Old-Growth Maturity

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Spike leaned back against the stone spire behind him, tucking his feet just under the stone ledge upon which he was perched. Several feet below him was Xander and the other siv, playing on one of Na'alha's lush greens. It appeared as though the family was playing some sort of dodge ball-like game, although Spike wasn't sure—he wasn't that familiar with siv culture and it didn’t look like anything he'd seen in his old world.

It was a beautiful day and there was no better way to spend that than outside, which was why Spike was sitting on the side of the house, watching the green. Rali was with Del at the forges and the weavers' guild didn't need him right now. It gave Spike a chance to breathe, and to study and evaluate Xander's progress. He'd been back in Na'alha for a few months now, and the elders had asked his opinion.

It was very obvious to Spike that Xander and his family had made tremendous progress. When he'd encountered Mai'zi and Hainien in the hallway one morning, they had nodded politely and stopped to apologize for their behavior in the dyeshop. It was the first time he could recall them acting like sincere, thoughtful individuals. To say he was shocked would have been an understatement.

The kids had struggled a bit more in terms of schooling, although they were making progress. Part of the problem, as the elders saw it, was that siv just didn't place as much importance on learning as dalhari did. Oh, they set up schools, and had standards, but academia in general wasn't as popular a pursuit among the siv as it was with the dalhari. Education was seen as a tool—something to help you get along in your trade, and little else. Once the kids' instructors realized that they were coming from the wrong direction, many of the problems they'd experienced were easily remedied. The dalhari didn't want to change the fundamental nature of the siv, so they didn't try to make the kids just start to love learning. Instead, they found new ways to make what they taught applicable to everyday life. After some months of adjustment, the kids and the tutors found place somewhere between what each side wanted and they settled down for some serious learning.

Xander, though, was perhaps the most changed of all of them. To Spike, he was much more like the human he'd been in Sunnydale—well, the human he'd been when the world wasn't trying to kill him at least. The easygoing nature and quick smile were back, replacing a stern, reactionary attitude that had grated on everyone's nerves—even his mates'. Xander now greeted people honestly and happily, and didn't jump to conclusions whenever he was faced with a bad situation—he had finally calmed down and gotten over his persecution complex. Apparently someone had convinced the youth that the world wasn't out to get him, and that no one wanted him to suffer.

He had improved enough that the warriors had invited him to start training with them. That had been quite the achievement for the young siv; dalhari warriors held each other to very high standards of behavior. Once he'd been asked to join them for practice, he had done nothing but impress his dalhari peers. In fact, he had been the one to suggest letting the three siv warriors do some of the patrolling in the forests south of the hold—they were very well suited for the job. It didn't take long for the warriors of the hold to agree with him and insert them into their patrol rotations. That had really made Xander happy; he was never more content than when he was out on patrol.

These changes in Xander were in all likelihood what had saved his relationship with Saelen and Paidra. Spike was very relieved to see that the threesome was not only still together but very happy. When he'd left it was apparent that the grouping was on the rocks. Xander had upset and insulted both elder siv with his heavy-handed tactics and intractable nature. Unlike dalhari, siv culture was open about ending relationships—of course, there was no bond between mates for the siv like there was for the dalhari. Spike had worried that Saelen and Pairdra might choose to leave Xander; from what he could tell they had been together for a long time before he showed up. That would have hurt five people, and Spike had no idea what they would have done with the kids—or Xander, for that matter.

But all of that was unimportant now that the family was healthy and whole again. Spike smiled as Xander was taken down by the two kids, who had worked together to attack him at the ankles and drag him down. Saelen and Pairdra weren't helping any; they stood to one side, laughing their asses off. Spike settled back to watch the afternoon's entertainment, finally knowing what he would tell the elders when they broached the topic again.

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"Spike!"

Spike turned around to see Xander and his kids trotting down the hall. He never would get used to seeing Xander crouched down like that. It was weird. "Hmm?" He'd just gotten out of a meeting with the elders and needed to get back to the dyeshop.

"Just wanted to say good morning," Xander said, grinning. "Thanks for coming over for dinner last night; we enjoyed having you and Del. Maybe you can bring Rali sometime."

