Chapter II
"Well, I told you that was going to stretch some day, but you were stubborn as a mule" I tell her jokingly, trying my best to come up with a good distraction before I start weeping tears of joy. I may be a good vampire now, but vampire still. Crying like a girl is not traditional vampire behavior.
"I was eighteen Spike, I didn't even think of having babies back then!" she exclaims laughingly, petting her swollen tummy where the tattoo is already looking a little distorted. She looks so beautiful like this, all sweet with her long green hair and her kohl-painted eyes. A little over four months, and the pregnancy has already made her look all motherly cute.
I was so anxious to see her that I came to her place as soon as I woke up, a few hours after noon, not even caring about the obvious discomforts of going out during the day. The look on her face when she saw me was way worth the blanket-covered running from the car to her doorstep. The presents will have to wait, though, but I couldn't.
Oz was still in bed when I arrived, and was awakened by her cheerful little cries when she saw me. Then there were tears, hysterical laughing, and proud replies to all my thrilled questions. Even Oz, who emerged from the bedroom a while ago, looks strangely changed by this new development of their relationship; he talks more, smiles an awful lot, and spends half his waking hours caressing or kissing her. I wish Joyce could be here to see what a fine young woman her baby girl has grown up to be.
"So, uh, Spike, there was actually something I wanted to tell you..." she says when we finally stop laughing over my last attempt at self-diversion, and the suddenly nervous and hesitant look on her face gives me the shivers
"Is something wrong?" I ask concerned, a whole lot of terrible things that could or could have happened crowding my mind
"What? No!" she assures me, forcing a nervous chuckle which only confirms that she's dead nervous about whatever the hell it is she wants to tell me "It's just, you know, Oz and I have been thinking a lot... you know... what with the baby coming and all..." she starts babbling, Oz's arm taking a soothing position around her shoulders "...and well, I know it's kind of ironic actually... but I just, we just thought it might be, you know, a good idea and all..."
"What? Spill out!" I demand, nervous myself after the rather prolonged rant
"We want you to be the baby's godfather!" Dawn exclaims rather loudly, rushing nervously through the words
"You what?" I ask, not believing my ears
"Well, you know, you're like, my best friend... you took so good care of me... and I just thought... you know, it's not like holy water has to touch you in the ceremony... and plus, the living-forever thing is a bonus, you will always be there for the baby if something even happens to us... not that it will, but if... and, you know..."
She looks so cute when she babbles. So okay, there goes my last bit of vampire composure; this certainly does justify the crying... not that I could help it. Me, Spike, the baby's godfather... the tears start dripping down my cheeks immediately.
"It's just... it's such a big responsibility..." I sigh, her glossy eyes making it hard for me to talk without sobbing, what a wuss "Are you sure of this?"
"We're sure, Spike" Oz softly interrupts her before she starts babbling again "Just one thing..." he says with a severe expression on his face "If it's a girl, don't hit on her when she turns eighteen..."
And then the three of us start laughing.
I'm still digesting the information when I leave their home, a couple of hours after sunset, with the promise of returning in a few days with the presents and Cordelia, who insisted on tagging alone the next visit but was satisfied with sending her love by means of a greeting card this once. I wonder if she knew what they wanted to ask me, and decided to allow me some private time with them. I know they are having the same conversation with Willow as soon as she manages to come over, and I wonder if Red is going to feel the same way I feel now, because it sure feels great! Sometimes it plain shocks me how much I have come to belong in this group, with these people I now call friends. Family.
So I arrive back at the hotel with a huge wide grin on my face, probably rather stupid looking, but I don't give a damn. I really can't wait to tease the Grandsire; it's not everyday that you get chosen over him, and a chance to push the man's buttons is a chance to push the man's buttons. And lucky me, here he comes...
"How's Dawn?" he asks as he comes to meet me outside of the building, probably alerted of my presence by the noise of my poor excuse for a car. Can't seem to get rid of the good ol' DeSotto.
