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The Birthday Present	By : SpikesEvilbint Category: Angel the Series > Slash - Male/Male Views: 9975 -:- 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
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Chapter Thirty-Six

Spike�s stomach churned as the plane began to descend. He felt uncomfortable as he re-activated the heating system beneath his suit that ensured he�d pass unnoticed through the vampire detectors. He shifted in his seat and smirked a little. He was having trouble keeping his breathing even so there was no worry about the lack of it drawing attention.

He ran his hand over the smart navy blue pin striped cloth that hid the system beneath it. Yeah, the demon who designed the body heat simulator sure knew what he was doing. Mind you, he ought to considering how much it had cost. Not that the money had been Spike�s to give to him really. Amazing how much cash you could generate with a simple spot of burglary. The simulator even gave him a fake heartbeat to back up the body temperature. The only thing that it couldn�t do was give him a reflection. Luckily, although a few years ago mirrors were the way that the security forces caught out vampires posing as human, this was no longer the case. There had been too many cases of hysteria when the public noticed the lack of reflection of one in their midst. Spike had made sure that LAX didn�t have any mirrors in the arrivals hall.

Spike smiled politely as the air stewardess walked along checking that seatbelts were fastened. He ran a hand through his hair. It was shorter than he used to wear it but not as short as when Angel shaved it. Spike scowled at the memory. Wonder what happened to the git? He closed his eyes and willed the thoughts of his grandsire to disappear. He�d come a long way in the six months since he�d raced, sobbing from the Hyperion Hotel that day.

*~*~*~*

The first week that he�d been alone, he thought that he wouldn�t make it. Living rough on the street, learning to avoid the capture trucks as they patrolled the area, and somehow finding enough blood to heal his wounds had taken its toll on him. He�d stumbled upon a shelter for the homeless one night and without thinking, had sought refuge in it. He was too exhausted to think that it might not be a good idea. All he wanted to do was sleep. Sleep for hours, somewhere warm.

The woman who ran the shelter had looked at him curiously when he�d refused a meal but she had said nothing, just handed him a couple of blankets and showed him to a bed in a small room in the back. Spike had collapsed onto it and was asleep almost before the woman had closed the door.

Spike had woken with a start when the scent of warm blood reached his nose. His eyes had flown open and he�d barely managed to keep his demonic features from showing themselves when he saw the mug on the small side table. He gasped and wriggled backwards on the bed � putting as much distance between him, and the woman from the night before, that he could.

�Easy, it�s okay,� she said quietly, holding her hands out to show that she was no threat to him.

Spike didn�t move. His eyes fell on the steaming mug and his stomach rumbled loudly. The woman laughed softly; it was a beautiful sound. �Why don�t you just drink it while it�s warm?�

Spike�s hand trembled as he reached for it. As soon as his fingers closed around the mug, he withdrew into his corner again. His blue eyes regarded her suspiciously, as he drank it.

When he had finished it, he spoke. �H-how did y-you know?�

�I�ve run this place for a long time. We�ve had the occasional vampire try to get in, admittedly usually to find an easy meal, not a place to sleep,� she replied with a smile.

�How did you k-know that I wasn�t gonna�� Spike suddenly found the empty mug extremely interesting.

�I�ve also developed a good instinct for who�s good or bad. Evil�s not just the preserve of vampires you know.�

Spike met her eyes again. He thought of McDonald and nodded slightly. He knew that was true.

�You just looked like you needed a safe place to stay. The room was locked and if you�d broken it down I had a couple of men waiting in the corridor with stakes just in case.�

Spike blinked.

�I felt sorry for you but I�m not stupid,� the woman said, smiling more broadly.

Spike couldn�t help but smile back. �Thank you,� he said quietly.

He swung his feet to the floor and sighed as he put the mug on the side table.

�Um�I�ll go now.�

The woman shook her head. �It�s daylight.�

�Doesn�t matter.�

�There�s no need to dust yourself � things can�t be that bad.�

�I won�t dust,� whispered Spike, avoiding her eyes again and twisting his hands in his lap.

It was the woman�s turn to gasp. �You�ve escaped the program!�

The increase in volume made Spike shrink back from her. He stopped himself when he realised what he was doing but knew that she�d seen it. He silently berated himself for being such a coward. Not trusting himself to speak, Spike nodded.

