The two approached the meeting room to a tightly controlled, though somewhat loud, tirade worthy of… Giles!
“Oh Good Lord! Did you *really* need to bring that in here?!!! Andrew! Put it out!”
Still in the confines of the walnut paneled hallway, Spike pinned his partner to the dark wood and kissed him passionately, then scraped vampiric incisors across the aroused man’s neck in an act of entirely feral possession. “Bloody Andrew!! Bloody Watcher!…” Spike was in full game face growling, straightening and holding his partner’s eye with a golden stare. “Right then. We disappear today if this goes wrong. No argument, right?… Say it… Or I don’t go in… You and I… Out of here… If it goes wrong... If either of us feels they’re gonna screw us in *any* way*… we’re gone, yeah?… Look at me pet, please? You either agree with that, or we leave now.”
“You know that Spike… come on! You leave, I go… No questions… You are more important to me than… anything… Spike… Sweetheart… Oh God! We shouldn’t have come should we? … And it’s my fault and I’ve just..”
Spike briskly silenced his partner with a kiss and caress of his boy’s nether regions. Pulling away, he growled, “You an’ me pet, no guilt and no atonin’ needed. No harm no foul. If we’re in and someone bowls a yorker, call it an’ stop play, ‘K?
Xander replied, very aware of his more than reasonable arousal, “Geez… the whole Yorker thing? That’s like a cricket term, yeah? You *do* realize that most of the mystical rubbish in Giles’ books was less confusing than that bloody game!”
“Hah!”
“What ‘hah’!?”
“’Hah’ you said ‘bloody’! See, there’s hope for you yet”
“Urrrghhh! I can’t win!”
“You just did pet…” Spike’s visage was human again and the crystal blue eyes spelt belonging for his consort. The vampire peppered the brunette with kisses, then licked over the claim mark, “I love you, an’ you’re mine an’ I’m yours. Master Vampire and Beloved Consort. That’s *all* that matters. An’ those humans in there have *no* idea what that means. But I think we do… yeah?!” The last part was seductively growled through fully extended fangs and punctuated, quite literally, in the claim mark as he stroked Xander to extreme hardness. Withdrawing quickly, he carefully covered his partner’s very obvious arousal with the over-shirt Xander was wearing. The blonde then kissed his partner chastely on the cheek and stated, “Now let’s just go get this over with shall we?” then led them into the room as though there had been no interlude or precursor whatsoever. Xander reached for Spike’s hand as he entered the room, the intertwined fingers squeezing almost to the point of pain. Spike snaking his other arm around his consort’s waist as he stepped into the room first.
Dawn was the first to notice them, despite her magical faux pas but a few nights earlier, she smiled far too knowingly at the entry of Spike ushering his partner into the room. The teenager, new wiccan and former ‘key’ noting, in particular, the hand calmly and protectively at the small of Xander’s back and the ‘I’ve been recently kissed’ redness of the taller man’s lips.
Giles looked up from a hefty tome open at the head of the table and acknowledged the newcomers, “Ah, Xander. Spike. I’m glad you agreed to be here, your opinion will be most valuable I’m sure.”
Andrew was noisily banging his rather overly ornate pipe on the window sill, spilling the still smoldering contents onto the gardenias below. He left his task the instant he heard Giles speak and flew toward Spike. The embrace and related joyous words of praise for the blonde vampire were bordering on worshipful and ridiculous.
“C’mon mate, ladies present.” When Andrew did not let go, Spike physically extracted himself and held Andrew at arm’s length, with a powerful one handed grip on the man’s shoulder, stating with a rather justifiably incredulous tone,“You bloody well saw me last night, you twonk! Give it a rest yeah?!”
Willow pointedly cleared her throat and brought them all back to the task at hand. “If you two would like a seat we can get started.”
The obvious places were with backs facing the, courtesy of Andrew’s pipe cleaning, now open windows.
Spike raised an eyebrow and pointedly stared at the afternoon sun-drenched seating.
“Ohh, Ohh! Sorry!” Willow and Dawn vacated their shaded spots near the book shelves, looking rather sheepishly at their guests regarding the oversight.
Rather than being a ‘crisis meeting’, it seemed that Xander and Spike had been included in the regular monthly ‘committee of management’ gathering. Spike and Xander, used to the swift dealings of business meetings – even those of boards of management – soon became bored by the rather tedious nature of approval (after insisted spelling amendments via Andrew) of minutes of the previous meetings; current slayer ‘location and enrollment’ issues; and ‘policy regards parental visits for slayers’ matters.
Spike stared at the wall and caught his partner’s non-writing hand under the table. Their fingers intertwined and Spike closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on communicating love through the link, and relished the calming sensation of his partner’s touch.
Conscious that they were in a public space, Spike sent a message of calm and love, and began to ‘zone out’, staring at the fish tank just behind Xander.
The meeting’s discussion turned to the Initiative issue; various reports on who, how and when were tabled; mentions of Buffy and Riley and the ‘old Initiative’ prominent in all; and lengthy dialogue regarding their agenda dominant. Spike could not focus and began to stare harder at the captive fish in the glass tank featured as part of an impressive bookshelf and wall setting. The analogy was evocative and disturbing.