"She's very knocked up, sends her love..." I say casually, waiting for the perfect timing to slip a low punch "Says you can sit in the back at the christening, since I'll be up front..." his expression is priceless now "...holding the baby!"
"Well... can't say that I'm not hurt that they didn't chose me..." he starts to say, broody mood on; but wait, now he has that sexy smirk on him "They promised me next... I'm way ahead of you, Spike" he chuckles, and now I want to punch him for real for screwing up my fun; who died and made him resident fun-guy? "Come here, let's celebrate..." he says, and then I follow him in to find the whole hotel population in the lobby, holding glasses of champagne. The conniving bastards.
So we drink the champagne, then we order Chinese and open a few more bottles, and by ten o'clock I receive Faith's phone call congratulating me, with the witches background comments as a bonus. Talk about conspiracy.
"Is there anyone who didn't know?" I ask in mock outrage, actually focused on how sweet revenge to the witch will be when she realizes she has been set up as much as I have. You laugh now, Red, you know what they say about the one who laughs the last...
Then when they hang up we drink some more, I put up with some jokes on how many things could go wrong and the chances I get permanently injured by holy water exposure, and by midnight the couples start retiring to their rooms, leaving the poof and I alone with a bottle of scotch to make up for the lack of any more bubbles. A few more drinks, and he too goes up to his room, walking a little funny. Ponce never had a head for alcohol.
It is then, when I find myself alone in the empty lobby with the remnants of the celebration, that I start getting melancholic. Not my fault, you know. Slayer's right when she says Angel's is rubbing off on me; I really do brood quite a bit lately, and this is definitely a brood-worthy time. I mean, think of it, the single most important fact of the bint's life, and neither Joyce nor Buffy are there. I'm sure they would have loved to see this, as she would love them to be there... And then there's the git... Xander.
I hardly thought about him at all for ten years, and probably wouldn't have if I had not met his doppelganger the night before. Even still, I had my mind too busy all day to think about him even now, not since I fell asleep last night. Alright, passed out. I came back to the hotel rather confused, and raided the grandsire's booze cabinet.
The man had the git's face, the git's voice... yet he was not him. He was a man alright, probably deadly at that, and whatever the whole swords issue was all about, I'm positive the Xander-looking man would have done the exact same thing the other had tried, given the proper circumstances. Hard to reconcile the Zeppo with that self-confident, gorgeously dressed, exceptional fighter individual. Yet somewhere, it felt like him.
So the hell with drinking myself to an alcoholic comma while thinking of it; I go out and head directly to the place where I saw the man the night before. After spending almost fifteen years in Sunnydale there's hardly anything that could surprise me, and if there is something in that man that is Xander, I must know. Don't ask me why, I just must.
But of course he is not where I saw him the first time around, because seriously, why would he be in a deserted alley two nights on a row? Weird enough he was there once, but then again who says he actually was? Ghosts are supposed to work like this, aren't they? Appear to you when less expected, act like nothing's abnormal about the situation, then disappear... in a black Mercedes convertible? Stranger things have happened...
I take it to the club where I was the night before, so I can get a couple of drinks and maybe see if anyone can give me some info on the man –if there was a man after all. I'm damn sober now in comparison to last night, and trust me, I'm not exactly fresh right now. I sit at the bar, waiting for the bartender to notice me, when movement to my right makes me turn around. And there he is, just out of nowhere.
"Got a light, fangs?" he asks in a casual tone, leaning against the bar with a cigarette in his mouth. I fumble with the lighter before I can light it for him, and he just smiles. Damn! If he didn't remember me of Xander so much, I would seriously think he's hot. Okay, I admit it, he is hot.
"Looking nervous tonight, fangs" he grins, taking the stool next to me and waving for the bartender, who immediately comes over "Two beers" he orders, and the man goes away to return promptly with the requested beverages, one of which is handed to me.
"It's Spike" I point out, barely managing to disguise my shock at realizing he's real... whoever he is.
"Gavin" he offers, giving me an appraising look that makes me feel exposed. For a moment he just stares, then he chuckles and turns to his beer, making no attempt at further conversation.
