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tamingthemuse prompt of "Marigold".
Title: When You Were Young
Series: The Boy Next Door
Pairing: Spike/Xander, mentions of Ethan/Giles
Rating: Mature/Adults Only
Prompt: Marigold
Spoilers: None, all human AU
Warnings: Underage, manipulation, dark!fic, daddy!kink, child abuse, overall dirty!bad!wrongness.
Summary: Xander needs some help but Spike decides to help himself to Xander.
Word Count: 1,120
Author's Note: Not sure is this is necessary or not, but it made me sad so tissue warning. *g*
And, due to the LJ Boldthrough, I am sporting a new disclaimer for this fic, thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
_sharvie_:
Disclaimer: No childrenz were hurt in teh making of this fanfic! *g*
Previous Parts.
Thanks to_sharvie_ for the lovely banner beneath the cut.
The Boy Next Door: When You Were Young
Xander was stressed as he paced in the lobby of the courthouse. He hated being in places like this, with so many cops and social workers around. He'd had to deal with his social worker's visits once a week at his parent's house and now, here she was again. He wondered what she would say at the hearing. She had seemed supportive when he'd told her of his plans, but one could never be too sure with government workers.
Five weeks he'd spent at his parent's house. Five weeks he'd made sure to be in his basement bedroom when the social worker came to call. Five weeks he'd hated his life.
Spike had come with him every night after dinner with Ethan and Giles, but it still felt wrong sleeping under that house, hiding under the covers as he heard his parents fighting in the house above them. Spike would cuddle him and pet him as he shook, fear and rage building up inside him. They didn't have sex though, no matter how much Xander begged. Spike refused to bed him in the dank basement, even though he'd done so many things to the boy's body in the past in this very room. Now, the older boy wanted his time with his boy alone and in their own room in their own home.
Besides, Xander's mother had developed an impeccably bad scene of timing where intimacy between the two boys was concerned.
So Xander paced the hallway in the new suit Ethan had insisted on buying. It was nice and it fit Xander's body better then anything he'd ever worn before. Tailored, Ethan explained, meant he would look responsible and able to take care of himself, like he no longer required parental care.
Their case was called and the three Englishmen stood before ushering the trembling boy into the courtroom. Xander sat and listened quietly as the case was called. The judge explained what the situation was, focusing on the seriousness of the proceedings. Xander was surprised to see his parents had attended, most likely the social worker had gone and picked them up to insure they'd actually be there.
The social worker spoke first, speaking of the conditions she'd found in the house, describing Xander's fear of his father and the signs of substance abuse in their home. A snort of indignation was the only sign that his father was even paying attention to what the woman had to say. Finally, the judge was done asking his questions and Xander was called to take the stand.
The judge, a tall rugged man with a rough Southern accent, smiled at Xander through the questioning. Xander answered each question as Giles and Ethan had prepped him.
"Yes sir, I have a place to live. I've been staying with Mr. Ethan Rayne."
"Yes sir, his son is my tutor at school."
"Yes sir, I've been working weekends at the antique and costume shop run by Mr. Rayne. I stock the shelves, log in new shipments, deliver shipments to customer's houses and clean the pieces in the store. Mr. Rayne has also let me set up a shop in the back of the storeroom where I can work on my own pieces. I've been taking woodshop in school and I'm doing quite well, according to my teachers. Ethan thinks I might be able to earn a living creating my own line of wood furniture and has been encouraging me to try new things."
The judge nodded, taking in everything Xander has to say. Finally, he asked, "Now, Son. Tell me. What was the defining moment, the one thing that let you know that it was time to break ties with your parents?"
Xander thought hard for a moment. They hadn't prepped for this question and he had no immediate answer. He looked at Spike before glancing at Giles and Ethan for some idea of what to say. None of the men said anything, they couldn't in court, but they smiled encouragingly, as if they knew Xander would say the right thing. Finally, he turned and looked at his parents. They sat there, staring at him as if they didn't know him at all. He locked eyes with his mother, her eyes so like his own, and Xander knew the answer.
"Marigolds."
