The old Angel would have been brooding over his mistake, this new one was not. That was the first thing that alerted Spike to there being a problem, the second was that his Grandsire was more aggressive, more demonic, in short he was more Angelus. It was not often that he talked to Wesley, despite living in the same place the younger Vampire made a point to ignore the watcher and his slayer if for no other reason than the fact that by nature they ought to be enemies. Now he found that he needed to talk to him, to find out how, if possible, he could save his Sire from becoming Angelus again without staking him. To most people it would have seemed odd that Spike did not want the soul to evaporate forever, to get back the Sire that had been denied him for so long, but he more than having his Sire back Spike wanted a family and at that moment Xander was giving him a happier family life than he had had in centuries.
"Watcher." Spike called, carefully walking in the shadows at the back of the lobby and avoiding the sunlight. "I want to talk to you about Angel, I think that you need to reinforce his soul or something."
"There is no way to do it." Wesley said flatly, not even looking up from the book that he was reading from. "I've looked, all we can do is hope that he does not meet any nice looking virgins who give him that "pure happiness" " Wesley said.
Outside the library where they spoke Angel's demon growled at the mistake that his souled self had made, it was not perfect happiness that turned him but pure happiness, all he needed to regain complete control was to find and use a virgin. LA may be the wrong city for that but there was a chance that he would find one if he looked in the right place.
Angel felt as if he had returned from a dream, the haziness of how he had gotten to the library confusing him more than the mix up with Xander the previous night. He had not had black outs since childhood, maybe there was some strange connection to the Powers that would need investigation. He yawned. 'After I've slept.'
---------------------
Xander was reading the book that Angel had loaned to him avidly, the Lore and History of the Aurealis Vampires was fascinating, but the description of his lovers battles was scary as well. To read about Spike, Darla, Angelus and Dru travelling Europe and tormenting whole families, stealing jewels and money and causing havoc as they went made him glad that he was not with them and that Darla was gone. There was other books in the sequence too, at least there were references to other volumes, owned by other lines of the family. This was something else that was a new idea for Xander, the Order were one of the oldest and most influential of Clans in the Vampire world and stretched further than his two lovers, there were more children of the master and references that indicated that some of them were still alive.
His lovers were both out, although chances are that despite the tendency of Vampires to hunt in packs (something that Xander had recently learned) his lovers spent less and less time together so they were probably out separately. Settling back down to read about the Summer of 1920 Xander was unaware of the turmoil on the minds of his two beloveds.
-------------------
Angelus watched the Catholic School gates as the pupils came in and out of the concert that was taking place there, if there was one place that he was likely to find a virgin in this city this was the place. All he had to do was use his 'angelic face' to get one of them to come to him of their own free will and he would be whole again. He was enjoying the fact that he had more and more control over his soul, this way he would be rid of it forever.
*****
Spike had been out fighting, it had seemed strange to him at first but killing demons was almost as much fun as killing humans, the blood even tasted better with some of them. There was a weird feel to the night, a bitterness to the air that Spike had felt only twice before in his life, once when he had lost his Sire and the other when he had regained him. There was a sixth sense in his blood, one of the gifts of his clan that he could feel those directly in his line, but this was odd. The foreboding he felt led him to the demon bars, calling in favours to get any information on spells or avenues to strengthen a soul, the only other answer that he had was a stake through the heart, and he knew that both he and Xander needed Angel too much for that. There had to be another way, all he had to do was find it before his Sire reverted back to his demon self.
He returned home late, it was near dawn and frustratingly he had found no answers, was nowhere near finding the *cure* that his Sire so badly needed. All he wanted was to fall asleep and wake up, the whole damn thing having been just a bad nightmare. It was how he had felt when he had first been turned, the guilt that racked through him at the immortality he was given despite being the last person to deserve it. He heard the whimpering of his lover and made his way to their room, troubled when he saw that Xander's discomfort came from the fact that he was alone. Angel was not home yet and Spike could not go back out to look for him, not when the sun was due to rise in ten minutes, he settled for holding his other lover, finding a little solace in the fact that he could be of use to at least one of them.
