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Acquaintances	By : Tisienne Category: -Buffy the Vampire Slayer > Slash - Male/Male > Spike(William)/Xander > Spike(William)/Xander Views: 4783 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
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Part 10

Harris got up and headed to the small bar in the corner again, this time deciding to just bring the bottle back to his seat. He poured, listening with half an ear as Giles repeated the few details he�d already shared before the call to Spike.
�The surprising thing,� Giles said carefully as Xander finished topping him off, �Is that I don�t think you would have had any luck whatsoever through more� civilian channels. It seems Lady Luck was on your side.�
�Yah. Lily said she�d had th� best P.I.s in th� world on it an� not a one of them found so much as a single shred of a clue aside from a death record on her Olivia. From somewhere in Ireland, she said.�
�I would imagine not. I found next to nothing when I tried those avenues myself. But there was something� in the young woman�s name. It struck a chord of sorts, although I couldn�t recall why. And then it occurred to me, gentlemen. Olivia Jamison. I� knew her.�
He took another sip of cognac and rubbed the bridge of his nose. �I was serving out my internship with the Watcher�s Council at the time. Quentin was second to Master Billings-Smythe. Quentin�s daughter, on the other hand, was a few years younger than I and even more junior within the organization. Marianne.� He smiled wistfully. �Lovely girl. I must admit that I was a bit infatuated with her��
�Bloody hell! Get on with it, Rupert! As fascinating as the glimpse into your warped and bizarre obsessions is, I don�t much care.�
Giles blushed again and cleared his throat. �Yes, quite right. So Marianne. As I said, she was a lovely girl. Sweet. Caring. Obviously took after her mother. In any event, she was quite involved with another young man of the Council and in due time she married him. Shortly thereafter, I seem to recall that she began spending a good bit of time with a young American woman.�
He frowned. �Keep in mind, this is all somewhat vague and mostly what I�ve pieced together from the backup discs of the original Council reminding me. It�s fortunate that they were kept off-site or we wouldn�t have much.�
�Come on, Giles� American woman. Focus!� Harris nearly snapped.
Another sip, then a sigh. �Yes� the American. I remember her as being small� rather pretty, blonde� and pregnant, as became obvious over the next few months. Her name was Olivia. I� don�t recall whether I ever knew her last name back then; in fact, I barely recall her at all, to be honest. It was simply the oddity that stuck in my mind. Very few American�s were permitted within headquarters, and certainly no others who weren�t a part of the organization.�
�In any case,� Giles continued, �I seem to remember that Marianne disappeared for almost a year, as did her friend. I never saw the American woman again. However, when I read that name� and considered the timing, it seemed obvious that perhaps the Olivia whose child you sought was the same girl I remembered. So I put her name into the database at the House and� I can still hardly believe what I discovered. Didn�t want to believe it, if I must be honest. I� I hadn�t thought that even Quentin could be so��
Harris snorted. �The same guy who fired you, then tried to get Buffy under his thumb by pretending she needed to pass his tests? Yeah, right� because he was a sweetheart. And he kept calling me �the boy�.� His eye rolled.
Spike chuckled. �Well, ta be fair, luv, you WERE th� only bloke of th� group aside from Rupert an� me, yah?�
Harris grinned. �Yeah� it was still rude, though. I DID have a name. He could have used it.�
Giles cleared his throat quickly then leaned forward, taking the bottle from Xander and refilling his glass. �As I was saying,� he said pointedly, nodding as the young man across from him and the vampire on the speaker both subsided, �Quentin�s records. When I was able to access them, I found that�� He sighed softly before going on.
�Marianne, as it turned out, had suffered an accident as a small girl and was diagnosed as being unable to carry a child to term due to the damage. That didn�t deter her or her husband, however. I believe they were truly in love, and judging from the entries Quentin himself made, he was pleased with that. He was equally pleased when Marianne met and befriended the young, single and pregnant woman.�
He took a deep swallow of the fiery liquor, leaning his head back to rest against the chair as his body relaxed somewhat and he fell into a more narrative tone.
�He researched the girl�s background extensively and that of the child�s father. Apparently the young man had simply disappeared one day although later entries made it clear that he�d somehow run afoul of Chaschit demons and had been� eaten. Still, he�d been of good stock, as was Olivia. Good families� very good in the young woman�s case. No incidences of genetic disorders or rampant stupidity on either side for well over a hundred years. And I believe that was when Quentin hatched his plan.�
Giles frowned deeply, unaware of the tense silence in the room.
�The girl had been cut off by her family, although they might have recanted that if they�d known her young man had died rather than abandoned her. And so Quentin chose to hide that information-- even from his own flesh and blood, his notes said-- and he had arranged for his daughter to adopt the child secretly. Ostensibly the young woman would be permitted to see her child and would have a suitable income while she trained for a position within the Council�s clerical department. However, she would only be acknowledged as a favourite aunt and good friend of the family. To that end, he had all records of her arrival in England expunged.�
He sighed softly and drank again.
