"What do you mean, 'roomies'?"
Xander propped his feet up on
the edge of the bed and smirked at the vampire, "Well, Spike, since you
somehow managed to kill two people, even with the chip in your head, the
Army, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that you are too dangerous to be
allowed to run loose. So I said I would take full responsibility for
you. Please, don't make me regret it."
"The Army thinks I'm
dangerous?" Spike crossed his arms behind his head and tried not to
look too pleased with that information. "Too bloody right I
am. 'Bout time someone realized that."
Xander laughed and
shook his head, "You never change, Spike. The 'Big Bad' to the
end. But, tell me, Spike, how did you kill those
people?"
Spike mumbled something, but Xander couldn't make out what
he'd said. "Say that again, Spike? I couldn't hear
you."
Spike grumbled but finally confessed. "When I saw those
wankers comin' after me I ran out into the street. They chased me
and got hit by a bus."
Xander didn't even smile, he knew
better. "That's good to know, Spike. Thank you for telling
me."
"Why, mate? You worried I might hurt you?"
Xander
shrugged, "Not really. If you wanted me dead bad enough I'm sure you
would have found a way before now."
"Bloody right I would
have. Don't think I like you though. I spared you because Dru
liked you. And you treated me half decent when I was staying with
you."
"What ever happened to her anyway? You ever find her
again?"
Spike looked incredibly sad for a moment, "Heard from a
Narlosh demon that she went dancing in the sun one day. Silly bint
needed someone to take care of her, don't know how many times I had to
chain her to the wall to make sure she stayed put."
"I'm sorry,
Spike. I know she meant a lot to you." Xander said.
Spike
tried to look unconcerned and failed. "Yeah, well, she's better
off."
Xander's face turned stone cold. "You're more right
than you know, Spike. The President and Congress have declared war
on demons. Its already begun. Are you going to have a problem
with that?"
"I'm a vampire, pet. Never did get along too well
with those other blokes. Look out for number one, I say. Fuck
the rest."
"Good. I'll let you get some sleep now. I
need you at 100% as soon as possible. I'll be back tomorrow and
we'll talk some more. If you need anything, just hit the
buzzer. Rom will be here to take care of
you."
**********
Spike woke up to the sound of angry
voices.
"Why the Hell isn't that 'thing' strapped
down? And why is he on this floor? He should be down in the
isolation ward!"
Rom stood between the man yelling at the top of
his lungs and Spike's bed, blocking the vampire's view. He wiggled
up in the bed and smirked at the irate officer standing in his
room.
The Captain's face turned beet red in anger. "Stand
aside, Sergeant, before I have you removed and placed under arrest for
disobeying a direct order."
Rom stiffened. "Captain, I get my
orders directly from the Administrator. He is the one that placed
Mr. Bloody in this room and there are no standing orders for him to be
restrained."
The Captain stepped out of the room but immediately
returned with two MPs. "Remove this man from the room."
"Yes,
Sir. Do you want him arrested?"
"Not yet. I need some
answers from him first. Just escort him back to his station."
The Captain watched as Rom was marched out of the room before turning his
attention back to the monster in the bed. "I'm Captain McIntyre,
Military Intelligence. I have some questions for you, Hostile
17. You will answer those questions and do exactly as you're told or
you won't like the results."
Spike growled, he was sick of humans
threatening him. "What you going to do, mate? Stake me?
Be a little hard to explain wouldn't it?"
The Captain's smile was
pure evil. "I don't have to stake you to hurt you. And you
will be restrained from now on."
"I don't bloody think
so."
"There is no one here who gives a damn what happens to a
monster like you. I could roll you out into the sun and no one would
even try to stop me."
Spike felt a cold wave of fear running down
his spine, but kept his face impassive. "I'm not going to answer any
of your bloody questions, you fuckin' wanker."
McIntyre drew back
his fist and swung at Spike's head. The vampire caught the heavy
fist and held it still. The chip sent warning twinges of pain
shooting through his skull, but he didn't let
go.
**********
Xander and General Marshall were talking
quietly as they existed the elevator. As they neared the door to
Spike's room, Xander saw two MPs guarding Rom. He hurried over to
them. "Rom, what is going on?"
One of the MPs stepped into
Xander's path. "I'm sorry, Sir, but you shouldn't be talking to the
prisoner."
Xander grabbed the insignia on his collar and held it up
in front of the MP's face. "I'm a Major, Sergeant. I'll talk
to my man if I damn well please."
The MP shook his head. "I'm
sorry, Sir. M.I. has placed this man under guard. Those orders
take precedence over yours."
Marshall's deep voice was a welcome
relief. "Son, no one's orders take precedence over mine. Stand
down."
