Elderly Pets

Fic: Elderly Pets

Author: josie_h

Pairing: Spike/Xander

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

***Warnings: D/s, Major character death, slavery***

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 8


As the door clicked closed behind the handlers, all protocol was abandoned and Spike gave a husky whisper, “Can you…” Both men realized that they were alone and therefore welcome to express their grief and love, for their ‘master’ their protector and ‘father’ for the now lost patriarch of their clan… Daniel shot a worried look sideways look to John as they lifted their gazes upon Spike’s words and noted the Master’s distressed state and the way he was swaying as though about to fall even though seated. The two men rose instantly and seated themselves on the bed either side of their Master and in contact with the body of their deceased father. They silently enveloped Master in a warm and loving hug …. They included their deceased father by touching him with a hand each, whilst still covering their Master surrounding him in their warmth and familial scent as best they could.

John’s baritone intoned at almost a whisper, “Master, have the girls been told?” He noted Spike’s glazed stare. “Master? I will tell them if you wish…. They must be told.”

Spike simply nodded replied a whispered, “Thank you.” followed by an almighty sob. The two brothers tightened the three way hug and all allowed tears to flow silently for a few minutes. Eventually John stood, bowed formally and departed.

Spike knew John would tell the girls as gently as he could they had to be told…. Xander had always *so* adored his girls….

……………………….

It was Solstice in the fifty fourth year of Chateau Aurelius. At just on a hundred and twenty five years young, Xander’s dark hair was now streaked liberally with distinguished lines of grey and white. He still stood tall and was known to the outside world as his Master’s pride and joy - the Stud’s prize human stallion, and the founding father of the now famous bloodline. Spike had a habit of introducing Xander that way to any other breeders or trainers, and every time, Xander was grateful for the standard requirement that humans keep their head bowed in public, since Spike and he used the title in private for quite a different reason…. and inevitably when they did Spike was the rider. Spike recalled that they had once played with the idea of the ‘mare’ given their positions… but it actually killed the mood for both participants so quickly that activity had to be abandoned for several hours.. It was never mentioned again.

Xander had smiled as he stood hand in hand with his magnificent Master surveying the estate from a shady balcony.

As the girls approached the age of breeding, Xander’s initial worry over the possible boredom amongst the permanent male partners when their wives were otherwise occupied, had been quickly dispelled by Spike.

“You daft bugger! ‘s the life of the idle rich! Ridin’ and sports, games of billiards, time to read or pursue a hobby or two. Only restrictions are gonna be no peckin’ order amongst ‘em, and they only get to shag their own breedin’ partner… no takin’ the help!”

“Seems like you’ve thought a lot about this! You sound awfully confident.”

“Just usin’ recall pet….” Spike swiftly stood to face his Pet, one hand behind his back and the other outstretched as if to formally shake hands. He then reverted to his original upper-crust English accent, “Master William Bartlett esquire at your service sir. I assume you too are a patron of the arts?”

Xander couldn’t help but snigger and had hauled the vampire down by the outstretched hand and kissed him passionately. “Definitely, my good sir. The art of Sex with Master…. Fascinating.” Then much ‘patronizing’ of that particular art-form ensued.

The breeding males had all been borne into slavery and raised as brood stock, so the restriction of not being able to leave the property was not even thought about. Spike was occasionally asked for them to service other breeder’s female stock but refused. And passing on their semen was out of the question after their first artificial insemination disaster with Xander’s seed (even though the children would not be of the Aurelian direct line). Spike had *very* Victorian ideas of monogamy once committed and Xander agreed.

So the male breeding partners lived a life not too removed from Spike’s own human existence, with almost the same routines but for days when outsiders came to the property. The couples were always informed and the pattern the same. On normal occasions they would simply stay in their quarters or the breeding areas of the Chateau unless asked to be presented to the guests for some reason (which would always be done in the formal entertainment areas and in the company of their breeding partner). If it was an ‘inspection afternoon’ was announced they would spend the four hours ‘working out’ together in the recreation area. The visitors were always ushered through in groups so it was a stress free as possible. They would all work out with their leads held by handlers as would be expected by outside laws, and fall to a kneel position beside their handlers as the groups walked through. On regular days the ‘handlers’ would either relax or work out with them.

Young children were always in the nursery with handlers and mothers. A few occasionally mimicked their mothers’ formal kneeling positions as visitors came to the observation glass at the end of the room. But most simply stared with wide eyed innocence at the visitors and continued to play. Sometimes a particularly bold infant would toddle or crawl up to pat the glass, or give a shy wave to the demons on the other side, always evoking statements of how endearing it was, and what beautiful pets they would grow up to be. The tour guides inevitably found they spent more time at that ‘enclosure’ than anywhere else.

The older youngsters were in the schooling areas at tour times. Regardless of age, they spent the hours working on public etiquette, an hour or so theory and two and a bit of practice with two snack breaks in which they knew to kneel quietly on the floor while their handler fed them. In the room for ages three to six years the time for learning was shortened, and a nap time of an hour or so included at the end

Visitors always remarked on the contented nature of the Aurelian stock.
…………….

As the door closed behind his brother, Daniel dropped to the Pet kneel position and placed his cheek against Spike’s thigh. He meant it as a familiar gesture of comfort and had done it many times over the last few months as he deputized for the Masters Pet at meetings. But he looked so much like his father from that angle that it was the final straw for Spike.