�It must have been recently. They haven�t been offering daylight proof vampires for very long.�

Spike trembled and nodded again.

The woman sat up straight and pushed a lock of blonde hair away from her face. �I�m forgetting my manners,� she said. �My name is Tara.� She held out her hand.

Spike stared at it for a moment before taking it and holding it briefly. �Spike.�

�Well, I�m pleased to meet you, Spike. You�re welcome to stay for a few days if you have nowhere else to go? I may know some people who can help you.� Tara smiled warmly. �At least with the chip, I know that you�re not going to eat the others who stay here.�

Spike shook his head. �No, I�d best be going.�

He stood up too quickly and swayed a little. Tara was at his side in an instant holding him steady.

�Don�t be silly. You�ll be safe here for a few days, The Initiative only checks here once per week and so they�re not due for another four days.�

Spike gazed at her. He wanted to stay but he didn�t want her to contact Angel. He was sure that was who she meant. Plus, his chip didn�t work and for some reason he didn�t want to lie to her.

�I�ve got to go. Can�t stay.�

Tara took his right hand in hers and rubbed her thumb over the back of it. �Why?� she said. �Want to tell me about it? I�m a good listener.�

Spike closed his eyes. He owed her the truth. She could have staked him or reported him to The Initiative. He ran his left hand over his head until his index finger felt the depression where the chip had been sited.

Keeping his eyes closed, he told her, �The chip doesn�t work.�

He waited for her hand to be snatched free, to be yelled at, hell, he thought she might even stake him, but all he heard was a quiet �oh�.

Opening his eyes, he found her looking at him intently. �Let�s sit down and have that talk, shall we?� She sat, not on the chair like before but on the bed. Tara pulled on Spike�s hand and patted the bed.

Spike�s eyes widened but he obediently sat next to her. �Um�I don�t k-know what to s-say.�

Tara squeezed his hand. �The beginning is usually the best place to start. Why don�t you go from there?�

Spike hesitated. But which beginning? When I was sired? When I was captured? When I escaped from McDonald? When I escaped from the Hyperion? He decided that escaping from McDonald was probably the best place.

He began to speak, his voice low, stumbling over the words every now and then, but each time that he paused, overcome with emotion, Tara reassured him, stroked his hand and whispered words of encouragement.

*~*~*~*

The bump and lurch of the plane hitting the runway brought Spike back to the present. He peered out of the window. LA was bathed in sunshine. He�d purposely booked a flight that landed in the middle of the day. The guards wouldn�t be expecting vampires to be sneaking around in the daylight. Vampires found it difficult to adjust to being diurnal. Spike appreciated the fact that he�d managed to sleep away most of the flight without anyone becoming suspicious.

Once the plane was stationary, he pulled his bag from the overhead lockers and waited to disembark. His thoughts returned to Tara. She should be waiting for him in the arrivals hall.

He would never have survived but for her, of that he was certain. After listening to his story, she had told him of a cousin in France who worked with vampires that had been through the program in the Paris branch of The Initiative. She arranged everything and Spike soon found himself en-route to the coastal town of Deauville. He had never told her that he�d actually been to the Normandy town before a couple of years after being turned. The town heaved with rich Parisians each August, taking the sea air and spending lots of money in the casinos there. They�d been delicious. Spike grimaced at the memory. He wasn�t supposed to still think of things like that.

Spike walked slowly towards the door of the aircraft. The stewardess smiled at him, flashing brilliant white teeth and batting her eyes. The handsome man had caught her eye as he�d boarded and she still couldn�t quite believe that her flirtations had gone unnoticed. She�d thought that all Frenchmen were ladies-men. Spike had gotten so used to speaking French that an accent to his English was an easy disguise to keep up. In effect, he�d been reborn in Deauville.

He nodded to the stewardess. And once inside the airport building, he strode swiftly to the immigration channels. He had no suitcase but his documentation was impeccable. A French businessman here for only two days. Of course, he did not intend to use the return unless things went horribly wrong.

