Title: True Innocent 29/34
Author: BmblBee
Rating: Adult
Paring: S/X - of course
Warnings: None really except the expected man lovin'
Disclaimer: The Bee owns nothing, including the
lovely men used in the commission of this story.

Summary: This is a follow up to the story "Temptation".
It sees Spike and his new childe returning to California
to the dark angel. He has the answers to questions
Spike has about Xander.

Anyone who is interested in reading Temptation, it can be
found here: http://bmblbee.livejournal.com/tag/temptation

As always chapters posted daily, comments very gratefully accepted.




Special thanks to the wonderful and sweet Petxnd for the fantastic banner.


Spike had the directions and address to the Hyperion Hotel
stamped firmly in his brain. After obtaining the street number
from the information operator, he had stayed up late, long after
his childe had gone to sleep, and looked it up on the map page
of the telephone directory in the hotel room.

A task made more difficult by the fact that some bitch of
a room maid had stacked the phone books under the
room bible and he had burnt his finger tips twice trying
to slip it out. Cursing and hissing he swore that the fuckin'
cunt would get no tip from him. Yea, he was still evil.

He wondered if that type of shit was done on purpose.
He often thought a good vampire discrimination lawsuit
would make them sit up and take notice.
Fuckin' pricks.

Johnny Cochran was now among the undead. Maybe when
this was all over he would give him a call.
Spike immediately reconsidered and shuddered.
That was just too fuckin' evil.

Aiming the DeSoto down another one way street, Spike checked
the street sign on the corner post and made a left.

He had been to Los Angeles several times but that had been years
ago. Still, it helped. He knew the address was in an older part
on the outskirts of the city. A part of town where the original city's
founding fathers had built mansions, temples where they could
show off and worship their great wealth and social status.

Over the years as wars, depressions, and economic shifts had
claimed and changed their situations, the ones who got
richer moved to create better areas and the buildings and residents
that hadn't faired as well financially were left behind.

Some of the structures survived as homes, most were converted to
hotels or chopped up into low rent apartments, sleeping rooms, or
even abandoned squats for the homeless.

What had, at one time, been the best part of town, the snobs knob,
was now one of the worst.
Spike could see how Angel felt right at home here.

Slowing the car to a crawl, Spike watched the house numbers that
were painted on the curbs. He had all but forgotten about the childe
that sat fearfully and sadly beside him.

Finally he saw it. 8327. The curb it was stenciled on was chipped
and crumbling, but the numbers clear and obviously, freshly painted.

Pulling over, he stopped and shut off the engine. Looking out the
window he saw it. Huge, gloomy, it sat far back off the road and
high on a hill. Run down, it looked as though it hadn't been lived
in for over a hundred years.

The window shutters were crooked and the roof needed work, but
none of that meant Jack Squat to Spike because the only thing that
stood out, what really caught his attention, was the fact that through
the shredded lace curtains hanging at the windows, the lights were on.

"Why are we here, Demon? What is this place?"

Spike jumped. Startled by the soft voice of his childe and concerned
by his choice of words and tone. Xander had stopping calling him demon
days ago, preferring the loving title of Sire. He still refused to use Spike's
real name, but both suspected it was now done more out of humor
than defiance.
Now he was back to demon, and the tone was suspicious, fearful.

Turning in his seat, Spike cupped Xander's face in both his hands and
forced his attention. The time for explanation had come. If this was to
go badly, Xander needed to be prepared.

"Listen to me, childe. We are here so I can see my own sire. Before
we are free to start our lives together there are some questions I need
him to answer."

Xander went rigid. He pulled back, clutching Bessie tightly.
"NO! He hurt you. I hate him. Is that why you came to him? Do
you like it when he hurts you? Do you want him instead of me?"

Xander recalled his own night in the house in the woods and
the painful pleasure his sire had given him.

He was confused. His pain had not caused his body any damage
and his sire only seemed concerned that he enjoy his release.
It wasn't at all like what the dark angel had done. That was mean.
It was an attack that felt like hate and left no joy or pleasure behind.

They had never spoken about either night, but even Xander knew
the difference.

Still, he knew how he felt about his own sire. He would do anything
for his sire. He would die for his sire if he wasn't already dead.
Maybe that was the way sire felt about the dark one.

Spike was shocked that Xander would even entertain such a ridiculous
thought. He realized that by not being honest, by being secretive,
he had planted the seeds of fear and suspicion in his boy's head
and his mistake made him ashamed.

"Xander, Childe, no. I may feel a bond of blood to the big fuckin'
jerk, but there is no affection. No love or devotion. You are my
only one. You are the one I chose and the one I will never willingly
part from"

Xander relaxed slightly. He could feel the sincerity and the honesty in
his sire's words, still the feeling, the ache in his tummy that signaled
the coming of the bad, would not ease up.

Spike squeezed Xander's hand and continued.
"Now listen to me. We are going to go up there together. Do you
remember what the first rule in the vampire handbook is?"

Xander nodded his head causing his hair to flop wildly.
"Yes, Sir. It is "always obey your sire."

Spike ran his hand lovingly up and down the boy's arm.
"That's right. And do you remember all the things I told you
in the zoo?"

Xander's brow wrinkled in concentration as he tried to recall all the
rules he had been given that ultimately had saved his skin
and helped him prove himself.

Sitting up straighter, Xander's face broke out in a smile and he
answered proudly.
"I remember. I know them all. I will make you proud, Sire. I won't
let you down."

Spike pulled the boy to him and wrapped him in a tight hug, Bessie
squeezed flatly between them. Leaning back just slightly Spike
ran his hand over Xander's face, looked him in the eye, then kissed
him deeply. It was a kiss that told them both everything they felt
in their hearts, and that nothing that happened in that house would
change that.

"I love you Childe. Always you. Only you."

Xander settled Bessie comfortably on the seat between them and
with a tear in is eye reached for the door handle.

"I love you too, Sire. I still don't understand why we are here, but I
trust you, so let's do this and get it over with."

Without another word, both men emerged from the car and started
walking toward the long circular, weed covered drive way.