The Birthday Present

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Chapter Five


Lindsey woke to find he was lying in Spike’s arms. Face to face with his vampire, as he stirred, he nuzzled his face against Spike’s neck. Spike had to force himself not to move; the neck was the ultimate erogenous zone for a vampire. He tentatively moved his hand to touch Lindsay’s face, worried that the chip might fire, but it didn’t. The boy mumbled and rubbed his cheek against it. Spike could feel the boy’s healthy arousal and sure enough, Lindsey was soon ordering him up and inserting the gag.


Spike had tried to touch Lindsey after being given the order to sit at the edge of the bed and got a short but very painful blast for his troubles. It seemed that a command was only to be followed until another was given. Spike hoped that Lindsey would repeat it but he didn’t. Once Lindsey had satisfied his needs, he dressed Spike and then sat him back down on the bed.


“Well, Spike. I’ve got to go to college today,” Lindsey informed his pet as he dressed him in his new clothes.


He had opted to live at home whilst at school after his freshman year, simply because it was cheaper and so easy with the college being so close by. Now that he had Spike, he wondered if he ought to find himself an apartment. At least his parents were going on vacation for a month tonight, and so he could get to know all Spike’s features without fear of interruption.


Spike tensed. Would he get the promised visit from his father? He panted unhappily.

“Oh, buddy. You’ll be okay. I’ll get home as soon as I can.”


Spike hoped that he’d shut him down and take the remote with him. He got half of what he wanted, though he didn’t know it at the time. Lindsey ordered Spike to lie on the bed, barely able to keep from ripping off the clothes he’d just put on him and climbing on to the bed with him.


“Man, I’m not gonna get anything done today.”


He pressed the button for stand-by and Spike was frozen in the position that Lindsay had put him in. Hands behind his head and one leg slightly bent and pulled to the side. Spike looked as if he were simply settling down to watch TV or listen to music. Lindsey turned the radio on, increasing its volume as he knew that Spike’s hearing was muted in stand-by. He leaned in close.


“It’ll keep you company while I’m gone.”


He kissed Spike’s cheek and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.


Couldn’t turn it to a rock station could you?


Spike waited on the bed, the more time that passed; the more nervous he was of the arrival of McDonald. He knew that he would come. He’d been there for four hours when he heard the bedroom door open. He snapped his eyes open, tried and failed to control the rising panic he felt, and to his dismay was panting heavily by the time McDonald peered down at him.


“Can’t even move your eyes can you?” said McDonald as he stared at him.


Spike closed his eyes again.


“Open them.”


The words were quiet but audible. He kept the lids shut. Stand-by was the only time that the act would be unpunished.


He felt thick, rough fingers press in to his lids, pulling them upwards and forcing them open. He was greeted with the not so pleasant sight of McDonald’s face only inches from his own. Once more, he was thankful that his damaged eyesight meant that it was blurry.


“This is the only time that you will ignore what I say,” growled McDonald, pressing hard on Spike’s face.


The coating meant that it hurt like hell and to Spike’s horror a tear rolled down his face. Even through the blurriness, he could see the man’s wide grin when he saw it.


“Well, I never knew that you critters could cry.” McDonald let go of his eye lids and Spike blinked a few times, trying to dispel the others that threatened to fall. “Now where’s that controller. Mary has gone to get her hair fixed; we’ve got an hour or so.”


Spike was terrified. Even without him knowing all of the controls there, was no doubt that he intended to make use of him. He stared at the ceiling and wished that a stake would fall from it and dust him before that bastard got his hands on him. He heard a growl of frustration as McDonald realised that Lindsey had taken the controller. Then he was wracked with pain, as the man took his anger out on his body. Spike’s inert form seemed to make him even more annoyed. A final blow to Spike’s genitals and McDonald stalked out of the door.


“I’ll see you when I get back. I’ll take a copy of your god damn manual with me.”


The door slammed shut. It was an hour before Spike stopped panting and some time longer than that before all the pain went away.