One of the customs officials was gay and Spike smirked as he smelled the man�s arousal. Spike�s gaze was full of distain as he took in the over-weight and sweaty man�s appearance. In your dreams, mate! The official glanced at him sharply and Spike forced his features into a more agreeable expression. Anything to get through those bloody doors and out where he could turn the bleeding suit off. How humans coped with being so hot, he�d never know.

Finally, he was allowed through. His eyes scanned the crowds of people. There she was! She looked more beautiful than he remembered. He grinned and rushed towards her. He picked her up and twirled her around. Laughing at her embarrassment and forgetting that he was supposed to be blending in.

He dropped his French accent as he spoke to her. �God, I�ve missed you, pet.�

�Hey!� She slapped his shoulder as he put her down. �Where�s the sexy Frenchman that Philippe promised me? Seems I�ve gotten a Brit!�

Spike laughed and then let his face get serious. �So I�m a disappointment, am I?� He pouted.

Tara nudged him in the ribs. �Never!�

They walked hand in hand to Tara�s car. They�d planned on doing that as no one would suspect a couple holding hands to be one part free vampire, but even if it hadn�t been planned, they would have done it anyway. It felt right.

Spike went quiet as Tara drove them to the apartment that she�d rented for him.

�Nervous?� she asked.

�What? Me? No!� said Spike, his eyes widening.

�Sure,� replied Tara rolling her eyes.

�Okay, well maybe a bit,� Spike admitted. He�d never been able to keep much from Tara.

�That�s understandable. You don�t have to do it. You don�t have to be here.�

�I do, pet. You know that as well as I do.�

Tara put a hand on his knee and squeezed. �I know,� she whispered.

She�d met a few vampires in her time but Tara was sure that she�d never encountered one like Spike. When he�d told her all that he�d endured she had vowed to help him. Philippe had been a little reluctant when she�d told him that Spike�s chip no longer worked but she�d talked him round. Especially when she�d told him how a local group that helped vampires had ended up abusing him almost as badly as his human owners had. She glanced at Spike; his jaw had a tick in the muscle as he stared steadfastly at the traffic through the window of her old VW Bug.

Spike no longer resembled the mess that had fallen into the shelter that night. He looked confident; his eyes were clear not haunted. She hoped that this wouldn�t change. She had tried to talk him out of it. Repeatedly. But he�d been adamant and that in itself was significant. He was doing this for himself � not for others � and she had never thought that he would be able to be assertive again. She glanced at him again. But he was afraid of what would happen, no matter how he tried to disguise it. She looked to the sky and prayed to whoever might be listening for it to work out for Spike. He�d been through enough.

She pulled the car into the lot belonging to the building that was to be Spike�s home. He looked around curiously as they walked up to the apartment on the top floor. He smiled. No more basements. Tara unlocked the door and walked in, turning around as Spike hesitated.

�You don�t need an invite. The lease is in your name. The one on your passport.�

�Oh, right,� said Spike as he walked in. �I�m David Beauchamp from now on then.� He pronounced David the French way � Davvid.

�Yes,� replied Tara. �So you�ll have to go back to the sexy accent.�

She grinned as he vamped out and bared his fangs at her. That top left one always cut his lip, but he showed no sign of feeling it. �Are you saying that my normal accent isn�t sexy?� He huffed and let his features fade back. �Thought you Americans liked an English accent.�

�Oh we do,� said Tara. �It�s just that we love French ones.�

She ducked the cushion that Spike threw at her.

She showed Spike around his flat, pointing out the well-stocked refrigerator, and then gave him a hug. �Keep in touch, okay?� She pressed a cell phone into his hand. I�m speed dial one. Anytime, okay. Even if just to talk. Promise me.�

Spike wrapped his arms around her. �I promise.�

He stood in the centre of the apartment for a long time after she�d left.

�Okay, Spike. Time to go do this.� His voice sounded uncertain even to his own ears.

He crossed to the bedroom and got undressed, removing the body heat simulator with a sigh of relief. A quick shower followed and then he was ready to go. He�d put the suit back on, its cloth was of such good quality that he loved the feel of it against his skin. It fit perfectly without the simulator beneath it. Tara had showed him a rental car that he had the use of when she�d parked the Bug. He scooped up the keys, clipped the key to the apartment onto the ring and walked out before his nerve failed him completely.

