Disclaimers and warnings in chapter one.
As always, a huge thanks to Wesleys Girl for the beta. :)
**
exit light
enter night
take my hand
off to never never land
something's wrong, shut the light
heavy thoughts tonight
and they aren't of snow white
-Enter Sandman, Metallica
**
"What the hell are you on about, kid?" Spike was glaring down at Little Wesley angrily. "Forgiveness for what?"
The child shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not your guide." He slipped his hand familiarly into Wesley's with a smile.
"Oh, that's just bloody perfect." Spike threw his hands up, still glaring, and then shoved them into his pockets. "Right as fuckin' rain, that. Watcher-boy there gets to prance off happy as can be, and I'm stuck here in a bloody stuffy house with nothing to do but wallow in my misery, s'that it?" Wesley shot him a fairly nasty look, and Spike backed down a bit. "Sorry. But this is bloody irritatin'." He turned his attention back to the child. "I mean, honestly, what the hell am I doin' here in this house with him? It's a mistake is what it is."
Little Wesley reached over and patted Spike lightly on the arm. "We should go out. You look like you could use a drink." He eased a hand from Spike's pocket and clasped it lightly, pulling the two men out of the room.
Spike threw an uncertain look at Wesley over the child's head, and Wesley just sent one of the same back at him, having decided that it'd be best to go along with the remotely familiar in this place. They walked quickly back down the hall and down the stairs, and Wesley couldn't resist one more glance back at the God-awful closet underneath the stairway. When he looked back at Spike, the vampire gave him a slightly worried smile.
Spike stopped short when they reached the door, pulling his hand away from Little Wesley's. "You tryin' ta kill me, too? That's not exactly how I'd imagine this'd go."
Little Wesley just beamed up at him and threw the door open, bathing them all in almost painfully bright sunshine. Spike yelped and jumped back and Wesley quickly shut the door. Little Wesley just giggled brightly and clapped his hands.
"What in the bloody fucking hell d'you think you're doing?" Spike yelled, slipping into his vampire features and baring his fangs at the child.
"Oh, it didn't hurt," Little Wesley contended, stepping past Wesley and opening the door once again. "It's not even real sunshine." He took Spike's hand and held it in the light his smile growing when nothing caught on fire. "See?"
Spike looked from the boy to Wesley in amazement and then stepped completely into the light. "I'll be damned," he said softly, and Wesley couldn't help but notice how good Spike looked when he really smiled like that.
Little Wesley stepped outside, still holding Spike's hand and reaching out for Wesley's. "On the way at last," he said brightly, and they started down the street.
Outside the house the world was nothing like anything Wesley could remember seeing. It looked like what could pass as a normal neighborhood, but the houses were set about very haphazardly. There were large ones and small ones; some were very old and still others seemed quite new. He recognized some of them; they were houses he'd grown up with and lived in.
A look at Spike's face told Wesley that the vampire was recognizing many of the places as well. His expression was dark and his eyes were flickering nervously, as if he were afraid of the shadows.
Little Wesley began to skip a little, humming to himself and pulling the two adults with him. A few moments later he led them down a darker street, which ended with a small, dodgy looking building. A sputtering neon sign simply advertised the place as "Pub." Wesley sighed softly; despite his confusion and the oddity of their situation, he very much doubted that getting drunk would help to accomplish anything. Little Wesley gave his hand a tight, comforting squeeze right then, and Wesley couldn't help but wonder about the child's psychic abilities.
Spike let go of Little Wesley's hand with a muttered "Thank God" when they reached the pub, and he quickly pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Wesley followed him, also letting go of the child. He was completely enveloped in darkness when he stepped through the door, and he automatically stuck his hand out, searching for something to hold on to.
He quickly found Spike's arm. He recognized the feel of the vampire's leather jacket, and Wesley worked his hand down the arm he'd found until he could wrap his fingers around Spike's wrist. He stepped up close to the other man, wondering where their miniature counterpart had gone.
"Can you see anything at all?" he whispered softly into Spike's ear.
"Naw. Gettin' kinda sick of this dark cramped room stuff, though." Wes felt Spike turn a bit so that his side was pressed firmly against Wesley. It seemed almost like a comforting touch, and Wes found that he was quite grateful for it. "Where'd your mini-me get off to, then?"
Wesley shrugged and felt around behind him, finding nothing. "I've no idea. He was here a moment ago." He was about to let go of Spike and feel around a bit more when a door opened, casting dull light over the two of them.
"William?" A soft, feminine voice spilled over them, and Wesley felt Spike stiffen. He couldn't see anyone beyond the doorway, but the voice persisted. "William, come in here."
"Who is that?" Wesley asked softly, his eyes trained on the mysterious room beyond.
Spike swallowed thickly and waited a moment before answering. When he did, his voice was barely audible.