"Come here often?" I ask him after a while of silence, glad that I have been the bad-ass vampire for so long it hardly shows when I'm intimidated. And believe me, I am.
"Not really. Just looking for you..." he replies with a grin, turning to set knowing brown eyes on mine "So, are you going to ask?"
Looking for me? I can't decide whether to be flattered, scared, or plain confused. And what else is he saying? Am I going to ask? Ask what? For a moment he looks so much like the git I positively freak out; but it can't be him, I saw him die. I went to his funeral, I comforted the girls when they couldn't make sense of any of it. Yet for a moment, it feels like it's actually him, pushing my buttons like he always had. Is he doing just that? Pushing my buttons?
"Ask what?" I question him, somehow keeping up the pretense of ease while deep down I'm choking with confusion
"Am I him?" he replies matter-of-factly, finishing his beer "Am I the one I remind you of?"
How does he know? Then again, the way the question is formulated implies that he isn't. And he couldn't be... I can't make up my mind whether it's just some guy having a good laugh at my expense, or it's actually Xander... having a good laugh at my expense. Worse thing is, I wish it was him. So what can I do? I gotta ask...
"Are you him?"
"Yeah, fangs... it's me" he says with a nasty little smile, and before I can say anything he stands up and walks away.
You know me, I'm not the easily shocked kind of bloke, but the casually intoned revelation just catches me by surprise. So I just stay there, sitting like an imbecile, trying to make some sense of what I just heard. Then I realize no answers will come from sitting and drinking, so I finish my drink and rush out of the club. Imagine my surprise to find him still there, leaning comfortably against the side of his car.
"Xander? Is that you?" I ask him, walking with quick steps towards him, thinking he might vanish just anytime
"Yes" he grins, pulling a cigarette out of his coat pocket. I light it for him instantly, waiting for him to say something else, but he remains quiet, staring at me with an amused look on his eyes.
"It can't be you... I saw you die..."
"Then maybe it isn't me..." he grins, abandoning his comfortable spot to walk towards the door of the vehicle "But wouldn't you just love to find out..." he says, getting into the car and starting the engine.
Of course I'm shocked, but not enough to miss the chance of figuring it out, so I throw myself on the escort seat without waiting for an actual invitation and, funny enough, he just drives off without even acknowledging my presence.
For a brief time I just sit in silence, watching the calm expression on his face as he drives, and wondering if this man could possibly be Xander. He says it's him, but then he says it might not be him... I ponder on the odds, make a mental list of likely reasons for this man to actually be Xander, and wonder why in hell would he show himself to me if he is indeed whom he claims to be. Then the car comes to a halt, and I realize we are parked in a residential area.
"Are you real?" I ask, knowing how stupid it probably sounds, but needing to do it all the same. Maybe it's just that I'm drunk, but it feels like the right thing to ask at the time.
"Was, when last I checked..." he offers playfully, his facial cast denoting he's having a wonderful time at my expense. So what the hell can I do? I draw my hand to touch his arm, the nearest thing at reach, and find it definitely corporeal. So I move my hand down to his own hand, the only unclothed part of him besides his face, and find it warm. Absolutely human. I am focusing on the way he smells, when he suddenly bursts into laughter.
"If you're going to feel me up, might as well wait until we're upstairs"
I feel vaguely like I've been following him around forever, but all the same get into the elevator next to him. He's really staring to get on my nerve with all his inconsistent replies, and what the hell what that about me feeling him up?. Damn git! He would know it if I were feeling him up. I am arriving to the conclusion that he must be really Xander to be so annoying, when I notice his formerly amused expression hardens as he seems to notice something on the loft which I, with all vampire senses, cannot feel. Then the elevator comes to a halt, and I am surprised to find he pulls a sword out of his coat and waves for me to stay where I am.
