Honorable
Sons: 14
by Josie_h
Notes
“Hello?”
“Um, Hi. My name’s Conner Reilly. I think you rang?”
“Hi Conner. It’s um… it’s Angel.”
This time Spike felt the surge through the link and watched his Sire go into game face, so grabbed the phone.
“Hey Conner, you OK mate?”
Spike heard a hitched sob through the headset.
“Uhhh.. Um… not really… but… ”
Using his most conciliatory tone, Spike almost purred his answer, “Hey... c’mon ‘s OK. Angel just wanted a chat.”
The almost whispered reply came, “But they were all… he… you… Who the f@#k! are you!”
“Spike. Worked with Angel in LA… stood at his right shoulder on the day… He’s me Sire see? He got hurt… bad… Been lookin’ out for him since that night.”
“But… that’s months and they said everyone died!! He told me to run and then I… and then I heard… Gunn and Wes and the alley… Oh shit…!!!”
“Hey pet breathe…”
Spike looked over at his maker. Angel’s eyes were flashing yellow but still begging for information.
The hitched voice on the other end of the phone said “Why now?”
Spike decided to cut to the chase, “Our ol’ Da was hurt real bad. He’s on the mend now, but his doc thinks he needs to see you. We’re jus’ in Berkeley… If I send a car could you…?”
“God!... It’s all so weird! How will I know… I mean … not feeling a lot of trust here!”
“What if Angel is in the car?… Would you at least talk?”
There was no answer, though Spike thought he heard a hitched sob at the other end of the phone. The surprise came when he looked over at his Sire to see feral yellow eyes and a channeled, savage rage and upset reminiscent of the previous night’s dream.
“Conner? Conner! Can we come to you? If we are there within the next couple of hours, can you be there?”
“Umm…. Sure… I guess…. God! Angel’s… I’ll be here..” The phone went dead.
Spike immediately called for a car. Not wanting to push his luck, he ordered a limosine and moved Angel to the front of their building in the chair.
After he lifted his charge into the car and stowed the wheelchair, the trip to Palo Alto spent in ‘brood mode. Spike noting in particular that Angel had taken his Childe’s hand in a tight grip as they started and did not relinquish the hold for the entire trip.
As they pulled up outside Lambda Nu, Spike left Angel in the car and knocked on the front door. A short redhead answered, asked him to wait and called Conner via an ancient intercom.
Conner came to the door. He had only ever met Spike from a brief meeting at Wolfram and Hart – as he went toe to toe with Illyria. Now the boy spent time admiring the longer dusty blonde locks framing refined facial features; also noting the slender athleticism, and warmth and concern in blue eyes he instinctively knew belonged to a vampire. He could not help but show his wide eyed fascination.
“Evenin’, I’m William Aurelius, but usually go by Spike...” Spike held out his hand. It was received with a strong grip and a nod, “Conner.”
Spike was surprised by the slim build, rakish hair and quite androgynously beautiful face on the boy. He gave the worried boy a friendly smile, “Good to see another relative with blue eyes mate – was beginnin’ to feel lonely.” What he didn’t mention was that he saw in those eyes, a wisdom borne of pain and life experiences well beyond the norm.
Conner was trying to look behind Spike to see Angel, “You said he would be here?”
“He is mate. Just give him a mo’. Come to the car and we can…”
“Look I know my Dad sired you and I need to trust you, but…” At that moment the door of the limousine opened and Angel stepped out, cautiously standing and leaning on the door of the car.
Spike saw Conner’s eye’s brighten, “That better, pet?”
Conner ignored him, instead pushing past and calling out, “Dad??”
Spike knew the boy had vampire speed, but was unprepared for the grounding jolt through the link that accompanied Conner’s panicked flight to the car. He recovered in time to see Conner catch Angel as the older vampire released the car and lurched forward toward his son.
