Chapter Two ~ A Little Knowledge Goes A Long Way
".Are you sure about that? There hasn't been a Lancaster watcher since 1863 and that was Richard Lancaster" Wesley said to the small child standing in front of him. It just wasn't possible.
"That's my papa's name! And isn't it 1859" from an excited face, it scrunched into a puzzled look.
*Oh bugger all* a demon brought a child out of the past because of Angel? This wasn't good at all.
"No it's 2003, so that would have been 144 years ago" Wesley turned to face the Codex.
William looked as though he had taken a blow to the stomach. He was trapped in this future without his parents and there was nothing that could be done about it. He had no way of going home. He was alone here. or was he? Would these people find a place for him to go and would the want to?
"We are going to have a little chat with Angel right now"
"NOT THE MONSTER! Papa warned about monsters like him! They eat people," William shouted.
"No, not a monster and yes, but Angel doesn't"
"How do I know if your lying or not?" William asked immediately suspicious, and backed away.
"You have my word. If it is anything to you, I used to be a watcher. Now your father was a smart man and must have taught you something."
"Like magic?"
"Not exactly what I had in mind, but yes that could be included. So how old are you and do you know how to protect yourself?" Wesley replied to the boy.
Holding up a hand, he showed four fingers. "I am four and I know lots of thing. like summoning force fields and casting momentary blindness!"
"Impressive. So shall we go?"
Not sure about what to do, William followed Wesley and together they left the office.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Fred, Gunn and Lorne had been just informed about Angle's 'little' predicament. They hadn't seen any child, but they were also told that Wesley was looking in on it. Angel had been pacing the room wondering how he had ever gotten himself into this mess when Wesley entered his office along with a little boy that owned a head of curly brown locks and a pair of icy blue eyes. At the sight of him, the child looked terrified and tried to hide behind Wesley.
"So you found the squirt" Lorne said looking at the boy. The boy squirmed and moved farther way from Loren as possible.
"Well Angel what is this all about. Would kindly explain to me why this 'young man' here tells me that his father is a watcher and that it's supposed to be 1859. Did that vengeance demon pull out of the past or something?" Wesley said ignoring Lorne's comment.
"Spike's father was a watcher?" Angel said out load but was really just meant to be in his head.
"What! He's Spike!"
". ahhh yes."
"I can not believe you! If you would have told me to begin with I would known more!" Wesley fumed. "Although this really does explain a lot"
"That's. really Spike? You know he's kinda cute as a little kid" Fred commented.
While Wes and Angel bantered, the boy moved off towards Fred, although he did keep an eye on both Lorne and Gunn while doing so.
William blushed. "Hello" he whispered bashfully with a wave. "I'm William"
"Well I'm Winifred, but you can call me Fred"
"But my mama told me never to call pretty ladies by boy names, so I'll call you Winnie!"
"Umm okay." it was Fred's turn to blush at the boy's compliment.
"But what are we going to do about the kid" Gunn asked.
He had addressed the problem that was now at hand. Angel didn't really know what he was supposed to do and this was 'his' problem. William had went over and sat by Fred, having taken an immediate liking to her. What experience did they have for this? Sure they all took care of Conner from the beginning and then had to worry about the teenager later, but they truly knew nothing about a four-year-old. And it was 'this' four-year-old that was the problem. He was Spike.
"I don't have the slightest idea" Angel answered the impossible question.
"For starters we could always have him sing for us" Lorne pointed out.
"Singing is for is for wankers! I am not singing!"
They turned to back at William, that even though he was looking very out of place, kept a defiant look of pride and dignity for one his age. They knew it was all up to Fred now.
"Please William. We just want to see what's in your future and Lorne reads people when they sing. please? Will you do it for me?"
It worked to. The kid blushed, grumbled something under his breath and then flashed Fred a sweet smile.
"There were three ravens sat on a tree,
Downe a downe,
Hey downe, hey downe.
There were three ravens sat on a tree,
They were as blacke as they might be.
With a downe derrie, derrie, derrie, downe, downe.
Then one of them said to his mate,
"Where shall we bradefast take?
There in yonder greene field,
There lies a knight slain under his shield.
His wounds they lie downe at his feet,
So well they can their master keep.
His haukes they flie so eagerly,
There's no fowle dare him to come nie.
Downe there came a fallow doe,
As great with young a she might goe.
She lift up his boudy head
And kist his wounds till they were red.
So got him up upon her backe,
And carried him to earthen lake.
