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Chapter 16

The look Spike cast his way dared the half-breed to say something. Doyle was a smart man – he kept his mouth shut. For the entire ride back to London, the interior of the carriage lay quiet but for the sounds of the wooden wheels rolling over the graveled road. The vampire was silently contemplating his “coming” nuptials while the other tried to make himself invisible so as not to warrant the former’s regard.

In the ensuing quiet, Doyle waited for divine intervention from the Powers as to what in the hell he was supposed to do now. Apparently, he was still needed, or he would have been whisked away as soon as everything was as THEY wanted it. But, he had no clue as to what it might be.

‘A little help here,’ he pleaded, his gaze glancing heavenward in silent entreaty.

The monotonous rumbling of the wooden carriage was his only response. Fine. If that’s the way they wanted to play it…

With a furious frown upon his face, he settled his arms across his chest and leaned back – as best he could – into the plush seat.

Spike glanced at the disgruntled demon and couldn’t help but smirk. It was nice to know he wasn’t the only one having his strings yanked. He could almost feel sorry for the other demon. Almost. But, as what he’d just agreed to do made its presence known, he quickly changed his mind. Misery loved company, and Spike was lonely.

~*~*~*~*~

Rather than face the Slayer and tell her about their forthcoming marriage, he chickened out and dragged Doyle to the club with him. Well, not chickened out. Big Bads weren’t chicken. Far from it. They were mean, and evil, and all with the “grrr.” And, he about smacked himself in the head for his stupid internal ramblings. It’s just…she was in bed, and it was easier to allow the girl to sleep.

Nodding, he realized he was being kind. It was the nice thing to do.

Then he nearly kicked himself… again. Big Bads were not nice either.

Fuck it. He just wanted to get drunk. Wallow in pity at becoming the Powers’ latest bitch. Maybe by downing a few bottles of liquor, he could figure out how to not have them manipulate him so.

As the carriage pulled to a stop before Whitt’s, Spike stepped down, grabbing the half-breed’s arm to make him follow.

“Be back before dawn,” he told the driver before the two ambled towards the entrance.

His presence was noted by several nobles, both human and vampire, as soon as he stepped inside. He left his overcoat with the butler and nodded to several men as he and Doyle made their way towards two vacant chairs, away from the masses. A servant appeared moments after the two settled themselves in their seats, and Spike asked for two glasses of bourbon.

“And bring the bottle,” he growled.

“So, mind telling me what I’m doing here, Spike,” Doyle asked.

“’S easy. You wanted me to marry the bint, so you’re just gonna have to stay around and make sure that I do.”

“Wha? But I thought you said…”

Spike quirked his brow at the other man.

“’M evil, I can always change my mind. You’re here to keep me company and make sure I don’t.”

“Fuck.”

“M’ sentiments exactly.”

Just then, the servant arrived with the tumblers and requested bottle. Doyle beat the vampire to the serving tray and snagged the bottle and an empty glass – quickly filling it to the brim before swigging a healthy dose. The vampire laughed at his gesture, taking the other glass and holding it out for the other demon to fill. Doyle complied, raising his half-filled glass in silent salute.

“Ta’ my forthcoming nuptials,” Spike mumbled sardonically, clinking his glass against the others. Little did he realize that his words managed to carry and news of the Earl’s forthcoming marriage – and a little speculation on who the lucky girl might be – spread through the club like wildfire. Instead, the two demons proceeded to get thoroughly trashed, both lamenting their current situation.

~*~

“Is it me, or is everyone looking at me kinda funny?” Spike slurred some time later. He poured the last of the second bottle of bourbon into his glass and eyed the contents contemplatively.

Doyle glanced around, his blurry eyes taking in the demeanor of several men scattered around the club. His eyes squinted as he tried to bring their faces into focus.

“Dunno,” he replied drunkenly, his Irish brogue heavily pronounced. “Can’t rightly see ‘em. They’re fuzzy.”

Spike snorted. “Bloody lot of good you are, mate. Come on. Sunrise’ll be here in about an hour, we should prolly get ‘ome.”