Rom looked up and Xander, fear in his eyes, "spike." He
whispered.
Xander ran to Spike's room, leaving the General to take
care of the MPs. He burst through the door and saw an officer swing
at Spike and saw Spike defend himself. He also saw the pain on the
vampire's face. That damn chip was working a little too well.
Xander pulled the man away from Spike and spun him around. "Who the
Hell are you and what the fuck do you think you're doing?"
The
Captain sneered, "Well, well. Major Harris. I should have
known you had something to do with this, this, abomination. I don't
know why they let queers like you in the Army. Oh, yes. We
know all about your affair with Major Baines. Wasn't your
relationship the reason he got killed?"
Xander heard a roar in his
ears and his vision focused down until all he saw was the smirk on the
Captain's face. He grabbed him by the throat and shoved him into the
wall. "You keep your damned mouth shut, asshole."
McIntyre
used his weight to force Xander to back up. He straightened his
uniform. "Now you've done it, Harris. Assaulting a fellow
officer. You are going down. And your pet vampire here will be
transferred to M.I., where he belongs. After we get the information
we need, we'll be sure to send you the ashes."
Xander had looked
angry before, but now he looked positively vicious. He slammed the
Captain into the wall. Spike was impressed. The vampire settled back
to watch the show. With a little luck, there would be
bloodshed.
A deep, gravelly voice broke into the standoff.
"Captain. You have just screwed yourself.
BOHICA."
Spike whipped his head around and his jaw
dropped in shock. "Bloody hell. It's John Fuckin'
Wayne."
General Marshall laughed, "Not hardly, but thank you for
the compliment." He then turned to the hapless Captain. "Captain,
you have some explaining to do. I heard every word you said.
If you're still in my Army by sundown it will be a miracle. The Army
doesn't need or want people like you. You're the abomination.
Remove yourself from my sight before I give you to Harris for target
practice."
McIntyre stuttered, "But, General! Harris is a
known homosexual and he's harboring a vampire in this
hospital!"
Marshall got right in the Captain's face. "Known
homosexual? How do you know that? Have you slept with
him?"
A look of total disgust camped out on McIntyre's face.
"No! My God! That's disgusting!"
The General shook his
head sadly, "I don't know when M.I. started recruiting idiots, but I will
do everything in my power to make sure you never get the opportunity to
spread more slander about one of my officers."
"General, there is
still the matter of the hostile." McIntyre said in a reasonable
voice, trying to salvage something from this situation.
"Ah,
yes." Marshall turned to Spike and held out his hand. "I
apologize, Mr...how should I address you, sir?"
Spike was
stunned. First 'Nummy Treat' had protected him from a human, and now
his boss was treating him like he was someone important. "Call me
Spike."
Marshall settled into the chair next to the bed,
"Very well, Spike. I'm General John Marshall, I've been waiting to
meet you. How are you feeling?"
A strangled gasp came from
behind him and Marshall turned to look at the Captain. "Are you
still here? ; Harris?"
"Yes, General?"
"Please
fetch those MPs from the corridor and have them escort the Captain to my
office. I think the Captain and I should have a little talk
after I finish here."
"Yes, Sir."
McIntyre stuttered and
gave orders all the way down the hall, but the MPs didn't listen to
him. They were smart enough to stay on the General's good
side.
Marshall settled back in his chair and smiled at his newest
'advisor'. "Now then, Spike. Let's get acquainted, shall
we?"
**********
The conversation between the two men had
degenerated into a heated argument. Marshall maintaining that the
Packers could wipe the floor with Manchester United, while Spike insisted
that the 'lard asses would bloody well have to catch them first!'
Xander practically had his entire fist in his mouth, trying to stifle the
laughter that was building up in his chest.
Marshall turned
to Xander and asked, "So, Harris. Who's the best? Packers or
those sissy boys in England?"
Xander was almost happy when alarm
klaxons started blaring, saving him from having to answer. He bolted
out the door and down the hall. Rom looked up from his station,
"Major, one of the creatures we took from the compound has
escaped."
"Do we have a location, Rom?"
"Yes, sir.
Fourth floor, section A. It's moving fast, sir. Very
fast."
"Call security, have them seal the floor. But tell
them to stay back until we know what we're dealing with."
"Yes,
sir."
Xander briefed the General on the situation and headed for
the fourth floor, Spike hot on his heels.
What they found
made Spike crack up laughing. The demon looked like a crocodile on
steroids, one that could walk upright. Xander punched Spike in the
shoulder. "Not funny, Spike. That damn thing almost killed
three of my men when we were trying to transport it."
Spike was
still snickering when General Marshall came down the hall with several
members of Xander's team. "Well, Mr. Bloody, what the hell kind of
demon is it?"
