Title: Hyperion

Author: Joy

Email: SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com

A/N: Thank you for the feedback. After the fact that only one person responded to chapter thirteen I felt I needed to say something. We are moving locations… For the person that said get them out of Caritas already, this change is for you.

A/N2: Warning: Will contain some explanations that will sound a lot like Anita Blake.

Angel and Spike sat back down at the table with each of their girls. Wesley and Gunn had been vying for Fred's attention for most of the evening. Fred for her part just remained oblivious, thinking nothing of the affection she was receiving. A general sound of pain came from both men as each decided to sneak an arm around Fred only to end up hitting each other's elbows.

Dawn giggled but took in the sight of both guys 'fighting' over Fred. She watched everyone at the table snuggle up to their loves. "Love is cool," Dawn said dreamily and glanced at Wolf sweetly and slightly bashful.

Spike looked over the situation and decided fun for the night was then over. "Can we get out of here?" he whispered to Buffy. "I want the boy on my own turf."

Wolf tried not to look startled. He wanted to keep his heightened hearing and smelling a secret for a little longer. From the general briefing Dawn had given him, he was pretty sure Spike could hurt him. Never having been told for sure he was demonic but knowing in his bones he wasn't quite human, Wolf was a little more then afraid going into this father / boyfriend talk.

"It's not your turf," Buffy whispered. "It's Angel's."

"Yes, but at least at the Hyperion there are riding crops and chains if I need to make point stronger," Spike answered. He soon smelt the fear on Wolf. Wolf had been listening…he could hear them in whispers… not a human quality. Spike began to smirk. "This is going to be fun." Wolf stared in wide-eye wonder at the vampire who was planning to chain him to the wall to make a point. Wolf only hoped he could win the man over before the whip came out.

"Stop that!" Buffy insisted. "He IS the boy from my dream. He IS the one Dawn is destiny to be with. Now if he should take advantage of that, then you can rip his throat out…" Buffy stopped to gaze at Spike's wide smile. His fangs began to extend and he slightly snarled. "Until he gives us reason to mistrust him… there'll be no chains or ridding crops."

Spike got in close to Buffy's ear, "Not even for us to play?"

"I swear whenever you demon comes out even a little, you're so horny," she muttered as she stroked his hair to pull him closer to her neck.

"No fair pet. Can't let me get that close to your neck and expect me to stay sane. Now we have to leave for other reasons," he answered.

"I want to go back to the hotel," Anya griped. "Between the music and watching Buffy and Spike becoming active in front of me… Well I need a bed, fast."

Xander smiled weakly at the people surrounding them. "Sweetie, once again with the proper places to say things. We'll work on what else could've been said later."

"Hay, I wouldn't mind heading home too," Willow said to give Anya a break and Buffy an excuse.

"We really should put the baby to bed," Cordelia offered. "Let's head out."

"I guess… I guess this is good bye then," Dawn whispered to Wolf, with timidity in her eyes. Wolf brought his hand to her cheek to caress it.

"Oh no," Spike interrupted. "He's coming with us."

Wolf was terrified and excited. The prospects of staying up all night talking to Dawn… and to be honest kissing Dawn, would more then cover whatever Spike would do to him. "Sure…" Wolf looked directly into Spike's eyes. "Just let me call my parents to let them know where I am… They're probably going to want to speak to an adult that I'll be staying with," Wolf offered.

"Your parents would let you come here, but you have to get permission to come over to the Hyperion?" Spike asked.

Wolf nodded, "They know I'm here and they know Lorn. Once I started spending time here, my mother insisted meeting him. My father knew the club and the safety spell, so he had no objection… I suggest you not mention you're a vampire. Dad doesn't like vampires."

"Not many people do," Spike smirked.

"I do," Dawn said hugging Spike from behind.

"Yes, and that is why I worry for you," Spike addressed Dawn. He turned to Wolf, "Maybe we should have Buffy talk to them… Slayer might be better at this."

"No… I'd really like you to do it," Wolf said softly.

There was something in the boy's manner that took his hostility toward him down a notch. "Sure," he answered.

The two walked toward the bar. "I need the phone Lorn," Spike said gruffly.

"Calling his mom?" Lorn asked.

"Yeah."

"Been taken care of… I called about ten minutes after Dawn and Wolf met," Lorn said calmly. Both men stared at their green friend. "Look, I knew they were destined to be together… I also knew that you would be a handful, so I took it upon myself to set this up…" Lorn said to Spike then turned to Wolf, "Your parents will pick you up at seven o'clock tomorrow evening. Your father insisted on Dawn, Buffy and Spike to have dinner with them." Wolf open and closed his mouth in shock. "Apparently you weren't the only one dreaming about Dawn… I tried to explain the whole Slayer/Vampire thing to Ulrich, but I'm not sure he's going to believe it until he sees for himself."

"Ulrich. Your father's name is Ulrich?" Spike looked at the boy, as he nodded. Spike turned his attention to Lorn, "Is there a clan in this part of LA?"

Lorn cleared his throat and began to speak in Fiorle to Spike, "His father hasn't told him anything… He was beaten to an inch of his life when he was thirteen for his violet eyes… From there out, when ever he's in serious danger he changes but he has no context for what it means… Ulrich wanted to wait to expose him to his clan until Wolf was eighteen."

Spike answered in the demonic tongue, "So this kid is trying to live in the world with some knowledge but no background… Bloody hell, now I don't feel like chaining him to the wall anymore."