Within minutes Xander had stopped shivering, he snuggled closer to Spike and the Vampire allowed him to, he wanted to feel him close, needed to be needed and most of all was desperate to know that the boy was safe, because if he failed to stop Angel from losing his soul then he would never feel that way again.
--------------------
Xander woke for the second morning in a row to find himself asleep with only one of his lovers. It was as if his real life had ben taken over by one of his fantasies, the ones that he had had of he and Spike while the neutered Vamp had still been living with him in his parents basement. Back then the fantasies had been just that, something that he had never thought would come true, but now it only felt like there was something lacking, he had tasted the sweet delight of having both Sire and Childe in his bed and he could not go back to having just one. Some might call him greedy, others mad for taking two demons into his bed, but he felt that he was blessed. Spike stirred a little and Xander realised that he was not the only one feeling the loss, no matter how possesive his two lovers were of him there was also the need that they had for each other, if possible it was an even greater need than the one they had for him. For Angel and Spike to be together was more than sex or love, it was a bond, borne in their heritage and sealed in blood, something that had bound them together even when they were sworn enemies.
"Liam. Taim i' ngra leat." Spike muttered in his sleep, Xander was not sure that he recognised the words, he had heard the two Vampires talking in other tongues when they were discussing him or when they were in a heated argument, Spike having explained that demons just had much better expression than humans, but he had never heard such tender words spoken in a foreign tongue. Xander was about to shake Spike when his lover woke abruptly, a small look of fear in his eyes as he tried not to startle his young lover. Xander though had seen the single blood tear that streaked across his lover's face, the contrast of crimson blood on the alabaster skin too potent not to miss.
"Spike?" Xander asked, scared that there was something going on that he did not know about. A voice that Xander was not sure was of this world spoke to him as he felt a shock of pain.
< It is begun >
*****
Part 7 *-Warning-* Rape of a minor discussed. (non-graphic m/f)
Angelus had found a girl easily, the virginal white of her communion dress, sweet sixteen and no doubt never been kissed too, it was too much for Angel not to want her immaediately. The girl was young, sweet and almost too good to eat, the demon inside was not stopped by this though. He had taken her from the school, asking her name and then offering to show her a good time, she had shrunk back a little to his leer until he had taken her to a bar, the first drink laced with enough drugs to loosen her up without killing her. That was his job.
It was no matter that it had been a rape, he still enjoyed every minute of her writhing under him, the pure happiness only fulfilled when he drained her at the point of orgasm. He heard the words in his own native tongue pass through his head as he turned, a final farewell he thought. {{"Liam. I love you"}}
Angelus smirked at the words, his poetic GrandChilde always had had a flare for the romantic and melodramatic, this was no different. He would deal with the boy soon enough but first there was other pressing matters to attend to. Penn and Dru were close, his two childer reunited for some purpose and he wanted to know why. Stalking out to find them he used the tunnels in the sewer that he had used as a soldier of the good. Now he was back it only seemed right that he regain them for demonkind, after all it had been their world in the first place, before the pesky Powers had created humans or however the God who was popular was fabled to have brought about the weaklings. Angelus was going to gather his family and then he would reclaim the world too, after all if there was one thing that he had it was a sense of right and wrong and allowing humans to live was just plain wrong.
-------------------
"Spike. You're scaring me." Xander said as he stared at the rigidity of his lover, he tried to snuggle up to him but Spike was rigid, unresponsive even to Xander's caresses. "William?" Xander tried in a small voice. This seemed to draw something out in his lover.
"Oh, Xan" Spike said, pulling his lover toward him. "I'm sorry."
"Shhh..." Xander said. "Whatever it is will work itself out. For now make love to me, let me take away the pain." Spike kissed his lover gently and responded as Xander had requested, but deep down within himself he knew that it would not work out on it's own, everything was different now and he feared that it would never be the same again.
