*
Well this wasn't expected.
Spike lay on the bed, half curled up under the covers, his uncanny sweat diminishing after feeding. His hair was tousled, looking for the first time in decades like that of the boy he had once been. He did look young, Angel decided as he heard the first snores come from his childe, and not just because of his vampiric youth. He looked almost innocent as he slept and Angel thought about the events of the last hour.
He had been sitting by the phone, as he had for the last day, waiting for call from Doyle in Sunnydale. The call that would tell him Buffy was safe, that he and Cordelia had managed to warn her and save her from the danger inherent in one of the half -demon's visions. He'd intended to go himself, but a little comment from Cordelia had blown that little plan out of the water. Angel had wanted to stay in the shadows, help her, but not be seen. He didn't want to interfere with her life, not when he'd heard that she was moving on, doing the very thing he'd dreamed she'd do when he left. He loved her, but he'd had to leave. It was better for her this way.
Yeah, he thought, keep telling yourself that.
All this had been completely blown out of the water by Cordelia.
'I don't want to stir things up.' He'd said by way of explanation. Cordelia had coughed dryly, amused by his incredibly naïve comment.
'You don't want to stir, but if my ex came to town and was all stalking me in the shadows and then left and he didn't even say hello I'd be'
'A little upset.' Finished Doyle, 'Cordy's right Angel. You're either there or you aren't. She's not going to appreciate you being skulking boy again, and I have no desire to be on the receiving end of a pissed off Slayer.'
Angel had sighed. It was true, but what else could he do?
Doyle had come to his rescue, a hint of a smile passing the Irishman's face as he suggested that he and Cordelia went to Sunnydale and helped out, warned them about the danger. When Angel started to object, he saw Doyle wiggle his eyebrows conspirationally and gesture to his office. Cordelia had rolled her eyes and calmly announced that if they wanted her out of the room they only had to say, she wasn't insensitive or anything. When she'd left, Doyle had confided that he was going to use the opportunity to confess his half demon side to the girl, proving how heroic it could be by helping Buffy. Maybe he might be up to asking her out to dinner by then.
With little more objection and knowing that Cordelia was right, Angel had consented, on the condition that they kept him updated and if it looked bigger than they could handle, they would phone him immediately. After they'd left, he'd been on tenter-hooks and unable to concentrate. Perhaps that was why he had been so jumpy when someone knocked on the door in his basement.
Puzzled and nervous, Angel had made his way to the door, his favourite axe curled in one hand, ready to dowell, Angel wasn't quite sure what he would do with it, but he was pretty certain that whoever was on the receiving end wouldn't be so happy. The banging was incessant and as he opened the door, Spike fell forward onto his carpet, one arm still outstretched to knock again. Instinctively, the older vampire had stepped back, confused as to why his childe was lying on the floor of his apartment, apparently looking for him, less than a month after he'd attempted to have his sire tortured to death by some Hannibal Lecter wannabee. Now that situation had looked really bad.
Come to think of it, Spike wasn't looking so hot either.
The peroxide vampire hadn't looked this bad even after that debacle at the church when he'd revived Drusilla. He looked bad and, Angel leant in closer, he smelled bad. Angel wrinkled his nose, his sensitive sense of smell a further curse at the moment. He contemplated using the axe for a moment, catching Spike whilst he was vulnerable but his soul, his curse and redemption, wouldn't let him. It wasn't the idea of hitting someone whilst they were down as such, but the intrigue of his wayward childe seeking him out in such a terrible state. As he stood there, wondering what to do with him, and just where he'd left that rope, Spike's sarcastic tones, apparently unhampered by his physical state, echoed in his ears.
'If you're just going to watch, Peaches, I can think of something more interesting to do than lie here smelling your sweaty feet.'
'What are you doing here?'
'Not a bloody lot. Are you going to let me in and I'll explain or are we going to stay here in this hole all night?'
Angle blinked, Spike's arrogance making him back up even as he lay there defenseless. He shook his head to rid himself of that particular déjà vu and prodded his childe with the tip of one boot.
'Why should I let you in? Haven't you got the hang of this mortal enemies idea yet?'
