 4 and ends post-season 7.

texanfan's Reassembling -- Longish. Picking up where "The Gift" leaves off, this fic explores how the gang (minus Anya) moves on. Nothing too angsty or schmoopy and not a lot of sex, just a nice little fic with some enjoyable plot.

tgray's Impersonating Spike -- A short, smutty, eventually funny fic. Xander is paying a demon to impersonate Spike for the purposes of sex.

toobusy2write's The Big Bang Theory -- Medium length. While tackling idealistic assumptions about sex, this fic manages to be quite funny as well as occasionally hot. The hotness gets squeezed in here and there within all the bad sex, so don't expect perfection. That's the point. (Also located here.)

Two Ladies of Quality's Steam and Touch -- Both short. "Steam" and its sequel "Touch" are set in season 6 surrounding Xander's wedding-that-wasn't. In the first part, Spike and Xander encounter each other at a bath house and end up seeing each other differently, with a focus on Xander's vulnerability about Anya. In the second part, the two guys encounter each other again (during an alternate version of the episode "Seeing Red") and further their connection begun at the steam room, with more of a focus on Spike's vulnerability about Buffy. The emphasis is on the emotional reactions of both characters, and both are well-written. (Also located here: Steam and Touch.)

Velvet Crypt's Family -- Long and fluffy. Xander inherits his sister's children, and Spike is a part of their family. Normally I really don't like OCs, but I do like the kids in this fic. (Also located here.)

Velvet Crypt's Lost -- Medium length. Fluffy romantic h/c amnesia smut that makes me smile. This is my favorite of the "Spike is seriously injured and ends up thinking Xander is his sire" fics, which are surprisingly numerous. (For an even fluffier approach to the same theme, check out MJ Gage's Precious.) (Lost is also located here and here, near the bottom of the page.)

The Webrain's Night Watch -- Short, hot season 4 PWP

wesleysgirl's Hold Me Down -- I would call this short fic h/c, though the hurt is purely emotional and is expressed more as self-destructive behavior. However you classify it, the smut is very very very very nice. (Also located here.)

wesleysgirl's Seeing Distant Things As If They Were Close -- Medium length. Fabulous season 7 fic focusing on Xander after he's lost his eye, with souled Spike still staying with him and their relationship growing in different directions in the wake of the injury, primarily through their shared despair and need. (Also located here.)

Wiseacress (witling)'s Boglescatverse -- Longish. Lovely h/c which focuses on a slowly evolving relationship between Xander and Spike (who has suddenly contracted a mysterious ailment), such that the smut -- when it eventually comes -- is filled with meaning and feeling. Wiseacress is a simply amazing writer, always able to wring strong emotions out of me, and this fic is no exception. I love this story to pieces, and cry myself to sleep every night about the fact that it isn't finished. Okay, no, not really. But I do wish for more! Probably a permanent WIP (*cries*). (This fic is only located in witling's LiveJournal, which is locked to friends only. This means you can only read the fic if witling gives you permission. See here for how to get permission. Once she gives you permission to read, you can check out other fics there, too.)

Wiseacress (witling)'s Lt. Uhura and the Change of Life -- Short. I'm not generally fond of fics that start with Spike and Xander already in an established relationship -- I'm more into the whole angsting about getting together sort of deal -- but this fic won me over anyway. It's a one-shot AU (well, in a "Spike and Xander are together" sort of way, not a "they're both human and attending Sunnydale High together" sort of way), mostly schmoop.

Wiseacress (witling)'s My Funny Valentine -- Sort of longish. Xander gets kidnapped by some vamps and they toy with him, giving him a taste for kinky sex. After his rescue, he turns to Spike for help with the lingering need. This fic has an unrequited love element that I'm a sucker for. Unfortunately, the first few chapters are "friends-locked," so see "Boglescatverse" above for instructions on how to get access.

Wiseacress (witling)'s Prawnverse -- Long. Angsty fic with whore!Xander taken in by souled Spike, and paying his rent on his back. It's an interesting emotional dynamic, with Spike starting out as the one in a position of power in their interactions, but that power gradually shifting away from him, slipping through his grasp against his will. Wiseacress writes incredibly vivid and moving emotional interactions, even when there isn't smut. But the smut is damn good, too. This is just excellent stuff, and I can't praise it highly enough.

wisteria_'s Heroes -- Set after the AtS episode "Destiny," this one-shot fic presents a rather bleak (and yet strangely hopeful) view of Spike and Xander turning to each other out of despair and a shared sense of loss. Beautiful. (Also located here.)