Spike laughed. He couldn't bring himself to tell Xander that they'd meant to bring the girl, but she had rather adamantly insisted that she wasn't going anywhere near the siv. She still remembered them as the wild, unfriendly creatures they had been before. "Perhaps."

"Speaking of the munchkin, where is she? I thought she was attached to your hip," Xander asked, looking around.

"Ah. No, Rali has developed a sudden interest in all things fiery, so Del is entertaining her at the forges for the moment. That leaves the dyeshop neater but quieter," Spike explained.

"What are you dying?" Mai'zi asked politely.

Spike thought for a minute. He had a knee-jerk reaction to keep his work as far from these kids as possible. Swallowing the impulse to run away, he answered. "I've got several batches of fine yarn to dye, for shirt and sheeting material."

Mai'zi nodded slowly. "Um…We've got an assignment plants and insects from our botany tutor; could we…"

Spike frowned, thinking. He knew what she was asking, and the dyeshop was the perfect place for them to learn about the practical uses of many types of plants, minerals and insects. "Why don't the two of you help me out today? There's a lot of grinding to be done; we just finished gathering some supplies that haven't been prepared yet." He smiled quickly at Xander to let him know that it was an honest offer.

"You don't mind?" Hainien asked timidly.

"No, as long as you don't try to recreate your signature color," Spike replied, grinning. The two kids smiled nervously and nodded. With a wave to Xander, they followed Spike out of the house and toward the weavers' guild.

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"Xander! What are y'doing here? Where are the kids?" Saelen asked as Xander walked into their quarters. The three of them were off today, but Xander had been gone with the kids for their lessons.

"I'm here because it's home and the kids are with Spike, working on their botany lesson," Xander answered cheerfully.

"Spike? He let the kids go near his dyeshop?" Pairdra asked disbelievingly.

"Hey! They're good kids," Xander defended. "And Spike is a pretty forgiving guy, all things considered."

"True," Saelen murmured, handing Xander a peeled yimkia. Xander grimaced but ate the tuberous food. He still didn’t know what dalhari saw in the stuff. "So, now y've got the rest of the day free."

Xander grinned. "Yup, I do. Nothing to do, though," He said idly. Pairdra smirked. He knew what Xander wanted to do, and that was fine with him. They didn't get much alone time, with the kids right next door. Add on their work schedules and they rarely saw each other.

Saelen nodded to Pairdra and jumped up and ran toward their bedroom, grabbing Xander as he passed. Pairdra followed behind, laughing at Xander as he bounced on Saelen's shoulder.

"Yes, what I had in mind. No, not how I planned on getting here," Xander muttered as Saelen tossed him onto the bed. Saelen just smirked as he began to strip off Xander's clothes. Pairdra's hands showed up a moment later, pulling alternately on Saelen's and Xander's clothes. Xander joined in, catching Pairdra's hand and pulling him on the bed. Pairdra managed to bring Saelen with him, so the three of them ended up a pile of wriggling, giggling bodies. Clothes continued to come off, flying over the bed and onto the floor, draping over a chest here and there.

"Is this entertaining enough?" Saelen murmured into Xander's ear. "Not bored, are y'?"

"Nope, not bored," Xander gasped as Pairdra did something very, very wicked with his tail. "Definitely not bored right now." He groped around until he found something sensitive on Saelen's body, hoping to wipe that insolent little grin off his mate's face. Evidently fisting the red siv's erection just so made his eyes cross. Xander catalogued the maneuver, and then repeated it. Pairdra, meanwhile, had moved from stroking his tail between Xander's thighs to nipping on the sensitive pads of his fingers. When Saelen reached for Pairdra's hand to do the same, the dark siv involuntarily bit down hard on Xander's thumb, eliciting a sharp howl. He kissed the sore appendage in apology and scowled at Saelen, who grinned in return. Well, it had gotten Xander to stop distracting him, hadn't it?

Xander freed his arms from underneath a suddenly playful Saelen to retrieve a vial of oil from the bedside table. He slicked up a few fingers, and then turned to Pairdra, grinning evilly. The dark siv had been thrusting against him suggestively, but not really doing anything about it.

Pairdra groaned when Xander slid a finger inside him, stretching him roughly. Xander twisted his finger around, finding that tiny spot that made his mate growl so sweetly. Soon Pairdra was writhing on the bed, begging Xander to hurry up. He complied most willingly, pushing another finger alongside the first one.

