Interludes: Forgotten Past
Chapter Four
Sunnydale, California 2001
Rupert Giles lay motionless in the tank of liquid the healers had put him several days ago. The plan had gone with out a hitch, well their plan anyway; Giles' method of death was so he wouldn't have to suffer at the hands of the demon lord. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately the Powers had Seen they would need him in the future, therefore spared his life.
He could still see the child eyes of Xander as the demon surveyed the boy then threw him back into the vampires' arms. And Riley, who had vowed to protect Xander with his very unlife, did just that. He had skillfully convinced the demon Xander was no threat, allowed it to understand what Xander was then took him back into the crowed until he knew the demon lord would let him slip away. It was a tragedy that the boy had to see his friends and family slaughtered like that, Giles could only hope Xander would somehow retain his mind and his sanity. It was the least the Powers could do for the boy.
In a few days the burns that covered his entire body would be fully healed until they were nothing more then faint scares to serve as a reminder of his mission. His mission. The mission to hide in the shadows and slowly feed the chosen few information that would help them in the fight and have the right people in the right place in time to change this future and make the one that should have been. Whether that future was better then this one was yet to be seen, and somehow didn't seem to matter.
At that mattered now was the continual existence of Alexander Andrew Stone.
***
Sunnydale, California 2030
"Giles?" Graham asked looking around in confusion. "Why are we here again?"
"Because this is where we need to be at this time Mr. Miller." Giles answered knocking down the door to the long burnt out library door. Memory flashed into his head momentarily, but more importantly the memory if why the last life of his 'children' needed to be preserved at all costs. "All these memories Mr. Miller, such long memories of times I wish to forget and remember forever. Everything has a past Mr. Miller some things every carry the past with them even when remade and reborn."
"Mr. Giles?" Graham asked glancing back at his men. "What are you talking about?"
"That Mr. Miller." Giles said turning his scared face to the immortal. "I cannot allow you to destroy this place." A smoke started filling the closed off room. "Not while the most important creature on this planet dwells here. And not while we can change this future!"
Around him his men started coughing, all except Forest whom seemed unaffected by the smoke. He turned sharply back to Giles. "What the hell do you think you are doing? You're going to kill them!"
Giles grinned sinisterly. "Good." He said. "That means my boy will succeed." He coughed. "And when he succeeds none of this will ever happen."
"Graham we have to get out of here." Forest said moving to knock down the door.
"Not without my men!" Graham shouted back ignoring the old mans insane laughter.
"Their dead." Forest said softly. "Common Grey the lest we can do is get Matt and get out of here."
Graham glanced back at Giles who lay on the floor wheezing. "I hope he's still a live."
"He is." Giles gasped, "Angel wanted the boy alive that's why he insisted the boy go with him. He's safe as long as he stays with my boy."
"Who is his boy?" Forest asked. "He's said that like five times, I didn't know he had children."
Graham kicked open the door dragging Forest behind him. "It's Xander." He said. "Out of all of them he was the most important. Riley told me once that Sam referred to him as the Link of Ages."
"What's the link of ages?" Forest asked as they broke into a light jog not sure where to go next.
"I'm not sure." Graham said. "But what ever it is it insured his life, and scares half the demons around him. Hell almost all of them go out of their way to make sure he stays safe."
Forest stopped jogging and stood in front of his life long friend and father of his child. "You know what that means Grey. We're gonna be long lived and so are half the people we know. If they do in fact manage to get our past back you know we go back unchanged. You know it also means we have the threat of Professor Walsh again. If Xander is a revered and protected as everyone makes him out to be, then we need to make a pact right now. No matter what or how many lives we live we do our best to make sure Xan is protected even if that means we have to kidnap him for his own good."
"Alright." Graham agreed. "But I want another pact. If Mathew survives this we do everything in our power to make sure he lives and is protected at all costs."
Forest nodded. "Let's go find them then."
***
"Xan you have to wake up." Riley said quietly shaking the boy to get him to wake. "Dammit Xanny don't do this now!"
"Can we carry him?" Malcolm asked worried.
Riley shook his head. "Not by a vamp and a human, to the Prador this is considered harming him. Anyone carrying him will be killed on sight. We need to get him to walk in there."
"We can't do that if he isn't even coherent enough to for a word let alone walk of his own volition." Angel growled. "We don't have time for this, if he isn't able to go in there soon we may as well evacuate and cut our losses."
"That might not be a good idea" a voice said behind him. Angel turned only to have the owner of that voice punch him in the face. "You cost me the lives of my men, my family vampire!" Graham growled. "I should dust you, but I don't murder in front of my child. Which is why I suspect you make sure mine would be here and no with me humm?"
"Grey." Forest said holding his friend back bit to keep him from dusting Angel anyway. "Where you listening to them?"
"Yeah!" Graham snarled. "They're going to cut their losses and let those men die in vain!" Graham yelled.
Riley moved in a blink covering Graham's mouth with his hand. "Grey as much as I'm glad to see you again, you continue yelling like that and I'll kill you, parental sharing or not."
Graham and Forest snorted. "You could try, but you can't kill us." Forest said, "But please do keep your hand there, my ears hurt enough as it is." Graham glared.
"Wait a second." Malcolm said waving his hands to get everyone's attention. "What do you mean he can try to kill you?"