Wolf looked on in wonder and finally interrupted, "Hey this isn't fair. You're talking about me in front of me in some language I don't know."

Spike looked the lost boy in the eye but spoke to Lorn, "What can't I say?"

"Ulrich realized the ground rules on dating would be different under the circumstances. You're allowed to explain things to him or you can wait until tomorrow night when he was going to tell his son… I think it might be better to tell him your self. You can be the one he looks to for answers…Yoda thing and all."

Wolf looked at Lorn, "I caught Yoda but that was it."

Spike sighed loudly, "Come on kid. We have a lot to talk about besides Dawn… I'm going to explain a few things to you." Spike put his arm around the kid's neck and lead him away.

"What would that be?" Wolf asked.

"Answer several questions you've had about yourself for a while."

"What's going on?" Dawn asked with fear but conviction as well.

"LilBit," Spike said soothingly. "We're going to have dinner with Wolf's parents tomorrow night. Tonight, Wolf and I are going to get to know each other better."

"Don't you bully him…or go fangy…or chain him to the wall," she answered shaking her finger at him.

"Nibblet, I think we can come to an understanding without anything you listed," Spike said stroking her cheek. Wolf let out the breath he was holding. Spike smirked, "I knew you could hear me…so I played it up." He completely lied but he put Wolf at ease.

"Come on guys… Sleep…Sex," Anya motioned to the door.

"What is up with her?" Wolf asked Dawn.

"She was a vengeance demon for several centuries," she answered.

Wolf still looked confused, so Buffy stepped in, "All that energy she used to wreak havoc with is now sexual energy. Xander seems to like it okay." Wolf blushed mightily and stared at his feet. Buffy turned around to see Spike. She mouthed, "See, we have nothing to worry about."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ride over to the Hyperion was uneventful…not slaying or demonic attack. Sitting in the back of the Desoto, not seeing Spike's reflection definitely weirded Wolf out but he got to hold hands with Dawn. She played with his fingers, touching him so lightly that he had to repress a snarl as his hairs stood on end. "Don't worry kid," Spike said with a smile. "You are amongst those who hear growling regularly. An appropriate volume is always good though." Dawn stilled her hand. "Nibblet, point of knowledge…shape shifters are very tactile. You should probably not play with his hand that way unless you want him to get snarly…like I do when Buffy nips or out right bites my neck," he explained.

Dawn just entwined their fingers and put her head on his shoulder. "Shape shifter?" Wolf asked.

"You may not know what you are but I do… Shape shifters normally have a clan that they stick to…normally their animal… You're kind of an orphan right now," Spike said quietly.

"Kind of like you," Dawn said sweetly.

"Yeah, I guess," Spike agreed looking at his little girl.

"So was that what you and Lorn were talking about?" Wolf asked very bewildered.

"Partly, but mainly why you were left in the dark and if I was allowed to share."

Buffy looked at him smirking, "Well looky here… Spike is actually caring about someone's feelings that isn't connected to me."

Spike growled, "Connected to Dawn." Buffy smiled and stoked the back of his hair.

"So wait… You said something about wolves and nuzzling… You had to know something," Buffy looked back at Wolf.

"Nuzzling…Who was nuzzling?" Spike growled.

Wolf's eyes went wide seeing how very protective Spike really was. Buffy tugged on Spike's sleeve. "Nothing to get worried about," she cooed. "You were on stage singing to Dawn and Wolf sang along to her. He rubbed his face on her neck…that's it."

"Okay, explain what else that would mean?" Wolf asked trying to grasp Spike's reaction.

The older man sighed, "Nuzzling in the a wolf clan would be the process of claiming a mate… I shouldn't have over reacted. You don't know anything about this."

"How do you?" he asked simply.

"You don't smell any different from a human because you are mainly human. Therefore, there has been more then one time that I've attacked a person who then changed into an animal," Spike answered. "You brass off someone important in the clan…they'll come for you with reinforcements… Been attacked by a group of wolves once. Not a fun time. Wounds take so much longer to heal from a shape shifter… And before you ask, I don't know why that is… Your father will. He could tell you."

"He hasn't told me this much… Why would he answer that question?" Wolf said sadly. Dawn switched positions slightly, allowing Wolf to lay his head on her shoulder as she stroked his hair. Buffy smiled knowing Dawn had picked that up from her.

"Look… There are a few weird things about your family," Spike said slowly. "Ulrich isn't normally a name…it's more of a title. Second, if that is his title it's highly unusual for him to be allowed to marry a human woman… Having you with a human would bring a lot of stress into any clan even if he weren't the Ulrich. Have you ever heard your father call your mother Luppa?"

"No…"

"Luppa is the head female in a clan… She is the mate of the Ulrich," Spike explained.

Buffy looked at him confused, "Timeout, you know way more about this then general knowledge of wolf clans…"

"Not in front of the children," Spike ground out. Buffy put on the well-known resolve face the Scoobies were mastered with each other. "Fine, Dru drugged a Luppa once and brought her home… She was a nice a great lady. When Dru had one of her spells, Luppa and I chatted about each other's customs"

"You're leaving something out," Buffy smirked.

"Tell you later…doesn't pertain to this conversation," Spike stated clearly.

"Fine."

Wolf and Dawn switched head positions back as Dawn began to fall asleep.

"We'll table this conversation until we arrive, alright," Spike addressed Wolf.

"Sure," Wolf said. "I'll just hold my Sleeping Beauty," he whispered before kissing her cheek.