"Do it," Pairdra hissed when Xander made to continue toying with him. Xander nodded and withdrew his fingers, replacing them with his erection. It wasn't until then that he noticed Saelen lying beside Pairdra, watching them as he stroked himself. Xander grinned and looked appreciatively at Saelen's erection, even as he slid deeper into Pairdra.

Pairdra's pleasured howl was music to Xander's ears, and he began to move within his mate, murmuring nonsense words as they took each other. When he felt Saelen stroke an oil-slicked finger over his balls, he just smiled and pushed back. The feeling of being filled even as he was inside Pairdra was exquisite and Saelen knew it.

Saelen watched as Pairdra began to pant and claw at Xander to move faster. The young siv liked to take his time, thrusting slowly and deeply. It drew out the pleasure, true, but it also made lovemaking almost unbearable—the wait for climax was interminable. Fortunately for both Saelen and Pairdra, Saelen knew exactly how to make Xander stop torturing them with his languid pace. All it took was a couple of well aimed thrusts…

Xander stilled inside Pairdra and moaned as Saelen slid home inside him. He leaned down, until his face was right beside Pairdra's, gasping as Saelen stretched him. Pairdra bucked up as much as he could to convince Xander to move. The maneuver worked and Xander braced his upper body on his forearms and began to stroke his cock against Pairdra's sweet spot. Pairdra reached down to fist his own erection; the weight of Saelen on Xander's back was enough that he couldn't do it for him.

Saelen withdrew almost completely, enjoying watching Xander quiver with anticipation as he waited for Saelen to force himself back inside his body. They both knew what would happen; Saelen would make Xander scream and start thrusting inside Pairdra. Nothing aroused Xander more than being ridden hard and fast—and Saelen knew just how to do it.

Xander managed to swallow his howl this time as Saelen lunged forward. He couldn't contain the reflexive jerking of his hips that made Pairdra's eyes roll back in his head. The sensation of being split open was almost more than he could bear; Xander felt a telltale sparkling in the base of his spine. He began to move faster against Pairdra, trying to bring his mate with him.

Pairdra appreciated the thoughtfulness—well, when he had the mental capacity to think about it. Xander was rubbing over that spot again and again, making white spots appear in his vision and causing the muscles in his groin to contract and spasm. Saelen grinned down at him and increased his pace even more, making Xander screech a little. Pairdra almost passed out from that; the motion made Xander jab so deep inside he could almost feel the siv's cock in the back of his throat.

Xander, however, couldn't take the sensation of Saelen pounding into him and Pairdra contracting around him for very long. With a soft howl he collapsed down on Pairdra, his hips bucking as climax ripped through him. Pairdra gave his own cock a few last tugs, then joined him. Saelen took only a minute longer, making sure to fall to one side so that Pairdra didn't suffer his weight.

"Still not bored," Xander murmured as they situated themselves for a long nap.

"Good," Saelen replied as they pulled the covers over themselves.

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Del didn't realize that her mouth was hanging open until Rali pointed out that she could count her mother's back teeth. She shut her mouth with a snap and set her daughter on a nearby workbench. No matter how much she blinked, however, the highly improbable sight in front of her didn't change.

Laio was peacefully coexisting in his dyeshop with Xander's kids.

Actually, it looked like the three of them were having a good time; Laio was showing Mai'zi how to stir vats of dye while Hainien ground up some roasted urush. From the looks of things, the master weaver had had a very productive day; six large and three small vats were full of dye, yarn and fabric. The makings of another batch were spread out on one workbench, where Hainien was powdering the urush.

"Having a good time?" She managed to choke out. Laio and the two siv spun around, surprised at her appearance.

"Did you know that urush is edible?" Hainien asked, holding up a bright red chunk of the mineral. "It's good for soothing the stomach."

Del nodded. "Too much causes vomiting, though," She added idly. "Laio, how goes the dying?"

Spike grinned. He knew that she was quite surprised to see the siv with him, and him without a weapon of some sorts trained on them. "Very well, thank you. With the assistance of these two I'm ahead a little."