Spike drove cautiously, making sure that he kept within the speed limits. He smiled wryly at what he�d become. A law-abiding citizen. But in his heart he knew that he liked it. He�d had over a century of fist and fangs and living as a man was fine by him. If he kept himself well fed, he never even slightly lusted for the kill. Once in France he�d missed a few meals and felt the familiar stirring of bloodlust within. He�d driven to a remote forest and hunted down a deer. It had sated both his hunger and his yearning for the chase. He just wished he�d taken off the designer suit that Philippe had given him first. He shook his head; he�d had to do some pretty fast talking to get out of that one!

Spike flicked on the indicator and turned left into the lot of the Hyperion Hotel. He turned off the ignition and took several deep breaths before wiping his sweaty palms on his knees and climbing out of the car.   He felt in his pocket and was reassured to feel the stake in it. If Angel came at him, he fully intended to dust his grandsire. He needed �closure�, well according to Philippe he did. That�s what killing McDonald and turning Warren had been -�closure�. Spike smirked. He quite liked �closure�.

He didn�t lock the car � just in case he had to make a speedy exit but brought the keys with him. He tried to pretend that his strides didn�t get shorter as he got nearer to the door.

�Come on, get a grip,� he muttered before pushing the door open with his right hand, his left in his pocket, fingers wrapped around the stake.

He hadn�t gone more than six steps before a voice called out.

�Hello, how may we help you?�

Spike turned towards the voice. �Hello, Giles.� He purposely kept the French accent.

�Um�hello�er�I�m afraid that I don�t kn�Spike!� Giles stood up so quickly that the chair he�d been sitting on over turned with a crash.

Spike jumped nearly a foot in the air before he realised what the noise had been. He grinned sheepishly at Giles.

The grin faded as his expression became solemn, and he dropped the fake accent.

�Sorry for running out after you�d saved me,� said Spike

�I thought that you must surely be dust. Where did you go?�

Spike glanced around. �It�s a long story. Er�Angel? What happened to him? Can�t say that I really want to see the git if I can help it. Just felt I owed you an apology.�

Spike hadn�t moved any further inside the hotel. Something not unnoticed by Giles. He beckoned him closer. �It�s all right. He won�t hurt you. You�re safe.�

Spike cocked his head on one side. �That right? Don�t reckon you thought that the soulful git would hurt me last time either.�

Giles stared at Spike. He could hardly believe that it was the same creature. Last time he saw him he�d been a broken snivelling wreck. He didn�t look like he�d come with revenge in mind, but Buffy had filled him in about all that Spike had done and he felt that he�d be a fool to discount it. He reached under the desk and wrapped his fingers around a loaded crossbow.

�You won�t be needing that, Watcher,� said Spike.

Giles froze.

�Lived here for a bit.   I remember the crossbow. I�m not looking for trouble. Just wanted to say sorry and thank you and find out what happened to Angel.�

Giles forced himself to relax. �That�s all right then. Though you could have called and asked that.� He smiled at the sharp dressed vampire. �Nice suit.�

Spike smiled broadly. �Yeah, it is isn�t it? French tailoring � best in the world.�

�So that�s where you�ve been.�

Spike nodded. �I just couldn�t take being here any longer. You were gone for ages and I was� well you saw how I was. Found a girl who helped me. She had a cousin in Deauville who does what you do.� Spike resisted the urge to add �only much better�. �They sorted me out.�

�So I can see,� said Giles. �I think I need a drink. Do you want one?�

He walked into Angel�s office and glanced over his shoulder to see if Spike was following. He was. Giles poured a large measure of whisky. He reached for another glass.

�Not for me,� said Spike quietly.

Giles shrugged and took a deep swallow from the one that he poured. He closed his eyes as the liquor seared its way down his throat. He opened them to see Spike watching him carefully.

�You don�t trust me,� said Giles. It was a statement.

�Not so much,� agreed Spike.

�But I rescued you from Angel.�

�Yeah, I know. An� I appreciate it.�

Giles sank in to a leather chair to the side of the desk and Spike leant again the doorframe when he sat.