"They are Immortals." Mathew supplied, "Riley would be one if he had lived just a few more months."
"You little hacker." Forest said, "Once this is all over you're grounded."
Mathew shrugged eyes gleaming.
"What would be the penalty for harming Xander?" Malcolm asked truly curious.
"Saceros is favoring guns this month, standard bullets." Riley answered. The looked as Forest and Graham then back at Malcolm. "You know that might work."
Graham rolled his eyes and Forest nodded in agreement.
Mathew glanced back and forth between all of them not quiet catching what they all had in mind. "What could work?"
***
"My Lord, the vampire in charge of his Majesty is demanding entrance." A low class demon groveled as it trying to become one with the floor.
Saceros frowned. "What dose he want?"
"He caught two humans hurting the boy My Lord." The demon answered. "He demands justice."
Saceros frowned. "Hurt?" he asked. "Bring him."
"Yes my lord." The Demon said bowing out.
Moments later the boy Vampire walked in with the young human pet behind him caring the Link of Ages in his arms. Behind them was another vampire, this one older, with the ropes of two tied up humans in his hands followed by a young boy that seemed to be that vampires pet.
"My Lord." Riley bellowed. "These men have been found with he-who-you-have- deemed-un-harm able. As you can see they have indeed harmed him! I demand justice as it is my right to call it."
"Bring the boy to me." Saceros said beckoning with a raised hand. The younger vampire's pet hesitated waiting for orders from his master like a well trained obedient pet would do. When Riley nodded to the young man he carried his Burdon forward allowing Saceros to take the boy before scurrying to hide behind his master again. The Demon Lord frowned at the unblinking open eyes of the boy. The child was plainly in shock, from what was yet to be seen. Yet he did know that this was trauma inflicted by someone other then Riley or his human.
Saceros glared at the human prisoners. "Bring them." He said turned and carried the catatonic boy into his private hall. The very hall that he had made into a shrine for his reign and control of the boy fit to rule them all. He led them through the hall of his glory passing his latest acquisition until they reached another pride and joy of his. His regeneration chamber. Honestly, every Lord Demon should have one, it would keep the inner circle pure for ages, and of course it also would have kept him from where he was today if every demon had such a prize.
Gently he laid the boy in the chamber lovingly smoothing the hair from his forehead before closing the device using its controls to put the boy in a healing sleep. "Now." He said turning back to the small group. "I think a few vendettas are in order." He casually pointed a small hand gun at the tied up humans and shot each cleanly in the head. He narrowed his eyes at the way the older vampires' boy flinched and hide behind his master as the bodies fell to the ground. In fact on closer look, the vampire looked familiar.
And then he had the answer. A smile graced the Demon Lords lips. "I should have guessed, Angelus what a pleasant surprise. I didn't know you stooped so low as to have a human pet, but I must say you taste is impeccable.
"Saceros." Angel acknowledged. "I always knew you'd be one to make a First Circle Lord."
"Yes, I do know how to keep my place in this mad, mad world." Saceros drawled drawing closer to the vampire. "You know how it is. I must keep my Trump card alive and healthy or else the world just might end. You know that Grandson of yours is the only thing keeping this world together? This reality would not be possible if it hadn't been for that vamp that banged the human just too own up to a human child."
"Yeah, guess he didn't read about that when he was holding human emotions and falling in love." Angel commented. "But I've always wondered; why not keep the boy for yourself? Surely he would be much better here in the palace then a lowly vampire. Or were you going for the fact that then the boy would be treated better then you?"
Saceros snorted. "Hardly." He said stopping right in front of the vampire. "I occurred to me that one of my underlings might get it into their little brains that killing the Link of Ages would be a good idea. I on the other hand like this world so I intend to keep the boy alive." With one fluid movement he swung his arm around and flung a stake right into Riley's heart. The young vampire only had time to look surprised before he crumpled into dust. "However, that ones use has expired." He narrowed his eyes. "So has yours I'm afraid."
He aimed his second hidden stake for Angel's heart only to be caught before hitting flesh. "I don't think so." The elder vampire snarled. "Malcolm now!"
Saceros watched as the two remaining humans ran for the Gem of Kimera the brunette taking a device out of his bag that looked oddly like a charge. The Demon Lord growled lunging against Angel using his own dark power to throw the vampire halfway across the room. "Stupid humans!" he yelled raising the gun to shoot the dusted vampires pet. The blond jumped in front of the other human with a startled yell as the bullet impacted with his body, before falling to the floor limp and quiet. Saceros grinned at the unprotected human aiming the gun for one last fire.
Suddenly one of the dead bodies lurched to its feel and tackled the Demon Lord with an angry yell. "That was my son you just shot!" the large black man shouted pounding his fits into the almighty Lord's face and kept pounding.
"How much more time?" Malcolm shouted over Forest's screams of rage.
"Four minutes." Graham answered crawling over to his son to check for any sign of life. "Oh thank God, he's still breathing.
"Got it!" Malcolm said triumphantly lifting the glass case and grabbed the Gem before sprinting for the regeneration chamber.
"Good." Angel said grabbing the young man and threw him into the device on top of Xander. "Make it work." He said and slammed the lid.
"Make it work he says." Malcolm muttered turning the Gem over in his hands looking for some way to activate it.
"Three minutes!" he heard shouted though muffled through the stone like substance.
