Chapter Two: Renewed Pressure

Spike bit back a groan as he came out of his room and spotted his mother waiting for him. His father was in the living room, his attention firmly focused on the television, never even wavering towards his son. The elder man was a strong believer in the silent treatment, hence the reason Spike hadn't had so much as word from his father in months, maybe years. In the wake of the Eco-Terror bombings, it was much, much worse, with his father actively turning away from his son, refusing to grant Spike even a glance.

Spike's mother, on the other hand, appeared to have decided that words were her best weapon, wielding them with desperate precision against her son. "You see how your father suffers, Michelangelo?" she began, fixing him with a stern, pleading look. "He wonders if he will outlive his son, with no one to look after us in our old age."

It was useless to argue, but Spike tried anyway. "Mamá, I have a good job, with good teammates," he pointed out. "We make a difference, we help people. Isn't that what you and Papá taught me to do?"

"You have a brighter future, Michelangelo," Mamá replied, her eyes still wide and pleading. "There are better jobs…safer jobs. For the sake of your parents, could you not do one of those?"

At times like these, Spike really wished he could tell them the truth…that he was actually safer than most cops were because he and his team had magical backup; he wished he could tell them that Lou hadn't survived in a freak, one-in-a-million, Hail Mary maneuver. He wished he could tell them that Lou had been saved by a young wizard so determined not to lose anyone else that he'd broken more than a few laws to save Lou's life. But he couldn't, so he sighed and shook his head at his mother. "Mamá, you know I love you and Papá, but I can't leave my friends, my teammates. We make a difference, we keep the peace, we make everyone safer."

"You will die," Mamá cried, wringing her hands, "You will leave us all alone, with no one to care for us." On the couch, Papá shifted, but did not look towards his son. "Please, Michelangelo, do not do that to us. Find a better job, a young lady of your own, give us grandchildren to spoil."

Spike cringed at her words. Sure, he wanted a family of his own, someday in the distant future, but he wasn't going to change who he was just to make his parents happy. Then he wouldn't be the son they'd raised, the son they'd been proud of…right up until he'd gone to the academy and become a cop. Unable to face arguing with his mother and enduring his father's stony silence any more today, he fled for the door and his car.


Of course, once in his car and away from his stressful home situation, Spike was faced with the dilemma of where to go. He wasn't scheduled for work, as the whole team was off until the Boss could walk a straight line and keep from flinching at every noise in a two-block radius. He could go in and use the workout room, but that didn't appeal at all to a man who only worked out because he had to. Plus, he'd been chivied in the day before by Ed, who wasn't about to let their Boss come back to a out-of-shape team.

The bomb tech considered heading to a bar or corner shop to drown his sorrows in beer or coffee, but that didn't appeal either. What he needed, really needed, was someone to vent to, someone who would listen to all his troubles and woes without judging. Lou came to mind, but when Spike called his apartment, Lou's mother – visiting ever since the Eco-Terror bombings – apologetically told the tech that Lou had headed out early that morning for parts unknown. Spike tried Lou's cell phone, but it went straight to voicemail.

For lack of a better plan, Spike pulled into a parking lot right by a city park and sat there for several minutes, watching the kids play in the playground. He smiled wistfully, remembering the days when he'd come here with his parents, running around and getting into plenty of mischief. Spike let out a sigh at the memories, slumping down a little in his seat, the memory of his 'illusion' from the Isle of the Blessed coming to mind; his parents supportive and accepting of his job and his teammates. It hadn't been real, he knew that, but sometimes…sometimes he wished it was real.

He loved his job, loved his parents even more and trying to choose between them felt like ripping his heart and soul in half. How could he give up either part of his family? Sure, being Team One's bomb tech had started out as just a job – his dream job, sure, but still just a job. But somewhere along the line it had stopped being 'just a job' and started to feel like home, like family. Lou was a large part of that; he'd been the first Spike had really latched onto, the first he'd related to, but the rest of his team had swiftly followed, becoming family in every sense of the word.

Family… he turned the word over in his mind, considering another option, another possible destination. At first, the idea of going there was a bad one, the man had more than enough to deal with as it was, he didn't need Spike's problems on top of his own. But Spike was feeling alone and bereft enough that it didn't take long to reconsider; after all, what did he have to lose by asking? Plus, maybe he could get an update on how long it might be before Team One was back at work, saving lives and keeping the peace.

Decision made, Spike started his car again and put it in gear. He pulled out, heading to an apartment complex only a few kilometers away. Once there, he parked and opted to trek up the stairs, nerves mounting the closer he got. He paused at the door, drawing a deep breath to fortify himself, then rang the doorbell. Here goes nothing.