Spike stifled a sigh of boredom. He didn't even want to be here, but 
he knew that it was safer for him to keep himself as much involved 
with the core of this group as possible. Of course, they were the 
only ones that he could even stand to be around, but that was besides 
the point. The latest Slayer *had* to be made aware that Spike-
staking was strictly off limits and that meant spending time with 
her. And Spike *really* didn't like this one.

Five years ago, almost two years to the day after Xander had 
disappeared without a trace, Buffy had been killed while fighting a 
demon. That had served to call another Slayer forward. Ironically, 
since Buffy had managed to survive longer than 97% of her 
predecessors, the Watcher Council had decided that the next Slayer 
and her Watcher would spend their first two years of service in 
training with Giles and the two witches on the Hellmouth. After that, 
she would get her first *real* assignment. 

That first Slayer, the one who had been called after Buffy, was still 
alive and kicking about the globe dusting vamps and slaying demons. 
Now, Faith was gone, killed only three months after her release from 
prison. She died rescuing children from a burning schoolhouse and was 
being praised as a hero. Because of that, they were now stuck with 
the dark haired green eyed Maria and the thin tall man called 
Charles, who was her Watcher. And both of them irked Spike fiercely.

Perhaps it was their shitty outlook towards the Warriors of the 
Hellmouth or their undeserved superior attitude. They seemed to be 
under the false impression that since neither Willow nor Tara were 
slayers and since Giles was not an active Watcher, but more like a 
semi-retired consultant, that there was nothing they could gain from 
them. No knowledge or wisdom to be passed on. And Spike, for one, saw 
that as a deadly mistake. 

And he refused to sit here any longer and listen to Charles' snide 
comments and Maria's nasty little put-downs. Spike had done his part. 
He'd been here at Gile's place to help greet them and to try to 
explain to them just what life was like on the Hellmouth. He'd had 
enough.

Standing up abruptly, he got a slight thrill out of the new Watcher 
flinching away and the Slayer's heated glare. He nodded his head at 
Rupert and flashed a sincerely apologetic grin at the witches for 
having to endure these two creeps. Then he smirked at the new 
arrivals evilly.

"Well, it's been bloody lovely meeting you two tonight. If they 
decide to bury your corpses here in Sunnydale I'll send flowers. Ta."

With that he started to walk off, but the dark haired bint made a 
comment he just couldn't let go.

"Thanks for your concern *Spike*, but I don't think you have to worry 
about *us* dying too soon. You might want to worry about your own 
continued good health instead."

His eyes flashed gold for a second at the thinly veiled threat, but 
he let it wash over him. Maria just didn't have the same flare and 
sense of dramatics while insulting someone that Buffy used to have... 
or that Xander'd had, for that matter. Instead, he offered her his 
own warning and a bit of advice.

"Naw, I'll be fine. I'll be seeing my second century soon and mostly 
likely many more after that. But *you* Slayer? You're a different 
story. You bints *never* last long. A year... or two. Maybe even 
*three* if you're lucky."

Spike made a sweeping gesture that took in Giles, Willow and Tara.

"These guys here? Get a good look at them before you walk away 
tonight and dismiss them from your mind completely, 'cause I *know* 
that's what you plan to do. Look real good, so you can remember their 
faces in the next year or so when you suddenly find yourself lying on 
the ground bleeding your life out. Because THEY are the reason that 
Buffy Summers lasted a whole *seven* years as an active Slayer. SEVEN 
Maria. That's almost unheard of for you bloody bints. *Think* about 
it..."

And with that, Spike stalked out of Gile's apartment and into the 
night. 

*

Spike banged into his crypt still muttering darkly about the 
stupidity of Slayers and the seeming requirement that all Watcher's 
have sticks crammed up their arses. It had taken a handful of 
teenagers to dislodge the one that had made Gile's a stick in the mud 
years ago and almost a decade of demon hunting in LA alongside his 
Sire had knocked the pompousness out of old Wes, but this Charles 
bloke made Spike's fangs itch something fierce and he missed his bite 
horribly.

He stomped over towards the cooler that he stored his bloodbags in 
and was about to fix himself a mug of O+ when an unexpected voice 
straight out of the past caressed his ears in a low and amused voice.

"I can't believe that you are still living here Spike... even after 
all these years. Can't say the place has changed, but then... neither 
have you."

Startled beyond thought, Spike dropped his diner to the floor 
unnoticed and he whirled around to stare at the person who had just 
spoken to him. His blue eyes bulged out of his head as he slowly took 
in the boy. His look of shock changed to an easy smile as he noticed 
that he was *still* so young looking. Around twenty, he'd guess. The 
boy had the same liquid dark eyes and the same midnight curls. He 
even had the same open and friendly smile. 

But something was different. *Very* different. On the outside, black 
leather and deep shimmering green silk had replaced the baggy pants 
and over-sized colorful shirts. But on the inside is where the 
biggest changes lay hidden. Grace and confidence shone through where 
there had only been a desperate need for approval and acceptance 
before. Wickedly cruel humor shone from deep inside where innocence 
had sparkled defiantly in the face of the Hellmouth and all it's 
children.

The hunted had become the hunter. 

"Well well well... if it isn't the whelp. What brings you back to the 
Hellmouth? Family reunion? Homesick for the violence?"

Xander smirked and pushed away from the marble wall he'd been leaning 
against. Stepping out of the shadows, he crossed the floor over to 
Spike with an air of confidence and agility that Spike remembered 
from times past when the boy lost his sense of self mid-battle and 
channeled the twin spirits which possessed him. But this time... it 
was something even more than that.

"It's funny you should ask. As for violence, well, *that* is 
something that I take with me where ever I go, so I never get 
homesick for it. But you're right about the family reunion thingy. 
And I don't mean my parents either. I visited with them already and 
they weren't too... happy to see me. *I* had fun though."

Xander grinned then and it was a delightfully chilling smile. It 
caused shivers to race along Spike's spine and he knew that was one 
story he had to hear all about.

"What then...?"

Xander interrupted by poking Spike in the chest lightly with one 
finger.

"You. I came back for you... Uncle Spike."

Spike didn't even have time to register the words when Xander shifted 
into full gameface and grinned. The blonde reached out slowly and ran 
one finger along the ridged brow of his long missing companion and 
frowned in confusion.

"Who...?" 

Then what Xander had said finally sank in past the surprise of seeing 
the boy. *Uncle* Spike. One of Angelus's Childer had turned him. 
Angelus only had three. Himself, Penn... who was dust, and... 
*Drusilla*.

"Dru...? My Dark Princess? She... *she* did this to you?"

Xander's gameface melted away and his human mask slid smoothly into 
place. His dark eyes glittered with a hint of madness and lots of 
cheer. He shrugged in a nonchalant way and stepped back and around 
until he had made his way over to the stone tomb in the center of the 
main living space. With a slight hop, he was sitting on top of it.

"Yep. Dru Sired me about seven years ago."

Spike was flabbergasted. Utterly shocked. His Dark Princess, his 
Eternal Goddess had come back to Sunnyhell and *Sired* *Xander* but 
she hadn't come to visit *him*! It was... *madness*. Indignant anger 
rolled through him and he stalked over to the fledgling that he had 
once thought of as an almost-friend.

"Why! Why didn't she come to *me*! Why did she just... take you and 
leave?!"

Xander's face got serious and Spike could see a hint of Dru's 
insanity hovering around the edges of his dark eyes, but then it 
lifted and he offered up an understandingly sad grin and shifted over 
a bit. Patting the cold stone surface next to him he gestured for 
Spike to sit down.

"Here. Pop a squat and I'll tell you the whole story."

Part Two  

Spike glared at him for a long moment, but then he walked back and 
grabbed his fallen diner before stalking over to the tomb. He 
hopped up on it so that they were facing each other and gave the 
whelp a pointed stare. Xander sighed.

"Look. I didn't *ask* for this, so don't blame *me*. Anyway, this is 
what happened. Apparently, Mom..."

Spike's glare turned up a notch and Xander's eyes twinkled in slight 
amusement.

"...had a vision sent by the Stars about your chip."

Spike's eyebrows raised up almost to his hairline at *that* 
unexpected bit of news.

"Yeah. Well, anyway, Miss Edith confirmed it. They told her that only 
*her* Childe would be able to get that thing out of your head and 
that *you* would be the one to choose who her Childe would be."

Spike sputtered and shook his head as if to deny that he had 
*anything* to do with Xander being turned.

