Title: Family and Blood (2/?)

Author: Chimera

Timeline: I'm not quite sure what I said in previous chapters, so…completely AU for WWE characters. Buffy…B is dating Riley, no Anya or Tara. Um…Spike is…uh…let's just say we'll deal with it later.

Spoilers: Unless you don't know why/how Riley became a Scooby, then no.

Notes: Yeesh…okay, this was originally the first part of a whole long chapter, but I just realized I have 22x{nearly}300 words to type up before I can post the next bit. Therefore, this short one to help it along a bit…and hopefully I can get some inspiration to type it all up. Um…all mistakes are my own as I have one beta at school and she doesn't know anything about Buffy/WWE so I won't let her touch it to change anything. And I apologise for any sucky accent-writing as I am Australian and the closest I've ever gotten to a North Carolinian was my relief teacher in sixth grade.

Distribution: fanfiction.net, Twisting the Hellmouth, but please, if you want it, take it! (just put my name on it)

Willow twisted herself around a bit to look at Jeff. "Uh…with childe he means as in adopted? And kinda not all blood-sucky?"

Jeff's expression stayed guarded. "I vant to suck yur blood!" Matt giggled in the background.

Buffy shuddered. "Please don't do that. It's disturbing," she stated, moving forward. She grabbed Willow roughly by the arm but the redhead witch didn't budge. "Let go of her you…you…blood-sucking fiend!" she growled, yanking harder on Willow's arm.

Adam snorted in the background as the blue haired man smiled innocently, removing his hands from Willow's waist and holding them up. "She's as free as a bird."

Willow was silent throughout this, her expression puzzled. Buffy pulled on her again, but still she barely moved. "Willow, get up," Buffy ordered.

She was still silent.

Xander's eyes skated over the room, searching for anything to help his friend. He stopped as they hit Spike, the English vamp trying to hide a grin. "What are you laughing about?" he snapped.

Spike's head came up, and the grin disappeared as everyone looked at him…everyone except Jeff and Willow, who were seemingly glued together. And oddly enough, Jay was glancing over the back of the couch at the two of them, a perplexed look on his face.

"Nothing," Spike said, a smirk reappearing on his face. "Has it just ever occurred to you that it wasn't me grae' grandchilde keeping 'er there but that she just didn't want to move?"

"Willow?" Giles questioned after a beat of silence.

The redhead smiled absently, standing and smoothing her skirt. "Sorry," she said, a touch of an unfamiliar insincerity in her voice. "Was just trying to figure something out."

Jay was still watching them, Xander noted with a little annoyance. "What?" Riley snapped. Apparently he hadn't been the only one that noticed.

The blonde shuddered back to consciousness and gave himself a slight shake. "Nothin'," he muttered.

Giles narrowed his eyes; a glare worthy of Principal Snyder. Jay squirmed under the gaze, but remained silent.

"So why're you here, ducks?" Spike questioned the Scoobies.

Buffy started, her attention turning from her red-haired friend to the blonde. "Uh…to warn you," she said lamely.

" 'Bout what?" Spike prodded.

Willy told us there'd been four men enquiring about your whereabouts," Giles took over. "Obviously they found you."

Jeff smiled. "I suppose we did."

Spike blinked, sending a confused look at Giles. He then switched to Adam and Jay, then Matt, then Jeff. "Four," he echoed. He got up suddenly, walking out. "Matt, can I talk to you?" he called over his shoulder.

The brunette followed Spike out, but was unprepared for his sire slamming him against the mausoleum.

Inside, Adam frowned, and wriggled out of his embrace with Jay.

"Four?" Spike snarled. "Four!" He slammed him against the building again, this time following it up with a forearm across the throat.

"Get the fuck off him, William," a calm voice said behind him.

Spike still glared into Matt's eyes, but the brunette showed no sign of either being afraid or even hearing Adam's voice. His eyes were a mystery, some foreign emotion blocking everything else. It was like a shield, stopping anything from escaping or getting in. "Stay out of this, Adam."

The tall blonde had to fight the urge to obey the smaller blond. "No," he said simply. "Get off Matt or else I rip out your throat."

Matt still showed no emotion. Spike made a faint noise in his throat. "Now, William."

Spike's lip curled, but he let go of Matt. Matt's eyes suddenly snapped, and turned utterly black. The bleached blonde was abruptly hit with a mental onslaught of emotions. Spike reeled, both hands going to grasp his head, an unimaginable pain ripping through his mind. He staggered back, letting out a dim cry.

Adam leapt over and, with difficulty, looked into his friend's eyes and concentrated. Quickly sorting through the mess that was his friend's mind, he lightly 'pushed' a barrier into the road of his projection. As quickly as they had arrived, the emotions disappeared and Matt's eyes were normal. Watering, but normal. "C'mon Matt, you're alright," Adam coached. He looked daggers at the older vampire. "You upset him like this again, you get the royal treatment. Full body sunbathing, holy water bath, First Communion," he threatened.

"I didn't know a First Communion was fatal," Matt whispered.

The brunette uncurled from his position nearly in Adam's lap. Adam looked him over, taking in the tired grin, red eyes and pale – unusually pale - complexion. "Don't they make you hold crosses or something?" he tried to laugh off.