So saying, the vampire staggered to his feet, weaving slightly until his head stopped spinning. He glanced down at the half-breed as the other tried to make his way to his feet, lost his balance, and tumbled back into his chair.

“Whatsa matter? Can’t hold your liquor, mate?” Spike slurred. Finally, Doyle gained his footing and the two demons stumbled their way through the club towards the exit.

His carriage was waiting out front, as requested, and the two made a spectacle of themselves as they tried to gain the interior.

“Bloody ‘ell, quit movin’, you blasted contraption!” Spike roared at the stationary coach. His hand finally located the handle, latching on and giving a tug downward. The door swung outward towards him nearly knocking him on his ass – the horses didn’t seem to care for the drunken antics of their master and started to prance causing the carriage to shift slightly. Spike nearly had his arm torn from its socket at the sudden movement because he still had a tight grip on the handle. He heard what sounded like snickering coming from behind him and he turned around and pinned Doyle with a glare.

The Bracken demon, in his drunken state, snorted at the vampire’s attempt to look fierce. His eyes widened innocently as Spike finally let go of the handle and moved threateningly towards him. Doyle took the opportunity to hurry around the other side and climb – rather more successfully – into the carriage. Grumbling under his breath about disrespectful demons, Spike also climbed inside.

~*~*~*~*~

“Why do I gotta stay ‘ere again?” Doyle asked drunkenly after almost falling out of the carriage in front of Spike’s townhouse.

“Because, if I’m gonna be miserable, so are you. Besides, ‘m evil remember? You gotta make sure I actually do marry your bloody Slayer.” Spike nodded as if that explanation made perfect sense. “Now come on, I don’t need to become a crispy critter just cuz you can’t ‘old yer liquor and keep falling down all over the place.”

“Fuck. Damn Powers…always messin’ with a man. I could be back home, in real clothes, drinking at a real bar. But no! Instead, I’ve got to wear this pansy-ass getup and baby-sit a damn vamp.” He looked skyward and shouted, “Why am I still here?”

The vampire’s snort was his only answer.

Finally, the two managed to stumble their way up the walk and let themselves inside Spike’s home.

“Come on, I’ll show you where you can sleep it off,” Spike told him as he started his way to the second floor. “You’re about the same size as me, so I’ll get my valet to drop you by a change of clothes.”

Spike walked down the hallway a bit, then stopped before an empty bedroom. He threw the door open and gestured to the half-breed.

“Here ya go, mate. When you wake up, find me in the study and we’ll go over the particulars.” He turned away and moved off towards his own bedroom. Right now, the vampire wanted nothing more than to sleep off the alcohol he’d consumed and pray that today had just been a dream and he’d wake up to find things the status quo.

~*~*~*~*~

Elizabeth, completely unaware that her guardian had returned just hours before she’d risen, sat surrounded by several of the women from the previous days’ social gathering. Even though she maintained an outward calm, inside, she was silently crying. All everyone could seem to discuss was Lord Thornton’s impending nuptials – and who the lucky girl might be.

Only the three vampiresses had any inkling of her feelings, their being aware of the master vampire’s claim, but they were hard-pressed to comfort the girl because, to the humans present, she was just his ward, albeit one of a marriageable age. So, Elizabeth smiled when she was supposed to and answered truthfully, if somewhat somberly that no, she wasn’t aware of who his intended might be.

A few hours later, her guests finally left. Celeste stopped before exiting and invited her to an early dinner party her father, the Duke of Rutherford, was having for a few close friends. Elizabeth, unsure about attending, hesitated a moment in answering, and it was her chaperone that replied that they would be there. The young girl looked relieved at her acceptance before hurrying down the steps, her own chaperone by her side since her brother had been unavailable to escort her.

Elizabeth turned towards the vampiress and asked, “Do you think that’s wise? Didn’t the Earl want us to stay home?”

Mrs. Rothworth chuckled before grinning like a Cheshire cat. “My dear, he only said yesterday. Nothing was mentioned about today. Besides, we need to whet the ton’s appetite for you and an intimate dinner party will be just the thing.”

