Acceptable Losses :: Chapter Eight.

[fenderlove]

Title: Acceptable Losses
Author: fenderlove
Pairing: Spike/Angel
Rating: R/Not worksafe. Manpire sexings.
Summary: Spike and Angel are making a go of it after returning from Hell in Angel: After the Fall. Unfortunately, being a single vampire dad living with your pain-in-the-ass boyfriend and Journalism major son makes Hell seem almost preferable.


Acceptable Losses
Chapter Eight: Come in a Pinstriped Suit.

This is bliss.

Well, not quite. For the first time in a week, Spike and Angel were able to spend some alone time together. With an apartment filled with four Mini-Slayers, a very pregnant and easily irritated Buffy, and an equally irritated end-of-semester Connor, the pair of vampires was happy to have a few hours to themselves. They had taken refuge in the Angel Investigations office under the guise of catching up with paperwork though they weren't fooling anyone about what their real intentions were.

Spike was bent over Angel's desk, his arms stretched out as he braced himself. His cock was being battered between his body and the hard edge of the desk with each thrust Angel made into his body. This would be the fourth time they'd had sex in an hour, and even with vampire stamina, the stress they'd been under plus the extra physical exertions were beginning to take a toll.

Trying to hold off his release, Angel withdrew himself to regain some of his composure as well as to adjust the condom on his dick. He hated wearing them, and Spike did as well, but the condoms were strictly for sanitary purposes, such as not having to worry about wet clothes after a quickie or having their vampiric seed wind up all over everything.

Spike squirmed impatiently as Angel took his time admiring the sight he made. The blonde's legs were spread with his jeans tangled around one ankle while his back was arched slightly, and his pert ass was perfectly presented. Angel ran a hand down one inner thigh, giving little caresses and pinches.

"You just can't wait, can you?" Angel smirked as he playfully squeezed Spike's backside. "I could make you come from just touches now."

Spike made a soft keening sound in the back of his throat as he felt both of Angel's hands on his ass. He pushed back, wanting more.

"You like it when I'm gentle sometimes," Angel lifted one hand and brought it down with a resounding smack on the left side of Spike's buttocks, "but you like it when I'm rough too. Which do you want?"

Yelping at the spank and taking his cues from Angel's tone, Spike looked over his shoulder, batting his eyelashes and trying to appear his most innocent for their game, "You have to decide, Daddy."

Angel growled as he struggled to stop himself from just slamming into Spike right then. Damn, his boy knew all the right buttons to press.

Rubbing his fingers gently over the blooming red mark on Spike's ass, Angel teased, "Don't worry, baby. I'm going to be very, very careful with you."

Patting the blonde's thigh, Angel urged him to raise his leg not hampered by his jeans onto the desk, leaving Spike more exposed and accessible. Roaming hands fondled Spike's balls, toying with him to the point where his hips bucked involuntarily.

Spike found himself panting heavily, his cock still torturously trapped between his body and the desk, "Please..."

Deciding to reward the tiny bit of begging, Angel realigned himself and watched his condom-covered shaft press into that tight muscle, never growing tired of the way Spike's inner walls seemed to pull at him. Angel manuevered his hand under Spike to provide much-needed friction for the blonde's penis. A few well-timed thrusts and tugs later, both vampires were spent, stretched out on top of Angel's desk.

"I am right shagged," Spike mumbled, shading his eyes with his forearm, which made Angel laugh.

"Well, it's not like we've had the time-"

"Or the privacy-"

"- to be intimate," Angel sat up lazily. "And don't talk to me about privacy. You're the one who invited those girls into our apartment."

Spike held up a two-fingered salute to let Angel know how he felt about his afterglow getting ruined, "We couldn't throw them out on the street."

Angel grabbed Spike's wrist and placed two lovebites on the offending fingers, "I think you like the idea of having your own personal Slayer army."

"They're not going to stay with us forever. I'm training them, getting them confident, and then they can decide if they want to rejoin the others or go home," Spike replied, leaning up to carefully remove the condom from Angel's member, throwing the soggy latex into the trash before following suit with his own. "Bloody jimmy-hats. Never thought I'd unlive to see the day when I'd have to wear one."

Angel got up from the desk and began righting his clothing, "You have to admit that they've saved us a lot of time and embarrassment when it comes to clean up."

"Yeah, I suppose, but it feels strange," Spike held up his ankle with his jeans tangled up around it in Angel's direction and said plaintively, "Help."