000000000000


By the time that Lindsey came into the bedroom, Spike was desperate for any drugs that would blot out reality for him. He couldn’t get the threat that McDonald had made out of his mind. Being kept on stand-by meant he really should be fed his concoction of blood and mind altering drugs daily, but Lindsey was sticking to the every second day routine that he’d first read about.


Lindsey re-activated Spike and made him sit up on the bed, legs outstretched, and settled himself next to him.


“I really missed you. I was worried that dad might try to come to play with you, so I took the controller with me.”


Yeah, thanks. But too bad I wasn’t shut down. Wouldn’t have known about his visit if I had been, would I?

“Hey, you know what?” said Lindsey scrambling across the bed to reach the manual. “I haven’t seen your vampire face yet.”


Oh, shit.


It hurt when the change was instigated. The lack of use made the shifting of the bones sort of grate.

Lindsey read the correct order that the buttons had to be pressed in, and then sat cross legged on the bed watching Spike.


“Here goes.”


Spike narrowed his eyes as his face morphed in to that of his now, well subdued, demon.


“Holy crap!” Lindsey backed away a little.


Not so bleeding effeminate now, huh?


Lindsey’s eyes were wide as he shuffled closer again and reached out to touch Spike’s lumpy nose and brow.


“Man, it makes you ugly.”


Lindsey’s fingers traced their way over Spike’s cheek bones to his lips, which were drawn back, revealing his fangs. He couldn’t believe how different Spike looked.


Watch yourself. They’re bloody sharp.


But of course, Lindsey couldn’t hear Spike’s warning, let alone heed it. He ran his index finger over the tip of one of Spike’s fangs. Blood welled from the cut his action made, and several drops landed on Spike’s tongue before Lindsey pulled it away.


The taste of fresh human blood after years of synthetic was more than Spike could endure. Without thinking of the consequences he lunged at Lindsey’s hand. He got no further than an inch or two towards Lindsey when the chip fired; he collapsed on to the bed, human features returning, as he curled in to a ball when wave after wave of shocks hit him.


Lindsey yelled in alarm. It all happened so fast that he wasn’t sure what was going on for a moment. Then he noticed the blood on his finger and understood. The manual categorically stated that no blood should ever be allowed in the vicinity of the vampire and that the manufacturers would not be held responsible for any incidents that might occur should this rule be broken. Spike was still writhing on the bed, it made Lindsey feel sick to watch it. He tried to shut him down but nothing happened. In a panic he flicked the pages of the manual to where he had seen the big red warning about the blood.


“Oh, hell.”


The punishment for any blood orientated disobedience was fifteen minutes of continual shocks of the maximum setting that the vampire was programmed with. The manual also said that there was a very real possibility that the vampire might be damaged beyond repair after such an incident. Should this occur a team from the company would come out and put the vampire down.


“Oh, Spike. I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.” Lindsey stroked his back, tears in his eyes. He couldn’t believe that he’d been so careless.


Eventually, after the longest fifteen minutes that either of them had experienced, the shudders going through Spike’s body stopped, and he was left gasping for unnecessary breath. He slowly became aware of his surroundings once more.


“Sit up, Spike,” said Lindsey softly.


Spike slowly pushed himself up in to a sitting position, his head still full of blinding pain and he swayed a little. Lindsey was alarmed to see a trickle of blood from one of Spike’s nostrils. He hesitated, before picking up one of the sterile cloths that he used on Spike’s feeding tube, and quickly wiped it away. Spike didn’t even look at him as he did it. It was all he could do to remain upright. He had propped himself up on one arm, and it was shaking with the effort of supporting him. He was terrified of incurring another shock for disobedience but was close to total collapse. Lindsey saw how weak Spike looked and told him to lie down. Spike just let his body flop down on the mattress not caring how he lay. He closed his eyes.


“Oh, God. I’ve killed him.”


