Chapter 22

"Spike?"

Xander's voice brought him out of his reverie, and he turned to the younger vampire.

"Yeah, whelp?"

Xander hesitated in a way he hadn't in a while. Spike sat up from where he'd been reclining on the couch in Angel's office.

"What's wrong, Xander?"

"Nothing's wrong, but I have a question."

"Well, spit it out then."

"What's it like to have a childe?"

Spike stared at Xander. His mouth had dropped open, and he was completely dumbfounded.

"What brought this on? Thinking of turning someone?"

"Maybe."

"Xander…I hate to rain on your parade," Spike said gently. "But you're too young yet to be a sire."

"I know." Xander crossed his arms over his chest, scowling.

"Then why ask?"

"Because I want to know. I assume that I may want to sire someone one day, but it probably won't be for a while, so I want to know what it's like."

Spike tilted his head, and considered his childe. "All right. Come here."

Xander walked over and sat in a chair next to the couch so he could keep eye contact.

"Siring a childe…" Spike trailed off. It was like no other experience he'd ever had. How could he possibly explain it? "It's not like having human children, at least from what I understand of that experience. As a vampire, you get to choose your childer. Childer are chosen for many reasons from their beauty to their temperament, for lust or power, for revenge, or even based on compatibility." Spike smiled fondly at Xander. "That's why I chose you."

Xander laughed. "You didn't have a lot of choice either, though."

"I wouldn't have agreed if I didn't think we'd get along, though. Eternity is a long time to be family with someone you hate."

Xander nodded, and Spike continued.

"Siring a childe makes you feel very important too. You're responsible for teaching them about how to live this life, a life they often don't get to choose. Some vampires are never prepared for that responsibility." He paused for a moment, remembering Drusilla. "But that doesn't mean the family connection won't be there anyway. As a sire…" Spike trailed off and then started again. "As a childe, you feel the family responsibility in a way that makes you want to please your sire, right?" Xander nodded, and Spike continued. "Well, it's a bit like that when you sire a childe. Except for a sire, the important thing is protection. You want your childe to learn to be happy with this life, but you also want them to learn everything they need to know so that they survive long enough to enjoy it too. So, the sire carries more responsibility."

"That makes sense," Xander said. "It sounds…overwhelming."

Spike smiled. "It can be. But I wouldn't trade it for anything," he said, standing so he could ruffle Xander's hair.

The boy laughed, and ducked away from his sire, but Spike continued his relentless assault. Angel found them two hours later, still laughing as they wrestled and sparred, Spike still ruffling Xander's hair whenever the boy didn't move fast enough to dodge or block him, Xander still protesting each time he did it, though without any real conviction.

Smiling as he leaned against the door, Angel watched them, wondering how he could have gone without his family for so long.