Slip Slide Melting

* * * * * * * * *
Part 2

Spike couldn’t control the way his eyes widened as he was ushered into ‘the Lieutenant’s’ office.

In fact, he was so stunned at seeing the man that he barely registered the agents who’d brought him saying goodbye and leaving.

He found himself collapsing and was happy to find that he’d chosen to do so in front of a much more comfortable chair than he’d had after being ‘apprehended being somewhere wrong’.

The Lieutenant chuckled and sat back in his chair. “So. Convince me that you’re Spike.”

The vampire was still trying to find his voice. It had been… years, apparently, judging by the way the boy looked, and yet he didn’t recall the passage of time. As far as he was concerned, he’d been knocked out at the very least in that alley, and when he’d woken up it was… well, obviously years later.

“Make me,” he demanded. “Think you know I am, bloke. And why the bloody fuck wouldn’t I be, hey? Who the fuck else could be me? Oh, and by the way…? The goatee?” Spike cocked his head and gave it some thought, remembering the boy he’d known and comparing him to the man in front of him. “It suits you, mate. Looks good, oddly enough. Maybe because you’re older now… and what the bloody fuck is going on!”

The Lieutenant did his best to arch one brow then sighed, knowing it still wasn’t working. “Things changed,” he said. “And it doesn’t matter what I think I know. I need to know for sure.”

Spike nodded slowly and sighed, reconciling himself to a longer span of confusion than he’d expected. “Right, then. Ask me something that nobody but you and me knows. And I do mean NOBODY.” He frowned. “Nobody alive, I mean… or vamped. Something I’d be the only one to remember, other than you.”

The Lieutenant clasped his hands together on his desk and thought for a moment before nodding.

“When you came to me and the others,” he finally said, “about the chip…”

Spike nodded, calling up that particular memory. After all, it had been one of the few times he’d been able to threaten without the chip making him a big ball of pulsing agony. “Yeah?”

“What did you say would happen if we didn’t help you?”

The vampire chuckled and stood up before moving to the shelf on the far wall that he’d only just noticed.

He picked up a rather small action figure and held it in his hand as he looked at the man behind the desk.

“Bloody hell. You still have it, you prat. ‘The Fett gets it’ is what I said. “ He furrowed his brow deeply, then carefully placed the figurine back on the shelf. “Sorry about that. You know, about back then. Didn’t have a soul, but… it was so bloody fun to make you think I’d break your toy…” Spike stopped and shook his head. “Just sorry, mate.”

The Lieutenant smiled and stood, coming around the desk to hug the taller vampire.

“Spike. Gods. How the fuck is it you?”

The blond blinked and shrugged in Andrew’s hold.

“Guessing you know as much as I do,” he admitted, returning the hug a bit tentatively.

He might not remember where he’d been since dying yet again in the alley, but he had a sneaking suspicion that where he actually was now was… better.

* * * * *

He wasn’t surprised to find that Andrew’s ‘fiancee’ was a bloke. Hell, he’d always known the boy had a good bit of swish in him, the chits he’d been squiring around in Italy aside.

Didn’t bother him, of course, but didn’t surprise him either.

What did surprise him was that the bloke, Thomas, was a vampire. He’d never pegged the late-comer to the Scooby Gang as a blood whore. He just didn’t seem the type.

Then again, people could surprise you sometimes. Still, it was none of his business, was it?

“Right, then,” Spike said with a cocked brow, “What’s your Order then, Tommy?”

The other blond gave him a dark look. “It’s Thomas. Not Tommy. And I’m not actually part of an Order. I was…” He shrugged. “I don’t exactly know who made me, alright?”

Well, well… and wasn’t that interesting? The boy had obviously been given a good bit of blood at his Turning, seeing as there wasn’t even the faintest whiff of minion about him, but what sort of vampire would go to that much effort and just walk away? Then again, what did he care, after all? Tommy-boy seemed a good sort, considering.

“Count yourself lucky, then,” Spike finally answered. “Bloody family can be a huge pain in the ass.”

If Thomas’s smile was a tiny bit secretive, he counted himself lucky that this new vampire—this Spike that his lover had asked him to look after for a short time—didn’t know him well enough to notice. There was a slim chance, after all, that the bleached blond really was the Spike of legend, and if that was the case, well… better not to take any chances.

