ECLIPSE: 1
by AngstPuppy
Notes
 

Sunnydale, California

Spike stared at the glowing computer screen and waited while some idiotic online email program created a name and password that would be erased as soon as he used it. It had been as easy to break into the University office the second time as it had the first. He knew the Scooby Gang would be astounded at his knowledge of computers, though why they should be he couldn’t help but wonder. Just because he was created in the late 1800’s didn’t mean he had to continue living there. Drusilla had loved the idea of the past and the present colliding like two run away trains. She dressed and lived surrounded by her past but she loved the modern luxuries also, such as hot and cold running water and hot and cold running information. Hot and cold, that was his Dark Princess. He growled low in his throat, not his anymore. But he remembered everything from his time with her, and right now he was remembering saving, and marking, a boy with curly hair and big blue eyes, simply because his Princess said the little shit had a ‘Destiny’ and would help ‘her Spike’ someday. She had rambled about wolves and black cats and spiders in the brain. It made about as much sense as her dozey mutterings ever did, but she had been adamant…

…they had been walking, taking in the San Francisco night life, thinking of heading over to Stonewall to dance or have a sip or two. Though the blood from the pretty dancing boys had been tasting somehow…off lately. Perhaps it was time to move on.

Sounds from an alley had caught their attention, the growls of fledglings too young or stupid to know how to make a quiet kill. A soft whimper came to them on the night breeze and Spike saw Drusilla frown and then disappear into the darkness. Sighing, he had followed her. Evidently it was to be Dinner, then dancing.

The boy had been surrounded and the smell of his fear, intoxicating. Dru was standing just outside the circle with her hands on her hips, scowling at the vampires drooling and growling at their prey, and not paying one bit of attention to the dark goddess about to rock their world. Spike had leaned back against the alley wall, lighting a cigarette and watching. Dru’s tea parties were fun to watch and it looked like this one would have something sweet for afters.

"Naughty, Naughty boys, playing in the kitchen. You’ll spoil the pudding! Best run along now, before cook comes." Spike smiled behind a cloud of smoke. The five vamps had turned to look at her and were now wondering if the dark haired chick was on something or just crazy. Spike could have told them if he felt the need. He didn’t.

Drusilla stared back at the five young vampires staring at her, the frown still on her face. The supposed leader of the small gang started forward, toward the crazy bitch that had interrupted their meal. He didn’t stop when she smiled at him, the insane gleam becoming more prominent. What did stop him though, and drain what little color there was from his pale complexion was the silent production of her true face. Long sharp teeth were added to the smile and golden eyes now showed cunning hunger. Spike couldn’t help the small shiver that went up his spine even after all these years. God she was beautiful. She oozed dark power and even darker magicks and it looked like the stupid tosser was finally getting it, cause when Dru opened her mouth and hissed one sibilant word

"run…"

all five took off like the hounds of hell were at their heels.

Who knew, maybe they were.

He pushed himself off the wall to take a look at what the others had given up to his Princess.

The first impression was big blue eyes and hair, curly hair flying every which way. Fear, of course, still rolled off of him in waves, a sheen of sweat making some of those dark curls stick to his face. Soft full lips completed the picture, and below the neck the short and somewhat gangly body held promise. Spike experienced a fleeting pang. This one would have grown up nice. Then those pouty lips opened and dear god the brat had a viscous case of diarrhea of the mouth.

"Oh, hey that was…interesting. Thank you for saving me from those…guys…they seemed to have some kind of skin…condition." The blue eyes rose to take in Dru’s face which had not gone back to human features just yet. "which you seem to have too, s—sorry bout that." Drusilla smiled and quietly morphed back. "And look…all better. Huh. Protective camouflage to allow you…them to get close to their..prey. And someone obviously slipped me a micky at Sandy’s party cause I’m standing here talking about…v—vampires and I think I’ll just be going.." Spike walked up beside Dru as she went closer to the boy, blocking his escape. "…yeah, didn’t think so."

Dru lay two fingers on the boy’s lips, stopping the flow of words. "Hush now cub. Mother Moon is full to bursting and her beams have shown me your path. And the baby fish burn no more."

Spike saw those blue eyes roll to meet his and the confused frown that pinched the boy’s features. He tried to send back a look to the boy that said, yes, Dru was daft but as she was going to be eating him in a moment it just wouldn’t be polite to say so.

Dru was weaving her head back and forth, staring into the boy’s eyes. Spike felt the static crackle in the air that meant magick. Bugger all, she was having a vision.