She buried him before the prime,
She was dead herself ere even-song time.
God send every gentalman, such haukes, such hounds and such leman"
"Well that was something" Gunn whispered.
Lorne seemed to have been entranced by the boy's song. It was an old medieval balled, but there was something to it that seemed to linger. Giving his head a shake, he turned to announce his findings to the others.
"Well things couldn't be more staked up against us. The muffin here has some real powerful mojo. What I read off of him was that his father used a spell to keep his powers dormant when he was five. Apparently since he's four again, there is no spell. So kiddies where dealing with a Mage here and does any one know what mages can do.?"
"You mean that Spike was really a mage, only he had a very old spell on him which made it so that he wasn't a mage?" Wesley asked with concern.
"Yep"
"That would also explain a lot. The Lancaster family was known for minor spell casting abilities. But the only thing that I don't understand is why the books never said that William the Bloody was really the son of Richard Lancaster, one of the most influential watchers recorded" Wesley said puzzled.
"Wesley, I'm shocked. You were a watcher so you should know that they don't like to show off anything that makes them look bad and the son of a watcher becoming a vampire is one of them" Angel chided the ex-watcher.
"Also as to Spike not remembering anything about what I just found out" Lorne continued. "His father died when he was nine protecting him and the current Slayer. The slayer managed to stop a vamp from feeding off of him, but that didn't go to well. He was beaten real bad and fell into a coma. That is also the reason that after becoming a vampire, he went after slayers. It was a subconscious feeling of betrayal."
Lorne would have kept going if Gunn hadn't interrupted.
"Guys. where's William?" they turned to see that Fred was looking all over the room.
William had indeed vanished from Fred's side while they were talking and only god knew what he was doing now.
"Oh this isn't good" Lorne seemed to look a little 'less' green if that was at all possible. "Is it me or am I the only one who thinks it's a bad thing for a mini mage to be running around a still semi-evil law firm?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Well how was that? Hope I didn't over do it. How about I have a poll - What should happen to William after he disappears off into Wolfram & Hart? I have some ideas but I would like some fan input off some additives as things are still on the drawing board. So please throw me a bone. I also go the song 'Three Ravens' from my English teacher so I'm not too sure if I got it all right. *~ G_E_V ~*
".Are you sure about that? There hasn't been a Lancaster watcher since 1863 and that was Richard Lancaster" Wesley said to the small child standing in front of him. It just wasn't possible.
"That's my papa's name! And isn't it 1859" from an excited face, it scrunched into a puzzled look.
*Oh bugger all* a demon brought a child out of the past because of Angel? This wasn't good at all.
"No it's 2003, so that would have been 144 years ago" Wesley turned to face the Codex.
William looked as though he had taken a blow to the stomach. He was trapped in this future without his parents and there was nothing that could be done about it. He had no way of going home. He was alone here. or was he? Would these people find a place for him to go and would the want to?
"We are going to have a little chat with Angel right now"
"NOT THE MONSTER! Papa warned about monsters like him! They eat people," William shouted.
"No, not a monster and yes, but Angel doesn't"
"How do I know if your lying or not?" William asked immediately suspicious, and backed away.
"You have my word. If it is anything to you, I used to be a watcher. Now your father was a smart man and must have taught you something."
"Like magic?"
"Not exactly what I had in mind, but yes that could be included. So how old are you and do you know how to protect yourself?" Wesley replied to the boy.
Holding up a hand, he showed four fingers. "I am four and I know lots of thing. like summoning force fields and casting momentary blindness!"
"Impressive. So shall we go?"
Not sure about what to do, William followed Wesley and together they left the office.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Fred, Gunn and Lorne had been just informed about Angle's 'little' predicament. They hadn't seen any child, but they were also told that Wesley was looking in on it. Angel had been pacing the room wondering how he had ever gotten himself into this mess when Wesley entered his office along with a little boy that owned a head of curly brown locks and a pair of icy blue eyes. At the sight of him, the child looked terrified and tried to hide behind Wesley.
"So you found the squirt" Lorne said looking at the boy. The boy squirmed and moved farther way from Loren as possible.
"Well Angel what is this all about. Would kindly explain to me why this 'young man' here tells me that his father is a watcher and that it's supposed to be 1859. Did that vengeance demon pull out of the past or something?" Wesley said ignoring Lorne's comment.
"Spike's father was a watcher?" Angel said out load but was really just meant to be in his head.