Spike managed to get himself under control long
enough to answer. "It's not a demon, mate. It's a pet.
Hell's own version of a soddin' poodle, if you like."
Xander tapped
his foot impatiently, "Well, Spike. How do we tell it to
heel?"
The vampire shrugged, somehow managing to look nonchalant
even wearing medical scrubs. "Where's its master? Little
bloke, about three feet tall. Warmal demon. Looks a bleedin'
fairy? Sound familiar?"
Xander turned back to the squad,
"Jenkins, we pull something like that out of the compound?"
"Yes,
sir. It's housed at the other end of this ward, sir."
Xander
bowed to Spike, waving his hand for the vampire to proceed. "Come
on, Spike, time to earn your keep."
The vampire snorted and
sauntered down the hall, Xander right beside
him.
**********
General Marshall's eyes bugged out of his
head when the vampire came back down the hall carrying what appeared to be
a small child, one with translucent wings fluttering on its back.
Spike set the 'fairy' down and spoke to it for a moment. The little
creature grinned madly and scampered down the hall, heading straight for
its 'pet'.
Their reunion was touching, even if it was extremely
odd. Spike nudged Xander's shoulder, "They're harmless, as long as
no one tries to separate them. And they're bloody good ones to have
on our side. The little buggers can get into any thing.
Doesn't matter how well it's guarded. Work cheap too. Give
them some candy now and then and they'll follow you around for life.
Hell, they'd bloody well marry you for chocolate."
Xander grinned,
"Chocolate as a bribe makes sense to me. Think you can get them to
help us out?"
"Yeah, I can talk a good game. Besides, they
owe you one now, don't they?"
Xander frowned, "I'll not going to
blackmail someone into working with us, Spike. They help me, I help
them. Everything on the up and up. The Initiative is dead and
buried, and it's my job to make sure it stays that way."
Spike
shrugged, "Your party, mate. Play it how you want it. But a
little blackmail could get you a lot farther along."
General
Marshall chose that moment to make his feelings known, "I agree with
Harris. The Initiative was a fool's dream, one that rapidly became a
nightmare. Only a moron would want to resurrect it. We play
this straight, gentlemen. Now, Mr. Bloody, we have several 'others'
that we liberated from the people who were holding you. Would you be
willing to help us sort them out?"
Spike immediately became
suspicious, "Depends on what you mean by 'sort'. What do you plan to
do with the ones that won't play?"
"As long as they are willing to
return to their own homes, we'll leave them alone. We're only
interested in the ones that are causing problems. If they don't want
to remain neutral, they'll have to be eliminated. I'm sorry, but
that's the way things are. I won't allow something dangerous loose
on the population just because I don't like the idea of killing something
out of hand. We have a responsibility to make sure the public stays
safe."
"All right, mate. I'll take a look see, and take care
of the ones that won't play nicey nice. ; But can I get some
bloody clothes first? And maybe a fag? I'd kill for a
cigarette about now."
Xander headed back towards Spike's
room, "Come on, 'Mr. Bloody', I have a surprise for
you."
**********
Spike settled his duster around his
shoulders. He patted down the worn leather. Rom told him that
Major Harris had retrieved it from the doctors that had been holding
him. He also told Spike that Major Harris had put a serious hurt on
the man in charge. Seems the Major took offense at the way Spike had
been treated. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a fresh pack
of his favorite brand of smokes and lit it with the new lighter Xander had
given him. He rubbed his thumb across the spike engraved on the
metal case and smiled. After every thing that had happened to him in
his long life, the fact that a human, one he'd insulted time and
time again, had saved him, and was now taking care of him, just blew
Spikes' mind. "Stranger things, ya got that bloody right
mate." Spike said softly to himself. He smoothed back his
newly bleached hair, another gift from Harris, and left his room to meet
the Major. It had been decided to get Spike settled into his new
home before he tackled the demons locked in the confinement cells, he
could only hope Harris' taste had improved since Sunnydale.
Xander looked up and saw Spike, his Spike, walking towards
him. He couldn't help but grin, it was strangely comforting to know
that some things never changed.
**********
Xander opened the
door and stepped inside his house, throwing an invitation over his
shoulder, "Come in, Spike. This is your home now
too."
Spike entered the house, prepared for the worst. He was
more than pleasantly surprised. "Bloody hell, mate. Nice
digs. I'm impressed."
Xander actually blushed, he was very
proud of his house. "Thanks, Spike. This place was a real mess
when I bought it. It took months to get it fixed up."
Spike
took in the paneled walls, heavy furniture and huge fireplace, "Did it
yourself, did you?"
Xander turned away, heading for the kitchen,
"Yeah, I had some time on my hands and needed something to do. Want
something to drink?"
