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by
Commander Chakotay was reviewing the daily roster when he came across a notation to remember the party scheduled at the end of the current week. Flipping through several screens on his Data PADD, he found the reason for the party. Lieutenant Angelus, or Angel as he preferred, was turning 600 years old. His Childe and mate, Ensign William, or Spike as he was known in the Maquis, was working with Lieutenant Paris to put together a celebration.
Chakotay grinned slightly.
Even after several centuries, it *still* gave many people the shivers to be assigned to a ship that had vampires as members of the crew. It didn't matter that they were harmless to their shipmates. The humans especially were touchy around them. It was as if millennia of being a vampire's natural prey had set deep into the genetic makeup of most humans and they just couldn't get over it. They *knew* that Starfleet had developed technology that curbed a vampire's violent tendencies, if not their physical need to consume blood. Spirits, Spike himself was the first *ever* known chipped vampire. He had held the prototype model in his skull for several centuries before Starfleet had gotten a hold of it and modified the design to be more... humane.
Now, vampires were legal citizens of the Federation, as long as they were chipped. And the newer, Federation designed chips, were *vastly* improved over the ancient torture model that Spike had suffered with. No, Federation chips simply stopped the vampire from *wanting* to cause harm to his fellow crew members or any species specified by the chip's programming. There was no pain involved like the original models.
And they made *excellent* warriors. A few chipped vamps in the ranks of the Maquis had proved invaluable. They weren't programmed to be nice and calm around the Cardassians, so they generally tore the enemy into bloody chunks. It was messy, but the Cardies were terrified of them.
Angelus and Spike had been a part of his Maquis Cell, and now they were here on Voyager in the DQ. And Angel had a birthday coming up. Chakotay's grin widened into a smile. He'd have to find a good present to bring.
*******
Spike and Tom Paris wandered through the holodeck programme so that Spike could point out any errors to Tom *before* Angel's party and still have time to fix them. He wanted everything perfect for his Peaches' birthday. Looking up at the huge hotel, Spike smiled.
"You've got the outside of this place down pat. Looks good mate."
Tom flashed his trademark cocky grin.
"Thanks, but it's nothing. I mean, I've actually been here before. Had a friend at the Academy who lived here. I visited a few times."
Spike's one eyebrow raised up and he gave the pilot an appraising glance.
"Hummm... Only chipped vamps, mystics and demon-hunters live here. How'd one of *them* get into the bloody Academy?"
Tom shrugged.
"He was a mystic. Heard voices and the like. They told him to learn about demon physiology. He graduated from the Academy Science Department and also took a lot of esoteric classes on the side from some other place he didn't really like to talk about. No biggie."
Spike snorted in amusement and gestured to the front doors. Tom strode up the stairs ahead of the blonde vampire and pulled open the large antique door. The two walked inside to see a bunch of beings, some human and some obviously not, milling around the hotel lobby. When the duo walked through the door, all eyes tracked towards them. Many of the holograms began to greet Spike and ask about Angel. He waved them all silent.
"Look. Angelus isn't here yet. We need to make sure that everything is set up properly first. We'll most likely want to talk with you all so we can make sure it'll be *perfect* for the great Pouf. So... give us a moment to set up shop."
Everyone seemed to be okay with that and Tom and Spike took a quick tour through the rambling old hotel. In several instances Spike pointed out something that needed to be changed or adjusted. Some were modern items that he wanted to have replaced with older versions and some were merely decorating schemes.
"No, no. *This * room was always done up in pinks and yellows. The bloody cheerleader saw to that. Think tacky and tasteless with hearts and flowers and you'll get it. Silly bint actually used to *yell* at me for tracking demon goo across the bloody carpeting. Like it had to be a *specific* type of ugly and no other ugly would do."
Tom cut loose with a sharp bark of laughter.
"I take it you and Lieutenant 'Angst' stayed here for a while?"
Spike nodded distractedly as he continued to look around.
"Yeah. But it makes sense though, since the mincing pounce has owned the place for a few centuries. No matter how long we stay away, he always wants to go back and check up on the descendants."
Tom logged the changes that were needed to be made into his Data PADD and frowned at that last statement.
"Descendants? What are you talking about? I didn't think that vamps could *have* kids. Chip or no chip."
Spike shrugged.
