THE BLUE BOY
by Lynn K. Hollander
Chapter14 - Translations
SUNNYDALE
"I realize," Ann told the lilac guardian lion gravely, "that what I request is contrary to all your instincts, but I do need any invaders captured alive."
"They cannot harm you or your home if they are dead."
"Quite true, but neither can I question them if they are dead. The matter of contention between us may be a misunderstanding," Ann said, "and if I am able to examine their reasons for attacking us, I may be able to resolve the conflict before casualties occur on either side. You know I do not kill for the sake of killing, nor do I fight for the sake of fighting."
The lioness growled.
"In any case, there are certain standards we maintain. We should discover who we are fighting, if only because we need to know where and to whom we send the death notices."
"Very well. We will give warning to you and help you to capture any invaders, alive and able to talk."
"Thank you."
***
Liangde, Jiding and Roujin were cooking tonight, although Ann seemed to have created the appetizers, Spike noted. He kept out of the cooks' way, loading a plate with his favorite small foods and pouring two glasses of Ann's wine. He went over to Xiuling and Anya.
"Well," Xiuling said. "It sounds to me as if it may be a good thing. You can get stuck in a rut, even immortals."
"I always found it interesting," Anya said. "And then there was the live forever part."
"Change, even that major a change, always offers a chance for improvement. Thank you, Spike," Xiuling said, taking her glass. "You just have to be alert for it." Spike kissed her bare shoulder and sat on the wide arm of her chair. She shifted the glass to her other hand and put her free hand on his knee. Spike handed Anya the other glass and he and Xiuling shared hers.
"I am enjoying planing the wedding. Thanks."
"What sort of ceremony are you thinking of?"
"Civil, but with formal dress. I was at a wedding back in the early 16th Century, in Germany, they had to have it in church, which was awkward, but I got in. Anyway, the day before, in the bride's father's house, they signed all these wonderful pre-nuptial agreements, concerning money, and who paid the bride and how much. We're going to do that part, in a white dress and veil."
"You're going to be attended by a pack of bride's lawyers?" Spike asked.
"That's a very good idea."
"Xander, what exactly are you complaining about?"
"Spike." Xander indicated where Spike and Xiuling were in each other's arms, her dark skin and white pareu contrasting with his white skin and black shirt and pants.
Ann glanced at the vampire and the yunü, standing beyond the torch lit terrace in the darkness at the east end of the hill, then back at Xander. "More explicitly, please."
"He's crawled into bed with the first good looking babe to come along after Buffy dies. So all that love he said he had for her was just a big show."
"Harris, my first impulse is to tell you to go boil your head."
"Hey!" Anya said. "What good would he be after that?"
"Well, he doesn't use it now," Ann snapped. She shook her head and continued: "More calmly, I do realize the group feels it can exercise oversight control of any member's private life and the members of the group tacitly consent."
"Well, yes," Anya said. "Only stuffy and inhibited loners like you and Giles don't let us analyze your sex lives. Not that you have any," she added.
Giles managed to look both affronted and amused. He did not glance at Ann, who ignored him and Anya and spoke in a tart and crisp tone to Xander:
"Before you open your mouth and risk appearing foolish again, I think you should observe a little more closely so your comments have some basis in reality. Spike is seeking some physical comfort, yes, but with a woman who is as unlike Buffy as he is likely to find: Xiuling is older than he is, taller than he is, black skinned, black haired, not human, and has never killed anyone. She is also not a vampire, so he hasn't gone back to Buffy's enemies, either. I think the very care he's taken in his choice, even if all this was subconsciously done, makes plain that, whatever his feelings for Buffy, he has not forgotten her in the least. My personal observation is that Xiuling is very good for Spike's nerves."
"He hasn't got any nerves," Xander said.
"He would like you to think so," Ann said. "Which isn't really an adequate reason for letting him fool you, however."
"Besides," Anya said, "Xiuling can turn him into a toad, if she wants."
"Can she?" Xander asked.
"We were discussing my former life."
"Oh?"
"She said if you gave me any trouble, she'd be glad to come around."
"That's kind of her," Xander managed.
"Please come to table," Liangde called.
"Rupert, logically, you cannot both insist on discretion and complain when we are successfully discreet. If you wish us to be discreet, we'll continue to be discreet; if you want to take out an announcement of our affair in both papers and the local cable access, do so. It's up to you."
Anya and Harris, citing work the next morning, had departed soon after desert. Dawn was with Jiding and Yanghao, who were showing her how to play the milfoil fortune telling game. Gang Long and Huixin had slipped away, and Xiuling and Roujin had told Spike to get out of their way as they cleared the table. Liangde and Binwen were sitting at the far west end of the terrace, beyond the outdoor kitchen, with Tara and Willow, where they could look across the low hills at the lights of Sunnydale. Lijin had taken Darcy and the cubs up to the nursery.
"Bad idea," Spike said, joining Ann and Rupert across the terrace from the pool. "Considering Dawn, forged wills and everything. You'll just have to settle for being known everywhere as `great and good friends', or whatever the accepted euphemism is now." The vampire stretched out on the chaise longue and grinned over at Ann.
"That isn't exactly what's bothering him," Ann smiled. "Anya said neither of us has a sex life."
Spike laughed.
"I just felt over-familiarity was a mistake in an employer-employee relationship; not to mention the adult-minor relationship."