Rolling his eyes, Angel rearranged Spike's jeans, helping the blonde get his other foot into the proper leg before he slid off the desk into the tight-fitting denim, being sure to give Angel a lovely view of the material sliding up over his firm ass as he buttoned the fly.

"Thank you," Spike stood up on his toes to kiss the tip of Angel's nose.

Angel started to make light of Spike being childish, but thought better of it. It was sort of nice to let Spike be cute when he wanted to be since it made up for the times he was being a brat. Spike pulled his shirt on, and Angel tugged him closer by crooking one of his fingers into a beltloop on the blonde's jeans.

Spike grinned, "Oh, no, that's how this morning started, and we just got our clothes back on..."

"Don't care," Angel buried his face in Spike's neck, inhaling the sweet, sugary scent that ran undercurrent of the smell of cigarettes and fabric softener.

A knock at the office door ended their fun. Both Spike and Angel stared at one another.

"I swear upon my eternally virginal arse that if there are any more Slayers out there, I may go batty," Spike frowned as he went to the door while Angel scrambled to make sure that any traces of their lovemaking were gone.

Angel hurriedly put his desk back in order, "What did I tell you about vampire puns?"

"Why did the vampire have to go to the doctor?" Spike said with almost maniacal glee, "'Cause he was always coffin!"

"No more Halloween joke books for you," Angel groaned.

"Don't be such a pain in the neck," came the retort as Spike finally opened the door.

Standing in the hall was an attractive middle-aged couple who both vampires easily recognized by their rockabilly-meets-beatnik attire. The man was the detective who ran the other Angel Investigations. Angel Gutierrez was tall with a rakish goatee, his fedora tilted jauntily to the side. His wife, Nixzmary, was very pretty with dimpled cheeks and hazel eyes so large that they could not be diminished by the pair of thick-framed Buddy Holly glasses she sported.

"What's the point of locking the door when the whole world can hear what you're doing in there?" Gutierrez asked with a smirk, "It's also pretty bad for business."

Angel glared at the other Angel as Nixzmary stepped over the threshold and began to appraise the decor, "If you've come here to try and convince me to sell you the trademark again, you can forget it."

"Don't sound so harsh, man. Step outside and let's talk turkey while the wives swap gossip," Gutierrez replied, winking at Spike.

Spike bit the inside of his cheek to keep from growling at the "wives" comment, watching Angel walk out of the office. Nixzmary took off her faux fur, leopard-print shrug and tossed it on the couch before taking a seat.

Looking up at Spike, she said in her chirpy, melodic voice, "Let it go, Domino."

"What is it to you?" he groused.

"Don't think for a minute he's not going to pay for that little remark when we get home," Nixzmary smiled. "Men. Can't live with them, can't... Well, you know."

Spike slumped into one of the chairs across from the sofa, "Yeah, I know."

"Buck up, Pudding-cup. We've got two fine-looking men who couldn't twitch a toe without us," she opened up her purse, took out an extra large pack of Big Red, and held it out to Spike, "Gum?"

In the hallway, Angel listened in irritation as Gutierrez prattled on about how successful his agency was, how he and Nixzmary had just bought a home and were going to add a rec room soon.

"Is there a point to any of this?" Angel crossed his arms over his chest.

"Let's join teams," Gutierrez finally said. "A true, blue fifty-fifty split."

Angel looked upon the thinner man with suspicion, "This is a sudden change of heart. Last month you were trying to shut down my whole business, but now you want to be pals?"

"Look, man, I'm getting on in years. There are certain things that are getting harder for me to do on the investigation end of things, but I've just hit my stride in terms of clientele," Gutierrez explained, "For the first time, Nixz and I can live comfortably, give our kids a real home, and I don't have a lot of other career options at this point."

"So you want me to be the muscle?"

Gutierrez shook his head, "Don't sound so negative. There are things in this city that I've never been equipped to handle, but you can. I don't want to take over your business. My proposal is that we franchise under the same name, but we each have our own thing going on. If you get any clients that are more up my alley, you send them my way. If I get some clients that need more nighttime assistance, I send them yours. We take all the profits and split them right down the middle."

Angel thought about it for a few moments. With Connor in school, they had had to turn away some clients who needed daylight investigations, so having a few more jobs a month more tailored to what they specialized in would be helpful.