"It's really simple actually. Vamps *can't* have kids. Not the way you mean. They *can* have *Childer* though. That's what I am. Angelus's Childe. It's what you call someone you turn, and then continue to share blood with to cement the bond and give the fledgling strength. It makes 'em stronger and smarter than a simple minion. And only *un*chipped vamps can do that.
The descendants I'm *referring* to are Cordy's kid's and grandkid's and so on and so forth. They all end up living here at one point in their lives. It's some sort of family tradition I think. See, Cordelia... the cheerleader I mentioned, well, she was Angel's *first* mortal friend. She was a seer and she used to channel visions from the PTB for Angel and then he would go hunt up whatever oogity- boogity that she saw.
Anyway, that silly little bint was the very first mortal to *really* care about my Sire. Oh, sure, Slutty *said* she did, but we all know that it was just her fascination with him being all soul-having and what not."
Tom just sort of stared dumbfounded at the blonde vamp and blinked. He wasn't sure if he understood even *half* of that, but he was used to Spike thoroughly mixing the past with the present by now. As one of the few members of the crew who could have cared less about Tom's past from the very beginning, Tom had spent a lot of time with him. And in spite of himself, he liked the ancient demon. He had ever since he'd overheard the blonde defending him to one of his fellow Maquis. He still remembered what Spike had said. 'So what if Tom's killed a few humans and bargained for his own freedom? He's *still* an innocent babe in the woods as compared to *me*. I mean, after all, I tortured *thousands* and started two minor wars... just to listen to the screams. Makes *his* crimes seem down right fluffy and sweet, now don't it? And you talk to *me*. So, what's the problem?'
Grinning at his memories, Tom followed the vampire back to the main room.
"So. What next?"
"Next we'll talk to some of these holo's and see if their personalities match my memories of the real deals. That way, when Angel meets 'em, he won't be so soddin' homesick."
********
Harry Kim sipped his synthahol and tried not to shudder at the... *thing* that just slithered past him to go greet Angel and wish him a happy 600th birthday. Oh, Harry *knew* that it was just a holoperson, but it was *based* on an old, long since dead friend of Angel's and it gave him the heebee-geebee's to even *think* about running across one in real life. Hell, *Angel* gave him the shivers! And Spike was twice as bad.
He was aware that the two vamps were safely chipped. He knew Angel even had a soul. But he *still* couldn't get over the fact that they were technically *demons* and that if their chips ever malfunctioned that they could go all... well, bloodthirsty and evil. It was one thing to turn them loose on an enemy, but to have them try and eat the crew? The thought gave him periodic nightmares.
He couldn't understand his lover's friendship with Spike at all. He'd be the first to admit that both of the vampire's had *lots* of useful abilities. They were both first class fighters and Angel was excellent when it came time to (usually in a big panicked rush) figure out the intricacies of various alien cultures. And Spike was a great help to Blanca. He could pull anything apart and then put it back together again.
But that didn't help Harry any. He still didn't like the two demons. They gave him a bad case of the 'don't stand near me's and he didn't think anything would change that. And so it was, with a patently false and wane smile, Harry raised his glass and joined in with the crew and holopeople to sing the birthday song.
********
Angel grinned at his one surviving Childe and his long time lover as the blonde vampire literally bounced into their quarters with his arms laden with gifts. Spike had a slightly wicked smile stretched across his handsome face and he radiated pure joy.
"Oi Peaches! Did you *see* that Kim bloke's face when I threw my arm around his shoulders? I thought he was going to burst a vein! It was bloody *hilarious*!"
Angel chuckled softly and shook his head at the unrepentant blonde.
"You shouldn't *do* that to him. He's a good man and a great officer. If you end up giving the poor guy a heart attack then Voyager will suffer. Not to mention how *Tom* will react. I thought you liked the pilot? Why would you want to torment his mate?"
Spike snorted in amusement.
"I like to torment *everyone* Peaches. You know that."
Angel nodded his head. That was true. Chip or no chip, Spike liked to wind people up and watch them spin.
Walking to the table, he dumped his own armload of things next to the one that Spike had already put there. He shifted a few items around to be certain that none would fall and silently waited until Spike was halfway through another rant on the advantages and disadvantages of scaring various crew members silly. When he was sure that the younger demon wasn't paying him any mind, he turned and pounced. Tumbling in a pile of tangled limbs, the pair landed with a solid thump onto the floor. Spike on the bottom and Angel sprawled over top of him.
"Spike? Shut up."
And with that, he claimed the first of many birthday kisses.
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