The body at his feet flinched and Spike tilted his head to look up. Angel
noted the complexion that was more pallid than usual and his red rimmed eyes.
Another memory came flooding back. William, he'd been William then, coming
through the night, a fledgling, starved, half crazy because the bitch who'd
sired him without thinking hadn't though for a second how he was going to
survive. He was almost insane with thirst, wanting nourishment, but unable as
yet to accept his new existence. He'd been clinging to his humanity, the demon
within able only to gain a tenuous hold on the man. William needed to feed, but
he didn't know how. He was disorientated, needing guidance, something every sire
gave at birth. But Drusilla was barely able to think to feed herself, let alone
care for her newly created ward.
Angelus had found the boy, his hunger palpable and his sanity going. Dru had made him because she wanted a new plaything, something Angelus indulged quite happily. He had grown quite used to the insane quality of her little creations and enjoyed watching them destroy themselves by falling foul of any one of a hundred things that could kill a vampire. She'd even kept a human for while, teasing and nibbling on the terrified boy before Angelus had grown bored and eaten him. He was used to her pets, but this one was different.
When William had fallen weakly into Angelus's arms, he was more than prepared to drop him and leave the fledgling for the daylight. No one had ever accused Angelus of being overly endowed with compassion. But before he could let go, William's hands had tightened over his sleeves and the older vampire watched amused, as he pulled himself upright. When he could look his sire in the eye, William gulped, ignoring the hunger that pained his every bone and drew on the reserves he'd had as a man.
'Give me something to eat.' he had commanded of Angelus, who looked blankly at him for a moment and then burst out laughing. William tightened his hold on the vampire and then reached one hand back to hit the face of the man who mocked him.
'Something to eat.' He repeated and then swung.
He'd connected with his chin before Angelus could recognize what was happening. He didn't fall, William didn't have enough strength for that, but he was visibly swayed and he turned, game face on to his new childe.
'That wasn't nice.'
'I'm hungry,' William had managed.
'And I'm pissed off,' answered Angelus and knocked him to the floor. 'A word of advice, Dru isn't good at remembering to feed her pets, so I'd work it out quickly.'
'Work what out?'
Angelus had grinned and picked William up by his torn collar. His vampiric visage was inches from the fledgling's, but he didn't wince. Impressed, Angelus' grin widened and he shrugged appealingly. He dropped him and walked out into the street, plucking the plump woman with the tickly feather hat and drawing her into the alleyway. He bit deeply into her neck and thankfully, she passed out, her bulk limp against his thigh. Resisting the urge to drain her fully, Angelus savoured the coppery taste and sank to the floor where William waited.
'Drink.' He demanded.
'What?'
'Drink.'
He pressed the wound against William's mouth, watching as he turned away, revolted by the idea. Angelus rolled his eyes and pulled William's face back round.
'Drink, it will sustain you.'
'I can't.' I can't do that, she's alive, dear God, what have I become? I can't bite her, feed from her...' he trailed off, unable to contemplate the demon that now wore his body.
Angelus growled, before smiling a little and bending back to her neck. He sucked down deeply and dropped the woman, before reaching for the childe who so badly needed to feed. He clasped the back of his neck in one hand and drew William's mouth to his. As the fledge protested and tried to pull away, Angelus thrust his tongue and the accompanying blood into his throat. William moaned, feeling the viscous liquid seeping past his teeth. He didn't want to taste itbut, it filled his belly like a ball of fire, warming him and staving off the pain of his hunger. His tongued duelled briefly with his sire's desperately craving more of the life giving fluid, trying to draw more from Angelus. His true face emerged and William could feel the need, the urgent desperate need to hunt, to kill, to drink and drink and drink until he could feel more than just his desire for sustenance within his belly.
Their kiss deepened, as each strove for dominance and Angelus broke away, his body alive with lust. He picked up the woman and thrust her neck into William's face, watching with pleasure as the fledgling sunk his fangs into the gaping wound, drinking the plentiful liquid. His cock throbbed and he panted in unnecessary gulps as the boy drained the last out of the female, before tossing her aside and lunging at Angelus once more. Will's mouth met his and the older man could taste the dregs of blood on his fangs. He wanted to consume him, lay his mark on the passionate childe, but he paused and pulled back, forcing William to meet his gaze.