As he approached the two, Spike was overwhelmed with the emotions running through his own bond with his Sire. Mixed in with the relief and joy was a vague feeling of sadness and abandonment. He struggled for a moment, trying work out whether the feeling came from himself or his Sire or Conner.
Conner was near hysteria, “Oh God! They said you were dead! Everyone said you were dead…. And I went back… I was in LA for college, and I went back… and… the hotel’s been sold there were demolition notices… You know they pulled it down, right?”
“Shhh Conner… Shhhh…. Spike and I… we just had to run – I’m sorry, I’m sorry… We couldn’t tell you... And I was so injured, and we didn’t know if I’d …” Angel shook himself, kissed Conner on the forehead and held him tight, at the same time reaching out his hand to his Childe. “Spike saved me, Conner. I had dragon poison in me, and a broken back, and lord knows what else, and Spike… saved me…”
Spike received and squeezed the proffered hand – appreciating the sentiment behind the words, but also aware that there was a father/son link that needed to be reaffirmed, so stood quietly.
Eventually the boy pulled away from the hug and Angel collapsed back into the plush leather of the limousine seat, relinquishing the hold on Spike’s hand in preference to resting taxed muscles.
“So… If you’re convinced that this is your old Da, can we head home for a while. Happy to send you back in the car later if you need to be here…?”
Conner was still wiping a few spent tears from his cheeks. He sniffed hard, “Sure, um… sure,” then climbed into the car.
As they arrived at the apartment Conner stepped from the car, looking curiously at the apartment block, while Spike quietly paid the driver, then pulled the wheelchair from the trunk of the vehicle.
Angel was just about to lever himself from the car and into the chair, when Conner’s shock at seeing the wheelchair caused yet another wave of emotion flow through the link, reinforcing Angel’s invalid status instantaneously. The older vampire collapsed into the backseat of the car, yellow eyes again to the fore.
“Bloody hell, luv!” Spike swung around the door to pick up and aid his Sire into the chair. “C’mon let’s just get you inside hey? ‘S been a long night!” He pushed the chair clear of the car but then reached for Conner, and giving the boy’s hand a squeeze, flashed a reassuring smile and handed him the task of pushing.
Once inside the apartment, Conner relinquished the task of pushing the chair to the blonde. “Go have a look around, I can recommend the balcony and the pool and gym” Spike said with a wink and a light hearted tone that was far more jovial than he was feeling.
He pushed Angel into the lounge, settled him into a comfortable chair and quickly fixed a mug of warmed blood, then went to find his ‘little brother’. Conner was on the balcony staring into space.
“Can I get you anything? Beer? Coffee? I even do a mean hot chocolate… favorite friend back in Sunnydale gave me her secret recipe one time.”
Conner spun around to stare intensely at Spike. “What happened to him? I mean… I thought vampire healing and… not that I’m not happy you’re alive! God!... I have been so… umm…” Spike could see that tears were threatening, wanted to offer a hug, but was also aware of his odd status with the boy, so settled for placing a supportive hand on his shoulder.
“Like I said, pet, we didn’t know who was friend or foe and just had to keep runnin’. As to what happened… your ol’ man took out a dragon, got ‘imself raked by the talons in the process, then landed under six ton carcass. We survived because the blue chit - you remember Illyria? Anyway, she took out the army – not sure what happened to them or her exactly, on account of bein’ unconscious at the time. Found me ol’ Sire still alive but in a right mess. ‘part from not being the most popular vampires on the Senior Partners’ roster, the dragon poison is usually fatal. We ran for ‘round eight months before we just had to stop and pull in some drastic measures.”
“Why..?”
“Old boy was dyin’ slowly. And I would have gone with ‘im too but we found some witches with powerful mojo. Rest’s history really.”
“I guess…” Conner trailed off.
“Anyway, enough of the moping, you have some reacquaintin’ to do and I have hot chocolate to make.” With that, he grabbed Conner by the hand and led him in to the lounge where a well fed Angel was looking decidedly better and smiled as his two ‘boys’ entered the room.