My May Day Human

Title: The Prince of the Monsters
Author: Raihne
Feedback: jazzhot80@hotmail.com
Warnings: Angst, Fluffy Comfort
Disclaimer: Standard, I don't own them but I can still dream. (Mmmm leather and chocolate and Xander, oh my!)
Series: Sequal to 'Monster Under My Bed'
Summary: This is the second story in what was going to stay a fluffy little series, before my twisted muse got out of it's cage, about Spike meeting Xander back when he was 10 instead of when he was in high school. It might be called pre-slash (slash once Xander grows up), but I'm still not sure where I'm going with it. For now, it's just for fluff and giggles.

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A loud, almost frantic knock on the door of the warehouse, roused Spike from a very nice dream that he forgot instantly upon waking. That annoyed him. He decided to kill the idiot who would knock on a warehouse door such a godawful hour as noon. Stomping to the door, he'd just barely opened it when a bundle of brown, blue and orange came tumbling inside and slammed the door shut, leaning against it heavily and panting so hard it started to cough.

Spike stared at the little, coughing form until the door started to open again.

"Don't let them in!"

"Xander?" Spike pushed the door easily closed and held it with one hand while he knelt before the breathless child. "Wot's all this then?"

Huge whiskey eyes emplored the blond master to keep him safe.

Spike looked more closely then, The boy's dark blue shorts were torn and covered in mud and his bright orange shirt had drops of blood on it. He touched the split lips that the blood must have come from and growled, ignoring the little ten year old's wincing and pulling the door wide open. He grabbed one of the children outside and pulled him in, leaving the rest to stare, "Wot the Hell did you DO you barmey li'l wankers?!" He roared, lifting the boy up by his shirt and watching him kick.

"You can't do anything to me, my dad'll make them lock you up!" The brat bragged.

Spike went game face and further wrinkled his nose in disgust when the kid soiled himself, "Think you can be a big boy by pickin' on Xander? Ya aren't even housebroken yet." He scoffed and tossed the dirty boy back outside and into his friends, "An if your daddy hears a peep about me, I'll rip you open and play with your internal bits while I drain you dry. Understand!"

They whimpered and ran, and Spike turned his attention back to the shivering boy behind the door. "Xan? Come 'ere, lemme see that lip, yeah?"

"'m sorry." He whispered.

"Wot for? Fer commin' ta me when you needed help?"

"I couldn't go home. Dad says I have to fight my own battles. And if he gets mad at me he makes mom cry."

Spike lifted the child up and carried him back into the warehouse to the room he claimed as his lair. He sat him on the bed and pulled the stained shirt off, checking the little chest for any damage before pulling one of his own black T-shirts over the mussed head. He wiped the dirt off of the shorts as best he could and carefully checked th eskinned knees for dirt before walking to the door of the room and hollering, "One of you, take the tunnels and bring me first aid shit, such like a human would need." He slammed the door and sat back on his heals in front of the bed, watching the little boy with care, "Yer da's wrong ya know."

Those large eyes stared at him.

"No need to fight all by yerself. No one should have ta do that. 's wot friends are for."

"Jesse and Willow are gone for the summer."

"An wot am I?"

Xander touched the macaroni necklace and smiled a tiny half smile, "My monster."

"Too bloody right! An as yer monster, I'm tellin' ya, I'm always there ta fight beside ya."

"Really?"

"Said so didn' I." Spike got up at a light knock, opened the door, and grabbed a small first aid kit out of a minion's hands before slamming the door again. "Right, let's patch you up then."

Xander winced a bit when Spike poured alcohol over the skinned knees, but it was the only disinfectant in the kit,and the boy never cried out, not even once.

"Yer gonna have one Hell of a shiner pet."

"'s okay."

"'s bloody well NOT okay! Why'd ya let them do this to you?"

He looked down again and Spike swore. Some days you couldn't make him shut up, others you couldn't force three words from him. He pulled he boy's head up and leaned in, licking the split lip carefully, tasting the strong, powerful hint of blood, and helping at to heal all at once.

"'ll get better now." He promised and sat beside the boy on the bed. "You know, I c'n teach you ta fight."

"Really?!"

Spike grinned, there was the bouncing happy boy, he'd known he was in there somewhere.

"Like karate? 'cause Jesse takes karate and he can kick really high and they break boards with their hands and all sorts of stuff, well Jasse can't do that yet, but he's still really good at it. Or Kendo! Willow showed me a picture book with a kendo person in it and he was so cool he could cut a tree in half without even trying, but I wouldn't want to hurt trees cause Willow would be sad if I did but how about judo! I saw this move on a movie where a guy gos Waaa! and he kicks this other guy right over his head!"