"Bloody Hell! I wouldn't have turned *you* Harris. The witch maybe, 
but not you. Not if I'd known *why* she needed to make a Childe."

Xander didn't seem offended. He just grinned and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I know. But it *was* you who choose me none-the-less. Dru had 
been in town for a day or two just following you around to see who 
you would pick. She didn't stop in because at the time you were with 
Harmony and Buffy kept getting in your face. Besides, the Stars may 
have even *told* her to stay in hiding, who knows..."

Spike was almost horrifyingly sad to find out that she had been *so* 
close to him and he hadn't known it, yet that *did* sound like his 
beloved Dru. Mad as a Hatter and always following a bizarre set of 
rules only she understood or even knew existed. Still, he *had* to 
know.

"So... just *how* did I *choose* you?"

Xander shrugged and grinned.

"She happened to overhear you give me one of the *few* compliments 
you've ever given me. You said something along the lines of how I 
would make a good vampire since I seemed to get into fights where 
ever I went and how that was a useful trait in a demon."

Spike thought back, but he couldn't recall saying that to the boy. He 
must have looked utterly confused, because Xander clarified.

"Um... you said it that night that you bumped into me while I was 
fighting with something big and green and smelly. You helped me kill 
it and then offered up that compliment and Dru took it as a sign that 
the only thing stopping you from turning me *yourself* was the chip. 
So... two nights later, she grabbed me."

Spike blinked.

"To be honest mate, I'm surprised that she waited that long. She 
usually doesn't have that much patience."

Xander nodded and grimaced. Spike was *sure* that the whelp was aware 
of Dru's limits and shortcomings. Spike had spent the better part of 
a century taking care of her and he had never let her make a Childe 
for one simple reason. She could barely take care of herself, there 
was *no way* he felt she could care for a fledgling. He was silently 
amazed that Xander had survived Dru's mothering.

"Yeah well... Um, after she snatched me, I woke up to find myself in 
a trunk. You know, one of those old fashion ironbound traveling 
chests? Anyway... I'm not sure *how* long she left me in there. I 
think that she forgot about me to tell the truth. She hadn't turned 
me yet and I had no food and no water. I came close to dying in there 
I think. By the time she remembered her mission to turn me for you, I 
had lost several pounds and my body was one giant painful cramp from 
being tied up in a knot without room to move."

Spike didn't know whether to feel bad for the youngling for what he 
had endured or if he thought it was a funny story. With a 
philosophical inner shrug, he decided it was both a bit sad and a bit 
funny. He had to give credit where credit was due however, his 
Princess hadn't lost her touch with torturing humans and the boy he 
had once shared a basement with had always been able to take 
punishment with the best of them.

Spike made motions to encourage Xander to continue with his story. 
With a slightly haunted look in his dark eyes that told Spike that 
Xander still had nightmares about being turned, Xander started 
speaking again.

"Well, when she pulled me out of that trunk the candlelight was 
bright enough to blind me and I could barely even move my limbs let 
alone defend myself. The last thing that I remember is her fangs 
sinking into my neck and I was thanking God that my pain was at an 
end."

Xander let out a little snort of disgust. Spike figured that it was 
at himself and his own naivety. Then he offered up a truly wicked 
grin that said that, despite everything else, he was glad it *hadn't* 
been the end of him.

"Anyway, when I woke up again, I was a vampire. A *starving* vampire. 
I was also chained to a stone wall and Dru was gone. I almost went 
mad from the hunger and bloodlust before she came back two nights 
later and set me free of the shackles. We went out to hunt and I 
admit, I *glutted* myself on blood. I was *so* hungry by that time 
that I would've killed and eaten anything that crossed my path."

Xander got a faraway look on his face and his eyes flashed yellow.

"Now that I think about it, I *did* eat everything that crossed my 
path that night, including two rats and pigeon. That's when Mom 
started calling me her little Kitten. Said I was eating' cat food and 
purring in happiness."

Spike couldn't help himself. He laughed out loud at the mental image 
of Xander in full gameface stalking city pigeon's for Dru's 
entertainment. Instead of being offended at his laughter, Xander 
chuckled as well and offered up a slightly sheepish shrug.

"It wasn't until three days later that she even got around to telling 
me *why* she'd turned me. Seems the Stars wanted her Childe to fix 
you, or as Mom put it, get the nasty nasty out of your lovely evil 
brain."

Spike flinched slightly and his eyes locked onto Xander's brown ones 
with a deep intensity.

"You mean the chip? She wanted you to find a way to remove that 
bloody infernal chip?"

Xander nodded his head and grinned.

"Yep, that she did. I've spent the last seven years chasing after Mom 
and her midnight rainbows while researching like mad. I've studied 
neurosurgery, electronics, and I've hunted up lost records from the 
Initiative themselves. Most of their old research is so highly 
classified that even the President can't get a hold of it. However, 
if you torture the right people in just the right way it's amazing 
what you can learn. Well... that and offering to feed someone to 
Wilbur."

Spike blinked. There was too much information that he'd given up hope 
of ever hearing coming at him way too fast. His head felt like it was 
spinning. He latched onto the one thing that made the least sense.

"Wilbur?"

Xander nodded and grinned.

"Mom's boytoy. A chaos demon. Nice guy if you can get past his 
horrendous case of the freakin' uglies. That boy didn't just get 
*hit* with the ugly stick, his momma threw him at the whole damn 
*tree*!"

Xander shuddered for effect.

"I don't care *how* many times Mom asks, I *refuse* to climb in her 
bed when he's there. No matter *how* much I like the guy."

Spike scowled deeply. He didn't like where this conversation was 
going. He knew that Xander would be sharing Dru's bed. It was an 
integral part of the Sire/Childe bond. Angelus had shared Darla's 
bed, just as he and Dru had shared Angelus's as well. Now, Xander 
would share Dru's. He felt a flare of jealously at that thought, but 
it was easily pushed aside. After all, he had always had to share Dru 
with his Sire... it was a family thing and now Xander was also 
family. But this... *Wilbur* was a different story altogether and he 
was *not* amused.

"What sort of lame arsed name is Wilbur anyhow?"

Xander giggled.

"Um... I gave it to him and he seems to like it. I can't pronounce 
his real name at all and it *sort* of sounds like that, so..."

Spike rolled his eyes.

"Harris, only *you* would call a Chaos Demon *Wilbur* and live to 
tell the tale."

Xander shrugged and offered up a goofy smile that made him look very 
innocent and completely harmless. Spike wasn't fooled for a second. 
Xander was a vampire from the line of Aurelus and was probably more 
than a little loopy, what with being *Dru's* Childer and all. He was 
still a fledgling who hadn't hit his first decade yet, but he had 
grown up in a violent house and was raised fighting for his life on 
the Hellmouth. This was a boy who had watched the Master die with his 
own eyes. Feeling the urge to smile back, Spike realized that his 
unlife was looking up.

"So... now what?"

Xander's silly smile melted into a grin that was much darker and his 
eyes sparkled with barely contained violence.

"I'm hungry. Let's go out hunting and then we'll pack up your stuff. 
Tomorrow we'll leave here and head to the lab I have set up to get 
that chip out of your skull."

Spike nodded slightly and then frowned.

"Speaking of that bloody chip, I *can't* hunt in case you've 
forgotten. No hurting the stupid humans, remember?"

Xander shrugged, apparently unconcerned.

"So... I'll bash dinner's head in and rip open it's throat, you drink 
whatever spills out. If that don't work I'll just eat a few extra 
people in order to compensate and then you can drink from me."

That last offer was delivered with a suggestive waggling of the 
eyebrows and Spike's cock twitched. Yes... his unlife was definitely 
looking up.

Part Three  

Spike watched in rapt fascination as Xander hunted. Now he could 
understand why his deadly Goddess Dru called her only 
Childe "Kitten". 

Minions were generally stupid creatures who knew only bloodlust and a 
fear-based loyalty to those that turned them, but *true* childer, 
those that were *Sired* were different. Childer could think 
independently for one thing and their loyalty was based, not only on 
fear, but on a twisted sort of love as well. And as newborn fledges, 
Childer were often playful and carefree, even with their innate demon-
spawned cruelty. And Xander was a true Childe, a playful happy fledge 
who was out hunting for both food and sport.