Still unsure, but bowing to the older woman’s wisdom, Elizabeth nodded. Then, telling the other that she was going to lay down for a while, she quickly fled up the stairs to wallow in the misery of her vampire lover’s impending marriage.

The vampiress watched the young girl leave and she felt a moment of sadness. Being human, her charge was unused to the ways of vampires. It wasn’t uncommon for vampires to take several lovers, except in the rare instance of a dual claiming – and even then, monogamy wasn’t a guarantee. The girl didn’t realize that just because her guardian was getting married didn’t mean that he wouldn’t still come to her – she was his to do with as he wanted. His claim on her saw to that. She just worried about how the girl was going to respond; she’d already argued about the master vampire being hers, and the vampiress could see where the girl was coming from. In the short time she’d been around her, she’d come to enjoy her wit and childlike innocence – so rare for her nowadays. She’d hate to see the girl punished over something so contrived as a bit of jealousy. Although, with the peculiarities the master vampire exhibited, who’s to say that he would actually punish the girl for not being aware of her place?

Shoving those thoughts aside, she sought her own room. She, also, could do with a nap, as this was normally the time when she would sleep.

~*~*~*~*~

The sun had just set when the two women left the townhouse for the short ride to the Duke of Rutherford’s dinner party. When they arrived, the coachman pulled to a halt to allow the Duke’s servants to open the coach doors and assist the women to the ground. Elizabeth was taken aback by the amount of carriages lining the drive.

“I thought it was supposed to be a small gathering,” she whispered in an aside to the vampiress as the two made their way towards the front door.

“Child, he’s a Duke. Fifty people is a small gathering to him.”

“Maybe we should go back…I’m not ready…I don’t know…” she paused in her steps, uncertain.

“Now, none of that. You look lovely and you’re going to astound them with your grace and poise – both human and vampire alike. And, I’ll keep the masses away with my overbearing duenna act so that they can look but not touch. We don’t want the ton knowing too much about you yet.”

Realizing she had no choice in the matter, Elizabeth allowed herself to be led inside. She smiled somewhat when she saw Celeste waiting for her, and nearly breathed a sigh of relief when the girl rushed over, grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the throng of people gathered near the entrance.

“I’m so glad you came, Elizabeth,” the girl exclaimed once the two were alone. “My brother got out of attending and I’m probably the only one here not over two score years. If you hadn’t come, I would have been bored to near tears!”

“Well, I’m glad I could keep you from the boredom,” Elizabeth responded before the two dissolved into giggles, momentarily forgetting her upset in the other girl’s presence.

~*~*~*~*~

Spike woke two hours after the Slayer had left – the excessive amounts of alcohol he’d consumed and the short amounts of sleep he’d been getting since being thrust into this time period had tapped his reserves until his body had shut down in protest. He lay in bed, unmoving for a moment, as he waited for the drums banging around in his head to quiet. Groaning quietly, he vowed – not for the first time – to never get quite that drunk anymore.

Once the pain subsided somewhat, his other senses kicked in, and he inhaled deeply as the scent of free blood filled his nostrils. He turned slowly to his right and nearly licked his lips as he eyed the glass filled to the rim resting on his nightstand. A shaky hand reached out to grab the sustenance, bringing it to his lips to down the contents in one long gulp.

His bloodlust momentarily slaked, Spike climbed out of bed. His nude body glistened in the firelight, the taut muscles rippled along his legs and ass as he made his way toward the bath beckoning in the corner. With a grateful sigh, he slipped down in the heated water until his head was able to rest upon the ledge – his eyes closed in pleasure as the hot water heated his skin. A reluctant smile graced his lips when he realized that soon he’d have the Slayer’s body to keep him warm as he slept.

Finished with his toilet and now that the water had started to cool, he reluctantly pulled himself from the tub and snagged the towel from the chair. His manservant still hadn’t shown himself, having been told in no uncertain terms that he was more than capable of bathing and dressing himself. When Travis had started to object, sensing that he was about to lose his position, Spike had relented and told him that he could still have everything prepared and laid out for him. His servant agreed wholeheartedly, once more secure in his position, and the two had settled into a routine.