Of course I'm not one to stay behind, so I follow him into the loft and I'm rewarded with the chance to get a glimpse of his careful approach, almost predatory, as he moves in the darkness with his sword firmly held up. The television is on, and someone is shamelessly sitting there, watching a movie. Then a light goes on, and Xander puts his weapon down with an exasperated sigh.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asks the strawberry-blond bloke, who remains relaxed on the couch without even bothering to turn around
"Gee, Gav, what's with the attitude..." the intruder complains "I'm watching a movie... grab yourself a beer and join me, it's about to get interesting..."
"You're offering me some of my beer, while you watch my TV in my apartment?" Xander exclaims in disbelief "You're spending too much time with the old man... and how the hell did you get in here in the first place?"
"Never returned your key" the redhead replies matter-of-factly "Just got back in town and figured I needed a place to stay..." he offers, and then turns around and notices me "Although I think I may have to take the couch..." he grins
Then, when I'm beginning to feel like I am the incorporeal one, Xander turns around and sees me, standing right behind him. What can I do? I smile innocently and shrug.
"So much for staying in the elevator" he sighs, pulling off his coat and heading out of the room
"So, you're like, together?" the redheaded stranger asks with curiosity, obviously losing interest in his movie as he eyes me appraisingly
"No, we're not together..." Xander says with an annoyed tone as he reenters the room, and heads towards the kitchen to return with two bottles of beer, one of which is tossed in my direction "Just how many beers did you have, Rich?"
"You're right Gav, I've had one too many... maybe I should just leave you two alone and get in bed, okay?" he offers with a sheepish smile, promptly standing up and heading towards the other room. But Xander grabs his arm before he can walk past him, and gives him a threatening look
"You're not sleeping in the bed, Rich... it's the couch or the street"
"Spoilsports" the kid protests, disentangling himself from Xander's hold and giving him a playful slap in the ass before returning to the couch "Can I finish watching the movie, at least?"
"Whatever..." Xander sighs, strolling towards the kitchen, seemingly oblivious to my presence. Of course who can blame him? Even I am kind of oblivious to my own presence, after the little scene I have just seen. And they said I used to abuse Xander's hospitality? This Rich kid not only breaks into his loft, but also drinks his beer, makes complaints, tries to usurp his bed, and... did he slap him in the ass?
It doesn't seem like Xander is coming back this way, and the blonde is caught up in his movie and not paying any attention to me anymore, so I invite myself over to the kitchen.
"Glad you could make it, loft's so enormous I thought you had gotten lost" he says ironically, pushing a stool in my direction with his foot "Now, where were we? Oh, yes. You were getting enthusiastic with your hands..."
"Are you really Xander?" I interrupt him, taking the stool he offered and pulling a fag out of my coat
"I think we covered that already" he sighs in annoyance; at least I'm not the only one getting pissed "I am Xander for all that matters, but I'm not really him anymore. I'm Gavin now, I told you that..."
"You do dress better, and obviously have learnt how to use your sword..." I concede, to which he only smirks in reply "But what I want to know, then, is how is it possible... gotta insist on the fact that I saw you die"
"I'm not dead, as it's plain for you to see. I am not a vampire, as I'm sure you've noticed" he says casually as he stands up to grab two more beers "I'm just a guy, kind of in the mood to catch up with old acquaintances. Of all people, I wouldn't have suspected I would get a scene from you, Spike"
"I'm not making a scene, git. I just want to know what you are"
"I'm a systems engineer, Spike. I have a house, a car, a well-paid job and good friends" he says softly "You want to know how is it possible that am I alive? I don't know, I just am. You want to know why I never told anyone? I loved the girls, and Giles too, and I think about them even now... but I didn't really belong with them anymore, they didn't really need me. So I moved on, and here I am..."
"I know what you mean, and I won't tell anyone that I saw you if you don't want me to... but, why let me know it was you, if you wanted to keep yourself a secret?"
