Disclaimer: Ronan and Casey are mine. Everything else belongs to Joss… Thanks for creating them!
Category: Friendship
Rating: PG
Summery: The guys sit around the kitchen table and talk. This comes between chapters 5 and 6 in the series. (Right after “Loving the Grandsire”)
Dedication: To my brother Jan, and to Jock, who gave me the idea in the first place.
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Ever since Spike had watched Willow care for her cousin, the question of children had laid unsettled in his mind. He’d personally been taking time to research the matter. He’d even gone so far as to contact Giles, asking that when they finally had the problem of Angelus’ soul out of the way, if they could help.
He’d sensed that Willow was becoming aware of his uneasiness and wanted to know what was wrong, but Spike also knew that the redhead wouldn’t ask, allowing for him to come to her when he was ready. The subject was exhausting him though, and he knew that he would soon have to tell her what he was thinking. If he didn’t he’d most likely go mad.
Sitting at the kitchen table with a book on demon mating he attempted to learn how other demons dealt with the inability to bare offspring. Some of the options seemed even too vile for Spike: drinking Fungus demon urine, while others seemed unappreciated: eating part of the mate’s reproductive system. There was no way he was injuring or hurting his Willow in any way.
“Hey dad.” Spike winced at Ronan’s voice. “You want a cup of blood?”
What do we have? Spike asked, his appetite growing at the mare mention of nourishment.
“Cow, pig, and Xander.”
“Childe, don’t call the O-negative Xander. It ruins the appetite.” Spike told him.
“Yes, sire.” Ronan said playfully.
“I’ll have the O-neg.”
“Xander coming right up.” Ronan pushed with a grin.
“Where am I going?” Xander strode into the kitchen and sat across from Spike.
Ronan held the bag of blood up and Spike snorted.
“I’ll have you know my blood is a delicacy.” Xander told Spike.
“Yeah,” Spike countered, “to the starving vampire who has nothing else.”
“Hey!” Xander yelled back.
Ronan’s laughter broke the two up, as he placed the mugs on the table and threw a bag of Doritos at Xander who thanked him. “What are you reading?” Ronan asked Spike, taking a sip of his blood.
“Tunbridge’s guide to demon mating.” Spike answered.
“Why, what’s up?” Xander asked.
“Well, I’ve seen Willow with Casey, and I’ve been thinking that maybe…”
“Maybe…” Xander edged him on.
“That maybe there might be a way for Willow to have children of our own.”
The room was silent as they thought. Finally it was Ronan who spoke up. “A vampire having offspring. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it.”
“I haven’t heard it either.” Spike’s frown told them what he felt.
“It’ll take a lot of research, but we might come up with something. Perhaps one of the codex’s or the more obscure literature-”
“No need.” Xander cut in.
“No need?” Spike looked at Xander oddly.
Xander sighed and then said: “I’m not supposed to tell you. Wills was going to, but with Angelus’ reappearance and Casey, it’s been busy and she hasn’t gotten round to it.”
“Round to what?” Spike was impatient.
“Willow has a way for the two of you to have children. Athena gave it to her. It’s like this potion that you have to sip right before. It’ll make you fertile or something. I wasn’t really paying attention, I was kinda stuck on the fact of Willow’s having sex.” He made a disgusting sound that made Spike and Ronan laugh.
However, much relieved in the matter Spike picked up his mug and took a large gulp. “How are we doing on my grandsire’s soul searching?”
“Giles located the Rom.” Ronan said. He said that he’d let us know when he knew more.”
Spike nodded taking another sip. “And Casey, how’s she settling in?”
This time it was Xander who replied. “Really well. Willow called her parents, who agreed to let her stay with us. We’ll enrol her into Sunnydale High tomorrow morning when we go back to school.”
“Speaking of school,” Ronan began, “how far behind are you?”
“About four days.”
“Don’t you need to study to catch up?”
“Why, if I’m surrounded by nerds?” Xander playfully jested.
“Hey! I resent that!”
“No harm.” Xander chuckled. “I only meant that between Willow, Anya, and you, I’ll be caught up in no time. I may even be ahead. God, what would my teachers think if I reached honor roll?” He joked.
Spike and Ronan laughed. The three of them sat in silence for a while. Then Ronan got up and went to wash out his mug. “I promised Casey I’d read to her, and I got her this great copy of ‘Evelina’ by Frany Burney.”
Spike watched him almost skip out of the kitchen. “He’s in love with her.”
“Madly.” Xander agreed. “He thinks she’s too young though.” He laughed.
“He’ll figure it out soon enough.” Spike said. Then he saw Xander get up. “Where are you going?”
Xander pulled out a bag of blood to heat it up. “Gotta feed out vampire hostage, then Willow wants to see me for some ketchup math.”
Spike looked into his mug and then drank down the remaining blood. After Xander left he went to clean out his own mug. Everyone was busy. Xander, Anya, and Willow were working; Ronan was reading to Casey; even Angelus was busy doing nothing but maybe brooding in their basement. At least when he was researching demon offspring he had something. He could go to the club, but they hadn’t called for help and Spike wanted to stay home in case something happened and Angelus got free. His worst fear was to come home to find everyone slaughtered and Ronan dusted. Spike never ever wanted to go through that. Drusilla’s death had been enough for him. Anything else, anyone else, and he might go psychotic.
Just then the phone rang and Spike picked up. “’Lo?”
“Spike? It’s Giles.”
“’Ello watcher. What can I do for you?”
“We got it.”
“What?”
“I have the restoration spell. We can bring Angel back.”
END
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