The whole kittenish aspect was from Xander's own personality and his 
inborn love of the hunt and his intimate life-long affair with 
violence. Even as a mortal the boy had hunted prey. Of course, at 
that time, his prey had been demons and vamps and other assorted 
nasties that were stronger and nastier then he had been. Now, *he* 
was the stronger and his prey the weaker. But it was still the same 
old song and dance that he'd been singing since he was a young teen. 
Seek and destroy. With the danger levels to himself almost negligible 
and his demon giving him the okay to allow his fierce joy to shine 
through, he really did seem to Spike to be a young kitten stalking 
after a tasty little mouse.

Of course, the subsonic purring didn't do anything to dissuade that 
notion either.

Vampires often purred when they were deeply happy or sleepily 
content. It wasn't something a human could hear unless they were very 
close, but night creatures and animals with keen hearing would pick 
it up easily enough. Spike could hear Xander's purring quite well, as 
a matter of fact. The whelp sounded like a demonic little engine 
happily revving through it's gears.

What's more, he toyed with his food. Stalking his victims silently 
only to appear out of nowhere and speak to them, scaring them and 
giving them the 'wiggins'. Then, he would vanish after subconsciously 
nudging them in the direction he wanted them to go. And he repeated 
these cruel and somehow amusing tactics until he had separated two 
weak links from the herd of teenagers that had been walking home from 
the movie theatre. Before the young boy and girl knew what had 
happened, they had been subtly guided and frightened through a series 
of dark alley and ill lit back streets until they found themselves 
boxed into a dead end with Spike and Xander grinning at them from the 
mouth of the alleyway.

The two were unnerved and confused. Spike could smell the fear and 
frustration rolling off of them and they kept flashing startled looks 
at the two vampires with wide betrayed eyes. Spike understood, it was 
hard to look your own death in the face only to see it grinning back 
at you with glowing yellow eyes.

"You... you... What do you want? I... I told you earlier. I don't 
*have* a light man. Go down to the gas station on Sixth and Prospect. 
They sell cigarettes so they should also have matches... or 
something."

Spike chuckled. That was how they had gotten the two to start into 
this complex maze of dark deserted alleys. Sliding up alongside them, 
Spike and Xander had begged them for a light for one of Spike's 
smokes and demanded to know what time it was. By the time the girl 
had checked her watch and the boy had riffled through his pockets, 
they were almost to the end of a street the two hadn't meant to be 
on. Xander and Spike had melted into the shadows and silently watched 
as they floundered along lost and alone.

A ruckus in a dark alley here, a hissing cat there, then dead silence 
followed by a suddenly tipped trash can echoing off of the brick 
alley walls had all served to point the two mortals in the direction 
the vampires wanted them to follow. And now here they were, between a 
brick wall and two bloodthirsty demons. And Kitten was purring louder 
now, hunger and mild arousal pouring off of him in intoxicating 
waves. With a smirk settling firmly onto his face, Spike had to 
admit, at least to himself, that his beloved Dru did a good thing in 
Siring the whelp.

Gesturing to the young boy that was valiantly trying to shove his 
girl behind him to shield her from their eyes, Spike shook his head 
in amusement.

"No mate, we're not looking for a light for me smokes anymore. We 
want something... else."

Thick lovely terror scented the air and Spike allowed himself to 
shift fully into his gameface. It felt wonderful to let his fangs 
extend and his mouth watered. He could hear the teen's heartbeats 
speed up and begin to race as it forced their blood to swoosh through 
their pulsing veins. His glowing eyes could see every detail despite 
the distinct lack of light in the alley and he chuckled at the 
shivery trembles that the young boy was trying to fight down.

"Wha... what is it th... that you want then?"

Spike shrugged and grinned a mouthful of fangs at the boy.

"Oh. That's simple. I want to watch my young nephew here rip your 
bloody throat apart. You don't mind, do you?" 

And as if that was all the signal he'd been waiting for, Xander let 
loose with a rumbling growl that sounded more like a hungry lion than 
a gangly kitten and *pounced* on the mortals. With a rough shove, he 
knocked the girl further back into the alley and she skidded along 
the rough pavement with a shriek. The boy he merely grabbed by the 
throat and then he spun around in a wide arc to *slam* the back of 
the teen's head against a garbage dumpster with a loud hollow thunk. 
The boy's eyes glazed over and rolled up into his head as he fell 
into unconsciousness. Without pause, Xander dragged the limp body in 
close and sank his razor sharp teeth into the boys warm flesh. Then 
with a twist of his head he tore the boys neck open. Blood poured 
freely from the gaping wound to run in rivulets down onto the mortals 
shirt. 

Looking up at Spike with a nasty smile and an evil glint in his 
yellow eyes, he extended his arm and offered the boy up to Spike. The 
rich scent of blood and fear filled his nostrils and a hot hungry 
sensation filled his mouth. Stepping forward quickly, Spike grabbed 
the boy gently and cradled his broken body with care. He didn't want 
to risk setting off the damn chip. Leaning forward, he ran his tongue 
along the crimson stained flesh and unholy *pleasure* swamped his 
mind as the pure taste of *hot* *living* *human* blood rolled over 
his tongue.

He soon found that he couldn't put his mouth over the jagged tear 
that Xander had left behind. The raw and ripped tissues were *far* to 
sensitive to allow even the merest touch without pain. And even with 
the boy unconscious, the bloody chip registered that pain. The wound 
was large enough that it wouldn't close or clot anytime soon, so 
Spike was free to drink any blood that spilled from the wound, and it 
was practically gushing.

A loud piercing scream caught his attention and he glanced up in time 
to see Xander sink his fangs into the pale neck of the young girl. 
She flailed in his arms weakly and tried to beat him off, but to no 
avail. Xander just held her tighter and drank deeply from her throat.

Even though he couldn't drink directly from the boy's living flesh, 
it was still the first time in many many years since he had tasted 
the blood of a human and he was certain that dinner had never tasted 
so damn good. Licking up the last few remaining drops of the blood, 
Spike listened to the boys heartbeat slowing down until it finally 
stopped. Then, with a chuckle, he lifted up the corpse and used his 
preternatural strength to heave the body into the dumpster. 

Once the soul left the body, it wouldn't set off his chip, so he 
could decimate the dead. A second, decidedly feminine corpse sailed 
over his head to land with a bang-thump in the dumpster and he 
glanced over his shoulder to look at Dru's grinning Kitten. He was 
licking his blood stained lips as his gameface slid away to reveal 
his handsome human mask. With a smirk, Spike figured that perhaps a 
spot of vampiric necrophilia would be a nice way to cap off the 
evening. And he knew just which demon animated corpse he wanted to 
fuck silly.

*

A few sexy grins and a couple of barely veiled innuendos filled with 
double meaning on the way back to the crypt caused the young 
fledgling to stop and drain another victim. This one he didn't toy 
with. It was a snatch and grab with little style or grace. Xander 
merely drained the boy dry and then snapped his neck with brutal 
efficiency. When Spike questioned him about it, Xander had shrugged 
and offered up his own sexy grin stating that he figured he would 
need the strength to keep the older vampire happy all night long. 
Spike had chuckled and complimented him on his insight and his 
ability to take the initiative.

But hunting time was over now. They were back at Spike's crypt and he 
wanted to see just what his Dark Princess's little Kitten could do in 
the sack. Finding partners for sex wasn't hard for him. An hour or 
two at the Bronze and both the girls and the boys would willingly 
throw themselves at his feet. He *did* learn how to be charming and 
alluring over the centuries, after all. He could seduce with the best 
of them when he wanted to. 

But that was different. No mortal, no matter *how* warm their bodies 
might be, could *ever* take the place of sex with another vampire. 
Mortals simply weren't strong enough to take the brutal punishment a 
vampire liked to inflict on a sex-partner and they generally didn't 
have the cruelty to inflict that pain right back. Humans were so 
delicate and fragile. Spike *hated* having to be careful not to break 
his bed-toys, but with Kitten, that wouldn't even be an issue. 

Part Four  

Grabbing the dark haired young vampire by the back of the neck, Spike 
dragged him over to the doorway leading to the chamber he used as a 
bedroom. Giving a strong shove, he literally threw Xander across the 
room. His nephew crashed against the cool marble wall, cracking it 
slightly, and then slid down in a heap on top of Spike's silk covered 
bed. He bounced once and then scrambled to his knees, full gameface 
on. A rumbling half-growl half-purr teased Spike's ears at the same 
time that the musky scent of Xander's arousal hit his sensitive nose. 
Spike smirked.