"I don't know how to bloody work this thing!" Malcolm said in frustration. He looked at Xander whose pale face was outlined by some internal glow. "Why did you have to be catatonic now?"
"Two Minutes!" was shouted in warning telling Malcolm that he needed to work fast.
He put the Gem in Xander's hands then tried to shake the boy away. "Come on Xander you must wake up! We don't have much time before we all die!"
"One Minutes"
Malcolm put his hands around Xander's holding the Gem tightly. "Work damn you!"
"Thirty seconds!" was the final shout, Malcolm closed his eyes in frailer.
Suddenly the hands in his own tense and a shallow but audible sound could be heard from the boy lips. "Year 2000, twenty minutes before Giles dropped the Orb of Portals."
Seconds later Malcolm heard Graham shouting. "Here it comes!"
Then he was engulfed in white.
***
Sunnydale, California 2000
Giles picked up the dull yellow ball and examined it closely. Behind him he didn't notice the two disheveled figures silently entering the shop. He only noticed the ball suddenly flare, blinding him for a moment. The glowing ball slipped from nerveless fingers rushing toward the floor.
And into a pair of strong hands attached to a young man wearing heavy sunglasses.
Giles blinked as the young man quickly spread a pale powder over the balls surface. It winked once and grew dim, the dull yellow turning into a vibrant clear color.
The young man smiled at the ex-Watcher. "Hi!" he said cheerfully offering the useless ball back.
"Err."Hello." Giles said taking the ball back carefully.
"Hey, G-man!" Xander chirped suddenly appearing next to the young man. "You know you should be really careful with the things you order."
"Excuse me?" Giles asked blinking at the boy in front of him. He glanced at Sam then back at the two. "Xander must you call me that?"
Xander smiled resting an elbow on the young man's shoulder, "I absolutely have to. It's an unwritten law that says I must call you G-Man."
Giles groaned and rolled his eyes heaven ward. "Why me?" he asked the ceiling and walked away.
"You know that was actually fun." Malcolm commented to his friend as the bell over the door chimed. Spike and Riley walked in talking about something Malcolm didn't quite understand. Next to him Xander tensed waiting for his father to spot him.
Once the door was shut, per Giles' shout, Spike turned his head and spotted Malcolm and Xander. He stared at Malcolm for a moment confused then turned his gaze on his son and smiled. Xander moved away from his friend and walked up to the vampire almost afraid.
Spike tensed slightly reacting to Xander's fear. The boy just stood in front of him for a second before enveloping the blond in a tight hug. Spike seemed startled at first then returned the embrace eagerly.
"Missed you." Xander whispered.
"Missed you too lov." Spike said back. "But you saw me this morning."
Xander laughed a little hysterically pulled away to look his father in the eye. "It's been a really long day."
***
"So all I have to do is hold this and tell it the date and event, and then I'll be transported there?" Malcolm asked double checking to make sure he understood what was going to happen.
"Exactly." Xander said cheerfully sitting cross-legged on his bed as Malcolm sat propped up by the head bored. "We can do it tomorrow," he looked a little hopeful. "Unless you wanna stay for a few days?"
Malcolm looked at the young man that he had grown to think of as a best friend and smiled. "I don't see why not." He said. "It's not like I'm pressed for time or anything."
Both men laughed.
"Hey how come your jokes are better then mine?" Xander laughed still giggling whipping tears from his eyes.
"Delivery." Spike said leaning against the door frame. "Well timing actually. It's just one of those gifts you're supposed to have but didn't inherit."
Xander looked his father up and down. "From who? Mom?"
Spike made a face walked into the room and pounced, pretending to jump wrestle style on his son and started tickling the boy in all of his most ticklish spots. Immediately the boy shrieked laughing madly under the attack trying to get away from the ruthless vampire.
"Mal! Get away while you still can!" Xander gasped out between bouts of laughter. "He might go after you next!"
Spike abruptly stopped keeping the boy pinned down as he turned his head to regard Malcolm as if truly contemplating that idea. Then looked back down at his son. "And what?" he asked. "Drink his blood and drain him dry?" he thought about that screwing his eyebrows together hard in thought. "Nah, tormenting you is so much more fun."
"Not to mention it's your job to torment your children." Riley said leaning against the door frame much like Spike had been.
Xander stuck out his tongue. "Your not helping Ri." He said as Spike stood, striating his clothing. "Ok. So maybe you are. What's up?"
"We're hiding." Riley answered. "Sam let us in."
"We?" Spike asked an eyebrow raised.
Riley silently nodded waving to a point beyond the door. Forest and Graham appeared the latter carrying a child no older then two or three. Malcolm and Xander exchanged looks.
"Who's the little one?" Spike asked confused. "I didn't know any of you had children."
"Yeah," Graham said nervously refusing to meet Riley or Forest's eyes. "He's mine, literally."
Spike nodded. "I see."
"Professor Welsh finds out about him and there's no telling what she'll do to him." Riley said.
"Why would that nut job learn about him?" Xander asked remembering her class before he dropped the class in disgust.
The three young man exchanged looks, Riley nodded to them and turned back. "Because she isn't just a Professor." He said and told them about the Initiative.
"You see our problem?" Graham asked the stunted room. "If she finds out about Mathew, she'll treat him just like a HST. And he isn't one we can just pretend to over look!"