"I'll have to talk everything over with Spike and my son before I decide," Angel responded.

Pulling out a bundle of papers from his coat pocket, Gutierrez handed them to him, "That's no problem. Here, this is our official business proposal. Our profit projections are in there and everything. Nixz whipped up on the computer; she's a genius with numbers and stuff like that. Never had an overdraft after I met that girl."

After Mr. and Mrs. Gutierrez departed, Angel decided it might be best if he and Spike headed home to make sure the apartment was still in one piece.

"So what did he want?" Spike asked as he and Angel entered their apartment building.

Showing him the papers, Angel said, "He wants to combine forces."

"What did you tell him?"

Angel shrugged, "I told him I had to talk to you about it. I also want to hear what Connor thinks."

Spike flipped through the pages, scanning over a few graphs showing a profit margin far higher than theirs it seemed, "Gutierrez is a wanker, but if these numbers are right, he's been pretty smart about his business. I hate to admit it, but he does have a good reputation too."

"And an actual private investigator's license," Angel frowned, seeing the photocopied license printed out on one page, mentally noting that Gutierrez most likely made sure to include it to be a smartass.

"We really need to get on the ball with these things," Spike gave the packet back to Angel, "but let's sleep on it first, okay?"

"It's like two in the afternoon."

"I meant sleep on it later, you nonce."

The instant they entered their apartment the scent of warm buttercream hit them. The girls were crowded into the small kitchen making cupcakes. Reglisse and Pistache were handling the batter and (wo)manning the oven while Buffy and Daisy were taking care of icing the cooled batch and adding sprinkles. Florence was sitting at the kitchen island, putting paper cups in the baking trays for the next round of batter.

Wiping off her hands, Buffy came out to greet the vampires, wearing a little terry-cloth tube dress that made her swollen belly all the more evident, "I thought a little girly bonding might do them some good."

Angel looked somewhat perplexed, "Girly bonding means cupcakes?"

"Cupcakes can't fix the world, but they can help," the pregnant Slayer harrumphed. "Besides, I'm having a crazy craving. All day actually. Plus, this heartburn is getting so much worse..."

While Buffy explained, in great detail, some of her pregnancy woes, the girls seemed to be having fun, giggling and taste-testing the cupcakes, except for Florence.

Noticing that the youngest Slayer seemed distracted and withdrawn, Spike put his hand on her shoulder, "Come on, Little Bit, let's take a stroll before the candy fumes rot your brain."

Watching them go, Buffy had a perplexed expression, "Something I said?"

"Don't mind him. We had a weird day," Angel replied.

"Try feeling like you have an entire Brazilian soccer team in your abdomen and then talk to me about weird," the Slayer said, returning to the kitchen.

Holding on to Spike's jacket pocket as they walked by the doors of other apartments, Florence asked, "You know we can't really go for a walk outside, right? You'd blow up."

Spike held back a laugh at that, "I know, but I thought you'd like to get out of there. Didn't seem like you were having much fun."

"I'm not like them," she said, looking absolutely defeated.

"What do you mean?"

Florence took a breath and sighed, "I don't like girl stuff. All the twins do is talk about boys and cooking, and Daisy is all about clothes and make-up. I'm not like that. I want to play baseball and go fishing."

"There's nothing wrong with liking those things," Spike said as they sat on the landing of the stairs at the end of the hall.

"My parents always said I was a tomboy," Florence wrapped her wiry arms around her knees, staring at her shoes, "I guess I just don't feel like much of a girl."

"Well, I like poetry, interior decorating, and kissing Angel. Some people would probably say that that makes me girly enough for the two of us," Spike was glad that the words seemed to get a smile out of the youngest Slayer.

Florence glanced over at him, her face brightened a little, "Maybe I could teach you how to play baseball?"

Leaning back on his elbows, Spike replied, "Vampires don't play baseball."

The girl retorted, "They could!"

"I don't play baseball then."

"What do you play?" Florence tilted her head slightly.

"Tell you what. You can teach me to play baseball, and I'll teach you how to play cricket," Spike said.

"What's cricket?"

"Oh, so young and so American," Spike laughed, but then more seriously added, "Flo', you could give the Major Leaguers a run for their money. You'd be the- what do you call it?- MVP."

Florence smiled softly and then gave Spike a hug.

"You and the hugging! Are you sure you're not girly?" Spike wrapped an arm around the preteen's shoulders.

