A Vampire's Eye View

A Vampire’s Eye View Chapter 7

By Joolz


After enjoying their joint breakfast, and with Spike’s assistance in manoeuvring Giles about, the pair got dressed and headed down to the Magic Box.

Giles didn’t need to open up today as it was Sunday, he was, however, very excited at the prospect of going through some of the old boxes of Watchers’ diaries. He also found that he was just as excited at the thought of having Spike there with him, giving his assistance and personal insight into what they uncovered.

Spike carried down a comfy chair for Giles to sit in and then carried Giles himself down and got him settled, before getting the first box and placing it on the floor in front of Giles.

Giles opened the box and saw that the first journal was 1750 and the second followed straight after, being 1752, so he put the lid back on and Spike replaced the box and checked the next one along.

“We’d be better to start on the late 1800’s after you were turned. I can always go back over those older diaries later.”

“I’m happy to go through any of them, but I must admit, my own lifetime does interest me more.”

“Just check a few more boxes then until you find something a little nearer your time. Oh, and whilst you’re there, would you check in that cupboard in the corner. You should find a few bottles of single malt whiskey which I keep down here for when I’m doing inventory. It’s behind that box of lucky rabbits’ feet. I don’t actually sell many of those, but it stops Anya from going in that cupboard.”

Spike laughed at the thought of Anya’s morbid fear of bunnies, as he looked in a few more boxes. He found one from 1879 and carried the box over to Giles, then went over to the cupboard for the whiskey.

“20 year old single malt Scotch whiskey – now this is the height of decadence, I’m impressed.”

“I’ve got a supplier in town who orders it in especially for me. I much prefer it to the bourbon they have over here. I don’t see why one should forego all the pleasures from home.”

“Couldn’t agree more, mate.”

Spike handed Giles a bottle and went back to get some glasses.

“I’ll have to just go back upstairs to get another glass, there’s only one in here.”

“Well, I don’t mind sharing if you don’t. After all, it’s not much different than sharing breakfast this morning.”

“If you’re okay with it, then it’s fine with me. ‘I don’t got cooties’ as they like to say over here.”

Giles laughed at the girly voice Spike had put on for that comment, as he poured out a very generous measure into the tumbler. He offered it to Spike first, but Spike indicated that Giles should have the first sip.

“Host’s privilege.”

Giles swirled the glass and gently sniffed the whiskey, savouring the delicate aroma, before he took a sip. He closed his eyes and held the liquid in his mouth for a moment, allowing it to coat every surface with the delicious flavour. Then he swallowed and felt the soft warming sensation as it glided down his throat and settled in his stomach.

“Delicious”, he said, as he opened his eyes and caught a heated look of delight on Spike’s agog face.

“Is everything alright, Spike?”

“Wha... er... yeah, sorry, I was… um… Heavenly”

Spike stopped and shook his head slightly to try and clear it of the absolutely gorgeous image which Giles had presented him with. Spike had watched the whole process with a kind of awe. He had watched Giles move the whiskey around in his mouth and how his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he eventually swallowed.

He’d seen the satisfied smile that had lingered on Giles’ face, and the way the tip of his tongue had slipped between the beautiful lips to lick the last drop away, before those eyes had opened and Spike could see them fill with delight.

“I wouldn’t have said ‘heavenly’ was your area of expertise, but that aside, how do you know it’s heavenly, you haven’t had a taste yet?”

Giles’ question intruded on Spike’s reverie and, if it were possible for a vampire, he blushed.

“Sorry luv, just got a bit distracted. Hand it over then, don’t hog all the good stuff to yourself.”

Giles handed Spike the glass and Spike mirrored Giles’ actions, wanting to feel exactly what Giles had felt. When Spike finished Giles found himself in a similar predicament to the one Spike had been in.

He already knew he loved watching Spike’s face and he thought those lips were gorgeous, whether they were drinking whiskey or blood.

Spike put the whiskey down and when they had both regained their composure, Giles picked up the first journal: August 1879 – May 1881; Johann Braumann, Watcher; Sigrid Wenger, Slayer.

“When were you actually turned and what exactly happened. I’ve heard vague stories but nothing specific.”

“It was in London in 1880. I was going to meet Cecile, my amour at the time, when an enchanting dark princess caught my eye. She took me aside, enthralled me with those eyes, and that’s all she wrote, baby. I went back with her to meet Angelus and, after he got over his jealousy, he took me under his wing and taught me what fun can be found in mayhem.”