"How about we start with street fighting and when you have th' basic we'll go from there."

Xander whooped and threw his arms around the vampire. Spike had been growing used to the sponaneous hugs over the year he'd known his boy, and he gave him a quick hug back before trying to pry him off. Prying Xander in hug mode off was harder than it sounded.

"'Ey! Nibblet! Le'go."

"'m comfy."

He gave up and just held the boy for a while, unsurprised when he felt wetness on his neck and caught the little body trembling again. "Wot is it pet?"

"Do you hate me?"

That caught him off guard, "Why would I do tha' luv?"

"Because you don't visit me anymore. Not since last year."

"Rather thought ya'd be hangin' out with the other whelps. Red 'n Dopey."

Xander shook his head against Spike's neck, "Not always. I like Wills and Jesse, they're my friends. But you're my monster. I don't want you to go away. Please don't go away."

"'m not goin' anywhere luv. Promise. Wot brought all this on?"

"Grandma died." He whispered, "She promised she would go to my birthday party, but she died and she won't be there now and dad's gonna hire a clown just because he knows I hate them. He hires one every year and he laughs at me."

"Xan, humans die. I'm sure she didn' want ta miss yer party."

"But now no one'll be there. Willow and Jesse are gone for the summer and I tried to invite Cordelia and she laughed at me and I tried to invite Larry and they. . ."

"Butt monkey Larry?"

Xander smiled a little at that. "He's the one you scared."

Spike grinned. "Good."

The little boy giggle and cuddled into Spike lap further, arms holding tight.

"Xan, vamps don't have ta breath, but this can't be comfy for you."

"Promise you wont go away like Grandma did." The little one ordered.

"Can't promise that pet. Even vampires c'n die sometimes, don't see it happenin' ta me any time soon, but it could, an' I'm not gonna lie to you." He rubbed the boy's dishevled chocolate colored hair and sighed, "But I promise to never leave on purpose with out saying good by or bringin' you with me. Deal?"

Xander nodded against his neck again and murmured, "Deal."

Spike gave up trying to remove the clinging boy and just sat there holding him. "So when's this horrible clown party?"

"Two weeks. July eighteenth."

"How's about I stop by after the shindig is over and we c'n have a clownless party. I'll even round up some minions to be guests and entertainment. C'n have it in the cemetary where yer Grandmum is, so she won't miss it afterall."

Xander's eyes little up and he pulled back to stare at Spike in hope, "Really?!"

"What're monsters for pet?"

Xander squealed in glee and showered the laughing vampire's face with butterfly kisses.

Spike lifted the excited boy up and set him on his feet, "Gonna be dark soon luv, you need ta head home before the other monsters come out to play." He walked him to the outside door and knelt again, placing a kiss on one slightly dirty cheek, "Steal away again tomorrow and come over, an' we'll start teaching you to fight."

"I love you Spike." Xander hugged him once more, "You're the best monster ever."

Spike smiled, "Course I am. Big bad an' all that." He pushed the boy a bit, "Now run home, don' be out past dark."

"Okay!" Xander waved and ran off quickly.

Spike shut the door and turned to the minions, "You all saw the boy." He prompted. When they all answered in the affirmative, Spike moved to his place at the center of the room, "That boy is mine. He is under my protection and if any of you ever see him in trouble, you are to defend him with your lives. If the boy is ever hurt and I find out you were anywhere near, let alone had anything to do with it, and I won't kill you. I won't be that kind. Do we all understand?"

He listened to the various answers of 'yes' and 'of course' and similar blather and then nodded and flopped down on one of the sofas, "Oh, an' there'll be a birthday party on July Eighteenth. Eat early 'cause yer all comin' and there's no feeding allowed. Pressies are required. Human type pressies." Spike though a moment and then spoke up again, "C'n any of you gits juggle or som'at?"

The minions wisely withheld any comments about the way their master was acting. They all knew that Spike had chosen the little boy as his. Most of them figured he would turn the child when it was fully grown. Until then, he was their prince as sure as Spike was their Lord. Spike hadn't needed to order them to watch out for the little one. Over the year or so he'd known Spike, the boy had endeared himself to almost everyone of the minions in one way or another, whether by bringing them cookies or kissing their boo boos, or even just being around them without fear. He reminded them of what it was like to be human, without making them feel like being a vampire was a worst thing. The boy was one of them, vampire or not, and though no one would tell Spike, most of them already had birthday presents for the child, tucked away and out of sight.

Anything to make the little prince smile for them.

~tbc~