Disclaimer: Don't own the characters nor make any money from stories etc, and bow down to their original creators Joss, et al., plus all the wonderful online writers who continue to give the Buffy/Angel verse characters life.
Dedicated to tempestsreach who inspired the story and deserves all the hugs that one could provide.
Part 3
The following day the pattern was much the same, he went out early this time independently, thanking the lovely Jason for his offer of a car, but claiming to need the exercise.
His contact at the hospital was ironically a relative of Clem's and employed as one of their physically unusual quota in 'PC-speak'. Xander had reflected on the 'six degrees' nature of his life when on the second day Roger sent him away with two bonus bags (a total of twelve in all), six different varieties of strong painkillers, and well wishes from Clem … who was apparently happily living in Las Vegas somewhere.
Xander thanked the floppy skinned Roger, who had spent some half hour proudly explaining his ear operation to remove the 'flaps' ten years previously, then proceeded to take out his brown colored contacts to reveal the bright red eyes of the demon, grinning wildly at the deception. Xander indulged the rather endearing character, smiled and patted the flabby arm, just glad that Roger was willing to pass the precious out of date bags Xander's way, and complicit as to why.
He returned to the hotel, with food for himself also. In his years following Sunnydale, the need for Twinkies and pizza had given way to a slightly more healthy diet. He now carried sour dough bread, tomatoes, lettuce, dressing and a salami, along with a large container of grapefruit juice.
With the swipe card/key in his mouth, as he hefted the two enormous bags into the room and onto the 'coffee maker bench', he kicked the door closed, only to notice that the bed was empty.
He panicked, had someone come and found Spike? Was there some reversal? Had he simply come to and left? Or not come to and walked into the sun? The various catastrophic scenarios played out in his head until he heard a sob from the corner of the bed farthest from the door.
Spike was curled up tightly hugging his duster again, rocking and keening, his distress he seemed even worse. It appeared as though he must have fallen from the bed judging by the bruise over one eye and the tangle of bed clothes on the floor in front and around him. Xander noted Spike's closed eyes, the rocking, the hand that tugged repeatedly at the soft leather to stroke his left cheek, and his rhythmic sucking on the thumb of his right hand.
He suddenly remembered the cage and realized his error. Spike not fed since the intubation and a tiny amount from Xander's wrist the previous evening, simply refusing any cup or straw or even the bags. Xander was unprepared to intubate a conscious vampire, but had a different idea. The vampire had spent (from Falena's vague estimation when questioned) close to twelve months exclusively feeding from the teat. If it was the comfort of the suckling and the teat he needed, Xander could do that.
Trusting that Spike's almost catatonic state would cause him to stay put for a time, the brunette raced back to a drug store. He purchased an infant's bottle and teats for an older child, then as an after thought, purchased some disposable surgical gloves.
Spike, as he had predicted, had not moved by the time he returned. He filled the bottle with warm blood and four of the strongest crushed up painkillers and presented it to Spike. The vampire made a cursory attempt at suckling but finally turned away. So Xander tried plan B.
He tugged one of the surgical gloves from the dispensing box, tied off all fingers but the middle finger, then filled it with the precious fluid. The glove expanded and distorted with the warm blood, but remained in tact.
Xander brushed the soft latex against Spike's cheek and gently eased out the thumb that was firmly planted in his patient's mouth. He then pierced the end of the glove finger with a needle and pushed the now oddly distended finger of the glove into Spike's still slightly open mouth. Spike gave a relieved groan then fell into gameface and began to drink, stroking the bag much as he would have done to the pulsing floor when feeding from the teat in his former cage.
Xander found himself holding the bag with one hand and petting Spike's unruly hair with the other. When he stood to replenish the bag Xander heard his charge moan a little in protestation, but the sound was replaced progressively by a satisfied sighs as two, three then four pints of blood were fed to the starved figure via the strange glove.
And so the pattern continued for an entire week. Spike's shivers and convulsions slowly became less, and Xander collected supplies and fed his charge from the gloves, and with assistance from the lovely Jason, he extended his stay to a fortnight, negotiating a weekly rate with the hotel – just until he was able to find accommodation and permanent employment for himself.