Peeling off his black leather duster and bending down to toe off his 
Doc's, Spike made sure to keep both eyes on the young fledge at all 
times. Yellow eyes tracked his every movement and a wicked grin 
reveled sharp fangs. Spike got the distinct impression that Xander 
was in the mood to play cat and mouse with him. With an inner shrug, 
Spike figured that he'd play along for a while. They both knew that 
in the end, he'd end up on top. He was older, stronger and more 
experienced. But anyone who said that learning couldn't be fun never 
had Uncle Spike for a teacher and his bed as the classroom.

Sliding off his shirt, Spike deliberately turned his back on Dru's 
madly purring Kitten. It was that sound suddenly shifting in both 
timbre and volume that gave Spike his warning. He made a quick mental 
note to talk to the boy about it later even as he spun around and 
grabbed the younger vampire out of the air in mid-leap. 

They crashed into the far wall and then tumbled to the ground in a 
tangle of arms and legs and a flurry of snarls and growls. Kitten 
snapped his teeth at Spike a few times playfully, but he didn't 
actually bite down. Spike figured that Dru had taught the boy with 
judicious amounts of pain not to bite his elders without express 
permission. 

Shifting into his own gameface, Spike flipped them both over easily 
until he had Xander flat on his back and was he lying over top of his 
stretched out form with both of the fledgling's hands pinned to the 
marble floor. Kitten's growls were now a *loud* rumbling purr of pure 
happiness and he wiggled under Spike even as he leaned up with his 
head and nipped at Spike's ear playfully. The young vampire didn't 
even break Spike's skin, but his wriggling form felt wonderful 
pressed along his own body. He chuckled through a smirk.

"My my my... It seems that my Princess's little Kitten is being a 
*naughty* boy. Punishment is definitely in order, don't you think?"

Xander's hips thrust up involuntarily at that question and Spike 
moaned at the feeling of the whelp's hard cock rubbing against his 
own erection. Mindlessly, he snarled and thrust down with his own 
hips asserting his dominance and flashing his own fangs. The mingled 
scent of their combined arousal grew stronger and Kitten writhed 
beneath him. 

Leaning his head down, Spike attacked Xander's mouth in a vicious 
kiss, his teeth slicing open the boys lips and tongue. The taste of 
the fledgling's blood filled his mouth and his cock jumped in 
excitement. Shoving his own tongue deep into the boy's mouth, Spike 
deliberately pierced his flesh with Xander's fangs and allowed his 
blood to wash into the mouth below his. Xander purred loudly and 
suckled on his tongue in a twisted parody of oral sex. 

Loosing patience with foreplay, Spike pushed himself to his feet in a 
lightening quick and gracefully fluid move dragging Kitten with him. 
He spared his demonic nephew a leering look from head to toe and then 
back up again before he attacked. With snarling growls, Spike 
literally shredded the boy's clothing from his body with his hands 
and claws. Ripped and torn material flew through the air in all 
directions and once the pale flesh was bare of all obstructions, 
Spike picked him up easily and tossed him violently onto the rumpled 
bed. 

He didn't even pause to watch Xander tumble across the silken surface 
and onto the floor on the other side, instead he used the break in 
the action to strip off the last of his own clothing. As soon as he 
was naked, he stepped over and flopped onto his bed and looked over 
to the side of the bed where he'd heard the fledgling crash to the 
floor.

"Where are you pet? Don't you want to play with your Uncle Spike 
anymore Kitten?"

Suddenly, Xander sat up on the floor, his face popping up over the 
side of the bed like toast. He shook his head violently as if to stop 
his ears from ringing and then he graced Spike with a wicked smirk. A 
slight tensing of the corded muscles along Xander's neck and 
shoulders were the only warning before Spike found himself with a lap 
full of naked purring gamefaced horny vampire.

To his delight, Xander quickly straddled his body and leaned his head 
down to nuzzle at his neck. The fledgling knew better than to bite 
without Spike giving him permission, but that didn't stop him from 
enjoying the sensation of a cool wet tongue gliding along his skin 
followed by razor sharp fangs scratching at his flesh in a promise of 
pain and pleasure. He'd shared this very same bed with Harmony for a 
little over a year until Buffy finally dusted her, but she'd *never* 
learned the delicate art of teasing with her fangs in spite of all of 
Spike's urging. Kitten however seemed to have an innate sense of dark 
sensuality. With an inner shrug, Spike figured that it was all those 
years of dating demanding and possessive demons when the fledgling 
had still been a mortal.

Spike's mind swirled with wonderful flashes of light and dark as 
Xander worked his way slowly down his pale whipcord thin body. Lips, 
tongue, teeth, hands and claws. The boy used them all with an almost 
blinding gentleness intermixed with quick and brutally arousing 
sparks of intense pain. Dru's influence was glaringly obvious as his 
Dark Princess had always been fond of pain, both other's as well as 
her own. Spike wasn't sure if this was a glimpse at Heaven or a 
preview of Hell.

Then finally *finally* Kitten ran his cool wet tongue along the 
throbbing straining length of Spike's erection. Pleasure sizzled 
inside his skull and his claws dug into the mattress beneath him, 
ripping and shredding his expensive sheets. Almost shyly, Xander 
gently ran a fang along the smooth swollen surface of the crown. His 
touch was so delicate as to not even scratch the tight skin and 
sparks of sensation swamped Spike's brain and his spinal column 
*tingled*. Spike didn't know if he should beat the boy for daring to 
use his fangs on his cock or if he should demand that the whelp do it 
again. He had no desire to get his dick accidently bitten off, but 
*Bloody Hell* that felt exquisite!

With the thrill of danger sending fight or flight impulses along his 
veins, Spike controlled himself from even twitching a muscle with the 
truckloads of restraint he'd learned over the past few years while 
dealing with the chip as he watched Xander swallow him whole into a 
mouthful of razor sharp demonic teeth. A wonderful wet tongue stroked 
him along the sensitive underside of his erection and the mindless 
purring that unconsciously rumbled in Kitten's throat sent wildly 
pleasurable vibrations along his shaft and directly to his balls. 

Also, the knowledge that Xander could easily kill him by biting him 
and watching him bleed to death lent a dark and horrifyingly 
dangerous air to the whole act and Spike found himself growing harder 
at the mix of desire and fear that washed over him. No one since his 
own Sire had been able to induce that heady mixture of lust and need 
and sensual terror in him. The fledgling was *definitely* of the same 
bloodline as Angelus, no doubt about it.

Before Spike could cum from the rush of feelings, both mental and 
physical, Xander gave one last delicate suck and then let Spike's 
throbbing cock slide free of his deadly mouth. The boy bent his head 
and nuzzled his nose into the soft dark curls at Spike's groin and 
two glowing yellow eyes looked up at him in lustful need.

Dragging in a shaking breath that he didn't really need, Spike 
reached down and grabbed Xander tightly by his dark midnight curls 
and yanked him back up his body until they were once again demonic 
face to demonic face. He claimed his nephew's mouth in another brutal 
and bloody kiss before pushing the fledgling off of him and onto his 
stomach on the bed. 

Sitting up quickly, Spike swooped down over the younger vampire and 
bit his shoulder deeply. Xander gasped and shuddered at the pain-
pleasure even as thick spicy blood filled Spike's mouth. Allowing 
himself only the tiniest of swallows, Spike removed his fangs and 
then coated two of his fingers in the bright red stolen blood. 

Shifting his body slightly, he spread Xander's legs and then climbed 
in between. He then teased at the boy's opening for a little bit 
until he was rewarded with a pleading moan and hips being thrust back 
at him. Then, quickly, he thrust a blood slicked finger deep inside. 
Xander yowled in pain and bucked up at him, impaling himself even 
further. Painfully strong muscles clamped down on his finger 
surprisingly tight.

"Bloody Hell Kitten! You feel as tight as a damn *virgin* here!"

Xander gave a slight shrug and glanced back at him with a serious 
expression on his face.

"That's because I am. A virgin I mean."

Shock and disbelief hit Spike like a hammer blow to the chest.

"What!?!"

Xander seemed to be a little embarrassed, but he shook it off easily.

"I'm a virgin Spike. I've never had anal sex. Well... unless you 
count the times that Mom rimmed me, but I've *never* been fucked. 
*Ever*. You'll be the very first."

Spike felt a vicious thrill at the thought that he was going to be 
able to corrupt this last little part of the demon-child in his bed 
and he had an almost overwhelming urge to lay violent and bloody 
claim to the boy's flesh. But he was also thoroughly confused. He 
could understand Xander not trying this while he was a mortal since 
humans had such bizarre and boring concepts of sex, but once he was 
Sired that should have all fallen by the wayside. And it *had* been 
seven years after all.