Yindagger (yin_again)'s 29 Linear Moves and its sequel 49 Circular Moves -- A sequence of related drabbles (but really more cohesive than that description implies) structured around the names of sequences of tai chi moves. The story is set during the summer after season 5, when both Spike and Xander are hurting. Yindagger's perspective on them is gentle and compassionate, focusing on the quiet sadness that can sometimes draw people together, all communicated in a beautiful use of language and imagery. The resulting two fics are graceful and lovely. I wonder if I was the only person in S/X fandom who hadn't read these. I just can't imagine how I missed them for so long. (Also located here: 29 Linear Moves and 49 Circular Moves.)

Yindagger (yin_again)'s Anything of Nothing -- Short. This one starts out kind of dark, but eventually changes and becomes something very different. It's Xander years post-series, unhappily married to Anya and stuck in the memory of events with Spike back before the soul. The writing is so beautiful I can't describe it. A bit of dialogue and Xander POV: "Why are you here? Why are you following me?" Why did you fuck me and twist me up inside and make me need it (you), want it (you), love it and then why did you stop? Xander holds his breath, holds the words in. (Also located here.)

Yindagger (yin_again)'s Half the Battle -- Short. Xander tries to understand Spike and what happened between him and Buffy and Anya. This is everything that's good about S/X fic: violence, hatred, surprise, understanding, and sweetness all in one story. Oh, and sex. Lots of sex. (Also located here.)

Yindagger (yin_again)'s Seven Languages -- A series of drabbles spanning BTVS season 5 through Angel season 5, showing a gradually deepening relationship between the two boys. (Also located here.)

janedavitt's Predatory Acts and Preying on my Mind -- Medium length. Spike meets hyena!Xander (during the Season 1 episode "The Pack"), and much hotness -- and even romance -- results. I love hyena!Xander fics, and this one is particularly good. (Also located here: Predatory Acts and Preying on my Mind.)

LadyCat (ladycat777)'s Hunt-Brother -- Longish. Probably LadyCat's best-known story. Set during Season 4? Mind control, submission/domination, hyena!Xander, non-romantic smut which eventually gets sort of twistedly romantic despite itself. I enjoy the first few chapters of this one particularly much. Both Spike and Xander are wonderfully in-character. Probably a permanent WIP.

reremouse's 28th Day Itch!Verse -- Medium length. The author describes this as "a smutty story of compulsion and isolation." Seasons 2-3, Xander has a hyena problem that results in him desperately craving a ruthlessly un-chipped Spike. This has good characterization and a nice Xander POV.

Yindagger (yin_again)'s Voices Carry -- Short. Another hyena!Xander fic (because I love them so), this one set post-Chosen. Xander's hyena is prevalent in this one, and Spike is wonderfully vulnerable but dominating, all at the same time. (Also located here.)

For more recommendations from people with different tastes than mine, check out these lists:
x Crazydiamondsue's recs
x Drawn to Darkness recs (complete with brief descriptions)
x Jinjurly's recs (complete with brief descriptions and quotes)
x Ladyflame_UK's recs (divided into categories)
x LitGal's recs (complete with descriptions, also some other pairings)
x Mio_83's Primal!Xander List (mostly hyena!Xander fics)
x Polyamorous Recommendations (complete with brief descriptions, many different pairings)
x S/X and Violence recs
x Shakatany's recs (complete with brief descriptions)
The Soulful Spike Society Message Board (usually with descriptions)
x Sparrow2000's recs (complete with descriptions, and including some other pairings, too)
Thedabara_cds's "Big Honkin' Spander Fanfic Rec List" (including lists of archives, challenges, and authors' sites)
x Wesleysgirl's recs (including some in-depth recs here)
x Whispered Words recs (mixed in with other pairing recs, complete with brief descriptions)

If anyone else has S/X recommendations, I'd be delighted to hear of them.