The hitched breath and wail had Daniel back seated on the bed virtually instantly. This time however he acted on pure instinct, foregoing all his training and pulled the grieving vampire into his lap, cradling him like a small child and rocking as Spike cried

……………
They were a storey up from the ‘exercise pens’. Though the term was a silly one (and only used out of habit so as not to slip up in front of visitors) considering that the only indication of containment was the fact that there was a safety fence around the pool and a high classic hedge to disguise said fence’s all too ‘ridiculous modern look’. The only real security around the property was designed to keep outsiders…. Out. The Stud ‘stock’ were well looked after and content. They had no reason to ‘escape’, they all knew what the outside world held.

Spike and his Pet were standing under a huge grapevine that had been lovingly trained over a robust frame and covered the entire patio. Xander grinned as he watched six of his daughters enjoy the delights of weightlessness as they floated, chatted and idly kicked their legs, their heavily pregnant bodies enjoying the warmth of the sun and the heated pool. All now in their early fifties, they were without exception, all in perfect health courtesy of a ‘good life’ and their inherited longevity (bolstered by a tiny amounts of Spike blood on occasion). All the women had become mothers in their early twenties. They would continue to breed until they felt the burden too much. It was likely that the next to years of little girls would be the ones asked to stay on the property for good and be the next generation of ‘stud mothers’.

The women were usually ‘impregnated’ by their breeding partners within a couple of months of each other as was the expected ‘practice’ in any given year. Though unlike other ‘breeders’ Spike insisted on the girls being ‘rested’ for up to two years before the next pregnancy so as to give their bodies a chance to recover. This was particularly important as it seemed multiple births were all the rage at the Chateau. This year one of the natural witches and two of her half sisters were all due to have triplets, while two others had bellies that looked tiny in comparison, being blessed with single births this time around. For Charlotte, the redhead, who was but days from delivering twins, this lazy afternoon of paddling was *such a relief*. She looked up to the covered balcony, and spying her father and the Master, grinned and waved.

Xander’s raven haired wiccan daughter, Desmonde, was luxuriating on a double lounge, her twins propped up with strategically placed pillows, one attached to each breast. The petite blonde, Monique (who always reminded Xander of the long dead Buffy) had her three week old male ‘David’ resting on her belly as she relaxed back in the shallows of the ‘kiddies pool’. Her older twins were playing at the feet of two female handlers, one of whom had been her own carer when she was young. She also noted Master and her father watching them, and gave a shy smile. She could think of no better way for her children to grow up. She knew they had already been promised to other Masters, but also knew that the human children of the Aurelian Stud were prized above all others, so always trusted Master to find the best placings when it came to the sale of her offspring.

Megan, the youngest, was the only one of Xander’s daughters absent. He was about to query her whereabouts when Spike nudged his elbow and passed him the hand monitor, a huge smile on the vampire’s face. On screen was a pair coupling enthusiastically on a movie theatre couch.

The male, Michael, was an ethereally beautiful blond and a natural warlock whom Spike had purchased on a whim at a recent auction. It was a unique thing to do on his part as their household human slaves to date had been, without exception, humans who were unable to ‘breed’ for some reason, with the greater proportion being female. Fortunately Megan had taken a shine to him the moment they were introduced and Spike was hopeful on many levels, as it seemed a shame not to reproduce from the beauty. Consequent to a word from Spike, the breeding coordinator had been trying to have Michael mate with Xander’s lovely wiccan daughter for months, providing all manner of opportunities for intimacy. To date she had been reluctant.

She had been separated permanently from her former breeding partner when he became increasing violent toward her. Initially it went unnoticed but would have killed her, had their two personal handlers not broken into the ‘breeding chamber’. She was badly beaten and had been violated against her will but thankfully was not pregnant. The man had been sold as a household slave to an owner who only kept males and Spike made sure the slave's his tendency for violence was known. (They heard a year later that he had been castrated as his violent streak endangered his fellow slaves. Neither Xander nor Spike could feel sorry).

It had shaken Megan so badly that she was not asked to breed again, but after eight years, the Master and her father hoped she would pair and find happiness. Xander grinned as he observed that she was obviously over her ‘shy phase’. It would be six days before the stud doctor could give Spike a definitive answer regards impregnation. But it did look hopeful. Spike whispered to his Pet, “I will have him moved into her suite if it seems the mating is amenable and lasting.”

Xander knew this would mean a long term pairing and many children with the one partner. He smiled lovingly at Master. “He’ll be good for her.”

………………………

Spike was asleep having finally dozed off in Daniel’s arms. He was now stretched out beside Xander, Daniel returned to kneeling but kept petting the Master. They looked peaceful and Daniel almost smiled, but then noticed that his father’s chest was still like the Master’s, his own tears flowed again.

Almost an hour later the girls entered with their partners and Carlos a step behind John. They too fell to their knees in front of the death bed, children in a row in front of their partners.

Spike’s eyes fluttered open, turned to look at his beautiful children, he sighed but then remembered that there were two missing and he covered his face as tears came for their two lost boys. The idea that they had been but weeks away from bringing them home again only added to his grief.