Elderly Pets

Fic: Elderly Pets

Author: josie_h

Pairing: Spike/Xander

Rating: Mature Audiences (M/M sexual content! And themes)

It’s an AU!..... The Premise: A hundred and fifty years after the final battle with the Senior Partners… Demons rule the world. The luckier humans are pets…. Most are bred for food. Spike survived, and in the early days found Xander at an auction, purchased him and did what Spike does best…. Made the most of it.

Author’s Note: Don’t own the characters etc and bow down to their original creators Joss, et al., plus all the wonderful online writers who continue to give them life.



Part 2

Spike had one of his staff move his Pet’s chair onto the sunny patio overlooking the estate’s vast grounds. Xander had protested mildly until Spike pointed out that he would be working at his desk but three steps away in the safety of the shady library, and that the elderly human was welcome to join him at any time.

Spike watched as Xander adjusted and luxuriated in the warmth of the afternoon sun, then delighted as his Pet realized the ‘little extra’ his Master had provided. Two of the breeding mothers, Xander’s youngest daughters, were lying comfortably on a blanket half way down the gently sloping and well manicured lawn. He noted that they were both heavily pregnant again and smiled, wondering idly wondering which males would sire Xander’s grandchildren next year.

Six pretty, dark children, all unmistakably of his line were playing ‘Tag’ in front of the mothers and a handler… who, like all Spike’s demon staff, gave no indication of his real role as ‘herder’. Instead the massive blue individual seemed to relish his nominated role as the ‘safe’ spot to retreat to for any small human not wishing to be tagged. Xander smiled sleepily as high pitched squeals of delight filtered up from the excited brood. He closed his eyes for a few minutes, simply enjoying the sounds of childhood happiness. Was it any wonder Spike’s stud was so successful….

“Father?” Xander woke with a jolt. It was now late afternoon he observed, and shivered a little. The women and children had obviously been returned to their quarters and before him stood…

“Daniel!” Xander smiled broadly and almost sighed as he noted the marvelous human form. His son stood tall, the leash loosely connecting him to his handler, an unnecessary accessory as here was as human stallion utterly confident of his place and satisfied with his role.

Daniel reached out to take his father’s hand but dropped to his knees instantly, head bowed and hands clasped behind his back in a sign of respect, as Master Spike appeared at the door of the library.

In the safety of the now shadowed patio, Spike wandered over to toss the afghan rug he was holding across his Pet’s curled form, before claiming a kiss from the old man. Placing a gentle hand on Xander’s shoulder, he reached to take Daniel’s chin and lifted the handsome face until the young man was looking squarely at him. Despite his age and prowess as stallion, Daniel’s eyes sparkled with an innocence and trust of his Master that Spike adored and saw in all Xander’s progeny.

Spike smiled approvingly and caressed the man’s pretty forehead with the back of his hand.

“You’ve done well this month, Daniel.”

Xander smiled at his Master. There was no other feeling more wonderful than receiving praise from those beautiful lips, and the old Pet noted the sudden teary look in his son’s eyes as he stared adoringly at the Master.

“Thank you, Master”

“It seems you will have two new offspring next year.” Spike paused for a moment, squeezing Xander’s shoulder as a small sign of his pleasure at letting his dear pet know of more grandchildren now to come.

“Yes Master.”

“We have been asked that you service two more of Krevlorn’s brood females this week, but I intend to rest you … at least until Summer. Then we’ll see.”

“Yes Master, thank you Master.”

“Daniel, you know your father here, my beloved Pet, has not been well of late.” The young man looked up with genuine panic. Father had *always* been with Master… had *always* been well.
Xander also looked a little alarmed, though relaxed as Spike’s hand began to gently fondle the nape of his neck and stroke his silver locks.

“I would like you to deputy for your father as my Pet in meetings from hence forth. Your stud duties will, of course, continue, but you will travel with me when necessary, and kneel at my right in his stead.” Spike smiled as the young man took on the look of a deer caught in headlights.

“The meetings are too long and tedious for my dear old Luv.” Spike leaned down to give and receive a deep and loving kiss with Xander as Daniel looked on.

“You will of course be expected to perform the minimum duties.” This time the younger man let a tear of joy escape his pretty brown eyes. His emotions were in turmoil, he felt such pride at being asked to kneel at Master’s right side in public, and to be allowed to service Master was both terrifying and wonderful. He felt extreme distress at his father’s obvious frailty and Master’s worry, and was utterly in awe of the obvious depth of love and devotion he was currently witnessing between Master and his father. He resolved to request of his handlers, that he be taken to speak to his father some time during the coming week to discuss just how he might best please Master in the most delicate of his duties.

Daniel had been given all the right training and was adept at providing all the standard services required of a Pet. As stud stallion he was rarely required to perform the same, but over the last year he’d had discussions with John and his father regarding the finer points of providing a same sex partner with greater oral and anal pleasures. He quickly realized that now he also needed to know Spike’s public preferences and to learn the ‘deviations’ from societal standards of slave behavior that he would be expected to follow as Spike’s companion.