�You don�t trust anyone. I can understand that.�

Spike shook his head and played with the stake in his pocket. �Never said that. I trust one person other than myself, but the reason why I�m not gonna sit down and have a drink with you, Rupert,� Spike leaned forwards as he spoke, �is that you still haven�t told me what you did with Angel. Do you just let him do what he likes? To whomever he wants?� Spike�s words were laced with bitterness.

�No!� replied Giles sharply.

�So. Where. Is. Angel?� Spike asked firmly.

�Here.�

Spike turned around and had the stake out of his pocket as he heard the voice of his grandsire at his back.

�Spike! No!� yelled Giles.

Angel had taken several steps away and Spike lowered the stake. He glanced at his grandsire�s face and then back to Giles. �What did you do?�

Giles glared at him. �Later.�

He got up, pushed past Spike and walked to Angel who was still staring at Spike with wide frightened eyes.

�Angel,� he said softly.

The dark vampire�s eyes left Spike and met Giles�.

�Are you all right? I�m sorry if you were scared.�

Spike�s derisive snort earned him a dirty look from Giles.

�Did you want me for something?� Giles asked Angel gently. Spike saw him rubbing his hand on the vampire�s arm.

�You said to come to get you when it�s time that the rescues are fed,� replied Angel meekly.

Spike�s mouth fell open as he heard Angel. Where was the aggressive, assertive demon that had bullied him since he had been turned by Drusilla? Another look from Giles made him think better of saying anything.

�I�m a little busy right now, Angel. Why don�t you go and get all the blood ready and I�ll be there in a few minutes, all right?�

Angel nodded and smiled.

�Don�t feed them until I get there. Remember the last time you fed them on your own,� cautioned Giles.

Angel grunted and stared at his hand. �They bite.�

Spike was horrified to see that his grandsire was missing most of his little finger on his left hand.

�Yes,� replied Giles. �They bite. I won�t be long.�

�Okay,� said Angel. He smiled at Spike. �Goodbye,� he added politely.

He was gone before Spike could get himself together enough to reply. He turned to face Giles.

�I reckon I might need that drink now.�

Giles gestured for Spike to sit and poured another for himself before he also sat and handed the whiskey to Spike. He waited until Spike had taken a mouthful before he spoke.

�After I left you, I tricked Angel and managed to get him into one of the cages. But I made a catastrophic mistake.� He paused and swirled the liquor in the glass. �Despite him using a very sophisticated glamour to hide his abuse of you, I never gave a thought to the fact that he knew magics.�

Spike took another gulp.

He was in the cage for precisely thirty minutes. When I went back up after I�d discovered you had run away��

Spike wanted to protest that he hadn�t run away � it sounded so weak � but that was exactly what he had done, so he said nothing.

�I found the cage empty and the vampire that Angel had just rescued, dusted near the bars of his cage. I presumed that Angel had gone to hunt you down. I always thought that he had probably killed you before he was captured.�

�Captured?� Spike�s voice came out a croak.

Giles wearily ran a hand over his face and nodded. �The Initiative found him just three blocks from here. He killed two soldiers despite the chip, before they subdued him.�

Spike shuddered. �How��

�How do I know? Luckily an ex rescue saw it and came to tell me about it.�

�But��

Spike couldn�t take it in. He�d seen what they did to escapees in there. He drained his glass in one go and hissed as it seared. Wordlessly Giles poured Spike another.

�Did they�How did�� Spike gave up.

�We�ve got a contact on the inside now and he managed to arrange an �escape� but not before�� Giles closed his eyes and Spike suddenly wished that he�d never come back. He didn�t want to hear this. �But not before they castrated him.�

�Christ.�

�He had nothing to do with it,� said Giles. �Our contact got him out before his foot was mutilated. They hadn�t done it when he was gelded as he�d passed out from the pain and they didn�t want him unconscious when it was done. They left him his ability to speak simply so that they could hear him scream.�

Spike felt sick and was glad that he was sitting down. �B-Buffy said that they dusted vamps who were�who were�� He looked helplessly at Giles, unable to say the words.

�Ordinarily we do, but Buffy wouldn�t hear of it. So we did the only other option left to us.�

Giles took off his glasses and slowly polished them despite them being already spotless.

