It was well into the morning of the following day when a very disorientated, once more one eyed adult Consort awoke.

Xander groaned and rolled toward the middle of Anton’s large bed, and reached for…“Ssssspppiii… hmm… Sspike?”

Anton was at his bedside in an instant, immediately assaulted by the re-established, emotional link he had with the Mated Consort… his other Childe, the blonde, was still a preschooler, and was without a Sire/Childe link while awaiting restoration the human child’s physical recovery from near death. How could he explain the events of the last two months to Xander?

The Immortal stretched to touch the Consort’s shoulder gently. “Xander? Xander… it’s Anton… do you know where you are?”

Still trying to make sense of where he was and why, the brunette turned slowly, his remaining eye filled with panic and brimming with tears. “S…Sire?? I can’t feel him, Sire! Why can’t I feel him?? Oh Ggg….hhh”. Xander’s distress increased exponentially as he frantically sought the link with his mate. Even asleep he could always feel Spike… yet now? Nothing.

A hitched series of anguished sobs almost disguised the desperate words, as Anton sat and gathered the now grieving Consort into his arms, “Noooooo!!!.... He… he *can’t* be! We… we… He… Ohhh Sire!” Anton could hear Xander’s heart racing beyond what was healthy and could smell the terror and grief rising.

He immediately pulled the man close, let his fangs drop, and opened his wrist. Pushing the precious fluid past his boy’s lips, he bit down hard on Xander’s neck. It was enough to cause pain and not something he was comfortable doing – but knew it was necessary.

The act and the blood had a threefold effect. It grounded and calmed the Consort instantly; renewed the connection with his ‘Sire’ Anton; and … triggered a flood of memories from the previous weeks as a young child. Xander fell back into a semi-slumber as his mind attempted to process the maelstrom within. New memories had been inserted as a somewhat confused, yet lovely, holiday into his rather fuzzy recall of a miserable ‘first time around’ as a four and a bit.

The original had no family holidays as his father was retrenched when Xander was two. Xander remembered his mother crying a lot and always being tired. His mother had taken a secretarial job and did ironing and cleaning after hours to try to keep their household afloat and Xander eventually went to a long daycare centre where he met Willow.

His father did odd jobs and was finally offered a menial ‘starting’ job as a mechanic’s assistant by a friend. It eventually saw his father as head mechanic, but close to a year out of work and then having to ‘start again’ had already done the damage. His mother was given promotion… and was earning twice as much as her husband by the time Xander was four. It didn’t help the family dynamic.

The senior Harris started drinking, his wife buried herself in work, yet also began to console herself with the occasional ‘Zinfindel’ – initially to keep her husband company, but ultimately it was joined by valium and a combination of other remedies - their purpose - to blot out reality when at home and… to endure.

Some time when he was around five, after close to six months of screaming matches and angry silences, his parents made the decision to ‘stay together because of the child’. It saw Xander become the embodiment of their unhappiness and a reminder of what they had apparently lost. As an adult Xander realized that their anger and alienation was not due to him, nor was it directed at him particularly.

The contrast between his loving memories of his time at the Aurelian house and his own ‘real’ recollections from the same age were almost laughable. The love and strength of Anton and Spike… and the extended household, the sense of family, was absolute, whereas the unhappy individuals in his original home were unable to rescue themselves let alone a child.

Xander’s eyes fluttered open as he turned to his Sire, but was still only able to express two mumbled words in amazement, “Unconditional Love!”

Anton added a few of his own as the statement, “Yes my dear Childe. Unconditional Love… then, now and forever.”

A tear tracked down Xander’s cheek, finding its way to his chin, and joined by two more as he allowed a confusion of emotions wash over him. His desperate feelings as a then four and a half year old; the delights and worries of the recent joyful ‘holiday’ with his (now) family at that age; his love for Spike and the regressed William; and everything in between. Xander finally gained his composure and plucked up the courage to ask, “ So… Spike… or William…???”