"I don't know... it kind of happened on its own, really" he confesses "I wasn't going to tell you, in all honesty. I just wanted to see you one more time, maybe get some info out of you on how everyone was doing... and then for some reason I felt this urge to tell you it was me. Just wanted to talk to someone who remembered the old me, a way to link down to all the things I left behind..." he sighs, and for a second I see in his eyes a flick of emotion that resembles weariness, but it is immediately displaced by an amused expression "I must be getting old and nostalgic"
I am about to come up with a witty reply, when for the second time in the night I see him growing unexplainably tense, and I follow his eyes to the elevator, which is going down and immediately starts back up. In the corner of my eye, I see the blonde turning towards it with a very similar wary expression, and the tension in the room is growing to a peak when suddenly the elevator door opens and a woman emerges from it.
"Richie, what a surprise..." she addresses the blonde with a passing smile, then the boy turns back to his movie as if nothing is out of the ordinary and the woman –is that a skirt or a scarf?- heads directly towards us.
I'm really starting to wonder who the hell are these people and why they keep showing up at the git's like it's a public place when she brushes past me and plants a soft kiss on Xander's mouth, then turns towards me with a well-practiced charming smile and stretches her hand.
"Amanda" she smiles seductively
"Spike" I concede, dismissing her hand and focusing on the wary look on Xander's face which is rather amusing
"So, Amanda... you do realize it's rather late for a social call, don't you?" he asks, sounding sort of annoyed "And when did you arrive in town?"
"Just tonight" she smiles sheepishly, turning once more towards Xander and putting her arms around him in an open attempt at seduction that would disgust me if I weren't so amused "I just figured, since Mac is all married and won't take me in... why not drop by at my old friend Bumper's..."
"You never mentioned why you were in town..." he insists, and I find myself quite curious about what her comeback is going to be. And, did she just call him Bumper?
"Can't a girl just drop by to visit her friends?" she replies, batting her eyelashes "Anyway, since you're in such good company maybe I should just get a hotel room, come back in the morning," she concludes, suddenly releasing Xander and planting another kiss on his lips before heading towards the elevator "Maybe you can tag along, Ryan. I hear they have big screen TVs in this hotel downtown..."
"I'm cool" the kid answers absently, obviously focused on his movie, until the woman slaps him across the head in a rather urgent gesture; then the blonde sighs and stand up to leave as well "Later, guys..." he shrugs, grabbing his coat with ridiculous care and following the woman into the lift.
"What was that?" I chuckle as soon as the elevator starts moving, trying to decide whether I'm more surprised about the hasty retreat or the obtrusive arrivals
"That was Amanda" he says with an amused smile as he lights a cigarette and grabs two more beers "She's a friend of a friend... I think she mentioned Mac?"
"Yeah, the married guy" I comment as I accept the offered drink "What's her relation with you? And, did she call you Bumper?" I ask, suddenly remembering that last bit
"Yeah, she thinks she's so funny" he replies with a self-deprecating grin "She kind of ran me over a while back, you know, with her car... I don't think I'll ever get over the nickname"
"She ran you over with her car?" I repeat with a raised eyebrow, concluding that the new Xander surely has a funny way of making friends "Where I come from, we usually kill them when they do that"
"Yeah, well... it wasn't really her car" he informs me, making it sound like it's enough of an excuse; I'm seriously starting to consider the Sunnydale deserter has some serious issues by now, but I'm amused enough not to mention it.
"So what's with Glodielocks? He ran you over too?" I ask with some well-meant sarcasm "Is that how it works? Run over Xander, then crash at his flat?"
"Not really..." he chuckles, obviously appreciating my irony –which old Xander never did "That only works for well endowed women... Richie is Mac's son"
It's seven am by the time I leave the flat, via the sewers. We spent the whole night sitting in the small kitchen, drinking beers and smoking until the room was in a fog and we had to move to the living area to be able to see each other's faces. Then we kept drinking and talking until he had to leave for work. I have to admit it, I like the new and improved Xander. Because one thing I can assure now, he is Xander, no matter what his name or his status is.
At first I couldn't even draw a parallel between the two Xanders –Sunnydale geeky kid and Los Angeles successful engineer. While the Scooby was a shy, tasteless, and moronic inept, this one is strong, self-sufficient and witty. And sexy, lest we forget. It took me quite a while to reconcile the two of them, and by now I can positively say I do not miss the old Xander in the least.