"What?" the Judge asked.
"Marigolds," Xander answered again. "My mother used to plant them along the walkway of our house every year. It was a ritual of ours. She's go to the store and buy several flats of these beautiful yellow and orange marigolds. She'd set them out in the yard and hand me a trowel. We'd go along the walkway, digging up the dirt and making room for the pretty flowers. She showed me how deep to plant them, how hard to pack the roots into the dirt. She let me water them once we were all done. And we'd talk the whole time. Sometimes she'd tell me stories about our family or about her time in school. It really didn't matter, we just talked. It was our time to be together, just the two of us. It made me feel special to know that my mom was doing something for the both of us. It was fun and educational and made our house pretty.
"But then one year, the day we were supposed to do our planting, she was sick. She was sick the next day, and the next day too. But she wasn't sick, not really. She was hung-over. We never planted flowers that year, or the next, or ever again really. It was like our special time was over. She didn't want to spend time fixing our house or talking to me.
"That's when I knew that I didn't matter to my family anymore."
"How old were you?" the Judge asked, his voice heavy with emotion.
"Ten," Xander answered matter-of-factly.
Looking around the courtroom, Xander noticed that his mother, the social worker and several other people had tears in their eyes, including his family, his real family. Giles smiled in encouragement as he gently rubbed Ethan's back.
"We'll take a recess while I make my decision," the Judge announced as he stood and left the courtroom.
Xander immediately left the stand and moved to sit next to Spike. Slowly, long pale fingers slipped into his own as Spike reached over to hold younger man's hand. "That was so sad, Xander," the blond man whispered.
"I lied," Xander whispered back, his head ducked so no one would see him cry.
"You lied?" Ethan asked, shocked. "About what?"
Xander looked up at the three Englishmen staring at him. "I was six."
Tbc...
tamingthemuse prompt of "Marigold".Title: When You Were Young
Series: The Boy Next Door
Pairing: Spike/Xander, mentions of Ethan/Giles
Rating: Mature/Adults Only
Prompt: Marigold
Spoilers: None, all human AU
Warnings: Underage, manipulation, dark!fic, daddy!kink, child abuse, overall dirty!bad!wrongness.
Summary: Xander needs some help but Spike decides to help himself to Xander.
Word Count: 1,120
Author's Note: Not sure is this is necessary or not, but it made me sad so tissue warning. *g*
And, due to the LJ Boldthrough, I am sporting a new disclaimer for this fic, thanks to
_sharvie_:Disclaimer: No childrenz were hurt in teh making of this fanfic! *g*
Previous Parts.
Thanks to
_sharvie_ for the lovely banner beneath the cut.Xander was stressed as he paced in the lobby of the courthouse. He hated being in places like this, with so many cops and social workers around. He'd had to deal with his social worker's visits once a week at his parent's house and now, here she was again. He wondered what she would say at the hearing. She had seemed supportive when he'd told her of his plans, but one could never be too sure with government workers.
Five weeks he'd spent at his parent's house. Five weeks he'd made sure to be in his basement bedroom when the social worker came to call. Five weeks he'd hated his life.
Spike had come with him every night after dinner with Ethan and Giles, but it still felt wrong sleeping under that house, hiding under the covers as he heard his parents fighting in the house above them. Spike would cuddle him and pet him as he shook, fear and rage building up inside him. They didn't have sex though, no matter how much Xander begged. Spike refused to bed him in the dank basement, even though he'd done so many things to the boy's body in the past in this very room. Now, the older boy wanted his time with his boy alone and in their own room in their own home.
Besides, Xander's mother had developed an impeccably bad scene of timing where intimacy between the two boys was concerned.
So Xander paced the hallway in the new suit Ethan had insisted on buying. It was nice and it fit Xander's body better then anything he'd ever worn before. Tailored, Ethan explained, meant he would look responsible and able to take care of himself, like he no longer required parental care.
Their case was called and the three Englishmen stood before ushering the trembling boy into the courtroom. Xander sat and listened quietly as the case was called. The judge explained what the situation was, focusing on the seriousness of the proceedings. Xander was surprised to see his parents had attended, most likely the social worker had gone and picked them up to insure they'd actually be there.