“Is still regressed, dear heart. He was not strong enough, and I would dearly have liked to change you together, but we needed you to return. The court needs you, and Spike will need you all the more when he returns.

“Connor and I have done our best, but it is you and the High Master who keep the balance of power. We will restore William as soon as we can… but the quarterly meeting of clan leaders is to be in a fortnight. I am sorry Alexander, but you must carry the mantel once more.”

Xander nodded resignedly, “I understand, it has been done before, Sire.”

Anton all but breathed his reply, “I dearly wish you did not have to do it again…”

They both contemplated the previous time he had deputized for the badly injured Spike and just how very close both Spike and Xander too, had come to final death in the car accident… so much pain for so many months.

“The Clans will be satisfied with you at the helm. So let us focus on William and make his return to health and this special time with us a joyous one…” Anton saw the worry in the Consort’s face, and gently brushed away a tear that had begun to track down from Xander’s good eye.

“Dear one, he, like you, will remember. And he, like you, has loved his Mate for *far* longer than either of you could possibly comprehend… ” There was a moment of silence as the message sunk in before Xander addressed his Sire in an emotion filled whisper. “I know…I have loved him forever – even as I fought against my own feelings as a teenager, I know I loved him… May I see him Sire? Please?? Can I see William?” Xander’s tone was so reminiscent of the little boy he had been until so recently that Anton hugged the man just a little bit tighter before answering.

“Of course – but at the moment he’s out on a riding lesson.” Xander seemed to slump for a moment against Anton, then took a deep breath and seemed to be trying to gather his thoughts again.

“Come, he will only be an hour. We may even spy him from the balcony.” Anton eased them both to standing, supporting a still very unsteady Consort, and walked them both onto the sun drenched patio of the late autumn morning.

Xander was still for a moment, attempting to process the scene of the small William on the pony he remembered so well, accompanied by the lovely, patient, Chantelle and protective Gregor. He could still recall all the French words Chantelle had taught him as they went for the long ride at the end of each lesson, though now Xander was fluent anyway, courtesy of the years in their current location and some very deliberate study and practice.

Anton’s gaze lifted as he saw Willow and felt Connor, his new Childe, standing on the broad balcony, belatedly noting the witch’s pallid visage. It was obvious, the restoration spell had been costly and it was not just William who would need another month to recuperate. He smiled his welcome, then caught Xander as the man’s legs faltered. He lifted the brunette easily and carried him back to Anton’s own bed. Within seconds, Willow followed and had her old friend in a warm hug.

Connor waited until Willow remembered where she was before moving toward the bed. Willow moved to sit along side her old friend, continuing to hold his right hand and stroke her friend’s hair – no doubt more to reassure herself than comfort Xander.

Connor leaned forward and took Xander’s left hand, raising his other wrist to Anton as he did so. Anton bit down to open the wrist but took nothing. The open wound was pressed wordlessly against the mouth of his restored ‘brother in blood’. Xander took it and felt Anton’s fangs on his own left wrist. He groaned with the familiarity and the wonderful flood of ‘family, love, relief, worry, love…” flowing through the restored link with Connor along with the link intensifying as Xander’s blood was passed on to both relatives.

Willow kissed her old friend again (accusing him cheekily of ‘blood breath’) then settled onto the bed with the other two to spend the remainder of the hour discussing matters of the Aurelian Court. There was little to report, other than the fact Mistress Minna and Connor seemed to have established a strong friendship and found that they were very much kindred spirits in terms of their professional interests, business practices and loyalty to the ruling couple.

It was almost two hours before they heard tiny William racing up the stairs to his room calling for Stephanie, and followed by the ever watchful Gregor. Anton choosing to let the little boy keep to his regular schedule of luncheon with Nanny Stephanie and an afternoon nap before introducing an ‘older relative’.

Xander was nervous, to the point of feeling quite ill, as the door of the study opened to reveal Stephanie and his little friend, William. Xander was struck by how very small the boy looked – and how pretty, even at such a young age.