"What! He's Spike!"
". ahhh yes."
"I can not believe you! If you would have told me to begin with I would known more!" Wesley fumed. "Although this really does explain a lot"
"That's. really Spike? You know he's kinda cute as a little kid" Fred commented.
While Wes and Angel bantered, the boy moved off towards Fred, although he did keep an eye on both Lorne and Gunn while doing so.
William blushed. "Hello" he whispered bashfully with a wave. "I'm William"
"Well I'm Winifred, but you can call me Fred"
"But my mama told me never to call pretty ladies by boy names, so I'll call you Winnie!"
"Umm okay." it was Fred's turn to blush at the boy's compliment.
"But what are we going to do about the kid" Gunn asked.
He had addressed the problem that was now at hand. Angel didn't really know what he was supposed to do and this was 'his' problem. William had went over and sat by Fred, having taken an immediate liking to her. What experience did they have for this? Sure they all took care of Conner from the beginning and then had to worry about the teenager later, but they truly knew nothing about a four-year-old. And it was 'this' four-year-old that was the problem. He was Spike.
"I don't have the slightest idea" Angel answered the impossible question.
"For starters we could always have him sing for us" Lorne pointed out.
"Singing is for is for wankers! I am not singing!"
They turned to back at William, that even though he was looking very out of place, kept a defiant look of pride and dignity for one his age. They knew it was all up to Fred now.
"Please William. We just want to see what's in your future and Lorne reads people when they sing. please? Will you do it for me?"
It worked to. The kid blushed, grumbled something under his breath and then flashed Fred a sweet smile.
"There were three ravens sat on a tree,
Downe a downe,
Hey downe, hey downe.
There were three ravens sat on a tree,
They were as blacke as they might be.
With a downe derrie, derrie, derrie, downe, downe.
Then one of them said to his mate,
"Where shall we bradefast take?
There in yonder greene field,
There lies a knight slain under his shield.
His wounds they lie downe at his feet,
So well they can their master keep.
His haukes they flie so eagerly,
There's no fowle dare him to come nie.
Downe there came a fallow doe,
As great with young a she might goe.
She lift up his boudy head
And kist his wounds till they were red.
So got him up upon her backe,
And carried him to earthen lake.
She buried him before the prime,
She was dead herself ere even-song time.
God send every gentalman, such haukes, such hounds and such leman"
"Well that was something" Gunn whispered.
Lorne seemed to have been entranced by the boy's song. It was an old medieval balled, but there was something to it that seemed to linger. Giving his head a shake, he turned to announce his findings to the others.
"Well things couldn't be more staked up against us. The muffin here has some real powerful mojo. What I read off of him was that his father used a spell to keep his powers dormant when he was five. Apparently since he's four again, there is no spell. So kiddies where dealing with a Mage here and does any one know what mages can do.?"
"You mean that Spike was really a mage, only he had a very old spell on him which made it so that he wasn't a mage?" Wesley asked with concern.
"Yep"
"That would also explain a lot. The Lancaster family was known for minor spell casting abilities. But the only thing that I don't understand is why the books never said that William the Bloody was really the son of Richard Lancaster, one of the most influential watchers recorded" Wesley said puzzled.
"Wesley, I'm shocked. You were a watcher so you should know that they don't like to show off anything that makes them look bad and the son of a watcher becoming a vampire is one of them" Angel chided the ex-watcher.
"Also as to Spike not remembering anything about what I just found out" Lorne continued. "His father died when he was nine protecting him and the current Slayer. The slayer managed to stop a vamp from feeding off of him, but that didn't go to well. He was beaten real bad and fell into a coma. That is also the reason that after becoming a vampire, he went after slayers. It was a subconscious feeling of betrayal."
Lorne would have kept going if Gunn hadn't interrupted.
"Guys. where's William?" they turned to see that Fred was looking all over the room.
William had indeed vanished from Fred's side while they were talking and only god knew what he was doing now.
"Oh this isn't good" Lorne seemed to look a little 'less' green if that was at all possible. "Is it me or am I the only one who thinks it's a bad thing for a mini mage to be running around a still semi-evil law firm?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Well how was that? Hope I didn't over do it. How about I have a poll - What should happen to William after he disappears off into Wolfram & Hart? I have some ideas but I would like some fan input off some additives as things are still on the drawing board. So please throw me a bone. I also go the song 'Three Ravens' from my English teacher so I'm not too sure if I got it all right. *~ G_E_V ~*