"Whiskey, if you have it." Spike
replied. The vampire poked around the room, looking at the various
things the whelp had scattered about. It was a picture on the mantle
that really caught his attention. Harris and a green eyed bloke
sitting on the back of a jeep, laughing about something. Nummy
actually looked happy, if such a thing were really possible. Spike
looked around the room and found several other pictures, the green eyed
man was featured in all of them. He picked one up and studied
it. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that Harris and this man were
lovers.
Xander came back into the living room and found Spike
staring at a picture of him and Chris. He handed Spike his drink and
gently took the picture, placing it back on the table.
"That
the bloke that arsehole was talking about earlier?"
Xander settled
into his chair, "Yeah. Chris Baines."
Spike sprawled on the
couch, throwing one leg up onto the coffee table, "You two were
lovers?"
Xander tensed, "Yes, we were. Is that going to be a
problem for you?"
Spike laughed, "I'm a vampire, mate. I'll
shag anything that doesn't shag me first. Vampires don't have the
same hangups as you humans. Bloody stupid, if you ask me.
Staying alive is enough to worry about, who cares who you
shag?"
Xander lolled his head against the back of his chair, "A lot
of other humans, that's who. General Marshall is the only reason I
haven't been booted out on my ass. Don't ask, don't tell, doesn't
work very well."
"Demon get him?" Spike asked.
Xander
laughed, but the sound was harsh and bitter. "No. That's
what's so sick about the whole thing. We made it through Sierra
Leone, Central America and went on over 100 missions against demons,
neither one of us really got hurt. Then we go on vacation and a
couple of rednecks decide that the 'faggots' need to be taught a
lesson. Chris died trying to protect me."
"How long ago,
mate?"
"Almost eight years ago. John Marshall and Maggie were
the ones who kept me alive and sane. Them and this house. I
couldn't stay in Chris' anymore, too many memories. I bought this
place and worked my ass off for three months straight, just trying to keep
too busy to think. That's when Maggie showed up. John sent her
to me, and for that, I can never thank him enough. She's my,
our, housekeeper. But she's a lot more than that. She's
more like a mom than anything." Xander chuckled, "She's not afraid
of anything, or anyone. I keep telling the General that if we'd put
her in charge the demons would run for the hills. You'll like her, I
think. She helped me set up your room. Want to go see
it?"
Spike realized that the other man was trying to change the
subject, but decided to let him get by with it. "Why not?
Might as well see how bad you've mucked it up."
Xander heaved
himself out of his chair and headed down the hall, "You will be
eating those words, Spike. I guarantee it."
Spike followed
Harris up the stairs, and finally walked into his new room. Spike
was, frankly, struck dumb. His room took up on whole side of the house and
even had its own bathroom. A king-sized bed covered with a black
comforter took up most of one wall. There was a large dresser, two
night stands and a standing wardrobe that matched the dark cherry of the
bed. A large recliner graced one corner. The bathroom was done
in dark blue tile and had a jacuzzi tub. It was, undoubtedly, the
nicest place Spike had been in for a very long time.
Xander crossed
the room and opened the wardrobe. Instead of the storage space Spike
was expecting, a large television and stereo system were inside.
Xander clicked on the tv with a remote stored in the cabinet door, "We've
got a satellite, so there are more channels than anyone could possibly
want. The stereo is wired throughout the room, there are even
cordless headphones stored in the headboard. Please, use them.
I, personally, don't like the Sex Pistols." Xander opened the bottom
of the cabinet and showed Spike the disks stored there. "You will be
getting paid, so you can buy more when ever you want. Just let me
know and we'll go shopping." Xander pulled the curtains away from
the windows and showed Spike the metal shutters that covered the
glass. "There is no way sunlight can get through these
shutters. And your door locks from the inside. The door jam
is solid steel, and so is the lock. It'd take a tank to get
through. When we go back downstairs I'll show you the security
system and give you the access codes."
"Why are you doing all of
this?" Spike asked. "I insulted you, fuck, I tried to
kill you, more than once. Why are you doing all of this? What
do you want from me?"
Xander looked Spike in the eye. "Yeah,
you did all of that. But, you never ignored me. Hell, you
saved my ass a couple of times. And I need your help, Spike.
Once everything here is settled, we're going back to Sunnydale. I'm
going to need someone who understands me, and understands the way things
work on the Hellmouth, to back me up. Can I trust you to do
that?"
Spike looked around his new digs and nodded. "Yeah,
mate. I'll help you out." The vampire went into his game face
and grinned, "I can't wait to see the look on the Slayer's face when she
sees us working together."
Xander laughed, "She's gonna
shit."
Next Part