As morning approached, a slight moaning could be heard coming from Drucilla. Angel adjusted his posture as she opened her eyes.
"Daddy? My head hurts and I'm hungry." Drucilla said weakly.
Angel poured some warmed blood from a thermos into a mug and handed it to Drucilla.
"I know, drink this and you'll feel better. I think you hit your head on the sidewalk last night." Angel said with tenderness, recognizing that she was his childe and therefore his responsibility.
Drucilla drank deeply and finished the mug quickly. Angel took the mug from her and filled it again.
"Why did you come here Drucilla?" Angel asked quietly.
"Spikey is gone so I'm going to take the baby home to be Miss Edith's brother." She said, then took another drink.
"How did you know that Spike was gone, or that he had a son?" Angel asked with genuine curiosity.
"The stars sang to me and told me a story. The dark kitten is becoming a panther, Spikey joined with the burning light, they had a little pudgy-boy baby, and the green key opened the backwards door." Drucilla mumbled before draining her mug.
"The stars need to learn to keep their mouths shut... what was that about the key?" Angel asked, registering what Drucilla had said.
"The green key opened the backwards door, it falls inside out and makes things that are, what might be or what could be, but never was." Drucilla said, holding out her mug for a refill.
Angel shook his head at that, he decided to ask Wesley to have a crack at that one because just hearing it once made his head hurt. Angel emptied the remaining blood from the thermos.
"Try to rest, I'll bring you some more blood in a little while." Angel said as he tucked the blanket around Drucilla.
Drucilla gave Angel a look of gratitude and fell asleep.
* * * * *
Willie woke up and nudged his Poppa, who was sleeping beside him. "Poppa, I don't feel so good." he said in a tiny voice.
Alexander was immediately awake. "What are you feeling?" He asked with concern.
"I dunno, kinda like a tube of toothpaste with the last bit just squeezed out." Willie said tiredly.
"Wrung out?" Alexander asked, having an idea of the problem.
"Yeah, why do I feel like this Poppa?" Willie said with worry.
"Because you're my son, I suppose. Tell me, what did you wear to bed last night?" Alexander asked Willie, wanting him to understand it for himself.
"Your T-shirt, looks like a bloody dress on me, Dru would love it." Willie said with a Spike type smirk.
"And what did you wear to bed night before last?" Alexander asked carefully.
"Just a nappy. A wet nappy. I feel like this cause I dried out?" Willie said excitedly.
"Yep." Alexander said, giving Willie a hug.
"You couldn'ta just said so?" Willie asked a little indignantly.
"I could have, but it's better for you to figure things like this out. I knew about this because the same thing happens to me. In fact, I'm feeling wrung out too. But if something happens that's different from me, I want you to be able to figure it out for yourself." Alexander said in lecture style.
Willie considered his Poppa for a moment and decided that it made sense. But he still would rather have the answers given to him.
"Let's go take a bath. You're big enough now that I don't have to be so worried about you being in the bathtub." Alexander said proudly. "So no more showers unless we're in a hurry."
Willie gave a big smile and got out of the bed.
Alexander preceded Willie into the bathroom and started a tub of water, adjusting it to the perfect temperature.
"We're really lucky to be living here, this is the biggest bathtub of anyplace that I've ever lived." Alexander said happily as he undressed.
He reached down and helped Willie out of the T-shirt that he was tangled in and began to lift him into the tub.
"Can do it myself." Willie said in a huff.
"You're too small to get in and out of the bathtub alone. This is a very big tub and you could get hurt." Alexander said in his fatherly tone.
"I wanna do it myself." Willie insisted.
"Change into your demon form and you can try to get in by yourself." Alexander relented.
Willie looked at his Poppa with a questioning look.
"I'm worried that you'll fall into the water and drown. In demon form you have gills, so that wouldn't be a worry. You still might bump your head or something, but at least I don't have to worry about you drowning." Alexander finished.
Willie scrunched up his face and did like he did the night before. It was easier this time. He gave the push to start his demon change. The horns, gills, fin, webbing and fangs came into place.
Then, very carefully he went to the side of the tub and hoisted himself up on the edge. He began to waver on the edge of the tub, But with a look of encouragement from his father, he took the plunge, literally.
"Scoot over, I'm coming in." Alexander said as he eased himself down into the water.
Willie dunked himself under the water. He stayed under for two full minutes before Alexander pulled him up. "Are you okay?"
When Willie tried to talk a rush of water came out of his mouth and he looked surprised. "I think you need to get your gills out of the water before you try talking." Alexander said with a little concern.
Willie got up on his knees and raised himself up until his gills were out of the water. "That felt funny. When I was under the water, I didn't need to breathe, it was like Spike didn't need to breathe." Willie said happily.
"Not exactly. Spike's body was dead, so he didn't need to breathe at all. You are alive and need to breathe, Just under water, you can breathe through your gills instead of with your lungs." Alexander said, hoping he was explaining it well.
Willie nodded in acceptance then dropped back under the water. Alexander just relaxed in the feeling of being wet, saturated with moisture, truly comfortable.