"Why? I mean, why not before now?"

Now Xander *did* look embarrassed but once more he ignored it and 
answered Spike's question.

"Um... it's weird, but... All my unlife, Mom has gone on and on about 
how it's my destiny to fix you. I mean, that's *why* she made me, as 
a gift for *you*, as a way to show you that despite everything she 
still loved you and wanted you safe and happy. The last seven years 
have been devoted entirely to learning how to help you get rid of 
that chip. So... I just sort of... saved myself for you. The last 
vestiges of my purity are yours to take or yours to reject."

With the words 'saved myself for you' ringing around his head, Spike 
had to once again call upon his inhuman self-control to keep himself 
from coming right then and there. He'd stolen and torn innocence and 
purity from his victims hundreds upon hundreds of times, but no one 
had *ever* offered it up to him in willing sacrifice before. It 
was... beautiful. 

With a roar of unholy pleasure, Spike yanked Xander up onto his knees 
and violently thrust his fingers into the boy's tight virgin channel, 
stretching and coating him with slick blood. He took care to rub his 
fingers over the fledgling's prostate several times. He wanted the 
boy to enjoy this as much as was demonically possible and that meant 
a steady mix of both pain and pleasure. His efforts were rewarded 
with loud purring interspersed with gasps, yelps and snarled cries 
for more and that lush pale ass thrusting and bucking back onto his 
hand. 

Not being able to wait any longer, Spike pulled his fingers out of 
Xander and quickly lined up his achingly hard cock. With one quick 
brutal thrust, he slammed balls deep inside of his nephew. Blindingly 
tight muscles clamped down on his flesh and both vampires howled out 
a chilling mix of pain and pleasure. His clawed hands dug 
involuntarily into Xander's hips and his body *thrummed* at the 
amazing sensation.

With sparks flashing behind his eyes at every little movement, Spike 
pulled back out and adjusted his angle slightly to aim for Xander's 
prostate. Then, without a hesitation, he slammed back in just as 
violently and as quickly as before. The fledgling's body quivered and 
pulsed around his shaft and Spike's yellow eyes nearly rolled back in 
his head. He hadn't felt anything this bloody marvelous in *years* 
and the best part was that because Xander had been turned while 
virginal, no amount of use or abuse would stretch him out. He would 
always heal up to be just as tight and gripping and Spike planned to 
take advantage of that fact again and again and again.

With his hands gripping tightly onto Xander's hips, he yanked the boy 
back onto his cock while he was also slamming his hips forward at the 
same time. Sizzling pleasure rolled over his body from his cock 
outwards in continuous wave after wave and he *thrilled* at being 
able to use his whole strength and not have to hold anything back. He 
poured it all out of him, all the pain and frustration and aching 
unfulfilled *need* that had been coiled up inside of him for *years* 
all crackled in the air amid the snarls and growls and purrs and 
yelps of pain. 

Xander's hands scrambled for purchase on the slick surface of the 
sheets until he just lost what little of his control he had and he 
dug his strong finger's through the sheets and into the very mattress 
itself. The boy eagerly thrust himself back at Spike, taking 
everything that the older vampire was giving him even as he whimpered 
and begged for more. Spike had a perfect view of the boy's strong 
muscular back and shoulder's working as they flexed and moved under 
him. 

Feeling *need* and *hunger* and this burning unspeakable *urge* to 
simply claim the boy and to mark him as *his* Spike reached out to 
grab the thrusting wiggling body and pulled Xander up until he was 
literally sitting in Spike's lap, his body impaled by Spike's still 
thrusting erection. Then, without a pause or hesitation, Spike sank 
his fangs deeply into the pale flesh between Kitten's shoulder and 
neck. 

Sweet thick blood welled up in his mouth and brilliant sparkles of 
pleasure dazzled his tightly shut eyes at the amazing taste. He could 
feel Xander's entire body clench up in pleasure and then the boy 
began spasming in his arms. Mindless pleasure coursing through him 
and instinct dictating his actions, Spike tore his mouth away from 
the boy long enough to reach up and bite viciously into his own 
wrist. Then he shoved the bloody wound into Kitten's mouth and sank 
his own fangs into the fledgling again, but this time he aimed for 
the jugular. 

Stolen blood flooded his mouth and poured down his throat even as he 
felt Xander take a deep strong pull on his arm. His veins tingled at 
the intense suckling sensation and powerful vampire blood flooded his 
body. A circuit of possessor and possessed was forged and completed 
as blood flowed into blood and Spike's mind overloaded on the 
pleasure and the pain. 

Xander's body throbbed and clenched around him and the strong smell 
of the boy's semen rose up in his nostrils and with a violent *slam* 
Spike shuddered and moaned and his cock *erupted* in strong pulses of 
pleasure and his cold dead seed pumped itself into his new lover. 

With one last shudder, they collapsed over onto their sides, panting 
in deep draughts of air that nether needed. Spike felt Xander gently 
and carefully remove his fangs from his wrist and then lick up the 
few drops of spilt blood. With one last light suck on the boy's neck, 
Spike also let go with his mouth. Now that the intensity of the 
moment was passing, he slowly slid out of the boy's abused passage, 
mindful that he was most likely tender and sore.

Once he was completely pulled out of Xander's body, the younger 
vampire twisted around until he was draped across Spike's body. His 
chest practically vibrated from the force of his loud rumbling purr 
and he looked down at Spike with his eyes wide with a delightful 
mixture of shock and awe.

"Wow..."

Spike chuckled softly at his Dark Princess's one and only Childe.

"Yeah Kitten. That does sum it up rather well, don't it?"

Part Five  

It was only an hour past dark when they finished packing up the 
DeSoto with all of the stuff that Spike wanted to take with him. He 
didn't know when, or even if he'd *ever* come back to this piss-ant 
town on the edge of the bloody Hellmouth, so... he had spent a bit of 
time writing a note for the witches. Somewhere along the course of 
the last decade, he had been befriended by the two soft spoken yet 
powerful witches and he cherished their gentle concern and their 
unspoken trust in him. Never before during his unlife, or even his 
mortal life, had he known such a simple and basic pleasure as having 
friends. 

And because of those silken invisible ties, he knew that it would 
only be a matter of days without seeing him around until they would 
make their silent and careful way across the most dangerous town on 
the planet in order to check up on him. He couldn't leave them 
thinking that he had left without saying goodbye, or even worse, that 
he was nothing but a pile of dust blowing in the wind. Hence, the 
note. He quickly read over it to make sure that it said what he 
wanted it to.


My Beautiful Red and My Luscious Shy One,

Smashing news my lovely Pets. My Eternal Goddess, Drusilla has sent 
word for me to come to her. She has created something wonderful which 
I've been assured can remove this blasted chip from my bloody skull 
once and for all. I'm leaving here to go to her now. Know that even 
if this crazy scheme of her's *does* work, it'll not be at my hand 
that either of you find death. Well... not unless you ask me very 
nicely with lots of eyelash batting and such. 

Be a pair of luv's and let Ripper know that I'll tell him all about 
it when next we meet. I *know* he's been keeping meticulous records 
concerning my unlife with the damn bloody chip, and I know that he'll 
want the details of how I finally get rid of it.

Violent kisses and cold embraces,

William the Bloody 


Smiling at his brilliantly written letter, Spike held it up against 
the heavy carved stone door of his crypt and then pulled out a steel 
hunting knife with a well crafted and strong blade. Then, using his 
vampiric strength, he stabbed the knife point into the stone with a 
loud echoing bang. It worked like a tack, pinning the note 
effectively to the door. Granted, the girls would never get the knife 
out of the stone without resorting to magick, but that was okay.

With one last look around the crypt that had been his home for over 
eight years, Spike turned and walked out into the clear cool night to 
find Kitten leaning against the side of the old battered car with a 
wicked gleam in his dark liquid eyes. Chuckling at the implicit 
violence and destruction hovering just beneath the smooth surface of 
the fledgling's skin, Spike felt a rush of unholy cheer throb through 
his chest. Unlife was definitely looking better and better. 

"Come on Kitten. Climb in and let's get out of here."

Dru's Childe let a wicked smirk slide across his full lips before 
silently nodding his head and turning to get in the car. Spike shook 
his head in amusement and got in behind the wheel. The engine turned 
over smoothly with a loud grumbling roar that was a near imitation to 
Kitten's own throaty purr, an audio testament to the fact that Spike 
had worked hard to keep his vehicle in excellent condition... at 
least under the hood.