'This is what you are.'
'Yes.'
'This is what you need - hunger and consummation.'
'Yes.'
'You are a vampire, you are a God.' He finished with a flourish.
William grinned.
'What?'
'I don't need to be a vampire to have feel that kind of power!'
Angelus paused a second, wondering if he was being mocked. But he saw the desire in William's eyes and he pulled the childe closer to consummate that other need.
'You're mine - my childe.'
William looked into the depths of his sire's eyes before answering.
'Aye, I'm yours.'
Angel looked down at his childe once more and sighed. He'd assumed Spike's ownership once and never quite relinquished it. Spike had the right to ask for his help and he was compelled to comply. He'd find out the full story later. Bending down, he dropped the axe and picked up the sickly vampire, cradling his slender form in his arms. Spike's head didn't loll backwards, but he could tell that it was due to will power, not strength. Carrying him inside, Angel rested Spike's body on the bed, moving towards the freezer and removing one of the bags that allowed him to think of himself as different. He warmed its contents in a cup and brought it over to the chapped lips of his childe.
Spike gulped it down and choked. Angel sat him up and wrapped one arm round his back as he coaxed his childe into drinking it slowly, easing his hunger without hurting him. As he drank, Angel took the time to look over his skinny frame. He'd not fed for weeks by the look of him and that was so unlike Spike. He couldn't think of a reason for this abstinence, but from the hungered way he was drinking, he guessed it wasn't by choice.
When he'd finished, Angel took away the cup and let Spike lay back, some colour lightly flushing his cheeks as the blood settled. He was exhausted, but at least now he was fed and exhausted. He could sense Angel watching him and Spike realized that he was waiting for some explanation. Figuring that he'd better say something before his sire decided that he was being used for some new scheme, Spike opened his eyes and sighed.
'So.' Angel said.
'So.' Agreed Spike.
'Are you going to tell me or do I kill you now?' Angel asked amiably, a thin stake noticeably within reach on the table.
'Do you really think I want to be here?'
'No,' replied Angel, 'that's why you're inside and not ash on my doorstep.'
Spike rolled his eyes and got to his elbows.
'This conversation is going to get stale very soon if you keep threatening me with death, Peaches.'
'Don't call me that.'
'Oh? Reminds you too much that you're not the perfect guy the Slayer dreams about?'
There was a low growl, but Spike, too relaxed from the warmth of the blood, didn't care. He guessed that Angel wasn't about to kill him, not after feeding him - it wouldn't be gentlemanly. Huh!
'Sorry,' he said petulantly, 'I'd forgotten how sensitive you get. I'll try and remember to be more careful,' he added.
Ignoring the sarcasm, Angel ran a hand over Spike's forehead, feeling the sweat that had built up there. It wasn't common for a vampire to sweat, though he could vaguely recall that he'd sweated buckets when Faith had poisoned him. Spike was sick, although the blood had warmed his skin slightly and if it was starvation that ailed him, he'd heal quickly once he'd rested. Spike cast a suspicious glance at the large hand and giggled in drowsy bliss at the irony.
'If I call you Mum will you bring me a cookie?'
'What?' Angel took his hand off as though he'd been burnt.
Spike grinned, 'You just look so happy playing Mother.'
The frown was back on Angel's brow and he stood up, getting a chair from the kitchen and setting it by the bed. He recognized the barely controlled patience and that he'd better tell him something, anything just so that he'd get to stay the night. Why not the truth? It was bizarre, but his poofy sire might just feel sorry enough to nurse him back to health. (he's done that before) Spike quickly shut off the thought, not wanting to think about that time, not wanting to remember what Angel had once meant to him. He threw his arms up and started talking.
'I was back in Sunnyhell, just looking for a way to give that girly of yours a slap in the teeth'
'Spike,' Angel said warningly
'Yeah well, before you go all Batman, I didn't even get that far. Some cowardly gits nabbed me from behind with a bloody' he gestured, searching for the word.