Both men took it in turns to drink the whiskey whilst Spike was talking, refilling the glass each time it emptied.

“I’m telling you, mate, those were some fine times. You never knew the real Angelus. He certainly wasn’t that ponce who took control after that incident with the Slayer. The curse warped the demon inside and when he eventually got out he went a little mad.

My Grandsire was nothing like that git. He had charm and elegance and nothing was too much for me and Dru. It was almost as if he was my Sire not Dru. She was so out of it most of the time, listening to the moon and talking to that blasted Miss Edith. Angelus was the one who taught me how to hunt, how to play and all the pleasure that could, literally, be sucked out of life.

It was best when we left Dru at home with Dalton and a few minions to watch out for her. The two of us would just go searching for some fun. We could be away from home for a couple of weeks at a time, setting something up or enjoying a couple of doxies in a local tavern. Then we’d head back to Dru, taking along a tasty little morsel for her, to keep her happy. She always liked to play with her food did my black goddess.”

Spike took a large sip, then pulled a face at the sensation and the memory of what had happened next. He was sat on the arm of Giles’ chair and, as he looked down, Giles could see the pain in his face and instinctively put his arm around Spike and patted him on the back as he continued.

“Then one day, after we’d been off for a week, we came back to find that Darla had returned and Angelus changed just like that. She was his Sire and he did whatever she said. Of course, she didn’t like me at all. She thought I was encroaching on her territory, her Angelus. She wasn’t so bothered about Dru because the poor love was mad anyway, but me, I was a threat. So she treated me like absolute shit and made sure that Angelus did the same. It was nothing to her to keep me chained up for days, hanging above the bed, being made to watch her with Angelus and getting tortured and whipped whenever I moved, or sometimes when I didn’t move. I couldn’t do anything to please her and it was like Angelus didn’t even see me when she was there, he was so in her thrall.”

They had rapidly polished off two bottles and Giles had already opened the third bottle and they were making steady progress through that too, getting more and more drunk as they went.

Giles was rubbing circles over Spike’s back now to soothe him and Spike, leaning in to the hand, slipped off the arm of the chair and landed on Giles’ lap.

“Whoops, sorry Watsher, think I schlipped…”

“S’alright Shpike, chair’s big enough for two, an pleashe call me Rupert.”

“Thanks mate, that’s right nice of yer. You can call me Will.”

“Will. I much prefer that to Spike. So what happened next, Will.”

“Well, Darla coming back spoiled everything for me. Angelus really loved her and was always in her company. So Dru and I spent more and more time together. Even though she didn’t teach me the finer points, she was still my sire and I loved her. In the end she said Miss Edith wanted to go on a trip so we waited ‘til Darla was away hunting with Angelus and we packed up and left. I don’t even think Darla tried to look for us. Dalton said that Angelus was upset that we’d gone, but Darla talked him out of following us. I think she was pleased that we weren’t there to vie for his affections any more. That’s about it really. Dru and I were together from then on, right up to the time when we first bumped into you lot. I never forgot Angelus though. I think that’s why it hurt even more when that wanker came back after bedding the Slayer. ‘Cause I knew it wasn’t *my* Angelus, just a cheap imitation. I’m really sorry he hurt you too, Rupert. I did try to stop him from some of the worst things he wanted to do. I tried to ease things for you and bathe your wounds when he went out of the room.”

“That was real? I was so out of it and in such pain that I thought I dreamt it. I felt soft hands pressing on my back and side, and the scars, when they healed, were less than I expected. So that was down to you... I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Well, I knew what torture was like, I’d been through that, and seeing that freak there where my Angelus should have been, I’d have done anything to get rid of him. ‘S why I made the deal with the Slayer in the first place.”

Giles thought back to what he had gone through during that time when he had been tortured by Angelus. First it had been the harassment of Buffy and the others. Then had come the murder of Jenny, he had truly hated Angelus for that. Finally, his own suffering had been terrible, especially the final humiliation of Drusilla using his memory of Jenny to get the truth from him.

Now, he discovered that Spike had been helping him through it. Those fevered imaginings of touch and comfort had been real. The feelings which arose struck him to the core and his overall opinion of Spike took a sharp turn upwards. Now what was he to do?

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TBC…

Thanks to Druffine for everything. I'll try not to take as long over the next chapter!! Hope you enjoy.