Matt shrugged. "Don't know," he said, his voice slowly getting stronger. "Religion never was my strong point."

"I _am_ sorry, pet," Spike whispered. "But…four?"

"Shannon," Matt said softly, all traces of strength gone from his voice. He heaved himself to a standing position anyway. "They..." His voice broke, and he sniffed a little. The brunette took a deep, unneeded breath.

"They got to him," Adam continued, his voice eerily calm. "After all our work, they found him."

Spike sat down, mindless of the fact his improvised chair was a tombstone. "Who?"

Adam swallowed, but it was Matt who answered. "The Cenas."

"The Cenas." Spike hadn't heard that name in a long time. "I thought they were gone…for good?"

"We thought they were too," a voice said from behind him. Spike whirled and Adam and Matt looked up. Both Jeff and Jay looked tired under the moonlight. Jeff levelled an angry glare at him, sizing up in an instant the marks on Matt's neck and his sire's hands. "Guess what…they weren't."

"Aren't," Jay added. He headed straight for Adam's arms. Once safe, he shivered slightly. "I saw them take him."

"What happened?" Spike questioned.

Jay buried his face in the hardness of Adam's chest, but still his voice was as clear as if he were only a few inches away.

"Three weeks ago, me and Shanny were hookin' up for a workout."

It was unbearably hot, he decided. Even for a vampire like himself. He stretched back, kept stretching until his hands hit the floor. _One. Two. Three. Four. Five…_

Jay-Jay had told him this was a good way to help concentration. And of course, Jeff being Jeff, had butted in saying that he would need a couple'a months worth. So he had decided to show him up. According to Jay, Jeff could only hold this for a matter of twenty seconds.

He had just hit fifty when he heard a noise. Easily changing position into a handstand, he walked on his hands to face the door. He flipped, landing on his feet.

"Shan?"

"Jay-Jay?" he called back.

Jay's blonde mane appeared around the door before he shook and his face became visible. "How're ya, baby?"

"Don't call me baby," Shannon frowned.

" 'Kay baby."

"That's it; you, me, ring, now."

The larger blonde smiled, ruffling Shannon's hair. "Sorry Shanny. Habit."

Shannon scowled, smoothing down his own long blonde hair again. "I'm only four years younger than Jeff."

"And Jeff's three years younger than me. What's your point?"

"The point is, I'm not a helpless little kid." Shannon looked a touch annoyed. "I'm one hundred and three years old, and you know both Jeff and Matt are a hell of a lot younger than me mentally."

Jay looked apologetic…and slightly hurt. "I'm sorry, Shannon."

The smaller blond watched an ant crawl across the ground, feeling just as small and strangely empty. He couldn't remember the last time Jay had actually called him by his full name.

"I'm going to the weight ro-" Jay jerked forward, landing on the floor. The man behind Jay grinned and lifted the crowbar again.

"Night-night Shanny."

The second blonde slumped to the floor. He had barely hit the ground before he was being dragged off like a sack of potatoes. Jay drifted back into consciousness only to see his attacker carelessly step on what looked like a tiny ant.

Matt hugged himself tightly. "You know it wasn't your fault, Jay. If I had shown up like I should have…"

The smallest blonde of the group peeked out of his blonde bombshell boyfriend's chest. "And you know it wasn't your fault Matt," he reproached.

The brunette still didn't look relieved of the guilt…and Spike suddenly had a feeling this wasn't the first time this conversation had taken place. Crossing the group in a few long strides, he forcefully pulled Matt into a hug, not caring at the fact that Matt was taller than him by a few inches. " 'M sorry baby," he whispered into Matt's long hair, rubbing Matt's back gently as the brunette crumpled slightly. "I know I shouldn't've."

"What the hell is this?" Buffy questioned. Adam, Jay and Jeff whipped around to look at the Slayer, Matt and Spike too caught up in emotion and apologies.

Adam glanced back at Matt and Spike, watching them separate and say a few words. Matt gave Spike a rueful grin before pecking him on the lips. "Thanks Spikey," he whispered, just loud enough for Adam to hear.

"Could I mention ew and I repeat what the hell is this?" Buffy repeated, her freakout level raising way above normal. Slimy eight foot demons she could deal with, but guy-on-guy smooching was just a little out of hand.

"None of your freaking business," Jeff answered almost pleasantly. Riley was next to him in a second, growling and reaching for a stake. Jeff simply stared, then scratched his head. "Personal space much?" He moved away, leaning against a tombstone next to Adam and Jay.

Matt returned, standing next to his blue-haired baby brother. "Just a little misunderstanding." He sent a look towards Spike, his brown eyes showing only bare emotion. "The reason we came here."

"Why *did* you come here?" Xander questioned.

The four exchanged a look. "Should we?" Jay questioned.

Adam shrugged. "If all goes well here for Jeff and Matty we might have to anyways." He winced as two punches hit him on the arm only a few inches apart. "Um, ow?"

"Story? Of coming?" Willow reminded them.

"Fine," Adam sighed. He turned to his blonde boyfriend. "Jay, you're the best storyteller."

"Since when?" Jay attempted to argue. But seeing nine expectant faces watching him, he gave up. "Great."

"It started back in the early 1900s..."