………………..
Lilah was given the report. "Just keep track of him. Who is the mystery 'brother'? Can we confirm if he's gay – I'm thinking more lover than relative!"
"The concierge one Jason Elms was not particularly helpful beyond confirming that Mr X Harris and a Mr W Harris are staying at the premises but would not release the room number etc. As you might note we followed our client from the hotel on several occasions, his primary destinations being the hospital downtown and a local drugstore. We were unsuccessful in ascertaining his reason for visiting the hospital other than he is purchasing various items clandestinely for cash. His purchases at the drugstore would indicate he is caring for a seriously ill individual though without medical records, it is impossible to confirm the cause."
Lilah smirked wickedly, "Hmm so, he turns up here after two plus years of wandering around Africa, has no recorded siblings suddenly keen to source his parents' funds (plus some) and has a sick individual in his care… Pursue the gay angle – gut feeling says AIDS for the friend. Secrecy spells he wants it kept quiet, and isolation means no one to run to for him and his little f#$ toy.
She smiled triumphantly, stood, handed back the file and stated, "My Dear Stacy, this makes my job a whole lot easier. Mr Harris seems firmly in his closet… and what did you say he is seeking for employment?
"Construction work and project management Ma'am"
"Excellent convincing him to acquiesce is always so much easier if he has some dirty little secrets he's trying to hide."
"I think at this stage we 'ease' his way into the workforce (one of our clients of course) as appropriate counselor.
"Surveillance?"
"Oh minimum at this stage. I think we have enough."
The young woman tucked the file under one arm and nodded.
"We will review in three months, see if the friend has dearly departed. Grief combined with shame is always such a combination when it comes to motivating people. The Senior Partners are still interested in this one, and given his Hellmouth experience and his recent success, I suspect they have the Special Projects area in mind."
"Oh and Stacy…?" The woman who had turned to leave paused and turned to her superior.
"Yes Ms Morgan?"
"If you ever wear those apologies for shoes into the office again, I will have subdued and your feet replaced by the claws of a raptor on very same day, clear?" Lilah smiled sweetly but Stacy knew the threat was serious.
She paled, replied 'Yes Ma'am" and rushed out.
……………
The painkillers helped Spike relax, and the imbibing of good quality human blood was having a visible affect on his still recovering charge, with gaunt cheeks, wasted limbs and sunken eye sockets all gradually filling out.
Most of the self inflicted wounds had at least begun to heal and his periods of lucidity seemed to be extending – though the dreadful disorientation that still seemed to take over occasionally, saw the formerly proud Master Vampire begging for food or apparently offering himself for pleasure followed by distressed whimpering when the offer was not taken. Xander was still horrified by this behavior but learned in the first week that he could manage it by firmly but gently, tipping the vampire onto his side then spoon him from the back, holding tight and whispering soothingly into his ear, stroking him until Spike calmed and slept.
What worried Xander the most was Spike's apparent need for the feeding teat and his virtually obsessive stroking of soft surfaces. It was obvious with his leather duster but also included the silky throw cushions on the bed; and Xander's arm when he was being held, or anything really. Xander ended up in the shower on one embarrassing occasion after he woke to a hand rubbing rhythmically over the slippery fabric covering his unbelievably hard erection.
But Spike did seem to be improving. He certainly spoke a little, though rarely if ever initiated a conversation, and his compliance and general lack of 'Big Bad' attitude still seemed odd. Xander began to wonder if there had been permanent damage done. He slowly learned of the horror that had been his starving friend's life, from the time Spike burned up in the Hellmouth to his rescue from Illyria's dimension by Xander.
Each mention of the final fight in the alley evoked tears. The brunette never failed to hold his friend and allowed the grief to be somewhat healed in the safety of a friend's arms.
…………….