"Dad?" Xander asked quietly watching as Spike fought to keep from shifting into game face.
"What do you take it?" the vampire growled eyeing Riley for the kill.
Riley stood his ground. "If it's just a hunt we take in the ones we know are the bad guys. We've gotten good at spotting the ones who aren't here for survival and protection." He sighed shaking his head. "There have been some that we had to hunt, I don't know what Professor Welsh wants with them, but I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone."
"Dad." Xander said putting a hand on the vampires shoulder. "We have to help."
Spike took a deep breath. "Do you want to have access to the child?" he asked calmly.
Graham nodded. "I'm going to retire. We all are. But we have to stop Welsh first."
"Xan, go call Giles tell him I'm calling in my favor and need transportation to." he raised an eyebrow.
"Safest place possible." Graham answered.
Spike frowned. "Scratch that, use my cell phone, there should be a Charles Gunn in the listing. Call him. Tell him William is asking for his favor and needs to come here to retrieve something."
"Ok." Xander said and vanished down the hall.
Once he was gone Spike narrowed his eyes. "You're lucky I believe you and my son trusts you." He said coldly. "Or else all of you would be dead."
"If you had blind faith I wouldn't have come to you." Riley answered. He glanced back at Graham. "May Grey and Mathew stay the night? At least two of us need to show up at the base tonight or Welsh will get suspicious."
"I think Mrs. Dubest has a Cradle and extra baby cloths." Spike said and walked out of the bed room stopping in front of Graham first. "Betray me, betray my son I kill yours first. And don't think I wont, I'm not in the best of moods at the moment."
"I understand." Graham said solemnly.
"Good." Spike said then walking into the living room snagging the phone off its charger dialing the old mother demon's home number as he threw himself into his chair. "Mrs. Dubest, this is William. Sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you had a spare cradle and baby cloths lying around. I have a young man and his son here, you'd know the rest." He listened for a moment. "Great. I'll send Sam and another one of Xan's friends up to get it shortly. Good night mum."
"I don't have to change dippers do it?" Sam asked sitting at the coffee table a text book and papers scattered around him. "Cause I have homework."
Spike glared. "Take Malcolm, get what Mrs. Dubest has for you, be polite then finish your homework."
"Got it." Sam said doing as told as quickly as possible.
"Dad, that guy says he'll be here tomorrow afternoon." Xander said walking into the living room. He looked around. "Where'd Sam and Mal go?"
"Running an errand." Spike said pleasantly. He looked at Riley and Forest. "You two should go before the dear old bat thinks something's wrong."
"Yeah." Forest said uncertain.
"I'll call you tomorrow Xanny." Riley said pushing his friend out the door.
"Bye." Xander said closing the door behind them. He leaned against the heavy wood and smiled at his father. "You think they bought it?"
Spike rolled his eyes. "They have no reason not to think we didn't already know." He answered winking at Graham who winked back. "Naughty boy betraying your friends like that."
Graham shrugged setting the little boy on his feet. "I would trust them, well Forest at least, but they didn't carry a live for nine months." He said kneeling down to fix his son's hair. "And I know you'd understand better then anyone."
"That I do." Spike said smile at his own son proudly. "That I do."
***
"So did you have fun?" Xander asked as the small group made their way into the cemetery that wasn't as scary as it was a year ago.
"That I did." Malcolm said with a wide smile. "We'll do this again in a hundred and fifty years."
"Sounds like fun." Xander said.
"You are not going time traveling for kicks and that's final." Spike admonished with s smile on his face.
"But Dad! I wanna time travel everyone else is doing it!" Xander whined mockingly earning laughs from the others.
Spike shook his head in a fatherly manner. "No and that's final."
Xander pouted. "You never let me have any fun."
"You have it bad." Sam snorted truly irate. "He's making me go to high school, and do homework! It sucks man."
Spike shook his head. "Children." He said. "Rupert help me out here, I feel like the only adult and that's a bad thing."
"You will get no help from me you prat." Giles growled. "You broke me favorite tea cup last week.
"Wont you guys shut up already?" Riley said. "I your making my head hurt."
"That's what you get for drinking." Sam said. "Some of us aren't old enough to drink."
"How old are you?" Riley asked.
"Fifteen." Sam answered sullenly.
Xander patted his friend on the back. "Enjoy your teen years while they last." He said then blinked at his words. "No wait my teen years sucked. Regress! Stay a child for as long as you can!"
"Were here." Graham said suddenly in relief.
"Thank god." Giles muttered. "I thought my ears would start bleeding."
"Hey!" everyone replied.
Malcolm rolled his eyes. He was going to miss this group, especially Xander and Riley. Truly he couldn't wait to see Trip and Captain Archer again as well as rest of the crew of Enterprise, but he couldn't help but feel he was leaving his family here. The only reason he didn't give into the temptation to stay for a few years was Graham and Spike assurance that both Riley and Xander would be alive still in Malcolm's time. So he wasn't really loosing a family, he would just have to get reacquainted with them again as soon as he could.
"Well miss you Mal." Xander said giving his friend a tight hug before letting Riley do the same.
"I'm going to miss you too." Malcolm said with a sad smile. "But well see each other again."
"You can count on it." Xander said handing Malcolm the Gem of Kimera. "You take care now."
Malcolm nodded. "Don't I always?" he asked recited his destination in his mind and vanished into the timescape.