Florence gave him a playful punch in the arm, and it actually hurt though Spike tried not to wince. She was getting a lot stronger and was actually becoming an able opponent. Flo' was a tenacious little thing, and Spike was a little surprised at how attached he had become to her and the others.

Just call me a sucker for the underdog, Spike thought to himself and then mentally smacked himself for making an unintentional vampire pun.

Standing up, Florence turned to Spike and tugged on his hand, "Do you think that I could start going to school here?"

"You actually want to go to school?" Spike let the girl pull him to his feet; she was definitely getting stronger.

Florence nodded, and Spike began to realize that he had his work cut out for him. Between training the girls, patrolling, helping Connor with his finals, now he had to help Angel figure out the possible merger with Gutierrez's detective agency and how to get an eleven year old into a school system. It was daunting to even figure out where to start. He would probably have to get Connor to do some Googling magic to find out what procedures he would have to take. And then the conversation he had with Angel earlier ran through his mind, where he had assured Angel that the girls would not stay forever. Letting Flo' start school would appear that it was a more permanent living arrangement. Spike felt a little conflicted.

"I'm going to have to get a secretary at this rate," the vampire raked a hand through his hair.

Florence bounced, raising her hand, "I'll be your secretary!"

"Okay, take a memo- Remind Angel to buy me more cigarettes."

"Eww, no. Cigarettes are gross," Florence stuck out her tongue.

"You're not a very good secretary," Spike huffed, good-naturedly.

A loud thump followed by the sound of clattering metal at the end of the hall made Spike look towards their apartment. Then, very faintly, there was an odor of blood in the air. Pointing towards the landing, Spike ordered Flo' to stay put as he was sprinting back to the apartment. He opened the door just in time to run right into Angel.

"Her water broke," Angel had a look of sheer panic on his face.

Buffy was breathing heavily, the twins standing on either side of her, but she was ready to take charge, "I'm fine! Everyone remain calm, and dear God, someone turn off the oven before we burn down the whole building."

Reglisse went to make sure everything in the kitchen was turned off as Daisy came out of their room with one of Buffy's overnight bags.

"I've got you some clothes and toiletries in here," the eldest of the teenaged Slayers said, showing Buffy the little knapsack.

"Good," Buffy spoke slowly and evenly, "Now, Angel, go get the car while I waddle down the stairs to the parking garage."

Angel nodded dumbly and rushed out the door before returning to get his car keys and then leaving again.

"Grab some magazines, ladies," Spike shouldered Buffy's overnight bag and put his arm around her middle. "You're all coming with us."

After making sure to leave a note for Connor so that he would know where they had gone, the group was on its way to the parking garage.

"What's going on?" Florence said, getting up from her perch in the hallway.

Buffy tried to force a smile as she held tightly onto Spike's hand, "The baby's coming."

"There's a hospital a few blocks away. We'll be there in no time," Spike was more or less talking to himself, Buffy's rapid heartbeat was making him nervous.

Despite her protests and a few near misses from her fists, Spike picked Buffy up in his arms and carried her down the stairs. It was faster and, in his opinion, somewhat safer.

"Spike, I'm kind of disgusting. I didn't get a chance to towel off my legs," she complained as Angel brought the car up to them as they entered the parking garage.

Helping her inside the front seat of the car, Spike stated firmly, "Towel later, seatbelt now."

It was a horribly tight fit, but somehow Spike managed to squeeze in the backseat with the four younger Slayers piled in around him. The girls seemed to be both excited and slightly panicked.

"Where am I going?" Angel asked, pulling up to the exit of the parking garage.

"To St. Anne's. Go left, Jeeves," Spike instructed.

Angel drove, his eyes darting over to check on Buffy every few moments. Watching Buffy push herself against her seat, her nails digging into the interior of the door, Spike wasn't sure if she was frightened, in pain, or both.

"Do you know how to do Lamaze breathing?" Spike ventured, "In 90's sitcoms, ladies always used to do Lamaze."

"Spike," Buffy gritted her teeth, "my urge to hit something is rising."

"So? Just hit Angel, but wait until we've stopped at a red light."

The Slayer managed to laugh at that though Angel appeared rather put out.

With a shaky exhale, Buffy asked, "So who's coming into the delivery room with me?"

To be continued...


Previous Chapters: One :: Two :: Three :: Four :: Five :: Six :: Seven.
x-posted on nekid_spike.