�Willow accessed the chip. She reprogrammed him into what you see now. A rather benign creature. Unaware of his past.�

�She took his memories? Like the bastards took mine! I got them back � if he does and he knows he�s been�that he�s...�

Giles held up his hand. �Not like you, Spike. She has made his intellect lower, his expectations lower. He�s like a brain-damaged child and there is no chance of that changing. He�s existing�but��

�But he�d be better off dead,� supplied Spike.

Giles nodded then shook his head. �I don�t know. He is unaware of what he was, Spike. He can�t miss what he doesn�t recall. He genuinely seems content. I had hoped that Buffy would relent and let me dust him when we had to operate, but she was right. It did work. He was better afterwards.�

Spike�s mouth said, �Operate?� although he was positive that he didn�t want it to.

Giles met his eye properly for the first time since the conversation began. �He kept pulling at himself. Making himself sore. So the decision was made to remove it altogether. Once it was gone he settled down.�

Spike leapt up. �Settled down! Fucking hell! You cut his bloody cock off!�

Spike twisted to the side and vomited up the whisky that he�d drunk. He backed away. �What is it with you people? You�re bleeding sick! You�re like them!�

�Spike!� yelled Giles as the vampire fled the room, stake in hand.

Giles raced after him knowing that he had no hope of catching Spike before he got to Angel, his middle-aged gait no comparison to Spike�s vampiric speed. His heart was heavy as he ran along. He was fond of Angel, even though he missed the Angel who had been before.

Spike ran to the room holding the cages. He saw Angel standing near a table with several bags of blood on it. What he didn�t see was the stool sticking out into his path.   He fell headlong, the stake flying out of his grip and landing several yards away.

Spike rolled onto his back, groaned and put a hand to his genitals, he�d landed on them and it hurt like hell. He blinked back tears and saw a huge hand extended towards him. He followed the arm up to its owner. Angel was grinning at him.

�Enjoy the trip? See you next fall!�

Spike stared at him for a moment and then surprised himself by bursting out laughing. Angel joined in and when Spike took his hand, he pulled him to his feet. Spike still held a hand on his bollocks and found it difficult to stand up straight.

�You�re funny,� said Angel.

�Yeah, real funny landing on my bloody bollocks,� grumbled Spike before he realised what he�d said.

Angel didn�t react how he�d expected him to.

�It hurts down there doesn�t it?�

�Wha�� Spike closed his mouth again when he realised that nothing that made sense would come out.

Angel ran a hand over his own groin and Spike felt the bile rise in his throat again. Oh fuck � Christ does everything I say come down to bloody sex! Bloody hell � yeah, that�s better!

�It hurt all the time down there until they took it away. Now it doesn�t anymore.�

Spike swallowed hard. �That�s good,� he said weakly. �Um�did it ever feel good when�er�when you touched it?� What have I just asked? I�m going insane!

Angel shook his head emphatically. �No. All it did was hurt. I kept messing with it even though it hurt. Glad that it�s gone. Got better things to play with now.�

Spike managed to straighten up and felt the urge to put his hands over his ears. He�d heard enough!

�I�ve got a��

Oh, dear God, what is he gonna say.

�Nintendo DS, it�s really cool.�

Spike almost fainted with relief.

�Want to help me feed the vampires? Giles said I can�t do it on my own anymore.�

�Um�okay. Show me what to do, yeah?�

Angel picked up a bag of blood. �My name�s Angel. What�s yours?�

Spike�s voice broke as he told him.

Angel giggled. �That�s a funny name.�

Spike smiled weakly. �I know.�

Giles chose that moment to walk into the room; he�d paused at the door when he�d heard them talking.

Angel�s face lit up. �Giles is here now. He�ll do it with me.�

Spike knew that he�d been dismissed in favour of a familiar face. �Oh, okay. I best be off then.�

He nodded at Giles as he walked by him.

Spike managed to get back to the car before he broke down in tears. Sobbed racked his body as he cried for all that the Initiative had cost them.

Ten minutes later, he was composed enough to drive home. His other visit would have to wait. He needed to get pissed and being pissed outside of his apartment was too dangerous.

He found temporary oblivion at the bottom of a bottle of his old friend, JD.
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The Birthday Present