Lindsey got off the bed and rummaged in the box of additives, selecting a normal feed bag and a sachet that held a strong sedative. He ran to the bathroom and mixed the two up with some water and went over to Spike. He removed the collar, pulled off the cap of the feeding tube and squirted the feed in first and then the sedative. Lindsey was alarmed when Spike made no attempt to swallow like he normally did. He pulled the inert body of his vampire across the bed until he was lying on his back with his head on the pillow. Lindsey wrapped his arms around Spike and hugged him close before letting him lie flat once more and pressing the button to put him on stand-by.


Spike felt a few tears drop on to his neck as Lindsey hugged him before the stand-by hit him. Spike was grateful for this senses dulling. His head felt like it was being cleaved in two from the inside out. He opened his eyes but Lindsey had moved him so that he was on his back and all he could see was the ceiling, so he closed them again. He was dimly aware of Lindsey talking to him, soothing him, apologising to him. Spike’s head hurt too much for him to process the fact that his owner was sorry for his pain; especially when it was his own fault for trying to attack. He fell asleep, or rather, lost consciousness.


Lindsey sat next to Spike. He couldn’t believe how much pain that his vampire had appeared to be in. He desperately hoped that Spike would survive it. He reluctantly left him to go to drive his parents to the airport. He supposed that he’d have his answer by the time he got back.


Duty done, Lindsey drove home with no regard for the speed limit. He parked the car in the garage and ran through the house to his bedroom. He paused before he opened the door, afraid of what he might find. He took a deep breath, turned the handle and pushed the door open. Spike opened his eyes as he walked in. He re-activated him and told him to sit up. Spike sat up as slowly as he could without incurring another shock.


“Look at me, Spike.”


Spike turned to face Lindsey; he kept his head low and looked up at him through his eyelashes, ashamed of trying to literally bite the hand that feeds. He was afraid that Lindsey would no longer want him and the thought of being passed on to his father was more than he could bear. He’d rather go back to the lab. Hell, he'd rather be dust. It was too much.


“Hey, Spike, are you okay? It was my fault; I should have been more careful.” Lindsey reached out and stroked Spike’s face. Spike wanted to lean in to it, to find some comfort, but knew he’d incur another shock and so stayed immobile. “Nod your head if you’re okay?”


Spike just stared at Lindsey and blinked. Remote control vampires weren’t allowed to give any indication that they actually understood a question. Only commands were to be followed. Their feelings were never to be considered. The techs had ensured that the programming of the chip blocked any attempt at communication. Couldn’t have the owners really knowing what their toys thought of them now, could we?


Lindsey was disappointed. He was sure that Spike was capable of understanding him.


“Can you stand?”


Spike blinked again. Not a command. No movement.


“Stand up,” said Lindsey with a sigh.


Spike got off the bed as quickly as he could. His legs felt a bit wobbly but he managed to stay upright, which a few minutes ago he was sure that he wouldn’t have been able to do. Lindsey slid off the bed and stood next to him. He stroked his hands along Spike’s arms and kissed his cheek, then went to the box containing Spike’s foodstuffs.


Oh, God. Please don’t shag me now. Let me rest. Let me have some peace.


A tear rolled down Spike’s face. For the third time that day, he fervently wished that he was dust. Turning back to look at him, Lindsey saw the tear and felt his own heart would break for the pain that he’d caused his little vampire. He went to reconstitute the drug that he’d selected with some water and walked back to Spike. He told him to sit on the bed. Lindsey took off Spike’s collar to access the feeding tube and poured the contents of the sachet in to it. He was pleased to see Spike swallowed a couple of times, like he usually did.


Time for the sodding gag again.


Spike closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable tap on his cheek, but it didn’t come. The drugs he’d been fed began to work. He looked at Lindsey, who was smiling at him. Two more tears fell down his face, as he realised what Lindsey had done to him, or rather for him. He’d given him the one drug in the whole box that was their purely to benefit the vampire. Spike took a shuddering unnecessary breath as the drug took effect. It was the drug that gave a remote control vampire a bit of relief; the one that made them sleep properly, not in stand-by, not shut-down, just normal sleep. With a sigh Spike succumbed to its affects whilst Lindsay watched over him.