“I’ve heard that before,” Thomas said slowly then shrugged. “Wouldn’t know, of course. The only family I’ve got are my folks and my sister. You know, from when I was human, and… we don’t talk much these days. My nephew calls me every once in a while, but I think that’s just to piss off his Mom, y’know? Stephanie’s not exactly thrilled with me being all… undead. Not that she ever says so, but… I can tell. Even over the phone.”

The fact that this… kid… still knew his mortal family was beyond bizarre to Spike. That that same family was apparently still alive and not turned took the whole thing even further into the realms of bloody well impossible.

Andrew had said that things had changed in the world, but… how could they have changed so much?

Spike felt his brow furrowing, even as he leaned back, resting one hip against the kitchen counter and the cupboards beneath. “Right. You ever tell anyone I said this and I’ll kill you, mate, but… need to know what the sodding hell’s been going on since I… disappeared, yeah? And I think you’re just the bloke to tell me. But first… is there somewhere I can clean up? I can smell myself and I think you know… when you can smell yourself, it’s time for a wash up.”

Thomas laughed and wrinkled his nose. “Well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but now that you mention it…” He led the older vampire through the living room area of the suite and to the bathroom, stopping to collect a fresh towel on the way.

“Take your time, Spike. Shampoo and stuff are under the sink and… we’re about the same size, I’m sure. I’ll find something else for you to wear until you can get out to do some shopping.”

* * * * *

He had to admit that he felt better after nearly two hours of luxurious scrubbing and wallowing in the enormous tub full of hot, scented water. And yeah, maybe that was a little bit on the poncy side, but he figured he was due after being covered in dust, dirt and ash for however long he’d been… away.

He also had to admit that the brown linen slacks and golden hued silk shirt were right comfortable, even if they weren’t anything he’d ever buy for himself.

None of that, however, was anywhere near as nice as the fact that he was lounging on Andrew and Thomas’s couch while sipping slowly at the best bloody Bloody Mary he’d ever tasted while the slightly-darker-blond filled him in a bit.

Hard to believe it had only been twenty-two years since the fight. On the other hand, it hardly seemed like it could have been that long, considering. Hell, Andrew looked to be maybe thirty, not in his mid-forties. Then again, if the human was playing the blood whore for his bloke, there’d probably been some exchanging of blood going on and that could slow a human’s aging a bit, so…

But it all still seemed so unlikely.

One minute, everything was as normal as it had ever been, and then—according to Thomas—the ‘magic’ came back. Great bloody storms of it, flashing over the globe, striking randomly and changing things. And because of that bloody dragon…?

‘Trust sodding Angel to kill the fucking beast and wreck the world, the huge git,’ he thought, unaware of the fact that his annoyance was right there on his face.

He still wasn’t sure of how the dragon had been the trigger, but then again, he didn’t much care. The magic was back, and…

“It’s amazing how many ‘pure human’ families had some demon blood in their ancestry,” Thomas mused, sipping his own drink thoughtfully. “I think it’s something like… ninety-four percent, or so the Magus Prime’s census showed after he made order from the Chaos-times. The magic… brought that hidden blood out. Pure humans are almost freakish these days, Spike. Hell, most of them are ashamed of their purity.”

Spike’s jaw dropped slightly for a moment before he snapped it shut. “Most, you said.”

Thomas sighed. “Yeah. Some of them… Gods, they’re so stupid! They think they can change things back. Like six percent of the population—and this is the six percent without any powers at all!—could somehow overthrow the Magus Prime, reorder the entire way the world is run, and… do what with the rest of us?” He growled softly, his demon’s features emerging. “The only reason the so-called ‘Liberation Force’ hasn’t been wiped out completely is because the Darksiders are backing them with promises and weapons, and Gods know why they’re bothering unless it’s just to be annoying.”

“Uh-huh. So what the bloody fuck is your story, then? You sit here, all engaged or whatever to Andrew, and he seems to be important around here, yeah? But you don’t have a soul. I can tell.”

“So why am I here instead of running around with the Darksiders, wreaking destruction and living in some disgusting hole in the ground. Is that what you want to know?”

The older vampire nodded quickly. “Something like that, bloke.”