'Lasso?' asked Angel helpfully.
'Tazar!' completed Spike, 'Just where have you been the last hundred years?'
'Regretting every minute I spent with you.'
Spike crossed his heart.
'Oh I'm hurt now, really I am.'
'Get on with it Spike.' Said Angel through gritted teeth.
Spike grinned, glad he could still get a rise out of his sire. He really was starting to feel a lot better. Pigs blood wasn't half bad once you tasted it, it didn't have that sweet tang of fear that you got from humans, but a vampire could live on it at least for a while. His sire didn't look bad on it. Spike smiled in his pleasantly sleepy state, Angel looked damn fine. If he wasn't feeling so tired, he yawned.
'Keeping you up Spike?'
'Oh yeah' said Spike as he closed his eyes again, 'but then, you always could.'
He dozed happily as an image came, remembering a time before the Slayer, before those damned gypsies, before Dru had finally decided that he was worth bothering with. A time when he and Angel had spent every moment together, hunting, feeding and more. He could remember...
Will had moved forward to pounce, the couple far too involved with each other to notice the predatory vampire who stalked them. He was about to move when a firm hand landed on his shoulder. Will rumbled low in his throat and turned to see the grinning face of his sire, his demonic face present.
'Why did you do that?' he growled.
'Watch. Wait.'
Will sighed and turned back to the couple. They had started to groan a crescendo to their passion and he could feel the heat rising from his cock. She was leaning back, her blouse open enough to reveal a creamy breast, her full skirt raised to above her thigh, rising and falling on the firm column. She threw her head back and bared her neck. Will tensed to move again and Angelus squeezed his shoulder.
'Let them finish.' He almost whispered.
The man stretched in the onset of orgasm and moaned deeply, his pleasure overcoming his senses. Angelus released his hold and the vampires moved together in perfect synchronism, moving over the wet grass with intent. They kept low to the ground and as they approached, silence masking their purpose. Will could feel a beating in his head, in his chest and the low throb from his balls only made his lust clearer.
Impact.
With a snarl, Angelus sank his teeth into the exposed jugular of the man, tearing and ripping at the flesh, eager to devour its tasty contents. The low cry of his victim was lost to Will, his world encompassed by the heat, the need and the life blood that gushed into his throat. He barely felt her breasts heaving against him, the naked flesh losing its allure as he drained its owner. She flailed her hands against the vampire, but Will was losing all thought. His entire being had been reducedno, not reduced, simplified to need. He needed this blood. He need this kill. He needed...
As the last of her life slipped away, the young woman who had been sustenance for the vampire watched as he released her, dropping her limp half-naked frame. He leaned toward the demon that drank her lover and grasped him by the shoulders. The one with dark hair pulled away, loosening his hold on the man who she knew, was already dead. Without energy enough for tears, she sank down, seeing the world fade, watching as they embraced, tearing clothes with the same lusty abandon she'd employed only minutes before. Her last view of the world was of love, though not that which she could understand.
Will plunged his tongue deep inside Angelus' mouth, needing to taste the older vampire. Since that first time, he could only enjoy a kill if he could share the blood with his sire. It had become a ritual between them and one which they both consented to willingly. He loved the low growls that emanated from Angelus' throat, a soft purring which he'd heard so rarely. As his breeches were torn from his body he had enough time to think 'Going home naked again' before he was lost.
Sliding his hands all over the fledgling's body Angelus soared with a pleasure he'd so rarely felt. Here was an equal, someone who could be everything he'd dreamed of since he'd left Darla. Smooth skinned and passionate, his Will was more than enough to match the dark vampire. He was no stooge, he though briefly as Will sought his way down Angelus' body. He didn't just want to train this childe, he wanted him as lover, as partner, as a match for all eternity.