Harris frowned, already sure he wasn�t going to like the rest of the story. �And?� he demanded roughly, taking a sip of his own drink, �What happened?�
Giles shrugged. �Apparently Olivia changed her mind after a month or so. She decided that she wished to keep her child. Quentin wrote that she�d begun looking for work and if she�d succeeded in that� well, that would have destroyed his plans, you see. He�d rather set his heart on the child being his grandchild. Quentin always did imagine himself as the head of a dynasty.�
�In the end,� Giles said after a moment and another long swallow of cognac, �He sent the girl and his daughter to visit with Watchers in Ireland. It was only a week later that he deliberately leaked word that Marianne was with child. And a year later, she returned with her son� who was small and blond and quite easily passed as being three months younger than he actually was.�
�He had her killed,� the vampire�s voice snarled, echoing through the room.
�He killed her?� Harris demanded at the same time, his eye wide.
�I� believe so, although he didn�t state it quite so� baldly in his records. He merely stated that everything had worked out as he�d hoped and his grandson was healthy and fit.�
�So� what happened to the kid?� Harris asked, biting his lip.
�Marianne and her husband raised him. He was a reasonably happy child. And he grew up strong, although perhaps a bit� lonely. He was never told of his true origins. I�m sure he never even suspected, as Marianne�s husband was blond, as well.� Giles nodded, finishing his drink and pushing the bottle away. He didn�t need any more liquor or he might become maudlin� more so, rather.
�He spent most of his free time at Watcher Headquarters, learning about the organization and what we do during his holidays from school. As I said, he was mostly a happy lad. Until the explosion.�
Giles sighed. �Marianne and her husband were there that day, although the boy was away at Eton. And so he was twice orphaned, although he doesn�t know it.�
�What happened ta him, Rupert?� Spike growled, sorry that Quentin had died in that same explosion. He would have liked to kill the shit himself. �Th� boy. What happened ta th� boy? Where th� bloody fuckin� hell IS he?�
�Well, he� inherited a reasonable income due to the �gas leak� that had killed his parents and grandfather� and when we rebuilt, of course I took him in. He was one of our own. We� owed him that much. And he finished growing, became a young man any mother or father would be proud of. He became a trusted member of the new Council, privy to things most of the other new Watchers would never be comfortable knowing. He� he�s a good man. A VERY good man. One I�d be proud to call my own, in fact, much like you, Xander.�
Harris smiled a little, flattered by that. �But Giles��
The older man sat up suddenly and turned wounded eyes to the brunette. �Bloody hell, Xander. How do I tell Robert that his entire life has been a lie�? Based entirely upon deceit and possibly murder?�
�Bloody good question, mate,� Spike growled from New York.
Harris shook his head slowly. �Giles, I� Robert�?�
The Watcher shook his head, too. �Do you see now why I came? I couldn�t� I couldn�t tell you this over the phone� not even had I been able to reach you. And I don�t know what to do.�
�Don�t worry, Giles,� Harris finally said after a few minutes of silence. �We�ll figure it out, okay? It�s just gonna take some time.�
�Yah, Rupert,� Spike agreed, �An� I�m comin� down, Xan. Tonight. Think you need ta be held, yah?�
The brunette sighed. �You have no idea, babe� uh, I�ll give Giles the bedroom. We can manage on the couch for one night� or two or three, even.�
Giles�s brow furrowed. �If it�s not too intrusive, Xander� or frightening� why are you so worried about me sitting or sleeping on your couch?�
Spike had to laugh at that, a low, rich rolling sound that was very suggestive and very him. �Trust me, mate� you don�t want ta know. I�ll be there in two hours, Xan� three at th� outside. Not takin� th� time ta drive seein� as it�s dark, an�� can feel how sad you are��
�I� I�ll be waiting, babe. And I� fuck, Spike. Hurry, okay?�
�Don�t worry, luv� I�ll be there in time for you ta cry on my shoulder. Luv you, pet� see you in a bit, Rupert.�
�Yes,� the Watcher said quietly, almost unable to believe that he was looking forward to the blond�s presence as well as envying the relationship the formerly evil vampire now had with his one-time charge. What he wouldn�t give to have someone so dear to him� �Until then,� he agreed, sighing internally.
�Love you too, babe,� Harris replied, pouring himself another cognac, �But just so you�re warned� I might be really drunk by the time you get here.�
Spike�s voice was warm and accepting. �Then I�ll be there in time for you ta pass out on my shoulder, luv� an� you can cry later. See you soon.�
�Yeah,� Harris agreed, even as the loud click announced that his vampire had hung up. His own hand reached out, closing the line.
�Okay� let�s get you settled in the bedroom, Giles. Uh, towels and stuff. I� I�ll take care of it. You just relax. You had a� long flight. Yeah.�
Gods, he had to get the rest of his and Spike�s toys hidden. The last thing he needed was for Giles to find them. And he needed to change the sheets, he realized with a bright blush as he stepped into his bedroom and saw the unmade bed.
He set about doing those things, trying not to count down the minutes until he�d feel his Claimed�s arms wrapped comfortingly around him.
�Gods� poor Robert,� he whispered to himself. �But� lucky Lily. He�s a good kid. She�s gonna love him.� He smiled slightly. �And maybe� just maybe he�ll love her, too. And Trixie.�
He didn�t even think about what the ramifications of Robert coming to the US where Elliot and Trevor were could be.
But Spike did. Then he shrugged it off. His beloved was his concern, after all.

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(A/N: Okay, so who saw that coming? *grins* And don't lie, I'll know. LOL Thanks to Nulinka, DaniKitten, TheShadowCat and RemityGirl for the reviews... more soon. *hugs*)
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Acquaintances