Then there is the issue of his friends. I guess he never got over that time when I crashed at his basement for a while... He explained briefly that Amanda and Richie, whenever they are in town, use to crash at his place, since he's single and has enough spare room. Which brings us to Mac; all night long, it was all Mac this, Mac that. The kid has a serious case of idol worship, and I really can't wait to meet Mac and see what he's made of. Which will be tonight at dinner, in case anyone wondered.
Oh yes, and remember I mentioned the bitch that killed Xander back in Sunnydale? Well, meet Amanda. Of course she didn't actually kill him, or rather she did, but the paramedics managed to bring him back on the way to the hospital. Then this Amanda woman went to the hospital, talked to him... she didn't have insurance, or something. The thing is, somehow the doctors forgot to let his family in on the fact that he was actually alive –or, I suspect, they were too drunk to process it- and instead of asking for money he asked her to take him with her.
You know, I knew the Harris kid's folks, and I tell you it isn't weird that he wanted to get away from them. His mum was a rather pleasant woman, when she was sober, but his old man... the bastard used to get so drunk he would wreak havoc in the house and beat up his wife and son. I could hear him from the basement at times, and believe me, if I hadn't had the chip I would have killed him. Maybe I should go find him and kill him now, if he's still around...
Anyway, here's where the Mac guy comes into the picture. He takes Xander in, as a special favor to Amanda, who has been his friend for like ever. He puts Xander through college, trains him in different kinds of combat, and loans him some money to rent a flat along with Richie, his son. Then the two become the best of friends, and stay roomies until Xander gets his mayor and moves to a bigger place, and Richie takes it to Europe to try some luck on motorcycle racing.
However, Xander seemed less than interested about telling me of his life, and more than anxious to question me about his long-lost friends'. The few details I got of his life I had to pull out of him by sheer force –just when did he develop such a good tolerance to alcohol, anyway?- and the rest of the night we spent talking about the members of the Scooby Gang, and how things were doing for them
"Where were you all night, Spike?" Cordelia inquires, giving me a passing look as I walk into the hotel lobby "Brood boy was worried as hell, although he won't admit it..." she explains as she continues on her way to the kitchen, obviously intending for me to follow. So I do.
Somehow, having spent the whole night with Xander makes me realize all the more how things have changed in the last ten years. I sort of take for granted the attention that is lavished on me nowadays, but after this unexpected run-in with the past I feel shamefully aware of the new order of things. I would feel embarrassed and furious knowing that this whole bunch of humans really care for me, if I hadn't stopped brooding over my lost life-threat days. Now, it just feels exhilarating.
"I met an old friend, kinda lost track of time... was Angel really concerned?" Yeah, I know, pathetic. But I do care now, you know. Always did, really, but were too stupid to admit it. I won't say publicly now, but at least I acknowledge it to myself.
"Never came out of my lips" she grins, before opening the fridge and pulling out a milk carton and a blood bag "So, who was this friend? Must be hot if it took all night..." she chuckles while she puts the blood to warm and prepares twin bowls of cereal to go with the proper liquids
You have no idea. Oh, bloody hell! "I said that aloud, didn't I?"
"Either that, or my new mind-reading abilities just kicked in" she says with a raised eyebrow while she puts the milk in her bowl and hands me over the warmed mug of blood to do the same with mine "Maybe you can bring her over for Christmas..." she pauses for a second, considering "She's not the killing-the-little-humans type, right?"
"I don't think so..." I reply absently, my mind going in two different directions. One, why did she assume it was a she? Do I sound like I'm developing a crush? On Xander Harris? Two; is he, or is he not the people-killing type? I must be developing a crush on him, because why else can I explain the fact that I forgot to ask about the very obvious fight-to-the-death-with-sharp-objects issue?
So I just let it go, and dedicate my day to more useful tasks. Like helping to translate this boring prophesy, which Angel insists on reviewing even though everyone knows it's just a bluff. Ask any half-sober demon on the streets, and he'll tell you it's just an old wives tale, something to tell young demons around a fireplace. We've all heard it, but noooooo, Mr. Angel has to look deeply into it.
