After more than a century, the speed at which time passed by never ceased to amaze him. But now, more than ever, did it feel as though the clock-hands were spinning faster and faster. He saw it every day; in the faces of his children.
His children who filled his every waking thought and slumbered dream. His children, who he couldn’t wait to come flying at him when he stepped in the door.
But on this night, they did not. There was no stampede of little feet down the stairs. No shouts of “Daddy’s home!” No demands of being carried around and cuddled till dinner.
Instead, his home was suspiciously quiet. Hanging up his coat, he made his way towards the living room where he was startled completely at the sight before him.
“Tell us what happened next!” His little boy exclaimed with a toothy lisp. “What happened to the Prince, Uncle Angel?”
The brunette vampire looked from the bouncing boy on his knee to the little blonde beauty squeezed on the seat beside him with an adoring smile.
“Then, the brave Prince glowed brightly in the cave, and there was fire!” He spread out his hands and changed his expression to add to the excitement. “It turned all the ugly monsters into dust and crumbled the walls. And the Princess and all her friend’s were saved.”
“But what about the Prince?” The little girl’s voice was tinged with hurt.
Her father couldn’t help but smile.
“The Prince? Well...” Uncle Angel paused for thought. “He became her Champion.” He chuckled when her young features lit up with a bright smile and he stroked a delicate blonde curl.
“Spike.” He sat up at the sight of the blonde standing in the doorway.
“Daddy?” The little boy jumped off his knee and hurried to his father.
“Daddy’s home!” His sister did the same, and they both squealed happily when he scooped them up in his arms.
“Hey there, little man.” Spike planted wet kisses on their cheeks. “My little Goldilocks.”
“I’m not little!” She declared adamantly, wiping away his saliva with a pout. “I’m a big girl!”
“Oh, I know, pet.” He let out a fake and exaggerated groan of pain, the arm which carried her slowly lowering to the ground. “Getting too big for me to carry.”
“No, Daddy! Don’t put me down!” She clung tightly onto him, eyes wide. “I’m little! I’m little!”
Giving them one last tight squeeze, he turned to their visitor with a respectful nod. “Angel. To what do we owe this pleasure?”
“You didn’t think I’d miss your special day, did you?”
The little boy scrambled in his father’s arm. “No, Uncle Angel! You spoilt the surprise!”
“What surprise?” Spike murmured against the baby soft skin of his temple.
“The big cake and the candles!” He waved his arms with great animation. “For your birthday!”
“No, you pillock! You went and told him!”
“Hey!” Spike turned to his little girl with a pretend-serious face. “What are the rules ‘bout the special words?”
They recited together diligently, “Only at home, but only when Mummy’s out.”
“Too bad I’m not.” Arms crossed, Buffy gave her husband an unimpressed look. “Special words? Spike, what’ve you been teaching them?”
“Nothin’.” He gave his children more kisses and smiled back at her innocently.
“Daddy taught us; bloody, bleedin’, bollocks, shaggin’ and knickers.” His son proudly counted out on his fingers with a toothy lisp.
“Traitor.”
Angel stifled a laugh when Buffy sent another disapproving glare his way.
“Spike, they’re not even ten yet. Couldn’t you at least wait till they’re a little older?”
“Daddy, what’s shagging?” The young blonde traced the scar across his eyebrow with a delicate finger.
“Uh...nothing that you need to know about. Ever. Okay, princess?”
“Mm-okay!”
Buffy rolled her eyes and went to take her children from their influence of a father. “Come on, you two. Since the surprise’s out you can come and help with icing.” She pulled them out of Spike’s protective grip as he excused, “That was an accident! It just slipped out!”
“Those are some great kids you’ve got,” Angel told him warmly. “Little girl’s gonna be just like Buffy when she’s older.”
“Yeah, she is. Thanks,” he replied with a smile. The two vampires regarded each other hesitantly until Spike broke the silence with a curious question. “What are you doing here, Angel?”
“I told you, your birthday.”
He perched himself on the arm of a couch. “Never visited on my birthday before.”
“Well, I’ve got some things for you. Presents. Not every day a man turns a hundred and thirty-five years old.” He took special care to emphasise the numbers.
Spike chuckled. “You ponce.”
“Anyway, I got a little visit from that conduit from the Powers.” Angel passed him a small box. “This is for you.”
The Powers. Spike didn’t know if he should he concerned. Tentatively, he peeked inside. “A ring? Thanks but, I’ve had enough magical jewels to last me for the rest of eternity, I think.” He held the box away with a sceptical expression.
Angel pushed it back to him. “Try it on. Go on.”
With a sigh he inspected the sleek, silver band and the faint inscription. “I’m not gonna become a bloody glow-stick am I?” He slipped it on quickly above his wedding band.
Spike stretched his arms out before him, looking up and down his body for any changes. There didn’t seem to be anything different. “Ookay,” he breathed. “So...”
“Look at the window.”
He did. And saw himself staring back.
“Bloody hell!” A reflection! His reflection!
“But it’s not the same as that Gem of Amara,” Angel warned. “Reflections and sunlight, sure. But stakes and holy water are still of the menu. Don’t go about forgetting what you are.”
Still intrigued by his reflection, he caught a breath. “Sunlight?”
“Yeah,” he smiled. “I guess they figured there wasn’t any point in making you a father if you couldn’t do it properly. And I wanted to give you this too.” Angel handed over a large official Wolfram and Hart envelope. “This job, you never know what day could be your last. And it’s not like I’ll ever use it.”
Two items fell from the envelope. One was made of a thick card, the other just a small slip of paper. But it was the words printed boldly across the card which caught Spike’s attention.
Puzzled, he scanned the document, eyes wide at the array of assets his grandsire had acquired until his gaze rested on two very familiar names;
Jameson Tyler Summers-Pratt
Looking across at the other document, he saw their names also printed on what appeared to be a cheque for the largest sum of money he’d ever seen on paper.
“Oh, mate, this is way too much.”
Angel looked down at his hands. “I’m not going to pretend that I don’t want everything you have here,” he murmured thoughtfully. “Buffy. Lexi and James. I don’t have much at all. But this is something I do have.” He stood and went to the window, looking out before turning to Spike. “It’s not out of charity or anything like that. I know you and Buffy and more than capable of looking after your own affairs. And I’m sure that when they’re older they won’t have a problem either. It’s not for you, Spike. Or Buffy. It’s for them. It’s something they could use in the future. It’s something I can give them. Something I want to give them. They’re smart kids; they’ll know how use it properly.”
He smiled his welcome as Spike whispered his thanks over and over; the gentlemanly William re-emerging as he shook his hand and patted his shoulder in gratitude.
“Anyway, I better get going.” He reached for his coat. “Happy Birthday, Spike.”
“Angel. Why- why don’t you stay? The kids. They seem to really like being around you.”
He bit back his reply to accept. “Family. I don’t want to intrude.”
Spike spied Buffy standing in the doorway. She gave him a little nod, a gentle smile touching her features and he knew the right thing to say.
“You are though. Family.”
Fin~