With a squeal of tires and reckless joyful abandon, Spike powered 
through the gears at top speed and they dashed off through the 
streets of downtown Sunnydale. When they turned onto Sunset Avenue 
West to head out of town and towards the main interstate system, 
Spike suddenly swore a blue streak and swerved dangerously up onto 
the curb, just missing plowing into a tall thin man in a light brown 
sports coat. Xander whipped his head around to grin maniacally at the 
Master Vampire.

"What'cha stop for? Bet you could've sent him ten feet up in the air 
if you'd have hit him."

Spike snorted out a bark of rough laughter and smirked at his nephew.

"Naw mate. That's Charles... the new Slayer's Watcher. A totally rude 
git with a bloody thick stick up his tight arse. You sneak up 'round 
behind him. Let's give him a good scare to sort of celebrate the 
occasion."

Kitten giggled wickedly and nodded his head. His eyes flashed yellow 
briefly as Spike opened the door and stepped out to confront the 
startled and quickly angering man. As soon as the stuffy British 
Watcher's eyes landed on Spike he heaved a sigh that was a mix of 
relief and annoyance. He knew that with the chip, Spike couldn't lift 
a finger to hurt him, yet he *really* didn't want to have a chat with 
the vampire. 

Spike stalked over to him with an air of aloof cockiness, his long 
black duster fluttering out behind him, only to stop directly in 
front of him and smirk in his face. Charles wasn't the type of man to 
take that kind of attitude laying down, so he stuck a finger out and 
poked Spike in the chest with it.

"Now see here! What do you think you're *doing*? Have you *no* 
respect for the law? You can't be driving that... that... *vehicle* 
up onto the sidewalks! Are you a maniac?"

Spike raised his scarred eyebrow and graced him with a disdainful 
expression that spoke *volumes* about his opinion of Charles.

"I'm a bloody *demon* you stupid git! What the hell do you *think* I 
feel about some stupid mortal laws? And I'm *not* a maniac. I'm a 
*homicidal psychopath* who also happens to *enjoy* the taste of 
blood. There's a difference. 'Side's that's not what I stopped by to 
tell you."

Charles shifted uneasily for a quick moment at the pointed reminder 
that Spike was most definitely *not* human, but then he reminded 
himself that even if he was soulless, he was 'chipped' and therefore 
not to be feared. He puffed up his chest in an exaggerated stance of 
bravery.

"Oh? What is it then? I don't have time to be bandying about with 
you. Places to go, people to see and all that."

Spike stifled a chuckle at the mortal's puffed up notion of his own 
importance, but ignored it. He had more enjoyable games to play with 
the man than ego-bashing. He grinned wickedly.

"I just wanted to let you know that there is a new vampire in town. 
Not like the regular minions that infest this place like cockroaches, 
but a real *Childer*, one that's been Sired by an old and powerful 
Master Vampiress."

Not familiar with Spike's personality and not being used to his ways, 
Charles heard the scathing tones in his voice, but totally missed the 
dangerously hungry glint in his eyes that revealed this his words to 
be the absolute truth. Riding his own arrogance and ignoring his 
better sense, Charles scoffed at the notion. He practically sneered 
at the blonde vampire.

"Oh really? That's just *fascinating* old boy. And just *who* is this 
mysterious Childer that's wandering loose in town?"

Spike laughed out loud at the wonderful expression of shock and 
terror that blasted across the snotty man's face when Xander suddenly 
wrapped an arm around his waist from behind while the other hand came 
up to clamp down over his mouth. The fledgling pulled the Watcher 
tightly to his muscled chest and purred into the man's ear causing 
those wide open eyes to practically roll around their sockets in 
overwhelming fear.

"Why... that would be *me*..."

Xander bent his head a bit more and ran his cold wet tongue along the 
line of the man's jugular vein and Charles let loose with a muffled 
whimper behind the inhumanly strong hand clamped over his mouth. 
Spike stepped forward and smirked in the Watcher's face, his bright 
blue eyes flashing gold for a second.

"Charles *old boy*... I'd like to introduce you to my nephew Xander. 
My beloved sister in darkness, the Vampiress Drusilla... you *do* 
remember reading about her, don't'cha? Angelus's *first* Childe? 
Well, it seems that she Sired him as a gift for *me*. Such a lovely 
demon, my Dark Princess is. Always sends the most unique and 
delightful prezzies. Don't you think it's wonderful?"

Charles never got a chance to give his opinion one way or the other 
since sharp fangs were suddenly slicing into his throat and his blood 
was being drained out of his body and into the wet mouth that gripped 
his throat with that strangely erotic mixture of pain and pleasure. 
Spike just grinned into his face, even as he faded away into 
unconsciousness.

Xander held onto the still living, but unconscious body of the 
Watcher and grinned up into his Uncle's face. He licked his lips with 
slow sensual movements of his tongue.

"Ummmm... tasty."

Spike chuckled and gestured back to the car even as he turned and 
walked back over to climb in behind the wheel. He didn't flinch or 
look back when he heard the distinctive sounds of a neck being broken 
or a dead body being dropped to the pavement. In a matter of seconds, 
the passenger-side door was yanked open and the long toned body of 
his lover slid in beside him. They leaned towards each other and 
shared a blood flavored kiss and then Spike slammed the car back in 
gear and they raced off into the night.

Part Six  It took them two solid nights of driving, with only short breaks to 
hunt down dinner or to catch a quick nap during the height of midday 
until they finally reached the make-shift medical lab that Xander had 
designed and then built in order to remove Spike's hated chip. It was 
during that long drive across the border, through Mexico and then 
deep into the Brazilian rain forest, that Spike got a truer glimpse 
of just how much Xander had changed when Drusilla had Sired him.

The boy had spent too many years living in the heart of violence to 
have developed anything but a dark sense of humor, but now that humor 
went beyond mere morbid cynicism and into a realm of deliberate harsh 
cruelty. The fledgling's twisted ability to see directly to the core 
of any situation and laugh with glee at the inner pain and suffering 
found there spoke to something deep inside of Spike.

What's more, he had perfected the air of unconcerned confidence that 
the mortal Xander had tried to carry off, but somehow never quite 
managed to do. Spike found this new sense of self and purpose to be 
alluring and sexy. The fledgling was playful, deadly and reckless 
with the defenseless mortals he toyed with. He brought an intensity 
into everything he did and he stood up for himself in ways he never 
would have before. 

After arguing over what to do about dinner one night, he'd actually 
told Spike to 'Shoot down my ideas if you want, but fucking *listen* 
to them first. I may be young but I'm not *stupid* and I'll never 
learn what I'm doing wrong if you don't take the god-damned time to 
explain it.' Spike had blinked in shock for a moment and then agreed. 
He'd listen to the half-baked plan the whelp had cooked up for an 
evening of hunting and then point out all the holes in it for him if 
he wanted. To his delight, however, the plan hadn't been that bad, 
even if it *did* sound a lot like something Dru would've come up 
with. 

When Spike pointed out the errors he'd seen, the young vampire had 
questioned him about it with a seriousness that told him he was 
*teaching* the boy a lesson. He *wanted* to learn what Spike knew. He 
couldn't blame the boy really. Dru was great at random destruction 
and applied torture, but she didn't have a solid enough grip on 
reality to form any tight knit plan and Spike *knew* she didn't have 
the patience or mental resources to teach anyone anything.

Still, Spike found the idea of being like a *real* Uncle to the whelp 
a fun one and he enjoyed the sense of control and power that it gave 
him to mold and sculpt the vast potential that the boy had inside. 
What's more, the longer he spent around the fledgling the more and 
more he thought of him as being totally different and separate from 
the Xander he'd known before. They were like two totally different 
people. Xander was dead and gone seven years now. This was Dru's 
deadly little Kitten and he was *much* more fun to play with. 

And the boy was smart too. That fact had never been apparent before, 
but then, the old Xander had never been encouraged to learn things. 
Whenever he *had* tried, his friends and family scoffed at his 
attempts. Kitten was a whole different story. Dru had actively 
encouraged his studies so that he could help Spike and when pleased, 
Dru could be lavish with her praise. Suddenly handed an important 
purpose and given a heap of responsibility, Kitten had risen to the 
challenge with all of the inner strength and determination that he'd 
brought over into unlife with him.