Chapter Four
Sunnydale, California 2001
Rupert Giles lay motionless in the tank of liquid the healers had put him several days ago. The plan had gone with out a hitch, well their plan anyway; Giles' method of death was so he wouldn't have to suffer at the hands of the demon lord. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately the Powers had Seen they would need him in the future, therefore spared his life.
He could still see the child eyes of Xander as the demon surveyed the boy then threw him back into the vampires' arms. And Riley, who had vowed to protect Xander with his very unlife, did just that. He had skillfully convinced the demon Xander was no threat, allowed it to understand what Xander was then took him back into the crowed until he knew the demon lord would let him slip away. It was a tragedy that the boy had to see his friends and family slaughtered like that, Giles could only hope Xander would somehow retain his mind and his sanity. It was the least the Powers could do for the boy.
In a few days the burns that covered his entire body would be fully healed until they were nothing more then faint scares to serve as a reminder of his mission. His mission. The mission to hide in the shadows and slowly feed the chosen few information that would help them in the fight and have the right people in the right place in time to change this future and make the one that should have been. Whether that future was better then this one was yet to be seen, and somehow didn't seem to matter.
At that mattered now was the continual existence of Alexander Andrew Stone.
***
Sunnydale, California 2030
"Giles?" Graham asked looking around in confusion. "Why are we here again?"
"Because this is where we need to be at this time Mr. Miller." Giles answered knocking down the door to the long burnt out library door. Memory flashed into his head momentarily, but more importantly the memory if why the last life of his 'children' needed to be preserved at all costs. "All these memories Mr. Miller, such long memories of times I wish to forget and remember forever. Everything has a past Mr. Miller some things every carry the past with them even when remade and reborn."
"Mr. Giles?" Graham asked glancing back at his men. "What are you talking about?"
"That Mr. Miller." Giles said turning his scared face to the immortal. "I cannot allow you to destroy this place." A smoke started filling the closed off room. "Not while the most important creature on this planet dwells here. And not while we can change this future!"
Around him his men started coughing, all except Forest whom seemed unaffected by the smoke. He turned sharply back to Giles. "What the hell do you think you are doing? You're going to kill them!"
Giles grinned sinisterly. "Good." He said. "That means my boy will succeed." He coughed. "And when he succeeds none of this will ever happen."
"Graham we have to get out of here." Forest said moving to knock down the door.
"Not without my men!" Graham shouted back ignoring the old mans insane laughter.
"Their dead." Forest said softly. "Common Grey the lest we can do is get Matt and get out of here."
Graham glanced back at Giles who lay on the floor wheezing. "I hope he's still a live."
"He is." Giles gasped, "Angel wanted the boy alive that's why he insisted the boy go with him. He's safe as long as he stays with my boy."
"Who is his boy?" Forest asked. "He's said that like five times, I didn't know he had children."
Graham kicked open the door dragging Forest behind him. "It's Xander." He said. "Out of all of them he was the most important. Riley told me once that Sam referred to him as the Link of Ages."
"What's the link of ages?" Forest asked as they broke into a light jog not sure where to go next.
"I'm not sure." Graham said. "But what ever it is it insured his life, and scares half the demons around him. Hell almost all of them go out of their way to make sure he stays safe."
Forest stopped jogging and stood in front of his life long friend and father of his child. "You know what that means Grey. We're gonna be long lived and so are half the people we know. If they do in fact manage to get our past back you know we go back unchanged. You know it also means we have the threat of Professor Walsh again. If Xander is a revered and protected as everyone makes him out to be, then we need to make a pact right now. No matter what or how many lives we live we do our best to make sure Xan is protected even if that means we have to kidnap him for his own good."
"Alright." Graham agreed. "But I want another pact. If Mathew survives this we do everything in our power to make sure he lives and is protected at all costs."
Forest nodded. "Let's go find them then."
***
"Xan you have to wake up." Riley said quietly shaking the boy to get him to wake. "Dammit Xanny don't do this now!"
"Can we carry him?" Malcolm asked worried.
Riley shook his head. "Not by a vamp and a human, to the Prador this is considered harming him. Anyone carrying him will be killed on sight. We need to get him to walk in there."
"We can't do that if he isn't even coherent enough to for a word let alone walk of his own volition." Angel growled. "We don't have time for this, if he isn't able to go in there soon we may as well evacuate and cut our losses."
"That might not be a good idea" a voice said behind him. Angel turned only to have the owner of that voice punch him in the face. "You cost me the lives of my men, my family vampire!" Graham growled. "I should dust you, but I don't murder in front of my child. Which is why I suspect you make sure mine would be here and no with me humm?"
"Grey." Forest said holding his friend back bit to keep him from dusting Angel anyway. "Where you listening to them?"
"Yeah!" Graham snarled. "They're going to cut their losses and let those men die in vain!" Graham yelled.
Riley moved in a blink covering Graham's mouth with his hand. "Grey as much as I'm glad to see you again, you continue yelling like that and I'll kill you, parental sharing or not."
Graham and Forest snorted. "You could try, but you can't kill us." Forest said, "But please do keep your hand there, my ears hurt enough as it is." Graham glared.
"Wait a second." Malcolm said waving his hands to get everyone's attention. "What do you mean he can try to kill you?"
"They are Immortals." Mathew supplied, "Riley would be one if he had lived just a few more months."