*****
Part 8:
"The stars are confusing me, they all speak at once and I can't see them shining in here." Dru said.
"It's daylight, there are no stars." Penn told his sister and wondered what he had done to deserve such a useless partner. He regretted the words as he saw her smile wane, these moods could get violent and emotional.
"They want you to know that Daddy is home." Angelus said from behind Dru, he was glad that he had found her, he knew that she was the one to cure Spike of the delusions of humanity that he was harbouring. There was nothing like his dark princess to bring the boy back to his Sire's side. Angel would even consider taking her back into his bed if it brought his GrandChilde back into the fold.
"Daddy?" Dru said, a smile breaking her frown. "Is it you?"
"Oh yes, I'm back baby, Did you miss me?" He asked, pulling her into a tight hug and tilting her head so he could nip at her neck, a sign of dominance more than affection. Penn was glad that Angelus was back, he had heard the rumours of his Sire's return to darkness a few years before but as soon as he had arrived in Sunnydale there was no sign of his siblings, his Sire or the damn Slayer, it had been a wasted trip and a report of a new slayer across the country had taken him away. Now the clan were back together and he knew that with Angelus by his side he would be known as a Master again. Spike and Angelus may have been the Scourge of Europe once, but Penn planned to kill his nephew and with his Sire rule the world.
"Penn, Good to see you again boy." Angelus said, pulling his blood red lips away from Dru's neck and watching her weak body fall to the floor, he grabbed the boy and pushed him to his knees. Penn was one for bloodplay, it burned his desire of being like his Sire, but sexual dominance was one thing that went against all of his human beliefs, homosexuality was a sin after all, this is why it was always the choice Angelus used for his power trips. He liked his Childer to suffer, it kept them loyal and fed the need for the demon inside him to assert his power. Penn opened the tight leather trousers and released his Sire's cock and took it in his cool mouth without a word of protest, years of knowing that to do so only prolonged the agony and usually ended up with a fucking. One day Angelus would see him with the same regard as he had for Spike, until then Penn would behave, after all he was immortal and he had time to wait, especially after he disposed of Spike.
--------------------
"Well, it looks like you can do the spell now." Spike said walking in on Wesley and Faith's daily training session. "Bloody Poof lost his soul last night, must have come across one of the few virgins in this freaking town." Faith looked shocked, Wesley had been too worried about her concentration on her training to tell her about this.
"I told you, there is no spell." Wesley said, the fear tinging his voice.
"I thought there was nothing to stop you using the Calderesh one that Red used once he lost his soul." Spike said, not wanting to fear that there was no solution, he had been given the second chance with his Sire that he thought the chip and the soul had taken from him forever. He would not lose him now.
"It only worked while he didn't know about the virginity clause, now the demon knows he will break out at any point, there will be no saftey in tying the soul."
"Then we had better research another way." Xander's voice called from the open doorway, he saw the flash of agreement in all of their eyes and was glad that all of them, especially Faith agreed, at least there would not be a slayer going after his boyfriend for a while yet.
-----------------------
Angelus sat back and smiled as he watched the scared boy look helplessly to Dru for assistance, they had been torturing him all day and this was to be the last time that he would breathe. Taking in a final breathe of the boy's scent and lingering on the odour of fear that was almost an aphrodisiac to his demon Angelus sunk his teeth into the boy's neck and smiled as he felt the familiar copper tang of Human blood. < There is nothing quite like the taste of another person on your lips to remind you that you are alive. > He mused as the boy went limp. That was the only problem with mortals, so fragile.
"So, you've finished playing with your food I see." Penn teased him, earning him more than a slight glare from his Sire, Angelus smiled at his plan then, realising it would work all the more if Penn was not aware of it. There was nothing more that Angelus wanted other than to boast about his plan to someone, but he would get Spike first, he always thought and planned better with his Childe by his side.
"Don't make me regret keeping you alive boy, I am still your Sire." Penn grimaced but took it on the chin, he loved his Sire, and he knew once Spike was out of the way he would be favourite once again.
