Hunger… Blood… Mate… Blood… Claimed… Hunger… Mark… Blood… Sire… *Sire* … *Where is Sire?*... Mate… Mine… Please Sire?*… Blood!!! Family… Family… f…a…m…i…l...y… S…i…r…e… S…i…r…e… and…
And… Black …
Anton was seconds too late to save Xander from the savage claiming, but managed to drain Spike swiftly enough that the newly risen vampire fell out of game face, released his Consort and collapsed limp and compliant into his Sire’s embrace. Anton returned the fluid by slicing neatly through his shirt and skin on his chest with a razor sharp nail, then pressing his restored Childe’s lips against the crimson flow.
Connor was fast on the heels of Anton and seeing the game face and savagery, was about to find a stake, but was staid by the Anton’s quicker action and focused instead on Xander.
Connor immediately knelt beside the fallen Consort pulling the semiconscious and now extremely pallid, barely breathing Xander into his lap. The bite had been lower down than was usual, and hard enough to puncture both jugular veins and partially damage Xander’s esophagus *and* pharynx. Miraculously his carotid seemed to have been missed by the deadly fangs. It was still a potentially mortal wound.
Connor sliced open his right wrist and slammed it against the mouth of the now fading Xander as he fixed his own mouth over the bite to both stem the flow and lave the wound with his own healing saliva. He could feel the jagged edges and messy slicing of the torn throat under his tongue and found his gorge rising as memories of Holtz’s training him to hate vampires seeped back unbidden into his thoughts for the first time in years.
Long minutes later, the full blood pulled his mouth away from Xander’s now healing wound and looked across to Anton in confusion, his disgust and distress obvious to the older man. Connor could still feel the brunette in his arms continuing to feed weakly from his wrist and watched with fascination as the Consort’s neck gradually knitted itself together – though the scarred flesh would remain raw for some time.
“Why did he do that?!! Anton?! Why did he attack Xander? Did he come back wrong? I mean did we…? F$#% Sire! That attack was pure animal!!”
Anton still cradled Spike to his chest as one might a small child. “Dear heart, he is barely with us, and is calm now. I surmise that it was as simple as his Mate being near. And remember, the demon has been banished from his Consort for months. We should not make hasty judgments until both are fully conscious and calm.”
Connor felt anything but calm himself, so focused on the slow pull of the feeding Consort then looked more carefully as the human faced vampire gave the occasional sigh and moan, as he stroked his Sire’s arm and continuing to gently suckle.
High Master and Consort both ceased feeding within seconds of each other, and Anton silently signaled Connor. A reluctant full blood lifted Xander onto the bed and Anton gently eased Spike onto the covers beside the brunette. Neither ‘invalid’ was really conscious, but still managed to roll toward each other, entangle limbs in a loose embrace and relax into much needed sleep.
Anton encouraged Connor to find some rest, and despite his own fatigue, sat with the two until consciousness began to return.
……….
Xander woke to hands desperately caressing his face and arms, cool tongue gently licking over an incredibly sore spot on his neck and the sound of rather broken, quiet begging. But most of all he felt… Spike.
The tingle that was his Mate, the profound link with the other half of his existence that had been missing while the dear little William was still around, was now excruciatingly strong. There was extreme anguish present, but it was followed by relief as his good eye fluttered open and Spike sent heartbreaking levels of love through the link to his beloved partner.
Xander remembered little of the previous seven hours but could taste Spike’s blood and felt both Anton and Connor clearly in addition to his beloved.
He tried, but was unable to utter a sound… and his breathing and swallowing hurt. Instead he mouthed “Love You” and Spike returned the feeling with a passionate kiss, then pushed a bleeding wrist to his Consort's mouth. But it was the tearful kisses across his neck and desperate hugs that followed which found Xander wishing for his voice again.
Anton moved to the door as Connor felt the angst through the link and arrived at the door with preternatural speed only to be staid in his flight into the room by a quiet hand. They stood together for a moment silently observing the High Master and Consort as the ruling couple exchanged desperately worried, gentle caresses; tearful apologies and unmitigated feelings of relief through the link at finally being together again. It was not a moment to be interrupted.
Anton led a still rather confused Connor to his own suite. The Destroyer and the Immortal would spend almost an hour talking before Anton led the ‘little brother’ back to reunite with Spike.