And that was the main issue, the core of his whole trip out here. 
Yes, he was delighted with the very idea of seeing his Dark Princess 
again, but he had spent the last decade without her in his unlife. At 
first, he didn't think he'd survive the separation, but he knew now 
that he could live without her at his side. As painful as it had been 
to learn that fact, he felt stronger for it. But what had drawn him 
across miles and miles of American suburbia and into the vegetation 
choked heart of South America was the chance to get the chip out of 
his skull. And that meant placing his unlife in the hands of Buffy's 
long lost doughnut-boy.

He didn't want to insult or offend the boy so that he ended up 
pouting and sulking when he could be removing the bloody chip, but he 
wasn't ready to throw himself on a table and let the boy take a meat-
cleaver to his bloomin' skull either. He wanted to see this... *lab* 
and a chance to look over Kitten's research and he wanted *details* 
about the whole operation. He had learned the hard way not to just 
trust that someone would take it out because they had said so. And if 
he wasn't satisfied with the amount of prep-work or with Kitten's 
ability to pull this off, then he'd just pick up where the young 
fledgling stopped and go from there until he *was* satisfied.

However, until then, he'd just enjoy his reunion with his Dark 
Princess and her lovely little Kitten. 

*

Spike could tell when their journey brought them into Kitten's 
hunting territory. The young fledge had perked up and began to 
describe the people and places around them with more than a touch of 
possessiveness and pride. Like a nobleman who was showing off his 
herd of horses during a tour of the estate's stable. His enthusiasm 
was amusing and Spike enjoyed the undertones of happy purring that 
rested just below the words.

They entered a small town and Spike was charmed by the odd mix of 
third world poverty and twenty-first century technology. Weathered 
and battered shacks with hollow glassless windows were home to thin 
women with callused work-worn hands and dirty dark-eyed children. A 
stone and brick bar with a glowing red neon sign sold cheap tequila 
and watery beer to the slovenly men while a stucco Church with a 
ancient bell in the tower guarded the souls of old hags and mid-wives 
at the other end of the street. All along the dismal road, Kitten 
pointed out spots of interest with a real sense of happiness.

"Oh, *there*, see over there? That's a neat little shop where they 
sell woven rugs. Got me some."

Then, Kitten swung around in his seat and pointed to a shack with a 
strange red symbol that seemed to be a stylized cat's paw painted 
over the door.

"Ooo and over *there* is where Madam Marietta lives. She's this 
really cool witchy type person and she is a *total* expert on all 
things herb-y and plant-like. You can't eat her, okay? She's under my 
protection because I get lots of stuff from her and she taught me a 
*lot* about making up home-brewed medicines and such."

Kitten then made a sweeping gesture that took in the entire left half 
of the tiny village.

"Beyond these rows of houses is a huge series of fields. It's hard to 
see it from here, but they are growing sugar cane. Beyond that is the 
factory where it's processed into sugar and such. Most of the 
families around here work there."

Just as they were exiting the other side of the town, Kitten jerked 
his thumb in the direction of the old Church.

"Don't like the guy that runs *that* place. He's all cross waving and 
preachy. And he has this nasty habit of trying to sprinkle people 
with holy water."

Spike shot him an incredulous glance and then broke out in amused 
chuckles.

"Yeah, them Priests aren't a real fun-loving bunch, are they? Always 
trying to mess up a bloke's fun time, they are. We could always bleed 
him dry and leave him out on his own alter some night."

Kitten flashed him a delightfully wicked smile and his low rumbling 
purr suddenly became louder.

"Yeah. That's sounds like fun. It's a date."

Spike offered up his own charming smile and then they were back in 
the jungle again. The dirt road had deep groves etched in it from 
countless cars and trucks traveling this way. Thick foliage lined the 
roadside and the sweet heady perfume of blooming flowers flavored the 
nighttime air. The rustling of small animals in the underbrush was 
loud to his sensitive ears and his keen vampiric eyesight showed him 
many details of the lush countryside. Still, the most delectable and 
beautiful sight to him was the young demon sitting in the DeSoto 
beside him.

"Oh, you'll get a kick out of this, but there is this native tribe 
that lives *that* way..."

Kitten pointed off the road and into the dense brush.

"...and the only way to reach them is to travel on foot through the 
jungle. They live in these really cool grass huts and they hunt down 
their own food and everything. It's the best place in this whole 
jungle to hang out. They aren't even really afraid of me... Okay, 
they *are*, but that's because they think I'm some reincarnation of 
one of their ancestor's Gods or something wacky like that. They've 
made it taboo for any of their hunters to kill cats in my honor and 
they even go so far as to bring me live dinner. Of course, it's 
usually an animal or some such. I visit them on the full moon and we 
party all night. Once a year they sacrifice a human tribe member to 
me. Oh! I also get to eat any of the enemies they capture in their 
never-ending boarder wars with the other tribes and the encroaching 
land developers." 

Spike stared at the fledgling with a mixture of shock and admiration.

"Are you trying to tell me that you have an *entire* tribe of native 
warriors and hunters under your protection and that they *worship* 
you as some sort of cross between some mystical Cat Spirit and an 
evil Blood God?"

Kitten blinked rapidly as if he'd never thought of it quite that way 
before. Then, with a wickedly sly grin and a golden glint to his dark 
eyes, he nodded his head slowly.

"Yeah... yeah I guess that's what I'm saying."

Spike's jaw snapped shut with an audible click of teeth. He was 
slowly beginning to understand Dru's fascination with this continent 
and how even her American Childe could choose to make this place his 
home. For him personally, it was a refreshing change from twenty-
something pop-culture, demon hunting and guarding the Hellmouth, not 
to mention dealing with snotty know-it-all Slayers who couldn't even 
hold a candle to the long dead blonde power-house that both of the 
vampires had loved. Spike figured that he was going to find himself 
facing a long line of culture-shock situations, but he found that he 
was looking forward to them.

They drove along in the blossom fragrant jungle night. The sultry air 
carried the lush sounds of wild animals to them both and insects 
buzzed around. Breaks in the dense canopy showed glimpses of a cool 
bright moon and brightly glittering stars. Coming round one last 
twisting bend, the hard packed dirt road they traveled came to an 
intersection with another, smaller road. Spike slowed down to a 
rumbling stop and turned his head to glance at Kitten. The younger 
vampire was lost in thought.

"Well pet? Which way."

Kitten pulled himself from whatever it was he had been contemplating 
and glanced around with a grin.

"Oh. Um... take a right. The road gets a bit rough in spots since I'm 
the only one that drives on it regularly. It's technically my 
driveway. If we'd have gone forward, we'd have ended up in another 
small village and beyond that, a coffee plantation. It we'd have 
turned to the left, that road will go on for a bit until you hit a 
small river. On the far side of the river is a logging company's 
camp. I hunt the jungle killer's a lot."

Spike turned right onto the small rutted road that Kitten said was 
his driveway and snorted in amusement at his words.

"Don't like the logger's luv? You a bloody treehugger then?"

Kitten let loose a low growl of annoyance.

"Hey. This is *my* jungle and I *don't* want them cutting it down. If 
I didn't like the trees I'd burn it to ashes my*self*."

Spike glanced over to his see his lover looking absolutely adorable 
with his full lower lip jutting out in a pout and his arms crossed 
over his chest in a posture of insolent defiance. Kitten was too cute 
for words, all indignant anger and sharp teeth. He couldn't contain 
his indulgent smile at the display, especially when the fledgling 
began to mutter softly to himself.

"...stupid humans. Think they can come down here and just *take* my 
trees without my *permission* as if I wouldn't even *notice*. Should 
just go and eat the whole stupid lot of them. Munchy crunchy 
goodness, that's all they are. Don't they realize that *prey* lives 
in the jungle? Take away the jungle and the prey *leaves*. I mean... 
*duh*!"

Smile giving way to soft chuckles as the ranting continued, Spike 
navigated the twisting dark road as it made it's way up a hill that 
was covered in dense brush and tall trees that dangled thick leafy 
vines. As his headlights cut through the inky darkness, he noticed 
bright glowing eyes perched in the lower branches and peering out 
from under bushes. The sensation of being watched grew in leaps and 
bounds. It wasn't a *malevolent* gaze that followed their progress... 
it was more of a sense of excited waiting.

Eventually, the dirt road opened up into a wide barren patch of dirt 
and gravel at the peak of the hill. 
Following his lover's directions, Spike pulled up outside of an 
abandoned warehouse and drug manufacturing plant. Gold flecked blue 
eyes roamed over the dilapidated and boarded up building that Kitten 
had built his lab in. A flutter of hope that this insane plan might 
actually work blossomed in his chest, but he squashed it down before 
it could build up. Turning his head, he glanced over at the fledgling 
to see the flash of a quick grin.