"God knows Anya's over twenty-one. So's Harris now, for that matter. Do you want me to tell him you and Ann are having it off in the back room every night after closing?" Spike volunteered. He was merely being annoying and was surprised when Giles said:
"It's the office and no." Giles polished his glasses, put them on and added: "No, thank you, actually."
"Each of you has a perfectly good home to go to," the vampire said, wondering what was going on. "And if you remember to lock your front door, Rupert, no one can walk in on the two of you again."
"If you had knocked, no one would have walked in on us in the first place. It's the possible perception of collusion between a trustee and a guardian that make me nervous," Giles said.
"He no longer has a bachelor estabilishment, Spike. He doesn't want to shock Carlotta Rivera; and, understandably, he worries if we're both away from Sunnydale."
"What am I, helpless? And what about Willow and Tara?" Spike demanded. "We'll be glad to sit with Dawn."
"Thank you, Spike, but that's not the problem. Carlotta is there all the time already, it's just that he would worry."
"It's the legal position that makes me uneasy. You know the Council threatened to have me deported and fear stays with you. Having involved the mundane authorities, I'm reluctant to disturb them again."
"It's only for another three years, at the most, after all. When Dawn is eighteen, we can spend a week in Taos or Olympus," Ann said.
"Olympus?" Spike asked.
"The one in Washington. We walk on the beach and are wet and cold and miserable, like a perfect English holiday, but with better food. Think about this instead," Ann said, then turned and called to Dawn, in Chinese.
Dawn looked up and replied, also in Chinese.
Ann said something else, obviously dismissive, and Dawn turned back to Jiding and Yanghao.
"You taught her Chinese?" Giles asked.
"I didn't; however, Darcy speaks it, too."
"The first night?" Spike asked. "When you talked to the cubs?"
"Possibly," Ann said. "It's also possible he and she learned it just today, up on the hill when I was speaking to Jiding and Binwen."
"You didn't mention this," Giles said.
"I didn't know," Ann said. "I've never used that ritual on a shape-shifted Key, or on whatever Darcy is, before."
"Darcy called you Jingwu, when we left, after you explained about the tiger," Spike said. "I noticed at the time."
"Well, that would work, in fact, that's more likely," Ann said. "He was safe and relaxed and he heard a long passage of a new language. Not today, then."
"So when did Dawn learn it?" Giles asked.
"I don't know."
Dawn came over. "Jiding and Yanghao just taught me Chinese."
"We were talking about that," Ann said.
"It was easy. Is this because of the way I helped you teach Darcy English?"
"I think so," Ann said calmly.
"Neat. Listen, I was thinking about my electives: what we'll do is, you'll teach me one of the languages they offer in school, I'll ace it, and I'll have a better GPA. Good idea, right?"
The three adults were silent for almost a moment too long, then Ann said, "Speaking a second language is always a useful skill. Rupert and Spike started learning their second tongues when they were years younger than you are now."
Dawn giggled. "Two tongues?"
"An idiom," Ann said.
"What's that?"
"What languages do they offer?" Giles asked. "Greek? Latin?"
"No way! I want something European, so when I'm hitchhiking around after I graduate, I won't need to go with a group."
"Well, that limits you to French, Spanish, and German," Ann said, plucking the papers she had brought from the open house out of the air and locating the section on languages.
"German, then," Dawn said. "I can practice with Giles, get a good grade, raise my GPA, and be eligible for drivers' ed in the spring. That way, I can get my license right on my birthday, when I'm 16."
Light dawned. Spike sat up and swung around to face the girl squarely, but Ann caught his eye with a sharp, intent stare before he could open his mouth. He kicked Giles, who was taking a breath to object.
"You can also practice with Spike or me or Gang Long," Ann said calmly.
"Sure. This is going to be so easy," Dawn said, and went back to Jiding and Yanghao.
"Ann," Giles started, "she is not getting a license at 16. I can barely keep track of her now."
"And what," Spike demanded, "is this hitchhiking around Europe after she graduates nonsense? She's going to college."
"Is Spike really sleeping with Xiuling?" Dawn asked quietly, looking back where Xiuling was smiling at the vampire as she sat beside him on the chaise longue.
"Well, yes, I guess he is," Tara said. "But, Dawn, in some ways, he's been the loneliest of us all, you know. Willow has me, and Xander has Anya."
"I don't like it."
"Despite whatever Xander says, Spike did not grab at the first girl who would have him."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Filis..."
"Filis? She was after him? But I liked her."
"She's nice," Tara agreed. "And she wanted him, but it was just too soon for poor Spike. What is most important, though, is that even if we all have someone special to love, we all love you, too, you know."
"Do you think he's in love with Xiuling?"
"I don't know. I'm sure he likes her."
"I don't think she's very pretty."
"Oh, Dawnie."
***
"I'm going out and post more flyers," Ann said. "The ones I put up on the hill were washed off by the students and the ones downtown are covered by other posters by now. After I walk the town, I'm heading for Willy's. Joshua says he has one demon for me to interview late tonight and three tomorrow."
"This is about Spike's chip?" Yanghao asked. "The one the Initiative installed in him? Claire told me and Huixin about it. Curious, and nasty. Want company?"
"Certainly."
"And Roujin said she wanted to see the area of the gate. She knows more about them than any of us. Which isn't, you know, very much at all."
"It's generally useless knowledge for us," Ann agreed. "Which just reminds us that study is never wasted in the long run."
"Of course, sometimes the run is very long indeed and it helps if you're immortal," Yanghao said.
***