Jason knocked on their door quietly toward the end of their third week at the hotel. The tall blonde with the body obviously sculpted by hours of gym work, was standing with a large box in his arms and smiled as Xander opened the door. "I hope this is a good time, I just thought you might enjoy some home made frittata and other bits and pieces. Is your brother up to eating soup? My partner Mark made a spectacular minestrone for last night's dinner party and we had a ton over. There's probably enough for two sittings in the tub there – Come down and I'll heat it for you any time you want. Oh and I put in some fresh bagels and OJ from our favorite bakery – well we got extras this morning, you know."
Xander was more than a little overwhelmed by the gesture, and stood at the door running his fingers nervously through his hair, finally realizing Jason was looking decidedly crestfallen and obviously assuming he had done something wrong. "Oh Geez! Sorry! It's just that um… God um… thanks. That's amazing… Geez come in please! Thanks!"
Xander didn't miss the fact that Jason was in his 'civvies', washed out blue designer jeans and an expensive but casual button down surf shirt.
"You just starting your shift then?"
As the young man absently put the box on the suitcase stand, Jason's hazel eyes wandered to the figure in the bed. The curtains were drawn blocking out virtually all the light and a lamp had been switched on. He could see the blond curls pushing out from under the covers, and the extremely pale slim hand resting on the pillow. He also didn't fail to notice the surgical gloves and pile of painkillers on the sideboard.
"Um… no, day off."
Xander noted man's gaze and was about to say something but heard Spike's weak call.
Hoping it was one of the more lucid periods, Xander moved across to stroke the curls away from the just awakening figure. Completing the picture of an invalid, Xander helped Spike to sitting propped up on five pillows, making sure to keep his hand on the silky cushion, then turned to Jason.
"Hey Jason, let me introduce you to William, aka Spike (old nickname…) Ummm Spike, Jason here is the guy at the front desk that has, well, done loads for us really." Xander looked to try to see if Spike was taking in what was being said and knew the message had landed when azure blue eyes focused on their visitor.
A still sleepy Spike said, "Appreciated mate, Xan here's a right champ puttin' up with yours truly."
Jason moved toward the bed and leaned forward to shake the rather ethereally beautiful man's hand. He hadn't missed the English accent, or the affectionate squeeze on the hand Xander gave his 'brother' before the introduction.
"Nice to meet you… Just dropped in some goodies for you folks – Xan here has been pretty generous with the tips and umm…" He toed the ground a little, "Anyway I better head off, boyfriend is waiting in the carpark… Hey look when you feel up to it why don't we head out for a bit of an excursion – you know, surf's not that far away – an hour on the beach could be fun?"
"Right thoughtful of you, but I'm afraid ol' Xan here'll have to do that trip solo. Me, got an allergy to sunlight – permanent condition."
"Oh, of course sorry – guess some of the side effects are a real bitch hey. Well, maybe a film or something…"
Spike didn't bother to process the assumptions being made by the blonde too carefully and simply said, "Sounds lovely, Pet."
Spike was already half asleep again. It was only noon and he had simply woken a little missing his warm bed companion. Now, reassured, he closed his eyes and snuggled down a little. Xander tucked the covers up and pushed the covers up further, then ushered Jason to the door.
Jason tried to imagine if Mark was ever that ill and looked back at the now sleeping figure, and then to the drawn face of Xander. He decided to take a punt, "I don't know what I'd do if my partner Mark got that ill. You are so brave Xander, so brave. But it's for better or for worse, despite the gender yeah?"
Xander went wide eyed then began a half hearted protest, "Broth…" but was silenced by Jason's large kindly hand gripping his shoulder and a knowing smile. "It's OK buddy. 'Brothers' I get it… but you just let me know if I can do anything else… anything! OK…"
Xander smiled weakly, genuinely grateful, "Yeah… thanks."
"Oh and by the way some construction company called, said you had been recommended to them by a friend of a friend. The guy was pretty keen to get you started and said he'd drop the contract off today… Anyway I've got a 'brother' to attend to and a day off." He winked and headed out the door before adding as an after thought, "And Xander… hang in there OK? He's worth it."