Will trailed his tongue and fangs down his sires body, eager to taste more of him. He wanted to drink in everything the vampire had to offer. He was more than capable of taking anything the older man could throw at him and he relished every opportunity he got to prove his passion, his...love for Angelus. No other experience had ever prepared him for these feelings. As vampires they fought, hated and loved to the hilt. There were no shades of grey, only clear unabating desire. Tasting the firm column of flesh that throbbed unnaturally, Will moaned, matching his sire in need, his own erection pulsing madly as Angelus lay cool hands along its length. They stroked in a synchronised rhythm, anticipating the need of he other, desperate to prolong the delicious torment.
One hand searching along Will's body, Angelus watched with pleasure as the organ twitched and throbbed in his hand. Feeling the temporary warmth of his childe's blood filled mouth, Angelus wanted to share this pleasure and sank his mouth down around the erection that pulsed before him. Will let out a muffled howl that only added to his sire's enjoyment, bucking madly as he felt the sharp fangs edge their way down his penis. He'd never been with a man as a human, but the women he'd slept with had never compared to this. This was frantic, desperate infatuation and it never ended. The months had passed and they always came back to this - need.
As he felt the bucking in his childe's hips, Angelus pulled up slightly, his fangs grazing the skin. He could feel his own control dissipating and he surrendered easily to the orgasm, screeching his climax to a dark world. Will swallowed eagerly, feeling the salty liquid mix with the remnants of the blood he'd drained earlier. His only disappointment was that his own erection throbbed hard now, unfulfilled and untouched. Angelus had never left him wanting before and he bit down on his lip, drawing the sticky sweet fluid from his own mouth. He waited for Angelus to recover only to discover that the older vampire was looking round, as if he watching for something.
'What is it?'
Angelus circled his head round carefully.
'Nothing. There's no one else here.'
Will rolled his eyes in a duh way, but it was obvious his impatience came not from his sire's obscure statement, but from the need which still pulsed through him. He saw the predatory look on Angelus' face and paused before moving to get on his hands and knees. The hand which gripped him again was firm, but gentle. He turned to look at Angel, the bloodlust drained from his face.
'You're my childe.' He said softly.
'Yeah, mate what of it?'
Angelus smiled.
'By lore I should never do this. It's unseemly.'
Will blinked, confused by the cryptic tones of his sire. Angelus pulled him round so that the slender vampire sat opposite him, his thighs pressed against the wet grass, erection standing proud, still in need of release. Will watched as his sire eased his legs beneath his childe and moved closer, so that his nipples, already erect from the night chill, brushed almost painfully against Will's chest. The look of incomprehension on his childe's face was worth the risk he was taking. Drawing his face into his hand, Angelus kissed him, tasting himself on the vampire's tongue. Will kissed back, tentatively wondering if his suspicions were correct, knowing that he was right as Angelus took his hands and worked them down between his thighs to an area where Will had never been invited.
Angelus moaned quietly as Will touched, then probed more intimately at the entrance to his body. He wasn't an innocent on the receiving end, but once he'd become a sire, a father figure so to speak, he'd been in the more dominant role. Certainly with any of the children he'd sired, he'd been the aggressor, feeling the brief warmth of being encased with the body of his progeny. But Will wasn't exactly a submissive fledgling and many times they had fought before he'd gained the upper hand. It wasn't known in the lore for a sire to submit to his childe, but here he was, willing to share everything with the vampire who obsessed him so much. He'd disregarded love long before he was turned, but the intense passion Will inspired had availed to him the possibility. Vampires could perhaps learn love. they certainly knew desire.
Will breathed in deeply, feeling the chill of the night as his dead lungs filled. He stroked the sensitive area between the base of Angelus' balls and his ass, feeling the older vampire push up against him, wanting more. His cock throbbed in agreement and he edged forward, feeling his sire pressed more firmly against his body, wondering how he was going to accomplish this. Angelus shifted slightly and Will felt the head of his cock pressed up against the hole, spreading some of his pre-cum across its opening. Angelus moaned again and his childe sighed into his mouth, kissing him again as he eased forward, sliding more easily into his sire's body than he would have believed.
His concentration intent on this act, he almost missed the breathy sigh from his lover, and as he slid in to the hilt, Angelus growled softly, game face back on and his erection almost back up to full strength. Will felt the slap as his balls hit Angelus' ass cheeks and he closed his eyes briefly, the pressure and pleasure flooding his body. He could have cum right there, but he suspected that this might not happen again - Will had some idea that it wasn't on for a childe to fuck his sire - and he wanted to enjoy it.