Connor had been visibly thrown by the clear evidence of the vicious demon inside Spike – it was a harsh reminder, and not something that should have surprised the man but the shift from little William to the savage vampire was all too much. It was still a shocking reminder of his own heritage for the full blood. He had been taken so very young and like any child growing up in a hell, was traumatized, had been indoctrinated and forced to survive on his wits and talents. His training was that of a mindless killer, calculating and astute perhaps – but hardly one to consider both sides.
New memories helped, as did the final few meetings with his true father – indeed even his own arrested attempt at suicide was part of the healing… but there would *always* be something. Like the children of warzones and extreme trauma everywhere, he would always react to certain sounds or images, though thankfully the worst nightmares were now only once every month or two. Familial blood had seen to that. Yet now he was left puzzling again.
Anton counseled patience – easy for someone who has seen in two millennia… but not so natural for the son born but thirty plus years prior in ‘miraculous circumstances’, then survived various other involuntary ‘adjustments’ to his life. But despite all that, Anton’s words *did* resonate for Connor and he found himself feeling like one more chunk of his childhood hurt had been let go.
Anton felt as much as saw the change in the man, “Accepting self is the hardest thing any of us will ever do dear one, we all struggle with it and all have our demons.” They were sitting opposite each other, Connor staring at his own hands, but looked up just in time to see Anton deliberately let his fangs drop and eyes flash yellow – the wicked grin easing a more sober moment.
Connor snorted a little and gave the now normal faced Anton a rueful smile, “Point taken *Sire*.” It could have been a brush off but that Connor’s hand reached out for Anton’s, lifted the slender fingers to his lips and kissed them.
“I forget sometimes… you know… that you’re… that everyone here is changed too… that you didn’t choose, that none of us did, really… I guess no one really chooses… I’m sorry… but hey… Thanks.” His voice trailed off for a moment before he looked up, somewhat resolved and offered a hand to Anton. “Shall we go see how your other ‘boys’ are doing ‘Sir Anton’.” Genuine mirth was in Connor’s eyes as he pulled his elder up and though there was still much to be resolved, he felt… better.
The concept of the demon within made sense, the impact of life and dramatic shifts in the same also, the talk of honor and responsibility, and of complexity… it all made perfect sense on an intellectual level. That being said he still ended up standing beside his Sire at the door of the bedroom of two people who had done nothing but welcome him back as cherished family… and he was just a little terrified. Despite knowing via their familial link that the restored ruling couple were both fine, he found himself worrying irrationally about what he and Anton might find when they entered the room.
Connor leaned into the squeeze of a strong hand on his shoulder, and Anton felt Connor slowly relax. They paused for a moment and just before Anton pushed the doors open, the Immortal gave the Pure Blood Aurelian a quiet kiss on the forehead and whispered, “Never forget your heritage, nor that you are loved by all of the line.”
Connor took a deep breath at the statement and let it out with an obvious hitch but held his composure as they entered the Spike and Xander’s suite.
……………….
It was almost an anti-climax. They were met with a surprisingly domestic scene.
Both men were tucked up in bed, Spike leaning slightly against his lovely mate’s shoulder and gently stroking his beloved’s arm as Xander, still voice challenged but rasping out some words, gave Spike an overview of the renovation (and some restoration) blueprints the building he had planned for their large home, including the timelines, costs and anticipated inconveniences involved in the project.
As always, Xander had been most thorough, and though Spike was only interested in passing, regards the details, he was watching with intent as his adored partner pointed out particular choices – pausing to look quizzically at Spike – only to feel love and praise flowing through their link.
As Anton and Connor joined them, all three adults (including the near voiceless Xander) felt the distinct ‘small boy William’ in Spike’s thinking. And they all realized, dear William was still there and even brighter, as Spike now carried acute memories of interacting with family as a small boy … recently.
Connor forgot his own inner conflict easily as the call of a small William seemed to come through the link.
Connor watched as the blueprints fell to the floor and Xander pulled the smaller Spike over him so the blonde’s head was resting on his strong partner’s chest and they both smiled up at their visitors. Anton moved to spoon Xander’s side of the pair, Connor the Spike’s (all trepidation forgotten).
The three heard Spike’s distinctly happy sigh as he wriggled just a little. Anton threw his arm over the couple meeting Connor’s hand mid way. There was no need for more words, as the four rested, snoozing on and off until first Anton and then Connor left the pair to find their own suites and sleep until well past noon.