"You little hacker." Forest said, "Once this is all over you're grounded."
Mathew shrugged eyes gleaming.
"What would be the penalty for harming Xander?" Malcolm asked truly curious.
"Saceros is favoring guns this month, standard bullets." Riley answered. The looked as Forest and Graham then back at Malcolm. "You know that might work."
Graham rolled his eyes and Forest nodded in agreement.
Mathew glanced back and forth between all of them not quiet catching what they all had in mind. "What could work?"
***
"My Lord, the vampire in charge of his Majesty is demanding entrance." A low class demon groveled as it trying to become one with the floor.
Saceros frowned. "What dose he want?"
"He caught two humans hurting the boy My Lord." The demon answered. "He demands justice."
Saceros frowned. "Hurt?" he asked. "Bring him."
"Yes my lord." The Demon said bowing out.
Moments later the boy Vampire walked in with the young human pet behind him caring the Link of Ages in his arms. Behind them was another vampire, this one older, with the ropes of two tied up humans in his hands followed by a young boy that seemed to be that vampires pet.
"My Lord." Riley bellowed. "These men have been found with he-who-you-have- deemed-un-harm able. As you can see they have indeed harmed him! I demand justice as it is my right to call it."
"Bring the boy to me." Saceros said beckoning with a raised hand. The younger vampire's pet hesitated waiting for orders from his master like a well trained obedient pet would do. When Riley nodded to the young man he carried his Burdon forward allowing Saceros to take the boy before scurrying to hide behind his master again. The Demon Lord frowned at the unblinking open eyes of the boy. The child was plainly in shock, from what was yet to be seen. Yet he did know that this was trauma inflicted by someone other then Riley or his human.
Saceros glared at the human prisoners. "Bring them." He said turned and carried the catatonic boy into his private hall. The very hall that he had made into a shrine for his reign and control of the boy fit to rule them all. He led them through the hall of his glory passing his latest acquisition until they reached another pride and joy of his. His regeneration chamber. Honestly, every Lord Demon should have one, it would keep the inner circle pure for ages, and of course it also would have kept him from where he was today if every demon had such a prize.
Gently he laid the boy in the chamber lovingly smoothing the hair from his forehead before closing the device using its controls to put the boy in a healing sleep. "Now." He said turning back to the small group. "I think a few vendettas are in order." He casually pointed a small hand gun at the tied up humans and shot each cleanly in the head. He narrowed his eyes at the way the older vampires' boy flinched and hide behind his master as the bodies fell to the ground. In fact on closer look, the vampire looked familiar.
And then he had the answer. A smile graced the Demon Lords lips. "I should have guessed, Angelus what a pleasant surprise. I didn't know you stooped so low as to have a human pet, but I must say you taste is impeccable.
"Saceros." Angel acknowledged. "I always knew you'd be one to make a First Circle Lord."
"Yes, I do know how to keep my place in this mad, mad world." Saceros drawled drawing closer to the vampire. "You know how it is. I must keep my Trump card alive and healthy or else the world just might end. You know that Grandson of yours is the only thing keeping this world together? This reality would not be possible if it hadn't been for that vamp that banged the human just too own up to a human child."
"Yeah, guess he didn't read about that when he was holding human emotions and falling in love." Angel commented. "But I've always wondered; why not keep the boy for yourself? Surely he would be much better here in the palace then a lowly vampire. Or were you going for the fact that then the boy would be treated better then you?"
Saceros snorted. "Hardly." He said stopping right in front of the vampire. "I occurred to me that one of my underlings might get it into their little brains that killing the Link of Ages would be a good idea. I on the other hand like this world so I intend to keep the boy alive." With one fluid movement he swung his arm around and flung a stake right into Riley's heart. The young vampire only had time to look surprised before he crumpled into dust. "However, that ones use has expired." He narrowed his eyes. "So has yours I'm afraid."
He aimed his second hidden stake for Angel's heart only to be caught before hitting flesh. "I don't think so." The elder vampire snarled. "Malcolm now!"
Saceros watched as the two remaining humans ran for the Gem of Kimera the brunette taking a device out of his bag that looked oddly like a charge. The Demon Lord growled lunging against Angel using his own dark power to throw the vampire halfway across the room. "Stupid humans!" he yelled raising the gun to shoot the dusted vampires pet. The blond jumped in front of the other human with a startled yell as the bullet impacted with his body, before falling to the floor limp and quiet. Saceros grinned at the unprotected human aiming the gun for one last fire.
Suddenly one of the dead bodies lurched to its feel and tackled the Demon Lord with an angry yell. "That was my son you just shot!" the large black man shouted pounding his fits into the almighty Lord's face and kept pounding.
"How much more time?" Malcolm shouted over Forest's screams of rage.
"Four minutes." Graham answered crawling over to his son to check for any sign of life. "Oh thank God, he's still breathing.
"Got it!" Malcolm said triumphantly lifting the glass case and grabbed the Gem before sprinting for the regeneration chamber.
"Good." Angel said grabbing the young man and threw him into the device on top of Xander. "Make it work." He said and slammed the lid.
"Make it work he says." Malcolm muttered turning the Gem over in his hands looking for some way to activate it.
"Three minutes!" he heard shouted though muffled through the stone like substance.