--------------------
"This is a futile excercise, we've been through these texts a hundred times and still there is nothing." Wesley said, throwing his book down, still managing to keep a sense of decorum despite his anger.
"We *have* to find it." Xander said, retrieving the book and picking up where Wesley had stopped. There was a fire in Xander's eyes that Wesley admired, a want that he wished he too could have, but alas it was not to be. There had been furtive gropes in the past, a big crush on Angel and an unhealthy lust for Lindsay MacDonald but none of them had come to fruition, Wesley sighed, he had come to the conclusion that he was to live his life alone. It irked him thought that the boy was not giving up, despite days of searching for a spell to restore his lover. There was only one way to save Angel now, Wesley knew it, unfortunately it meant a permanent solution, a stake through the heart and a prayer for his soul. A prayer they could only hope the Powers would answer.
"That's it!" Wesley shouted, as if a light bulb had appeared above his head or he should have jumped out of a bath with an idea.
"*What?!?*" Xander said, looking around the room desperately trying to seek the inspiration that had eluded them all for days.
"We must go to the oracles at once. They have reversed things before, things that Angel did wrong. They will know what is to come and how to stop it." Wesley said, Xander's eyes filled with hope and for the first time in days Wesley allowed himself to feel a little of the boy's enthusiasm too. Maybe they could save Angel after all.
-----------------------
"First you fuck the slayer, then you move one into your house, oh, this just gets better and better." Penn jibed as Angelus went over the plans of his 'rescue' of Spike. The poor Childe was deluded, but seeing Dru again would make it better, after all she may be away with the fairies half the time but she was the closest link to Spike and as his Sire was his direct leader, he was bound to her for eternity and she could cure him.
"Penn..." Angelus growled, breaking the chair that his Childe sat on with a hard kick and grabbing one of the broken feet like a stake. "Listen carefully boy, we do this and we do it my way. I know these people and this is how it works, we go in, we grab Spike, we kill the boy and we leave. The watcher and Slayer will not intervene, they think they know me, trust me even." He smiled. "They will not expect Angelus to come back." < Not knowing how much Will hates them >
--------------------
"You come to bother us with mortal problems, What do you bring in return for the answers you seek." The golden oracle said as they stood in the antechamber. Wesley and Xander looked helplessly to each other for inspiration, having forgotten the payment in their rush for answers. Xander saw the talisman in his pocket and took it out, Wesley gasped.
"Xander, no." he admonished, but the female oracle's eyes lit gold in awe.
"You would give up such a piece? What is it that you seek child?" Xander bristled a little at the name, allowing the male oracle to interject.
"Such a gift, to give up immortality, What is it that you seek?"
Xander snorted at the suggestion and handed over the amulet, his protection meant nothing without his lover by his side, what was immortal life if it was lived in fear or unhappiness.
"I want to know how to bring the Warrior back to the side of the good." Xander said, "Angel...he..."
"You seek to reverse that which you have broken." She said.
"What's done cannot be undone." The male oracle said, neither of the mortals noticed the rolling of eyes from the female, he always said that.
"The answer you seek is already within your grasp. My brother speaks only half the truth, but we cannot undo what has been done." She said. Xander flinched a little but had one more question.
"What about his redemption? Do the people that he had saved count for nothing?" He had not meant to raise his voice but Xander was angry at the oracles, and bitter at having sealed his fate.
"If not one drop of blood is spilt in his name he will be saved, if the worlds turn out of time then he will be damned." The female said. "Now go. I tire of these mortal whims. Do not come to us again until you seek that which you truly do not know."
There was a blinding flash and again they were in the basement of the post office, both of them wondering what it was that was meant by the words of the oracles.
*****
Part 9:
Penn hated that his Sire still chose one who was not his own as his favourite, there was a chance that he could kill Spike in the attempt to rescue him. He could blame it on the Slayer, or one of the other humans that his Sire had dared to mix with when he was souled, but there was a long way to go before he could replace him in Angelus' heart.