He moved slowly at first, gauging his tempo from Angelus' reaction. His sire seemed to like it slightly harder and faster, so Will picked up the pace, bucking his hips and biting down on his lip once more to stop from climaxing. Between them, Angelus' erection had hardened thoroughly and it pushed against Will's belly, the friction of the soft hairs there sending little pulses over the vampire. Will felt his mind was going, so tight and sensitive was the feeling of fucking his sire. He wanted this feeling to last as long as possible, but it couldn't, he couldn't and he was going to cum. He closed his eyes as the pressure built up needing something more, something Angelus had done to him, but had never allowed him to reciprocate.
When his yellow eyes opened again, he saw that predatory look back on the dark vampire's face and his head was tilted slightly to one side, waiting. His impulse strong, Will bit down on the offered flesh, feeling Angelus' teeth tear into his own skin at the same time. They drank as the rhythm picked up, bucking furiously against one another, joined where they could be joined, mouths buried in a sweet fountain of blood. Will came hard, his howl muffled in the neck of his sire, the passion and love flowing through each vein, aware dimly that Angelus had cum too, his chest soaked in the juices.
They stayed that way for over a minute, feeling the hardness ebb away until Will pulled out and Angel lay back. Joining his sire in sheer exhaustion, Will lay on the ground, counting the stars he'd learnt the names of over the years. He lighted briefly on Gemini and smiled. They were the same, he and his sire, soul mates, if you'd excuse the pun, different thoughts but a single need. They were more than friends, more than companions, they were lovers - equals.
He was musing on such pleasant thoughts when Angelus spoke.
'Never mention this to anyone.'
Hurt, but almost understanding, Will rolled over and looked at the victims from earlier.
'I won't, why would I?'
There was a deep sigh.
'Vampires don't love, Will.'
Then why does this hurt, Will wondered. But Angelus had said it and the equality of the past minutes was gone. He was the childe again and compelled to obey his sire's wishes. He got up, naked and without clothes to wear, still proud enough to hide his feelings.
'Right then, I'm going back to the house, get some bloody clothes on.'
'You're leaving?'
Was it his imagination or was there a note of sorrow in that voice. Never mind.
'Well I'm not freezing my arse off out here all night. See you around Angelus.'
He walked off, the chill night air having less effect than the hurt his sire had inflicted. Perhaps things would change between them in the future. Perhaps he'd break down that bloody façade Angelus was so keen on and they could become real lovers, partners who wouldn't have to worry about some lore that seemed to have less and less relevance as the years wore on.
He resolved to talk to Angelus the following day, but his sire didn't come home. Believing that he was sulking somewhere, or perhaps indulging on a feeding frenzy that Will was not invited to, he slept easy, determined that things would change. But that had been Romania, and Angelus was never to come back. Spike's unconscious mind raced on, past the many years with Dru, past his first sight of the Slayer, past his painful meeting with the besouled Angel, claiming love for the woman who was born to kill them all. He moved past Angel's brush as a true vampire, in which he had become more evil than Spike could ever have believed. Past all that, past the day when he'd determined to give some payback for the hurt, past that indignation. His memory picked up the pace, bringing him to the point where he'd gone to Sunnydale and those blasted soldiers had taken away his violence. Nothing had scared him more than that and he whimpered in his sleep, an animal noise, something that struck at his sire as an explanation would never have managed.
The hand that stroked his head was soothing and Spike fell into a deeper sleep, the previous days slipping away from him along with the pain that accompanied. He was back in the dark, running with his sire, safe in the knowledge that they were the night, they were the fear from which you run. Angel stroked his brow softly, not quite able to explain to himself how right it felt to comfort his childe, unable to tear himself away. As Spike shivered again, Angel lay down on the bed and pulled him into an embrace he hadn't felt in more than a century. He ignored the frantic questions his mind raised and lay his head on the pillow, relishing the feeling of being needed, taking the comfort.
This wasn't expected.