"Dru luv, can we please eat now?"

She smiled then, never losing eye contact with the boy. "Oh, Spike, this one’s not for eating. Can’t you feel it?" She pouted, looking sad for a moment. "Of course he can’t. Poor Spike. Head blind, but not heart blind, never that."

She took her fingers from the boy’s lips and traced one deadly sharp nail down the side of his face. The boy was, thankfully, quiet now, lost in Dru’s eyes. She turned his face toward Spike and spoke in the sing song voice of thrall. "Little cub, little cub. Tell Spike your name. Let him fix it in his mind for later…later…"

"Blair…Sandburg…" The boy’s…Blair’s (and wasn’t that a poncy name for a boy?) voice was a monotone now, bereft of the rich flowing timbre that it had held even in fright.

"Good little cub. Has to live…has to be marked so he can grow up into a strong wolf, all teeth and claws to catch and hold the scardy-cat, the sentry whose time will come. But more important still, you will help my Spike, get him over the hills and away from the nasty toy soldiers who set the nasty plastic spiders in his head."

"Dru darling..what are you going on about…" The hand that wasn’t holding Blair’s head flew out and grabbed Spike by the throat, sharp nails digging in, drawing borrowed blood to the surface to run down his neck. If he had been a breathing creature he would have surely suffocated, for Dru’s hands were strong in giving pain as well as pleasure.

"Listen to me, my Spike, and listen well. You will mark this boy, this beautiful boy, so that none may harm him, now or in the future. For if you do not there will come a night when the spider will devour your brain and you…will…die. Do you understand me?" Spike didn’t understand, but he would do what she said, because Dru’s eyes were clear and almost sane as she spoke, and that was more frightening than all the burning baby fish in the world.

He eased around behind him, pushing the hair off of his neck, feeling the pulse quicken as he ran a finger down the side of the bared neck. He might be under Dru’s thrall, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t feeling. He knew what was going through the boy’s mind and body as he carefully licked the spot where his mark would go. Feeding was pleasurable to a certain extent…marking, marking was downright sexual and this one was pure, untouched by any save his own hand…Spike would lay money on it. He looked up and caught Dru’s eyes as he sank his fangs into the designated spot and then had to close his own as twin moans rumbled from both his and the boy’s mouth. Virgin blood was an elixir, a sweet drug that some vampires craved, but this, this blood had an added kick of magick, deep and hidden from even the boy himself. His hand roved over the boys chest, rubbing peaked nipples through soft flannel and down towards the substantial bulge filling out his jeans. Rubbing there he savored the buck and moan from the boy, grinding his own erection in to the round butt pressing back against him. He would like nothing more than to rip those jeans off and bury himself in that sweet young ass, but knew that neither Dru, nor the boy would take that well. So, while working himself and the boy to a somewhat mutually satisfying climax he listened with half an ear to the words coming from Dru. Something about ‘William, known as Spike, blah blah, mark this human as his that all should know and not touch, blah blah.’ There was a roaring in his ears and one final stroke across the hot bulge brought the boy over and Spike not far behind. The next thing he knew was a sharp pain at the end of his nose and he opened his eyes and growled, instantly backing off when he saw that Dru was prepared to thwack his nose once more if he didn’t listen.

"Spike! Enough! It’s done and we must get the cub back to his den before Mummy gets worried."

He licked the punctures to close them and grumbled at Dru as he held the boy up. "Sorry pet, was in the moment wasn’t I? Wouldn’t have taken much more…"

They asked the still dizzy boy where he was staying and promptly took him home. Spike could fully understand the grimace as the boy realized there was an embarrassing stain spreading on the front of his jeans.

When they had arrived at the small house the boy called home, Dru turned to him once more. "Your life was ours to give or take tonight cub and we gave it, but not without a price. There will come a time when Spike will call and you will go to him. Do you understand?" The boy nodded, glanced once at Spike and then turned and went into the house. Through the window Spike saw a small red haired woman grab Blair, who tried gamely to turn away from her so she wouldn’t see the evidence of what had happened. As the fiery little female began to twitter tersely at him in a way only worried mothers could, Spike took Dru by the arm an led her way. Maybe now they could eat….