It's a prophesy about a human being obtaining the ultimate power, thus archiving world domination. Yeah, right. And to make it even more pointless, there is almost no data whatsoever about the fulfillment of this so-called prophesy. We have an hypothetical group of guys, and there is that word referring to them that the devil only knows what it meant in that long-dead dialect, and they gather, whatever for nobody knows, and then there is only one and he has the power to rule the world.
We don't know why they gather, when they gather, what they do when they gather, how do they become one... we don't have any bibliography on it other than this old –and stinky- book, rescued from a Toul'kar nest some days ago, and none of us has ever heard of any of the wacky things it barely describes. There's obviously no ground for further investigation, but when did that stop the poof? Luckily the day goes by rather quickly, and my dinner appointment manages to get me out of the place soon enough.
Have you ever known me for feeling awkward? I didn't think so. But truth is, I do now. Xander is looking absolutely breath-taking tonight, clad all in black –not that I've seen him wear anything else so far. He's waiting for me at the bar of the restaurant we were supposed to meet at, and I tell you, the kid will probably never stop surprising me. It's the fanciest place I've been to for like, what, ever? And he fits in just perfectly, acknowledging me with a charming, non-Xanderish smile as I walk through the door. He's so gorgeous sitting there that I fail to notice the two men with him, until I'm close enough for introductions.
"I'm glad you could make it" he says as he stands up, the two men following suit "Spike, these are Mac, and Adam"
Then I notice them. Two tall men, taller than the both of us, more or less equally well dressed, quite impressive in their own way. And the leaner one, the one with the nose, for some reason looks familiar. I'm distracted thinking about that, when the other man –Mac- suggests that we go to our table. I feel terribly underdressed when a receptionists asks for my coat, but the three men are obviously not bothered about my appearance. They're just finished ordering, when suddenly realization strikes.
"You're a relative of Snookie Benjamin?" I ask the man with a prominent nose before I can stop myself
"He was my father" he replies at once, a somewhat embarrassed look on his face
"Snookie?" Mac asks with a chuckle, as Xander himself fights to keep laughter at bay "Where did you meet Snookie, Spike?" he asks merrily
"At Woodstock. He had the best acid in the bloody place. I remember your mom, Linda... she is you mom, right?" I ask, suddenly remembering how stoned Snookie was all the time, and wondering if he was born of the bastard's wife, or anyone else "I remember them alright... you knew Snookie because no matter what time of the day it was, he was either rolling a joint or smoking them... You look just like him, except for the wild hair and the hippie outfit"
"I... think it's enough about Snookie for now" Adam interrupts me, and for some reason that I just can't figure the other two men just start cracking up again
"No no, by all means Spike, do tell us more about Snookie" Xander insists politely, for some reason finding a deep pleasure in how fucked up this poor guy's old man was. It's not like it's his fault...
"Put a sock in it, Bumper" Adam hisses, much to Xander's further amusement "I had an ancestor with wild hair and a wild mask too, in case you forget" he says in a tone that almost sounds threatening, if not for the all too sweet expression on his face. Suddenly Xander stops laughing at all, and I can see from where I'm sitting -next to Xander and across the table from the other two- that Mac elbows Adam in the ribs. Just then the waiter returns with the first dish, and everyone falls quiet.
By the time dinner's over I can say without doubt that I like the git's friends. Mac is cultured and witty, and impresses as the kind of friend that would lay his life down for you. Adam I'm pretty sure is a genius, and that would explain his abusive cynicism in someone that young; but then again, try been Snookie's child and grow up an optimistic piece of sunshine. Sometimes during dinner he almost reminded me of myself, other than the fact that he wasn't part of the Scourge of Europe.
By the time we're though with dinner Mac invites me over to a blues bar, explaining a friend of them owns it, and even though I'm not much of a blues fan I'm having enough of a good time to join them. We split, and I get a ride with Xander while the other two drive in Mac's car, a rolling antique that looks as shiny as new. We arrive to the bar a couple of minutes after them, to find them sitting at the far end of the bar, drinking and laughing along with a much older man.