Connor, Anton and Xander all stood as the pair entered the room, before Xander was formally introduced by Anton as the “Esteemed Aurelian Consort, Alexander”.

Xander squatted down in front of the boy and held out his hand, noting how clumsy and huge he felt as his friend’s tiny pale hand slipped into his for a ‘manly shake’. But it was the wide eyed William’s innocent awestruck question that eased the tension, “Are you a pirate? Because Nanny S says that pirates all have patches and beards and a peg leg…and… Do you have a peg leg?” The little boy leaned forward a little to stare hard at Xander’s dark casual pants. Xander looked up to Anton a little unsure of what to say but grinned as he saw a very bemused Anton holding back laughter.

Xander belatedly realized that his ‘Robin Hood’ goatee and moustache, eye patch and classic collarless, white button-up shirt might well fit the impression of pirate to the small lad. Xander would have argued that he had no bandanna or gold teeth, however realized that his shoulder length brunette locks pulled back in a leather tie probably counted as almost the same to the four plus boy.

When Xander smiled at the little lad rather than answering, William seemed to gain confidence, “Do you have a sword? Uncle Connor has a sword. Are you going to fight Sir Anton – just for pretend… you know… ‘cause he does fencing like this!!” William thrust forward his rear hand up in a rather good parody of a fencing move, before all but bouncing on the spot as he asked conspiratorially, “Do you have a buried treasure?...” After the last of the rapid fire questions, William was gently shushed by Nanny Stephanie.

The little lad silenced immediately, looked at the floor and blushed with embarrassment and distress. He worried that he would be sent to his room – even at four something, he knew his place, and in adult company he should not have spoken out as he did. But this Alexander had such a friendly face, and William felt like he knew him already.

Xander smiled up at Stephanie before reaching out to the obviously worried William. “It’s OK, William. No I’m not a pirate, though I have seen my share of action. Yes, I do have a sword – several in fact and look forward to training with Sir Anton and Connor. But for now, would you like to show me around?”

The crestfallen look disappeared instantly as the little boy nodded profusely and Xander stood to garner approval from the other adults present. The others smiled their encouragement as William’s hand found his large friend’s.

“Oh yes please – we can start in my room, and I know nearly everywhere good for playing!”

“That would be lovely William, thank you, but you should check with Nanny Stephanie?”

The little boy turned begging blue eyes toward his lovely carer, “Please Nanny S, may I show Alexander around? Please??”

Before the hour was out Xander had been dragged through almost every room in the enormous house and half the gardens besides. They visited the swing under their favorite tree, Xander now far too big to fit in the narrow tyre seat, but wonderful at pushing.

William all but dragged him to the stables where Fusee had taken up residence when not needed by Chantelle, before racing back inside to introduce him to Teddy, and proudly show off a number of new drawings and a letter he was about to send to his friend Xander, “Who is away at the moment – but he’s coming back because we are friends.”

Late afternoon found them sitting on the floor of his own suite – Spike and Xander’s suite – though now filled with toys, activity materials, and children’s books. William was sitting on Xander’s right thigh, enthusiastically helping his new friend read a poem from AA Milne’s, “Now We are Six” called “King John’s Christmas”. It seemed that little William knew most of the words, and added sincerely after the poem, “He needs a friend to play with too… If I were king I would make sure everyone got presents and had lots of friends!”

Xander gave the little lad a quick hug, “I’m sure you’d make a fine king.” William beamed then fell serious again, “What’s an Esteemed Consort?”

Xander swallowed hard and hugged the little boy, “He is the partner of the High Master.”

“Is it the High Master who owns this place?”

“Yes, but he’s away at the moment.”

“Do you miss him? ‘cause I miss Mother and Papa – and my other Nanny… oh and Xander… Is the High Master your best friend?”

“Yes William, I love the High Master and miss him very much. But he will come back soon… And until he does I have you don’t I? Hmm?”

Little William jumped up to hug the big man around the neck “I think we can be good friends…” He stayed for a quiet moment, then released Xander and exclaimed excitedly “Now… Can you play pirates with me?”