Finally dressed, Spike let himself out of his room and made his way to the lower level and his study. As he passed by the room he had given the half-breed, he grimaced when he realized he couldn’t hear the other still inside. He’d probably never hear the end of it from the other demon. But, to his credit, he’d drunk far more and he bet he’d had far less sleep than the other these last few days.

The vampire stepped inside his study and felt better when he saw the condition of the other man. Although freshly bathed and dressed, the demon still looked worse for wear after his drinking binge. Doyle was reclined, somewhat, on the chaise lounge situated near the fireplace holding a drink in his hand. Spike watched as he took small sips from the liquid as if fearing that the contents may not stay in his unsettled stomach. Chuckling, he fixed himself his own drink and took a seat behind his desk.

“Remind me to never drink with you again,” Doyle groaned. “Just kill me please.”

“Killing you would end your suffering, and ‘m evil, remember?”

“Fuck you, Spike.”

The blond vampire cocked his eyebrow at that remark.

“What?” Doyle remarked at the other’s astonished look. “Oh please. You’re not going to kill me and you know it. You like having me around.”

“Look… just because we had a few drinks…”

“Oh, stuff it.” In too much misery – his head was pounding unmercifully and he’d spent the past hour dry-heaving so that there was absolutely nothing left in his stomach – to care about the vampire’s protestations, Doyle cut him off. Truth be told, he actually liked the vampire; he had a wicked sense of humor, even if it was a tad on the macabre side, and he could play a mean game of chess. And for all his outlandish pre time-travel attire, the vampire could speak intelligently on any number of topics. “You know I’m right. It’s probably why the damn Powers have kept me here.”

Spike refused to agree with the demon even if he may be right. Ignoring his comment, he changed the topic to his forthcoming nuptials.

“We’re gonna have to do something about her parents,” Spike commented.

The abrupt change of topic momentarily confused Doyle causing him to just utter a, “huh?”

“Her parents, you git. If she agrees…when she agrees… to marry me, she’s gonna want her parents here.”

“Oh hell.”

“Yeah. So, we’re gonna hafta’ tell her somethin’. That can be your job.”

“Wha? My job? Why does it have to be my job?” Doyle whined.

“Because, it’ll be my job to comfort her afterwards when you inevitably fuck it up.”

“Gee, thanks! Wait…so, what am I going to tell her?”

“I don’t know. Ask your bloody Powers, they seem to have all the answers so far.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Come on, it’s getting late, I’m sure dinner is about to be served. You can say hello to the Slayer and meet her chaperone.”

Doyle looked a little green around the gills at the mention of food, but managed to pull himself to his feet nonetheless. Maybe he would just smell it, rather than eat it. Right now, he didn’t think his stomach could handle anything but the small sips of brandy he’d been consuming for the past hour or so.

Upon walking into the formal dining room, Spike was surprised to see only two places set at the rather long table. Figuring cook didn’t realize he’d returned – although it seemed highly unlikely given the gossipy nature of the staff – he told Doyle to take a seat while he walked towards the door leading into the kitchen.

Mrs. Wadsworth, the cook who’d followed him to the city, gasped slightly at having her domain suddenly invaded by Lord Thornton.

“I see there are only two place settings on the table, Mrs. Wadsworth. Did word not reach you that I’d returned?”

“Oh, yes, m’lord. That’s why there are two place settings.”

“I’m not following…”

“See, your ward and her chaperone left for the Duke of Rutherford’s for a small dinner party about two hours ago. I knew you and your guest would be wanting to eat, so I cooked up something special just for you two.”

Spike didn’t say anything, just turned around on his heels and left the spacious kitchen. Out of range of the cook, he let his temper get the best of him, causing Doyle to react as his demon momentarily sprung forth.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Doyle asked. He’d yet to see the master vampire truly angry, having taken off before seeing Spike’s reaction to his pronouncement that he’d be stuck in the past for a while, so he was somewhat scared. For the life of him, Doyle couldn’t figure out what the vampire would be so furious about – and there was no doubt the vampire was mad, stalking to his chair with barely concealed rage, the muscles in his neck pronounced as he clenched his teeth together.

“Nothing that won’t be dealt with once they return,” Spike ground out.

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