"I don't know how to bloody work this thing!" Malcolm said in frustration. He looked at Xander whose pale face was outlined by some internal glow. "Why did you have to be catatonic now?"
"Two Minutes!" was shouted in warning telling Malcolm that he needed to work fast.
He put the Gem in Xander's hands then tried to shake the boy away. "Come on Xander you must wake up! We don't have much time before we all die!"
"One Minutes"
Malcolm put his hands around Xander's holding the Gem tightly. "Work damn you!"
"Thirty seconds!" was the final shout, Malcolm closed his eyes in frailer.
Suddenly the hands in his own tense and a shallow but audible sound could be heard from the boy lips. "Year 2000, twenty minutes before Giles dropped the Orb of Portals."
Seconds later Malcolm heard Graham shouting. "Here it comes!"
Then he was engulfed in white.
***
Sunnydale, California 2000
Giles picked up the dull yellow ball and examined it closely. Behind him he didn't notice the two disheveled figures silently entering the shop. He only noticed the ball suddenly flare, blinding him for a moment. The glowing ball slipped from nerveless fingers rushing toward the floor.
And into a pair of strong hands attached to a young man wearing heavy sunglasses.
Giles blinked as the young man quickly spread a pale powder over the balls surface. It winked once and grew dim, the dull yellow turning into a vibrant clear color.
The young man smiled at the ex-Watcher. "Hi!" he said cheerfully offering the useless ball back.
"Err."Hello." Giles said taking the ball back carefully.
"Hey, G-man!" Xander chirped suddenly appearing next to the young man. "You know you should be really careful with the things you order."
"Excuse me?" Giles asked blinking at the boy in front of him. He glanced at Sam then back at the two. "Xander must you call me that?"
Xander smiled resting an elbow on the young man's shoulder, "I absolutely have to. It's an unwritten law that says I must call you G-Man."
Giles groaned and rolled his eyes heaven ward. "Why me?" he asked the ceiling and walked away.
"You know that was actually fun." Malcolm commented to his friend as the bell over the door chimed. Spike and Riley walked in talking about something Malcolm didn't quite understand. Next to him Xander tensed waiting for his father to spot him.
Once the door was shut, per Giles' shout, Spike turned his head and spotted Malcolm and Xander. He stared at Malcolm for a moment confused then turned his gaze on his son and smiled. Xander moved away from his friend and walked up to the vampire almost afraid.
Spike tensed slightly reacting to Xander's fear. The boy just stood in front of him for a second before enveloping the blond in a tight hug. Spike seemed startled at first then returned the embrace eagerly.
"Missed you." Xander whispered.
"Missed you too lov." Spike said back. "But you saw me this morning."
Xander laughed a little hysterically pulled away to look his father in the eye. "It's been a really long day."
***
"So all I have to do is hold this and tell it the date and event, and then I'll be transported there?" Malcolm asked double checking to make sure he understood what was going to happen.
"Exactly." Xander said cheerfully sitting cross-legged on his bed as Malcolm sat propped up by the head bored. "We can do it tomorrow," he looked a little hopeful. "Unless you wanna stay for a few days?"
Malcolm looked at the young man that he had grown to think of as a best friend and smiled. "I don't see why not." He said. "It's not like I'm pressed for time or anything."
Both men laughed.
"Hey how come your jokes are better then mine?" Xander laughed still giggling whipping tears from his eyes.
"Delivery." Spike said leaning against the door frame. "Well timing actually. It's just one of those gifts you're supposed to have but didn't inherit."
Xander looked his father up and down. "From who? Mom?"
Spike made a face walked into the room and pounced, pretending to jump wrestle style on his son and started tickling the boy in all of his most ticklish spots. Immediately the boy shrieked laughing madly under the attack trying to get away from the ruthless vampire.
"Mal! Get away while you still can!" Xander gasped out between bouts of laughter. "He might go after you next!"
Spike abruptly stopped keeping the boy pinned down as he turned his head to regard Malcolm as if truly contemplating that idea. Then looked back down at his son. "And what?" he asked. "Drink his blood and drain him dry?" he thought about that screwing his eyebrows together hard in thought. "Nah, tormenting you is so much more fun."
"Not to mention it's your job to torment your children." Riley said leaning against the door frame much like Spike had been.
Xander stuck out his tongue. "Your not helping Ri." He said as Spike stood, striating his clothing. "Ok. So maybe you are. What's up?"
"We're hiding." Riley answered. "Sam let us in."
"We?" Spike asked an eyebrow raised.
Riley silently nodded waving to a point beyond the door. Forest and Graham appeared the latter carrying a child no older then two or three. Malcolm and Xander exchanged looks.
"Who's the little one?" Spike asked confused. "I didn't know any of you had children."
"Yeah," Graham said nervously refusing to meet Riley or Forest's eyes. "He's mine, literally."
Spike nodded. "I see."
"Professor Welsh finds out about him and there's no telling what she'll do to him." Riley said.
"Why would that nut job learn about him?" Xander asked remembering her class before he dropped the class in disgust.
The three young man exchanged looks, Riley nodded to them and turned back. "Because she isn't just a Professor." He said and told them about the Initiative.
"You see our problem?" Graham asked the stunted room. "If she finds out about Mathew, she'll treat him just like a HST. And he isn't one we can just pretend to over look!"