“I have arranged for you to have the status brand added tomorrow.” Daniel beamed his delight with a blinding smile as Xander rubbed over his own status brand. Spike had demanded that it be placed on the patch of skin just below his navel, the most intimate place possible that still allowed others to see.

Xander and all his offspring bore the pretty Aurelian brand. The design was an adaptation of Master Spike’s grandsire, Angel’s, original. Most breeders callously branded their stock with crude marks on the pectoral muscles of their slaves, but Spike always branded his stock with an elegant black tattoo at the base of their spine. It was a rite of passage and a point of pride for any member of the Aurelian Stud. Theirs was a mark of beauty and denoted fine breeding, something to be proud of. But Xander had two other marks. The status brand marked him as his Master’s prize Pet, and the scar on his neck, constantly reopened over the past century and a half, marked him as his Master’s chosen life partner. So few vampires took Pets as life partners, that the mark had always attracted awed attention when in public.

“Do you understand Daniel?”

“Yes Master. I am deeply honored, Master… thank you. I will do my best for you.” Xander had not been given leave to speak but smiled at his boy as Daniel silently conveyed his deep devotion and commitment to their household with a loving look. The old Pet relaxed back into his chair as Spike nodded at the handler and Daniel stood, bowed to Spike, then departed with a fluid grace that the vampire suspected was now genetic.

Spike turned to his silver haired companion. They were alone, so Xander could speak freely, should he wish.

“I thought it best to ask Daniel. Do you agree?”

“Yes Master.”

“John?”

“…. Would be unhappy to leave his stable mate.”

“That’s what I figured.”

“Daniel will be good for you.”

“Still got you though haven’t I.”

“Not for much longer Master. We both know…”

“No!!” It was Spike’s turn on his knees. Taking his Pet’s hands, he gently stroked over the back of each hand, the tissue paper thin, wrinkled and near translucent skin moving easily with each pass of his thumb. “Can’t lose you Pet …. Won’t!”

Xander’s tone dropped to the level he might use for a frightened child, “You will have to Spike… we both know… Please Spike… Let me die in your arms…. Let me love you one last time, then end it for me…. Please?”

Spike was shaking his head so furiously that his human pet began to worry if he might do himself an injury. Xander stilled the move by lifting their joined hands to the defined, timelessly beautiful jawline. Then continued…..

“I’m so tired Master…. And I want so desperately to please you but everything is so hard these days…. I trust you Master and I have loved you forever… You are my all… but please let me go… Please? I would see the next two born, but take me on the solstice and sprinkle my ashes under our oak….You love that oak. That way I can always be with you when you sit under it to watch the moon….. Remember? How many times have we made love under that oak?….. You are always so beautiful in the moonlight… my glorious, my wonderful and extraordinary Master, my Lover… My Friend…. You must let go!…” Xander’s voice trailed off and Spike let out a grief stricken sob as blood tinged tears streamed down from azure eyes that spelt the anticipation of devastating loss.

They had stayed on the balcony for a long time that night

………………………………………


It was Solstice…….

“Thank you Master…” Whispered gratitude from the pet his Master guided the cloth over his Pet’s torso one more time.

The whisper was barely audible “Oh god…… I love you Xan”, but with that, Spike peppered kisses anywhere he could manage to reach.

“And I you Master… with all my heart.”

Still sniffling, the vampire stood and carefully lifted the human from their warm bath. Xander was so light. He hardly ate more than a sparrow these days….. Spike sat him gently on the toilet chair he had bought for the human many months ago. Xander had been struggling relieve his ‘human needs’, the chair allowed it with a minimum of effort.

He dried his partner and carried him to their huge bed. Xan….his Pet; his lover; his confidant and best friend; his companion for nearly three human lifetimes. Spike settled the frail figure on the luxurious silk sheets, then quickly stripped and eased himself down behind his beloved Pet, pulling the covers over them both as his spooned the old man’s figure for the last time.

Xander smiled with a sense of completeness and contentment, then whispered, “Do it Spike …. Please…”

Spike placed a shaky but loving kiss on the nape of the wrinkled neck, then carefully turned his companion so adoring blue eyes could meet brown.

“Good night pet”

Tears streamed down both partners’ cheeks as a tentative pale hand caressed Xander’s face. Xander smiled at his Master.

The near inaudible reply was devastating, “’Goodbye Spike…” The vampire suddenly tore his hand away with an anguished cry. But in a move at a speed that was wondrous given the circumstances, Xander grabbed the wrist of his Master and guided the hand back to his cheek.

“Nooo…. thank you Master….. I love you Master. Please… I’m ready …. Please!”

“I know Xan ….. But I’ve loved you forever…. Love you so much…. Oh gahh…. Love you … Love you” With that Spike changed, stared into his beloved’s good eye. He shifted into game face and looked at his lover alive for one last time……. then bit down hard into the ancient mark and began to drink.

Following the pattern of more than a century, as the feeding began, Xander’s hand drifted to caress Spike’s hardness but this time, familiar fingers fell limp before bringing their master to completion.

Spike heard the final words… “Luvvv youuu Sspp…..” then the heart fluttered and died and all went still.

Spike eased the love of his unlife down to his final repose. Tears of devastation and loss flowed freely as he keened and remembered…..