The attack was planned for after sunset, the attack would come through the sewer as they would not expect Vampires during the day. The nocturals were not known for their exploits during the day and this, Angelus explained, gave them the element of surprise and thus the upper hand. Penn thought that it was going to be easy at any rate, after all what match were four mortals against the immortal force presented by his Sire and himself.
-----------------------
Cordelia paced. Not because she was nervous but because she was bored, the visions had stopped and there was no income for her to spend on new shoes. Xander was not in the mood for a gossip and Spike spent his days stalking around with a face like a thunder cloud. Things were not going well and she was taking the brunt of it.
Xander was going over the words that the oracles had said in his mind, it did not appear apparent to him that he had the answer but it was what they had told him. He sat in the library reading the order of Aurealis history, the last thing that Angel had given him and he watched as Wesley tried to teach Faith about alchemy. If he had not been worried about his lover he would have smiled, remembering his own failed attempt to grasp the arts, there was a time when he had turned all of the silver in the mansion into Iron, Angel had forced him to learn the spell reversals first after that...< Of Course... >
"Wesley...?" Xander began.
"What is it Xander, I'm a little busy at the moment."
"The oracles said that they couldn't reverse the spell..."
"I know that I was there."
"No, you don't get it...*THEY* couldn't...but..."
"you cast it so you can change it." Faith said, Wesley looked directly at her and raised an eyebrow. "What, just because a girl can't grasp turning water into wine or metal to gold she can't know a little basic majicks?"
"I was merely proud that you knew that." Wesley said, noticing the fact that she blushed now, something that she rarely did. "Xander, I do believe that you may have a point. I think it would be diligent for us to prepare, perhaps we could get Ms. Chase to go for provisions."
Xander looked over to the pacing ex-cheerleader who had stopped pacing as her name was called, she was making her way toward them to collect the list, glad of something to do when the vision struck. She fell to the ground almost hitting her head, had she not been caught by Spike she would no doubt have done a lot more damage.
"What was it?" Xander asked seriously.
"...Girl...Blonde...Karen...7 PM at Karaoke Kaos." She stuttered, before the world went black.
-----------------------
Penn mumbled his objections as he watched his master feed, they were not turning any minions, just building piles of bodies around the city, there was no need to build an army yet, Angelus said. They were going in alone, just the three of them when they hit the Hyperion and there was nothing like hunting together again, at least that is what his Sire had said, somehow Penn was not so sure.
If Darla had been with them he knew that she would have counteracted his Sire, they would have come to blows and eventually she would have won, but now he was alone against Angelus, Dru was not lucid enough to see what was happening and even if she could was so in love with her Sire that she could not see the truth. He was alone, a single voice preaching to the unconvertable. He knew that his Sire would forget this madness once Spike was dealt with, the loss of his favourite would make him easier to manipulate, but this was less than fair. It was his life at risk after all, the mortals would not kill Angelus while there was a chance that they thought they could regain their Angel and Spike would not let them kill Dru, but no one cared that much for him, and if he wasn't a true demon that would hurt. His only worry was that it seemed to hurt anyway.
----------------------
Spike pulled the bloodied shirt closer around him, shivering from the loss of blood and hoped that Xander was getting on better with the spell than he was with the slaying, this good guy business was cutting down on the size of his wardrobe and cutting into his social life. He hoped that his Sire would regain his soul soon. There were other worries that were tied to the selfish need to regain control of his own life, Spike had never been one for big groups of people relying on him, he was more of a loner or a tag-along. So he was not used to the fate of the world resting in his hands, not unless he was trying to destroy it, defending it and working for the powers that be was too damned hard. There was also a larger risk of failure and that scared him.