After a few minutes Willie came up out of the water and stood on his knees. His gills drained so he could talk. "Poppa, where did I come from? I mean, I know bout sex an stuff from Spike but..." Willie finished with a confused tone, obviously unable to form the rest of the question.
"I'm not sure about everything, but I'll tell you what I know." Alexander said, waiting to see that Willie was listening.
Willie nodded and waited for the story.
"Your father and I were together, do you remember that?" Alexander asked with a blush.
Willie crinkled his nose and nodded.
"Well, this is the part that I'm not sure about. We did a lot of things, and something that we did caused me to become pregnant with you." Alexander paused, in case Willie had any questions.
Willie just nodded again.
"You grew in my belly, right here." Alexander indicated the spot where the egg had grown.
Willie looked at his Poppa's belly with wide eyes as Alexander continued.
"You see this little mark here? This is where you came out." Alexander said as he showed the mark that looked like an inch long scar. He pulled the bottom of the scar to reveal that it was a tiny, tight flap.
"I came outta that?" Willie asked, disbelieving.
"Yes, you were smaller then." Alexander said with a smile.
"When you came out, you were in an egg." Alexander said, watching for Willie's reaction.
"Like a bloody chicken!?" Willie asked with outrage.
"More like a crocodile. Chickens aren't any good in the water. And your shell was... flexible." Alexander said seriously.
Willie seemed much happier with that answer.
"Then nearly two weeks later, the egg hatched, and here you are." Alexander said happily.
"I know you didn't plan to have me, I remember when you were with Spike. Did you want me?... Do you want me?" Willie asked bravely.
"I wanted you so much that I came here to Angel, where I could take care of you the best." Alexander said with emphasis.
"You really gave Peaches a hard time over the years, didn't you?" Willie said, a little too much like Spike.
"Yes, I did, but because I wanted you to have a good home where you could know other demons and still be with me, I came here and worked things out with Angel." Alexander said calmly.
"Bet that was a bloody sight to see, you and Peaches trying to bury the hatchet." Willie said with a smirk.
"Not as bad as you might think. It only took a few days. And Angel accepts you as part of his family. He's like your Great-Grandpa." Alexander said with a smile.
"I can't wait to call Peaches Great-Grandpa. It'll put him inna bloody mood, I'll wager." Willie said with a laugh.
"No, you will NOT call Angel Great-Grandpa." Alexander said with a serious voice. Then he whispered, "Unless I'm around to hear it."
They both laughed and lounged in the water for a while longer before having to start their day.
* * * * *
Alexander came down the stairs slowly, holding Willie's hand as he navigated the too-big stairs. As they were making their way down, they could overhear Angel talking on the phone.
"Wesley, I know it's early but this could be important..." Angel said into the phone.
"But Drucilla was talking about a key and a backwards door, stuff like that is always serious..." Angel said with exasperation.
"I know, but sometimes it is..." Angel tried to interject.
"Okay, I'll see you then. But if the world ends first, don't come running to me." Angel said angrily into the phone before hanging up.
* * * * *
Alexander was cooking himself some scrambled eggs while heating some blood for Willie.
"The Shamenka said that you should start eating solid food soon. Do you want to try some eggs?" Alexander asked hopefully.
"I'll give it a try, but can I have mine with blood?" Willie asked seriously.
"Of course. How about one scrambled egg, covered in blood, then a mug of blood on the side... with Wheat-a-bix?"
"Ya know me too good, Pop." Willie said with a smirk.
Alexander carefully fixed a small plate for Willie and a large plate for himself. As he was sitting them on the table, Angel walked into the room.
"Good Morning Xander, Willie." Angel said absently and was surprised when Alexander handed him a warmed mug of blood.
Alexander started preparing another mug for Willie and said, "Good morning Angel."
Waiting for Angel to take a drink, Willie finally said, "Good morning Great-Grandpa." With an innocent look on his face.
Angel choked a little on his blood and Willie got a sour look on his face.
"Bugger! I was tryin to get him ta shoot it out his nose." Willie said indignantly.
"William Jesse Harris." Alexander said in a scolding tone, "If you're going to try to choke you're Great-Grandpa Angel, don't admit to it in front of him."
Angel looked from Willie to Alexander and back. Willie was the first to start laughing, soon Alexander was laughing and finally Angel joined them.
Alexander took Willie's warmed mug and the tin of Wheat-a-bix to the table and sat down. Moments later Angel joined them and watched them eat as he sipped his mug.
After a few minutes Alexander asked, "So how is Drucilla this morning?"
"She's fine, just resting." Angel said.
"When can I visit? I want to have a chat with her." Willie said seriously.
"We can go up right now, just give me a minute to warm a little blood for her." Angel said.
Willie and Alexander finished their meals as Angel heated the blood and put it into a thermos.
* * * * *
The two men and the boy walked into the room where Drucilla was sleeping. She opened her eyes as Willie approached her.
"You're such a beautiful little boy." Drucilla crooned.
"Can it Dru." Willie said shortly.
Drucilla was startled by the attitude of the four or five year old child.
"Let's get something straight, my Dark Princess. I've got me a Poppa now an I mean ta stay with him. If you want ta visit with me, I'll be right here, but you try ta take me again an I'll dust you." Willie said in his best Spike imitation.