The social worker spoke first, speaking of the conditions she'd found in the house, describing Xander's fear of his father and the signs of substance abuse in their home. A snort of indignation was the only sign that his father was even paying attention to what the woman had to say. Finally, the judge was done asking his questions and Xander was called to take the stand.
The judge, a tall rugged man with a rough Southern accent, smiled at Xander through the questioning. Xander answered each question as Giles and Ethan had prepped him.
"Yes sir, I have a place to live. I've been staying with Mr. Ethan Rayne."
"Yes sir, his son is my tutor at school."
"Yes sir, I've been working weekends at the antique and costume shop run by Mr. Rayne. I stock the shelves, log in new shipments, deliver shipments to customer's houses and clean the pieces in the store. Mr. Rayne has also let me set up a shop in the back of the storeroom where I can work on my own pieces. I've been taking woodshop in school and I'm doing quite well, according to my teachers. Ethan thinks I might be able to earn a living creating my own line of wood furniture and has been encouraging me to try new things."
The judge nodded, taking in everything Xander has to say. Finally, he asked, "Now, Son. Tell me. What was the defining moment, the one thing that let you know that it was time to break ties with your parents?"
Xander thought hard for a moment. They hadn't prepped for this question and he had no immediate answer. He looked at Spike before glancing at Giles and Ethan for some idea of what to say. None of the men said anything, they couldn't in court, but they smiled encouragingly, as if they knew Xander would say the right thing. Finally, he turned and looked at his parents. They sat there, staring at him as if they didn't know him at all. He locked eyes with his mother, her eyes so like his own, and Xander knew the answer.
"Marigolds."
"What?" the Judge asked.
"Marigolds," Xander answered again. "My mother used to plant them along the walkway of our house every year. It was a ritual of ours. She's go to the store and buy several flats of these beautiful yellow and orange marigolds. She'd set them out in the yard and hand me a trowel. We'd go along the walkway, digging up the dirt and making room for the pretty flowers. She showed me how deep to plant them, how hard to pack the roots into the dirt. She let me water them once we were all done. And we'd talk the whole time. Sometimes she'd tell me stories about our family or about her time in school. It really didn't matter, we just talked. It was our time to be together, just the two of us. It made me feel special to know that my mom was doing something for the both of us. It was fun and educational and made our house pretty.
"But then one year, the day we were supposed to do our planting, she was sick. She was sick the next day, and the next day too. But she wasn't sick, not really. She was hung-over. We never planted flowers that year, or the next, or ever again really. It was like our special time was over. She didn't want to spend time fixing our house or talking to me.
"That's when I knew that I didn't matter to my family anymore."
"How old were you?" the Judge asked, his voice heavy with emotion.
"Ten," Xander answered matter-of-factly.
Looking around the courtroom, Xander noticed that his mother, the social worker and several other people had tears in their eyes, including his family, his real family. Giles smiled in encouragement as he gently rubbed Ethan's back.
"We'll take a recess while I make my decision," the Judge announced as he stood and left the courtroom.
Xander immediately left the stand and moved to sit next to Spike. Slowly, long pale fingers slipped into his own as Spike reached over to hold younger man's hand. "That was so sad, Xander," the blond man whispered.
"I lied," Xander whispered back, his head ducked so no one would see him cry.
"You lied?" Ethan asked, shocked. "About what?"
Xander looked up at the three Englishmen staring at him. "I was six."
Tbc...
no subject
Date: 2008-01-27 07:29 am (UTC)I do hope the judge decides that Xander doesn't have to stay at his parents' house anymore.
*wanders of in search of some chocolate*
no subject
Date: 2008-01-27 06:38 pm (UTC)This prompt just hit me just right. I love it when that happens for my story. *g*
*hugs you*
no subject
Date: 2008-01-27 02:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-27 06:40 pm (UTC)*hugs*
no subject
Date: 2008-01-27 09:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-27 11:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-29 08:35 pm (UTC)