Spike shook himself out of his memories. He wrote the short email and then hit send, sending a call for help he never thought would have to be used. He didn’t know what the boy, well, he’d be a man now, wouldn’t he, could do about his situation. But there was one very interesting development that he thought Blair Sandburg might be interested in. He had done a bit of snooping when he had been virtually trapped at the Watcher’s place. While going through a box of old photo’s that were obviously from Rupert’s "Ripper" days he had found something very interesting. He turned the computer off and then looked down at the picture he held, that of a familiar looking red headed woman, and wondered how long it would take young Sandburg to arrive.

Cascade, Washington

The email was sitting in Blair’s in-box Monday morning, waiting for him. Tangible, if virtual, proof that the past does not stay in the past but shapes and molds the present and the future. He read the sparsely worded note three times, jotted down an address on a notepad beside his computer and deleted his entire in-box. He then tidied up his office a bit, cramming everything of special importance into his backpack. He picked up the phone and dialed the station asking Rhonda to please tell Jim that he wouldn’t be in today that something had come up that he couldn’t get out of. He locked the door, sliding the key under the crack at the bottom and turned and went to prepare to leave Cascade and all he knew and loved to fulfill a promise he had made nearly 15 years ago. As he walked away his hand went unconsciously to the side of his neck, just under the shirt of his collar, to rub a silver scar that hadn’t faded in all that time.

///

The letter was waiting for Jim when he got home Monday night. It sat stark white against the dark wood of the dinning room table with a black slash across it that was his name in Blair’s bold script. He resisted the urge to immediately run into Blair’s room to see if his stuff was still there. He had just convinced himself that Blair had to take off suddenly but would only be gone a few days when he opened the letter and the fantasy came crashing down around him.

"Dearest Jim,

This letter is much harder to write than I ever thought it would be. I was used to traveling all my life, never staying in any one spot for long. Even after I ‘settled’ at Rainier I was always off on one trip or another. And then you came into my life, or I came into yours. Either way, you gave me roots—a chance to rest my wings for a while. These three years have been the best. You thought I was teaching you, but in truth I learned so much from you. You taught me about honor and justice and friendship.

For the first time in my life I don’t want to leave. But I have to. I have to help someone who helped me a long time ago. I made a promise and I know you understand how important promises are. I don’t know if I’ll be back. I’ll try, but I can’t promise.

It has been an honor to know you James Ellison and an honor to call you friend.

With much love,

Blair"

Jim shook his head, attempting to deny the words on the paper in front of him. He considered tearing the letter to tiny bits and scattering them, but while that might make him feel better for a short time, in the long run he wanted proof of…what? That Blair was gone? That he had ever been? Or something more, something that he had been denying for a long time? Proof of Blair’s feelings for him. ~with much love~ Had Blair felt the same way he had all along? There was only one way to find out.

As if there had been any other choice.

/=\

"Simon, it’s Jim. I need a few days off."

"What’s the kid done now?" Simon’s question was matter of fact and he sounded unsurprised.

"What makes you think that Blair…Oh, never mind. He’s…gone."

"Gone?" There were at least three questions in that one word.

"I don’t know why, or where. The Volvo isn’t here, so he probably took it. I’ll let you know when I find out anything. That is if…?"

"Oh, for god’s sake Ellison, of course you can go. You’ve got vacation and sick days out the ass, as you well know."

"Thanks Captain."

"Just bring him home where he belongs Jim."

"I’ll do my damndest sir."

~!#

When Jim finally got the nerve to look in Blair’s room he was surprised to see that very little had been taken, just most of his clothes and Blair’s emergency backpack (the one he didn’t know Jim knew about). He didn’t allow the fact that Blair had left most of his things to give him much hope though. He realized that Blair placed little value on ‘things’, having been raised pretty much on the road by a flighty mother who couldn’t settle in one place long enough for a young boy to gather many possessions. A quick glance around the room, eyes taking in desk, bed and night stand, and Jim knew that there was nothing here that would tell him where Sandburg had gone. He backed out of the little room, gently closing the door. He wouldn’t touch the room, he wanted it to be just as it was if…no when Blair returned.

One quick shower and change of clothes later and he was on his way to Rainier University.

/=\

Spike opened glowing golden eyes in one of the few bedrooms of the Crawford Street mansion that was still livable. Though he had been living in a crypt for the past several months even a vampire disliked the smell of rotting food and neither Angelus nor Drusilla were known for cleaning up after a meal. There were nasty surprises in many of the rooms in this hulking barn of a place, things he would have to think about cleaning up himself if the young traveler heading his way would consent to stay for a while. God he hated housework.

To Be Continued...