"Spikey?" Drucilla asked in a quavering voice.
"No, Spike was my father. And you'd bloody well better believe that I'm his son." He ended with a growl and shifted into demon form.
Neither Alexander nor Angel could find it in their hearts to tell Willie that he wasn't even a little intimidating, he was just cute when he tried to act like his father.
Drucilla however seemed to take the threat seriously. Wide-eyed, she nodded in acceptance of Willie's words.
"Right luv, how's bout you tell us what's been going on with you, then?" Willie said, shifting back into human form.
The morning progressed as Drucilla told stories of her time in South America with a Chaos Demon, from her own fantastical point of view.
* * * * *
After a somewhat long and emotionally challenging visit with Drucilla, Willie and Alexander made their way back to their room.
"Willie, would you like to go out to a restaurant for lunch today? I mean, do you think you could eat a little human food, and we could walk around and see some of the town." Alexander asked casually.
"Really? You wanna go out... with me?" Willie asked incredulously.
"Of course. The only reason we haven't gone out before is because you weren't old enough to control your demon change. Now that you can do it at will, we can go out whenever we want... In fact, I was thinking about taking a little trip up the coast." Alexander finished a little unsurely.
"What's up the coast?" Willie asked suspiciously.
"Can't pull anything over on you. My parents, your other grandparents are staying with my Great-Aunt Lily at her beach house.
"But aren't your parents a coupla wankers?" Willie asked seriously.
"Yes, and Drucilla is insane. They are what they are, we just have to accept them that way." Alexander said, resigned.
"So what's got you so worried, Pop?" Willie asked, concerned.
"I don't know how I'm going to tell them about you... I don't mean that the way it sounds, I mean to tell them about you, I have to tell them about vampires, seamonsters, hellmouths, slayers and so on. By the time we get to your part of the story, we'll probably already be out on the street." Alexander said with worry.
"So don't tell 'em. If they wanted to know about what's going on in your life they shoulda asked back when all that was happening. I remember your parents, Spike thought they were a coupla lazy sots, sitting on their arses all day and stinking of cheap booze." Willie said confidently.
"I just don't want you to ever think that I'm ashamed of who or what you are." Alexander said quietly.
"If I wanted you to tell them the truth, would you?" Willie asked seriously.
"In a heartbeat." Alexander answered without a thought.
"What about the Slayer and the Witch?" Willie asked calmly.
"Already told them, just after you hatched." Alexander said proudly.
"Pops, can we just say born? Hatched sounds kinda weird, I'm still thinking chicken." Willie said with slight pleading in his voice.
"Sure Willie, born it is. Anyway, I already told Buffy, Faith and Willow, by now they've told the rest of the Sunnydale crew." Alexander said with a smile.
"Then no worries, you told your friends about me, so I know you're not ashamed, and you're not telling your folks because they're assholes." Willie said with a smirk.
Alexander raised an eyebrow at Willie. After a moment, Willie looked properly chastized and they moved on.
"So we need a story to tell them. They won't believe you were born less than three weeks ago since you look like your about five and you talk like your about One-hundred-Fifty." Alexander finished with a grin.
"Spike was One-hundred-Twenty, thank you very much, and who were you dating five years ago? Soes that way we can say that I'm your child." Willie asked seriously.
Alexander started to laugh. Willie couldn't understand so he looked back through his father's memories until he found the answer. "Bloody 'ell, not the bloody Cheerleader?" Willie exclaimed.
"Yup. Of course we'll ask her to cover our story, since she does live with us." Alexander laughed.
"Alright, we'd better get there soon, before I look too old to be your son." Willie said with a smile.
Alexander's expression fell when Willie mentioned that and Willie noticed.
"What'sa matter Pop?" Willie asked, suddenly concerned.
"I'm so happy to have you as my son, and I don't want someone walking down the street to think your my brother or something." Alexander said a little shakily.
"Don't worry Pop, You, me, Peaches, Dad... hell's, all the people we care about know the truth. What's the difference if some yahoo off the street don't know the truth. He'll prolly just git eat next time he goes out for a pack of smokes at night anyway." Willie said with a smile.
"Was that supposed to cheer me up?" Alexander asked, confused.
Willie nodded. "Did it work?"
Alexander smiled. "Yeah, it did. If Wesley or Angel will let us borrow a car, or better yet, if Wesley will come with, we can go tomorrow."
Alexander got a serious look on his face and asked, "You know that I love you right?"
"O course, Pop." Willie continued to smile.
"Well, did you know that I like you too?" Alexander asked, with a serene smile.
Willie responded with a puzzled look.
"I guess most parents love their kids, it's like natures way of insuring the survival of the species or something." Alexander said, still smiling happily.
"But not every parent *likes* their kid. I thought it was important that you know that I like the person that you are becoming. I'm proud of how you handled Drucilla and how well behaved you've been." Alexander said with genuine adoration.
Willie blushed and said, "Thanks Pop, I like you too. Can we go and look around the town now?"
"Sure, let's go." Alexander said, taking Willie's hand in his and walking toward the door.