"Ah," Del murmured, looking around a little more. That certainly looked like Laio; he smelled like her mate, and Rali acted like he was her father. Surely, though, Laio wouldn't be so chummy with Xander's little hell raisers. "So…"

"We'll be done here in a bit," Spike said lightly, handing the stirring rod to Mai'zi. He walked over to Del and Rali, running a gentle hand over his daughter's hair.

"Are you ok?" Del asked quietly.

"Yes. They're not so bad, now that they have a little self-control," Spike replied. "They even managed to come up with their own dye—and it doesn't look like something a prhang coughed up." Del grinned at the comparison. After Spike's initial ire at the ruination of the Narmunan's order had cooled, he had seen a certain humor in the outcome of the kids' experiment. Oh, the material was still a loss, but instead of simply throwing it away he made a series of rugs and mats out of it. Del had several in the forges. Nothing that entered her work area stayed any color other than black for very long, so no one cared about the obnoxious nature of the wool's original color scheme. Spike, likewise, had kept several pieces of the stuff in his own work area, since it didn’t matter what he spilled on it. He'd even commented that adding spilled dye seemed to improve the looks of the stuff.

"I see," Del said quietly. If Laio wanted to entertain Xander's kids, she had no objections—as long as her mate came home in the correct number of pieces.

"Can we have dinner now?" Rali asked politely. She and Del had been at the forges all day and she was really hungry. Her parents sighed and nodded. The little girl was hitting another growth spurt and was starving all the time.

"We'll see you in an hour, then?" Del asked as she scooped up Rali and set her on the floor. Spike nodded and turned back to the kids. There was no way they'd finish the dye Hainien was working on in less than an hour, so he girded himself to tell the kids it was time to go. Maybe they wouldn't attack him.

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"Did they behave?" Xander asked as Spike ushered the kids inside their quarters.

"Of course they did. You didn't expect anything else, did you?" Spike inquired. They stepped out in the hall, away from the little ones.

Xander shook his head. "No, not really. Did they pass your test?"

A raised eyebrow was all the response he got. "Did you enjoy your day off?" Spike asked, changing the subject.

Xander grinned. "Yeah, I did. We don't get many days without the kids."

"Believe me, I know," Spike muttered. "And yours don't sleep deeply, do they?"

"Nope. I swear they have radar," Xander groaned. "Yours?"

"Like the dead," Spike replied. "There's little that can wake Rali up once she's down."

"Can we trade for a few weeks?" Xander whined, leaning against the wall. "It's not fair. You've had a century of regular nookie."

Spike shrugged. "You'll miss them when they're gone."

"I know," Xander sighed. "And I don't know that we'll have any more. You?"

"Maybe, maybe not. That's a long way away, though," Spike replied.

"Damned dalhari," Xander muttered. "You'd think they lived forever."

"Hah hah," Spike shot back. "You've changed, you know."

"What do you mean?" Xander asked, curious and a bit confused about the sudden change in topic.

"I don't know, you're more…mature than you were," Spike said.

Xander smiled. "Hey, we all have to grow up some time. I could only fake it for so long before it started to sink in."

"Seriously," Spike said. "You're not so…rigid now."

"It's hard to be rigid when you're a siv," Xander said. "I didn't consciously do it, but I spent eleven years being resentful about the whole change thing. And, it's not easy to admit that you don’t like what you've become."

"You don't like being a siv?" Spike asked, shocked.

"No, I didn't like being my father, with a tail," Xander replied. "That ugly, shouting, mean guy you met before? That was my dad, plus a tail and minus a bottle. Lemme tell ya, waking up and realizing that you've become the person you hate the most in your life is a bad feeling. It can really rev up the motors."

"I'm sure," Spike murmured, surprised that Xander would admit such things to him, or to anyone.

"So, yeah, I've changed. Something had to, you know? Back in Sunnydale I wouldn't have subjected anyone to living with my father. Why would I do it here?" Xander joked.

"Point," Spike murmured. "I'm glad you showed up here, though."

Xander's head jerked up. He was shocked that Spike would say such a thing. "Me too, actually. It feels good to know that someone else from back there is over here now. I don't feel quite so odd."

"Oh, you'll always be odd," Spike shot back, smiling. "But you'll never be alone, not with that bunch," He said, gesturing toward the door.

"I know," Xander said, smiling. "Families are good things."

Spike grinned. He couldn't have said it better himself.

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