38/46
Author: BmblBee
Paring: Primarily S/X with a very minor S/OCs.
Rating: NC17 Adult Reading
Disclaimer: The Bee has no claim on any of the characters or
products named in this story and receives no profit from anything.
Warnings: Adult language, Prostitution, Violence, strong sexual
content. NOTE: All the boys working in Hope House are over
the age of 18. The Bee does not do underage!
Summary: Long after the final battle of Sunnydale, Xander is
alone, his life in shambles. Is there anywhere he can go and anyone
who can give him hope? There just might be.
As always, kudos to Petxnd for the wonderful banner.
Dear Spike,
I went out. I know what you do here at Hope House.
I know the boys have to work the streets to earn the
money to stay here. You already know I was selling
myself for money when you found me and since I want
to stay here, I will earn my keep too.
I left the house when the sun was still up so you couldn't
stop me. I promise to earn a lot of money. I will make you
proud.
Please don't look for me because I will be clear over on the
other side of town working the docks by the bridge where I
used to live.
It is the one on Portage street.
I will be home by evening.
Xander.
~~~~~~~~
With the letter balled up in his fist, Spike threw back his head and let
loose a screeching howl that shook the very foundation of Hope House.
It caused Mrs. Gessel to drop and break a platter in the kitchen and it
woke every boy on the second floor.
The faint sound even drifted as far upward as the attic, causing Jack to
beam and grin in glee as he rubbed his unfettered hands together.
Apparently, Xander's plan, whatever it may be, was already in motion.
He stretched out comfortably on his bed, knowing all he had to do now
was wait. He idly wondered if he had time to spank the monkey and
decided he did.
"What? Master Spike, what's wrong? What's happened?"
Mrs. Gessel hustled through the swinging kitchen door and stopped well out
of the vampire's reach. She liked Spike but never, for one minute, forgot
what he was.
In full game face and full of fury, Spike shook his fist containing the paper in
the air and shouted.
"When did he go out?! Why the fuck didn't you stop him!?"
Calmly, Judy Gessel ignored the sound of a dozen footfalls on the stairs
behind her as all the boys ran down to find out what was going on and she
move fractionally closer, casually wiping her hands on her dishtowel.
"Well now, since I have no idea what you are talking about, maybe you can
tell me who and then I can tell you when and possibly even why."
Spike tried to control his temper but the truth was, right now, the only thing
keeping him from turning Hope House into a bloodbath was a soul, and frankly,
that was not putting up too big an argument.
Shaking the crushed letter in her face, Spike bellowed.
"XANDER! Xander is gone! When the hell did he leave!?"
Mrs. Gessel folded her chubby arms across her chest in a move that sent the
mass of boys backing up several of the steps in order to widen the space
between them and the furious master.
"I never saw him. I was busy in the kitchen preparing the wake up meal
for the boys and no one came through my kitchen. Now, since you were
next to him in the bed, if you didn't hear him leave and try to stop him, then
how could I?"
Spike immediately howled and stomped his feet. He wanted to scream,
smash the furniture and beat someone to a pulp. He didn't particularly care
who, but all that took time and right now Xander was out on the streets,
selling his arse to any horny man who had a few bucks in his pocket.
The very idea of it made Spike insane.
The thought that some disgusting, filthy human was pawing, poking and, God
forbid, fucking his Xander, his boy, actually made Spike physically sick.
Despite that, he told himself, he had to get a grip. He needed to gain control and
deal with this situation with some form of rationality. He paced frantically as each
of the boys stood silently on the grand staircase and Mrs. Gessel waited patiently
for the only reasonable conclusion. The decision to go search.
"We need to go search!"
Spike had stopped walking and raised his fist while he made the declaration. The
hamster on the wheel in his head spun at record speed. Turning, he pointed to the
boys on the steps.
"YOU! All of you! I want you dressed and ready to go out in five minutes.
Everybody is to meet by my car. I'll drive and drop some of you at different corners
on the docks. The rest take the bus to the warehouse district. Nobody works tonight.
First boy that finds him gets a week off work. I want him found!!"
In shock, the boys failed to immediately move as they simply looked back and
forth between themselves. When Spike saw that he wasn't getting the expected
reaction, he threw both arms in the air a screamed.
"NOW, you fucking morons!!"
That broke the spell and sixteen feet spun around and scrambled back up the
steps. After they left, Judy Gessel held her hand out.
"What have you got? Let me see it."
Spike looked at the wrinkled letter that he still held in an iron grip. He then sadly
extended it toward her like a child relinquishing a broken toy to his Mother.
Taking a few steps forward to collect it, Mrs. Gessel suddenly jumped back,
limping and favoring the foot that she had just injured.
"OW! What the heck....?"
Looking down, she tried to find what she had stepped on. Quickly, she reached
down and retrieved the collection of small shiny objects, handing it over to the master.
"Your keys?"
Spike glanced at them before dropping them into his pants pocket.
"Yeah, must have dropped them last night. What the hell is taking those damn
boys so long?"
Rushing to the bottom of the stairway he shouted,
"Let's go! Let's move!"
Within seconds, they all filed down. The hurried through the lobby, the kitchen
and out the back door and into the night.
Spike was sitting in the driver's seat of the big black antique car with the sun
blocking windows, gunning the motor and pounding his hand against the steering
wheel impatiently. Following the parade of boys out the door, Mrs. Gessel went
to the driver.
"I'll go down to the market and see if anyone has seen him"
"NO! He may come back. You wait here and call me if he does."
Without waiting for confirmation from her, Spike threw the car into gear and
sped away.