As the vampire’s memories of the Initiative began, Xander was blasted by negative emotions and imagery via the consort link, some of them seemed to even predate Sunnydale, he was sure a Swastika was involved. But it was the most recent memories and metaphors that were disturbing and evocative enough to envelope him entirely. Xander followed Spike’s glazed stare to the aquatic feature in an attempt to regain his equilibrium, but was drawn further into the horror. No longer dream images but visceral, sickening, and now shared, past experiences.
Xander felt the desperate hunger, the pacing of the cell looking out through glass at his captors, their whim his command. He relived staring up, semi dazed and terrified, yet again unable to move, as he counted the fluorescent lights lining endless white corridors as they pushed him toward his torturers, naked and strapped to and hospital gurney. He knew on a cellular level the moment when suicidal shame overcame excruciating pain as a former Master Vampire, drugged and starved, and now unable to protect himself, was subjected to the supreme debauchery and abject cruelty of ‘soul having’ humans. Rape and torture of the ‘prisoner’, the ‘other’, consistent with any number of examples of cruelty and murder over five previous millennia of earthbound history, and putting to shame anything the Scourge of Europe could have contrived at his most vicious. Xander’s breathing hitched with the realization.
Next he felt the determination and desperation accompanying the escape, the despair and humiliation of Spike seeking of sanctuary and… All the images stopped. Everything went quiet and Spike was on his knees in front of Xander’s chair, pulling the human’s tear streaked face to his shoulder. He lifted them both to standing and without a word to other shocked members of the meeting, and he led the brunette to the relative privacy of a nearby bathroom.
Still supporting his distraught consort, but now leaning them both against the antique marble vanity. Spike dropped into game face, opened his own wrist, and watched as Xander ceased his distressed keening in favor of suckling the proffered gift.
Fifteen minutes, a reassuring feed, quiet dialogue regards Spike’s unwitting sharing of the past, the ‘not your fault’ message re the Scooby’s and chains, plus a number of passionate kisses later, and the two rejoined the group.
Most of the meeting members had left their chairs and were helping themselves to various refreshments from the tea trolley. Giles was the first to speak as they all noted the return of the visitors and resumed their seats. “I, umm… well… Can we pass you some tea as you seem to have missed the…. Um… break?”
Spike grunted a semi polite ‘Yes’ then nodded to the senior watcher, acknowledging his gratitude for English decorum that rescinded any necessity to mention the previous ‘emotional episode’ of his consort.
Giles cleared his throat and removed his glasses to furiously polish them as he reiterated the problem. “Yes, well… It seems that the Initiative is up and running again – privately funded apparently, though I do have my doubts even on that score. From what we can glean, their raison d’ etre is the same as ever, though this time it seems the results of the research will go to the highest bidder. Anyone with ‘special circumstances’ is at risk it seems.” Giles paused, replaced his glasses and caught Spike’s eye direct. “And yes, it *is* a global movement with demon informants as well as human operatives as far as we can tell.”
Spike stood, slammed the table dramatically with both hands and began to move off. “Well… If that’s all, me an’ me mate Xan here we’ll be on our way for a bit o’ holiday sight seein’, ‘cause quite frankly *Rupert*, I figure these days I’ve done with all this rot and as *you* know, fight the good fight fiscally rather than physically… You can expect the funds to keep flowin’ BTW and… good luck with the ‘duck ‘n weave to outwit the *not so clandestine* army boys!”
Giles did not move, but fixed his elder and benefactor, the blonde vampire, with an icy stare, “They know where you live… Spike… They know where Xander lives… They may not yet have a handle on your movements or relationships or your funds… but they will if this continues… so may I suggest that you remain to hear us out and perhaps your recent ‘fiscal’ assistance can continue to be directed to best assisting the ‘greater good’.”
Spike halted his retreat, scowled openly, then took his partner’s hand and slumped back into his seat.
Xander had been silent yet supportive of his partner through the link. Now, grasping his lover’s hand, he was struck once more by the extraordinary inner strength and grace of his blonde. The compassion, commitment to the good fight, the personal charisma and bravery that would, were it to be properly exploited, bring armies to their knees, was obvious here. Spike begged no accolades or adulation.
Xander was humbled. He was the one who had cried at sharing the pain Spike had endured, yet somehow it was he, the one eyed human, who now held this beautiful being’s love and devotion. After the swath of violent and deeply distressing images, he was in awe of Spike’s willingness to listen to Giles. He knew innately, that were Xander to agree to fighting, Spike would be there regardless of justifiable trepidation or his own cost. At that moment he could not have felt more deeply committed to another being if he tried… It was visceral and permeating every cell. Xander felt a jolt of adrenalin through the connection and channeled his partner’s worry but sent back the loving support he felt for his mate.
Spike turned to the now very grey haired Giles, “Fine!!! And … well *Bloody Hell*!” He slumped and squeezed his partner’s hand again then turned to the head watcher.
“So….What is it you reckon we need to do?”