"Dad?" Xander asked quietly watching as Spike fought to keep from shifting into game face.
"What do you take it?" the vampire growled eyeing Riley for the kill.
Riley stood his ground. "If it's just a hunt we take in the ones we know are the bad guys. We've gotten good at spotting the ones who aren't here for survival and protection." He sighed shaking his head. "There have been some that we had to hunt, I don't know what Professor Welsh wants with them, but I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone."
"Dad." Xander said putting a hand on the vampires shoulder. "We have to help."
Spike took a deep breath. "Do you want to have access to the child?" he asked calmly.
Graham nodded. "I'm going to retire. We all are. But we have to stop Welsh first."
"Xan, go call Giles tell him I'm calling in my favor and need transportation to." he raised an eyebrow.
"Safest place possible." Graham answered.
Spike frowned. "Scratch that, use my cell phone, there should be a Charles Gunn in the listing. Call him. Tell him William is asking for his favor and needs to come here to retrieve something."
"Ok." Xander said and vanished down the hall.
Once he was gone Spike narrowed his eyes. "You're lucky I believe you and my son trusts you." He said coldly. "Or else all of you would be dead."
"If you had blind faith I wouldn't have come to you." Riley answered. He glanced back at Graham. "May Grey and Mathew stay the night? At least two of us need to show up at the base tonight or Welsh will get suspicious."
"I think Mrs. Dubest has a Cradle and extra baby cloths." Spike said and walked out of the bed room stopping in front of Graham first. "Betray me, betray my son I kill yours first. And don't think I wont, I'm not in the best of moods at the moment."
"I understand." Graham said solemnly.
"Good." Spike said then walking into the living room snagging the phone off its charger dialing the old mother demon's home number as he threw himself into his chair. "Mrs. Dubest, this is William. Sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you had a spare cradle and baby cloths lying around. I have a young man and his son here, you'd know the rest." He listened for a moment. "Great. I'll send Sam and another one of Xan's friends up to get it shortly. Good night mum."
"I don't have to change dippers do it?" Sam asked sitting at the coffee table a text book and papers scattered around him. "Cause I have homework."
Spike glared. "Take Malcolm, get what Mrs. Dubest has for you, be polite then finish your homework."
"Got it." Sam said doing as told as quickly as possible.
"Dad, that guy says he'll be here tomorrow afternoon." Xander said walking into the living room. He looked around. "Where'd Sam and Mal go?"
"Running an errand." Spike said pleasantly. He looked at Riley and Forest. "You two should go before the dear old bat thinks something's wrong."
"Yeah." Forest said uncertain.
"I'll call you tomorrow Xanny." Riley said pushing his friend out the door.
"Bye." Xander said closing the door behind them. He leaned against the heavy wood and smiled at his father. "You think they bought it?"
Spike rolled his eyes. "They have no reason not to think we didn't already know." He answered winking at Graham who winked back. "Naughty boy betraying your friends like that."
Graham shrugged setting the little boy on his feet. "I would trust them, well Forest at least, but they didn't carry a live for nine months." He said kneeling down to fix his son's hair. "And I know you'd understand better then anyone."
"That I do." Spike said smile at his own son proudly. "That I do."
***
"So did you have fun?" Xander asked as the small group made their way into the cemetery that wasn't as scary as it was a year ago.
"That I did." Malcolm said with a wide smile. "We'll do this again in a hundred and fifty years."
"Sounds like fun." Xander said.
"You are not going time traveling for kicks and that's final." Spike admonished with s smile on his face.
"But Dad! I wanna time travel everyone else is doing it!" Xander whined mockingly earning laughs from the others.
Spike shook his head in a fatherly manner. "No and that's final."
Xander pouted. "You never let me have any fun."
"You have it bad." Sam snorted truly irate. "He's making me go to high school, and do homework! It sucks man."
Spike shook his head. "Children." He said. "Rupert help me out here, I feel like the only adult and that's a bad thing."
"You will get no help from me you prat." Giles growled. "You broke me favorite tea cup last week.
"Wont you guys shut up already?" Riley said. "I your making my head hurt."
"That's what you get for drinking." Sam said. "Some of us aren't old enough to drink."
"How old are you?" Riley asked.
"Fifteen." Sam answered sullenly.
Xander patted his friend on the back. "Enjoy your teen years while they last." He said then blinked at his words. "No wait my teen years sucked. Regress! Stay a child for as long as you can!"
"Were here." Graham said suddenly in relief.
"Thank god." Giles muttered. "I thought my ears would start bleeding."
"Hey!" everyone replied.
Malcolm rolled his eyes. He was going to miss this group, especially Xander and Riley. Truly he couldn't wait to see Trip and Captain Archer again as well as rest of the crew of Enterprise, but he couldn't help but feel he was leaving his family here. The only reason he didn't give into the temptation to stay for a few years was Graham and Spike assurance that both Riley and Xander would be alive still in Malcolm's time. So he wasn't really loosing a family, he would just have to get reacquainted with them again as soon as he could.
"Well miss you Mal." Xander said giving his friend a tight hug before letting Riley do the same.
"I'm going to miss you too." Malcolm said with a sad smile. "But well see each other again."
"You can count on it." Xander said handing Malcolm the Gem of Kimera. "You take care now."
Malcolm nodded. "Don't I always?" he asked recited his destination in his mind and vanished into the timescape.