Thomas smiled just a bit and leaned forward, meeting blue eyes with his own gold-flecked sapphire as he let his human seeming slide over the demon’s visage. “I support the Magus Prime, Spike, for the same reasons most of the vampires do. And I would even if he and I had never gotten together. Of course, that was before Andrew, and… I wasn’t really what the Magus needed, so it’s fine. But like I was saying… he’s been good to us, just like he’s been good to the other demon species. We’re welcome everywhere now; we have jobs, our own sector of the city, our own representatives in Assembly. We’re not hunted for feeding as long as we don’t kill or use unlicensed donors… or hunt outside of sanctioned sentences… and for those of us who aren’t wealthy, there are programs he’s set up to provide blood and shelter, if needed.”

One brow arched and Spike let a disbelieving expression take up residence on his face. “Sure, bloke. Out of the goodness of his bloody heart, right? Got himself a whole ‘Vamps are people too’ platform, yeah? Building up support for next Election Day?” He snorted. “And meanwhile, the Slayers just… what? Pretend it’s not their job to kill us?”

He’d actually doubted what Andrew had told him over the hexicon before his Mate-to-be had brought the English vampire to their rooms, but he couldn’t doubt it any more. Spike had to be exactly who and what Andrew said he was. Anyone else would have known better than to even think such things. The only question was… how to explain it to Spike without telling him too much. The Magus Prime wanted to meet with the bleached blond, after all, and… there were some things Thomas knew he wasn’t qualified to speak on.

Better to concentrate on the easy question first. “Actually, I think he does it so the few humans that are left won’t end up dying. I mean, they’re our natural food source, right? What’s going to happen if they’re suddenly gone?” Thomas frowned. “I know we can live on animal blood, but… who would want to? A mug of peacock or otter is nice every now and again as a change, but… all the time? Gods, even werewolf would get tired as a steady diet, right?”

And again, Spike found himself staring gape-jawed at the younger vamp.

* * * * *

The little he’d managed to pry from Thomas about the ‘Magus Prime’ of the new world wasn’t very bloody enlightening. Of course, neither were the odd, almost fearful looks the young vampire had kept sending his way when he’d thought Spike wasn’t looking.

No, Spike had no idea of what was going on, although he was on his way to the big man’s office even as he thought on it, and that was worrisome, at best.

The bloke was apparently large and in charge, on top of being cold, vicious, wicked, and cruel when crossed, and even with the smug glances Andrew kept darting his way, Spike couldn’t help wondering what would happen if the Magus-bloke decided he was there to challenge him for his position.

Not that he ever would, the vampire told himself. He was far too aware of his own impatience to think that he could ever deal with the day-to-day minutia of running an empire, and that’s what the bloke was doing, no matter what he called it.

Then there was the fact that for some bizarre reason, the human Liberation Force and the Darksiders—whatever they were—had been trying to assassinate the man using agents who looked like him when as far as Spike knew, he’d never even met this Magus Prime.

“You sure about this, mate?” he murmured as Andrew’s steps slowed. “Don’t think it’s really necessary for me to meet the man in charge. Could just… walk out of here, yeah? Never look back. Disappear?”

The Lieutenant frowned and bit his lip. He wanted more than just about anything to tell Spike what was going on, but he couldn’t. In fact, the closest he could come was to stop in front of the Magus Prime’s office door and look at the vampire he’d once had a vicious crush on, shaking his head. “It wouldn’t be safe for you out there,” he said after a moment. “Not after… what happened.”

And if he spent any more time doing fish-mouth with his lips, Spike figured he might sprout gills. Or fins. Or some other fishy sort of thing. ‘After what happened’? What the bloody fuck had happened? And more to the point, what did it have to do with him?

Maybe he’d find out from the man himself, he decided; mostly because Andrew had already banged on the door, pushed it open and shoved him inside before closing it and probably beating a hasty retreat, seeing as Spike couldn’t hear the bloke outside the door once he realized he was actually in the Magus Prime’s office.

Uh… hello?” he said, then frowned at how timid his own voice sounded. “Hey!” he tried again, smirking at the usual arrogant tone he’d reacquired, “Anyone home? Looking for the Great and Powerful Oz or some such shit!”

He actually knew the laugh that answered his words, and once again he found himself gaping. “Bloody hell… fins for sure.”

“Well, if you really want them,” Xander said, getting up from the couch against the wall, “It can probably be arranged. But speaking as a guy who was almost fish-ed once? Not sure it’d be a good fashion statement. You know, outside of the Black Lagoon.”

“Xander… bloody… Harris,” Spike breathed, only his demon’s determination to not swoon like a girl holding him upright, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

* * * * *

tbc... soon.