"Cecily."
As always, a huge thanks to Wesleys Girl for the beta. :)
**
exit light
enter night
take my hand
off to never never land
something's wrong, shut the light
heavy thoughts tonight
and they aren't of snow white
-Enter Sandman, Metallica
**
"What the hell are you on about, kid?" Spike was glaring down at Little Wesley angrily. "Forgiveness for what?"
The child shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not your guide." He slipped his hand familiarly into Wesley's with a smile.
"Oh, that's just bloody perfect." Spike threw his hands up, still glaring, and then shoved them into his pockets. "Right as fuckin' rain, that. Watcher-boy there gets to prance off happy as can be, and I'm stuck here in a bloody stuffy house with nothing to do but wallow in my misery, s'that it?" Wesley shot him a fairly nasty look, and Spike backed down a bit. "Sorry. But this is bloody irritatin'." He turned his attention back to the child. "I mean, honestly, what the hell am I doin' here in this house with him? It's a mistake is what it is."
Little Wesley reached over and patted Spike lightly on the arm. "We should go out. You look like you could use a drink." He eased a hand from Spike's pocket and clasped it lightly, pulling the two men out of the room.
Spike threw an uncertain look at Wesley over the child's head, and Wesley just sent one of the same back at him, having decided that it'd be best to go along with the remotely familiar in this place. They walked quickly back down the hall and down the stairs, and Wesley couldn't resist one more glance back at the God-awful closet underneath the stairway. When he looked back at Spike, the vampire gave him a slightly worried smile.
Spike stopped short when they reached the door, pulling his hand away from Little Wesley's. "You tryin' ta kill me, too? That's not exactly how I'd imagine this'd go."
Little Wesley just beamed up at him and threw the door open, bathing them all in almost painfully bright sunshine. Spike yelped and jumped back and Wesley quickly shut the door. Little Wesley just giggled brightly and clapped his hands.
"What in the bloody fucking hell d'you think you're doing?" Spike yelled, slipping into his vampire features and baring his fangs at the child.
"Oh, it didn't hurt," Little Wesley contended, stepping past Wesley and opening the door once again. "It's not even real sunshine." He took Spike's hand and held it in the light his smile growing when nothing caught on fire. "See?"
Spike looked from the boy to Wesley in amazement and then stepped completely into the light. "I'll be damned," he said softly, and Wesley couldn't help but notice how good Spike looked when he really smiled like that.
Little Wesley stepped outside, still holding Spike's hand and reaching out for Wesley's. "On the way at last," he said brightly, and they started down the street.
Outside the house the world was nothing like anything Wesley could remember seeing. It looked like what could pass as a normal neighborhood, but the houses were set about very haphazardly. There were large ones and small ones; some were very old and still others seemed quite new. He recognized some of them; they were houses he'd grown up with and lived in.
A look at Spike's face told Wesley that the vampire was recognizing many of the places as well. His expression was dark and his eyes were flickering nervously, as if he were afraid of the shadows.
Little Wesley began to skip a little, humming to himself and pulling the two adults with him. A few moments later he led them down a darker street, which ended with a small, dodgy looking building. A sputtering neon sign simply advertised the place as "Pub." Wesley sighed softly; despite his confusion and the oddity of their situation, he very much doubted that getting drunk would help to accomplish anything. Little Wesley gave his hand a tight, comforting squeeze right then, and Wesley couldn't help but wonder about the child's psychic abilities.
Spike let go of Little Wesley's hand with a muttered "Thank God" when they reached the pub, and he quickly pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Wesley followed him, also letting go of the child. He was completely enveloped in darkness when he stepped through the door, and he automatically stuck his hand out, searching for something to hold on to.
He quickly found Spike's arm. He recognized the feel of the vampire's leather jacket, and Wesley worked his hand down the arm he'd found until he could wrap his fingers around Spike's wrist. He stepped up close to the other man, wondering where their miniature counterpart had gone.
"Can you see anything at all?" he whispered softly into Spike's ear.
"Naw. Gettin' kinda sick of this dark cramped room stuff, though." Wes felt Spike turn a bit so that his side was pressed firmly against Wesley. It seemed almost like a comforting touch, and Wes found that he was quite grateful for it. "Where'd your mini-me get off to, then?"
Wesley shrugged and felt around behind him, finding nothing. "I've no idea. He was here a moment ago." He was about to let go of Spike and feel around a bit more when a door opened, casting dull light over the two of them.
"William?" A soft, feminine voice spilled over them, and Wesley felt Spike stiffen. He couldn't see anyone beyond the doorway, but the voice persisted. "William, come in here."
"Who is that?" Wesley asked softly, his eyes trained on the mysterious room beyond.
Spike swallowed thickly and waited a moment before answering. When he did, his voice was barely audible.
"Cecily."