"Snookie, uh? Elusive bastard... we always wondered who was the mother-fucker married to Amanda" the elderly man is chuckling as we approach the table and take the two conveniently saved chair
"Linda" Adam corrects him, looking notably less amused than the other two "It was the sixties for crying out loud! Would you two stop laughing at an old man's poor choices in life?"
"Nope, sorry Adam... it's too funny" Mac continues to laugh, earning himself a killer look from Adam before he turns to face Xander
"Hey Gav, you got a spare bed for MacLeod?" he says casually "He will probably get himself locked out of his apartment tonight"
"No, I won't" Mac replies seriously, although his eyes are bright with held-back laughter
"Oh, sounding self confident tonight" Adam teases him with an amused grin, and before I can understand what is going on Mac leans over and kisses the other man in the mouth, sliding his hand behind his head to hold him in place. My first reaction is shock, and after a minute or two that they continue kissing I start to debate with myself whether to feel embarrassed or aroused. Definitely the latte.
"Oh, get a room already!" the elderly man exclaims jokingly as he waves a waiter to the table, and sends him back on his way with a beer order
"And here I though it was your job to watch" Adam says when he finally pulls himself away from the other man's arms, readjusting himself in his seat as he downs the rest of his beer all at once, and casting a furtive look around the room that I could have not noticed, if both Mac and Xander hadn't decided for a similar examination of the bar patrons at the exact same time.
"Believe me, there are things I rather not watch" the older man replies, smiling openly when he recognizes the figure now approaching the table "Ah, the lovely Amanda... we were just talking about you a minute ago"
"Really?" she says with a charming tone, casually sitting herself on top of the bar owner's lap "What about?"
"Oh... this, that... Woodstock" Mac replies with a concealed smile that soon turns into a chuckle as the woman's eyes grow wide with shock, shooting a threatening look at Adam, who just sighs in exasperation and downs another beer. Then I realize. Amanda, the annoying bitch from the night before, looks very much like Linda, only with dark short hair and less clothes. Much, much less. I'm about to comment about it, when Adam suddenly seems to realize I'm staring at her, and breaks the silence before I do;
"She's my sister" he clarifies, then an almost evil grin takes shape in his face "Not that I could be sure, Linda did fuck around a lot... she was pretty screwed up, what with all that acid and whatnot"
"Yeah, like Snookie wasn't? At least Linda wasn't sleeping with Brian Cullen!" she says indignant
"You wished!" Adam chuckles before he notices several sets of eyes staring at him in disbelief "Oh, come on! He was hot!" he snaps, and turns to look at Mac who, unlike the rest of the present, is very red and absorbed by the pattern of the floor-tiles "Aw, I smell a story..." Adam whispers suggestively, leaning against the other man's side
"It's really late, we should be going..." Mac then says, abruptly standing up "It was a pleasure to meet you, Spike..." he offers, shaking my hand firmly, and then starts to walk away, only turning once to call for Adam who has remained behind "Are you coming, or you expect me to drag you?"
"Mm, kinky" Adam grins, before standing as well and following the retreating man "I'll see you guys around..." are his only words before leaving the bar as well
I'm really absorbed by the interaction of the group, and the way everyone seems to be amused by bringing up the dirt from under their parents' carpet. And seriously, I had never figured Snookie for a poof. Of course, that would explain his son's choices in life.
"I can't believe it!" Amanda's loud exclamation brings me back from my thoughts "Did everyone get it going with Brian? I'm depressed..." she sighs, standing up and pulling the elderly man to his feet after her "Buy me a drink, Joe. Let the boys have their time..." she instructs rather than suggest, and with a wink at us she leaves the table.
"Well, this sure has been an interesting evening..." the man sighs "I guess I'll see you around... be good, Gav"
"Will do, Joe" Xander replies affectionately, and then the man heads towards the bar with slow steps aided with a cane