"Come on Spike. Mom's waiting for you."

Part Seven

Before they had even reached the pitted steel door located at the 
side of the large cinder-block building, a handful or so of half-
feral house cats wandered over and began to wend their way around and 
through Kitten's legs. The cats were all purring madly and the young 
vampire answered them with rumbling throaty purrs of his own. Spike 
recognized some of the breeds. He saw a calico, two tortoise-shells 
and even one that appeared to be a half-Siamese, but the others were 
just 'cats' to him. Kitten, however, murmured and talked to them in a 
low sing-song type of voice as if they could understand him. Amused, 
Spike tuned into what he was telling them.

"Yes kitties, daddy is home to stay."

Meeowrrr

"No, I didn't bring back any crunchy squeak-squeaks. I'll go out and 
get some yummy mice for you all to chase later on."

Puuuurrrrr, mmmeeoooww

"What?... Hmmm... yes, yes the two-legger with the blonde fur *is* 
lovely."

Mmmee-rowlll 

Kitten sent a quick glance over at Spike and blithely ignored the 
fact that the older vampire was staring at him in a sort of 
fascinated horror.

"Yes... I *did* notice his blue eyes. They also turn golden when he's 
feeling frisky... just like Mom and me."

Grroowlll, Merrr

"What was that Tiger? Oh, yes... that would be wonderful, I *do* want 
to see Baby as soon as she can get her lazy butt up."

Suddenly, all of the half-feral house cats turned tail and dashed 
around the side of the building. Spike could hear the distinct sounds 
of tiny paws with razor sharp claws digging into wobbly wooden crates 
as the cats climbed up and up. His nephew just turned a faintly 
apologetic look at him and shrugged slightly.

"Sorry about that. They all try to play it cool in that feline way, 
but they still manage to get all excited and kittenish after I come 
back from a trip and it's been... oh, about two weeks this time 
around."

Spike just blinked and he figured that he would regret it, but he 
*had* to ask. 

"Um... Kitten? Correct me if I'm wrong here, but... were you just, 
um... *talking* to those kitty-cats?"

Kitten gave him a look that could clearly be read as "Duh!" and 
nodded his head. Spike sighed to himself. In a warped sort of way, it 
made sense. After all, the boy *was* Sired by his Dark Princess so it 
was only right that he have a few screws loose in his brain box... 
but *cats*? Spike was aware that Dru had renamed him Kitten after he 
had first been turned so the obsession made a deranged sort of sense. 
Besides, he figured that at least the cats were *alive* whereas Dru's 
doll were distinctly *not*. But to *talk* to them? Did the fledgling 
think *he* was part cat or some such rot?

Spike's philosophical pondering on the mental instability of certain 
family members was brought up short, however, when they finally 
reached the main entrance and Kitten quickly opened the door and led 
him inside. Spike stepped through the door and looked around. Then he 
came to a jarring halt and did a double take, this time studying the 
room with greater care.

He was standing on a cement platform with a green painted metal pipe 
railing. Cement stairs led down towards the floor of a large 
cavernous room. Three large domed skylights were situated in the 
ceiling. They were equipped with blinds that were currently open to 
let in the view of the shimmering stars overhead. The walls were 
painted in a dizzying geometric pattern with bright jewel-tones and 
in many places material hung from the walls or was draped from the 
ceiling. The fabric ranged from soft heavy velvets to light breezy 
silks. But as exotic as it all was, that wasn't what stunned Spike's 
already overtaxed mind.

From his vantage point at the top of the stairs, Spike could see the 
layout of the entire large room. Many area's had been sectioned off 
through use of freestanding screens and large pieces of furniture, or 
even groupings of large flourishing potted plants. No areas were 
designed as a bedroom, or a laboratory, so they must be elsewhere, 
but there was a section devoted to reading judging by the overstuffed 
chairs and bookcases filled with volume upon volume of books. Another 
area was set up as an entertainment center complete with stereo and 
television/VCR combination. Other areas weren't as easily defined, 
but it was all very lush and comfortable, especially for a couple of 
demons.

Even that wasn't *too* much of a shock to Spike's system since in a 
strange sort of way, it was reminiscent of Angelus... if Angelus had 
ever decided to do some decorating while on some heavy-duty 
hallucinogens that is. No, what made Spike's jaw drop down as he 
stared around was all the bloody plants and animals. 

Kitten's home had *lots* of plants. Potted plants that were *alive* 
and not some cheesy silk or plastic imitation. They were obviously 
well cared for and got enough water and sunlight. There were large 
leafy jungle plants and small flowering trees. Spike recognized 
several varieties of ferns and grasses, but they were a whole lot 
more that he *didn't*. Flowering vines crawled and wrapped themselves 
around support pillars and the place smelled *fresh* and *wild*, not 
damp and moldy.

There were also bird-cages *everywhere*. Each divided up section of 
the cavernous room held one. Some were large and some were small. 
Some were gilded and some were plain. Most of them actually held song 
birds and some were empty. What's more, many more birds were flying 
about the huge space completely free, swimming through the air and 
flitting about the leafy plants. There were several perches attached 
to walls and some swings hung from the ceiling itself. Spike spotted 
a pair of brightly plumed parrots on a large reinforced wooden 
branch squawking into a gilt framed mirror on it's own stand.

And *cats*! Cats lounged on almost every piece of furniture and many 
more were to be found on a narrow six inch ledge that wound it's way 
around and around the room along it's walls. Spike could practically 
*see* the free-floating cat fur as it drifted through the air. They 
were *everywhere*.

Looking around to see where his nephew had gotten off to, Spike 
spotted him down towards the far end of the room talking with what 
appeared to be a chaos demon. Instantly, Spike felt his face shift 
into it's true form and he heard the unconscious growl that rumbled 
from deep in his chest. However, before he could do or say anything, 
the ugly demon nodded it's misshapen head and shuffled off and out a 
side door. That's when Kitten turned around and looked unerringly 
over to him on the steps and grinned.

"Come on in Spike. Wilbur is going off for a few days to allow us 
a... um... family reunion. He says Mom should be home from hunting in 
a bit, so..."

Spike watched his lover give a small shrug and he tried to ignore the 
relief coursing through him over the fact that 'Wilbur' the Chaos 
Demon was leaving. Allowing a small smile to drift across his face, 
Spike walked down the stairs and made a show of looking around at the 
bizarrely decorated place. He saw it as another symptom of Kitten's 
inherited insanity, but he wasn't going to... upset the boy over 
something as trivial as loud decor and the oddity of allowing birds 
to fly free and unprotected in a room literally overflowing with cats.

Finally, he made his way past several plants, a double handful of 
purring fur-balls playing near an obviously harried mother cat, and 
several mismatched chairs and tables until he reached Kitten. Pulling 
the younger vampire into a loose hug, he looked over the small 
sitting area with it's native throw rug and bamboo sitting chairs.

"Interesting place you've got here pet. Colorful."

Kitten turned in his arms to face him and beamed with happiness.

"Do you like it? I found this place about three years ago and I 
thought it was *perfect* for what I needed. There's two subbasements 
below us. The first level is where the bedrooms, bathrooms and the 
kitchen is and the one under that is where I have my medical lab and 
my torture chamber."

Spike's eyebrow raised up at that little bit of news, but he just 
offered up an encouraging smile to his nephew.

"I'll have to get the guided tour then, won't I?"

Kitten grinned and gestured around grandly.

"I decorated. The birds are Mom's, but she and Wilbur don't always 
stay here with me. They tend to bounce back and forth between here 
and Wilbur's place down south further. Wilbur thinks it's too hot 
here this close to the equator, but he puts up with the heat for me 
and Mom."

Spike felt himself begin to growl at the mention of Wilbur, but he 
refrained from saying anything nasty. He had spent enough time with 
Drusilla to know better than to upset those creatures whose grip on 
reality wasn't too firm over things that didn't really matter... or 
couldn't be changed. And this was one situation that Spike knew he 
couldn't change. It was in his Dark Princess's hands.

Instead, he allowed himself to be guided back in the direction they 
had come and then even further to the other side of the cavernous 
room with the crazy decor and the menagerie. As they walked, he 
noticed that many of the cats would get up from their perches to walk 
over and rub against his Kitten and purr loudly at him. The young 
dark haired fledge often murmured soft sweet words to them as they 
touched him and he wore an enchanting expression of happiness on his 
face. Spike also noticed that he seemed to be purring even louder 
than normal.

****