*****
Part 10:
Xander was pensive again, not only that but now he had the pressure to do something great. With Buffy it had not mattered if he messed up there was always someone there to save the day, but here, in LA on his own he had no such back up. This was like growing up and he was beginning to see why the Slayer was so arrogant, all of this self questioning was getting him nowhere and was just wasting time that ought to be spent in bed with his lover. Spike was asleep downstairs, having been up all night fighting the forces of darkness to save Angel in his own way and for it Xander had promised he would at least join his lover for a few hours rest. Now that he was so close to finishing the spell however he wanted to get it done, after all it would be so much more of a surprise if Angel was there too in the bed when Spike woke up.
--------------
Angelus stalked through the tunnel system that he had made his own and found the connection that would lead him and his Childer to the Hyperion where they would again become a complete family. Spike would no doubt be resting up, ready to spend another night on the side of the White hats that he was living with, but his Sire was going to make him forget them. Maybe he would do the one thing that his boy requested and bring Alexander into the family, of course he would not mark him, or initiate him, that was far too mortal a thing to do, No he would bring Xander in as a Childe and with that bind Spike to him forever.
Penn watched as his Sire scouted ahead of them, his own plans coming to fruition, he was ready to stake not only Spike but Dru as well if it meant that he and his Sire could be the great pair that they had been together again. All he had to do ws kill the slayer as his master had told him and then make it look like she had staked Spike before he could get to her, both deaths would be justified and he would again be his Father's favourite.
-------------------
Faith welcomed the interuption of her own studies when Wesley's former student came to ask for their help, anything had to be better than the spells that she was currently learning. Faith had always found academic pursuits difficult to manage and when they were in several dead languages it only made it more difficult. They were setting up the circle for the spell when there was a loud crash in the foyer and she turned to investigate.
Angelus watched as the girl flew at him immaediately, not stopping to even question whether his soul was intact or not, his plan had been flawed and he was going to pay for it with a fight that was more difficult to win. Still, if his GrandChilde could take out two slayers he ought not have too much difficulty with this one.
Penn was about to go for the Slayer that was fighting with his Sire when he felt a tug on his arm, expecting Dru he turned only to see his nephew with a stake in his hand. Spike was not afraid of Penn, even when his Sire's brother and his own Sire had tormented him in his early years, had raped and beaten him to try and break the last vestiges of William that lay in his soul he was not scared. Religion was something that William had dealt with at an early age, slaughtering his Sunday School teacher for telling him that lying was a sin, the way that Penn wielded it was not something that aroused fear in him.
Penn and Spike were evenly matched, both taught by the great Angelus and both practiced in many arts of hand to hand combat and dirty street fighting, but Spike had the upper hand, his reason to fight was not hate as it was for Penn but his love. He fought because he knew that in the other room Xander was uttering the words to undo his spell to save Angel and that with Wesley's help the love between the three of them would be restored.
----------------
Angel took a fist to the stomach easily, using the blow to catch Faith's wrist and twist her arm. It was broken, but pulling it to her Faith uttered a few short words of Aramaic and it was healed. She smiled to herself as she dodged a blow to the head with ease, this magic may have its plus points after all.
Spike took the stake from his back jeans pocket and thrust it into Penn's heart, as the other Vampire looked up at him there was a sense of sick pride, as if Spike had finally proved to Penn why he was Angelus' favourite, it was his last act before dying. A few short moments later there was only a fine film of dust to remind Spike that Penn had even been there. Spike looked up in time to see Dru move closer to the library, where he knew that Xander was performing the spell. Without thinking of the consequences he followed with only one thing on his mind, protecting his beloved.
----------------
Dru had held back while the boys were fighting, she was good enough in a fight, she had killed a Slayer in her time and was willing to get involved when the need arose but Angelus had advised she hang back and there was another task that she wanted to carry out. During their time on the Hellmouth Angelus had talked of the Harris boy as if he were more appealing to him than the Slayer, sure her Sire was obsessed with Buffy but only in the maniacal killer sense. He had singled out the brunette as a potential Childe, he prefered them to have dark hair and dark eyes, it was as if he was trying to mould his Childer in his own image. She wanted to pick up the boy, take him back with them and see if Angelus still wanted him. If not she was willing to turn the boy herself, as a way to keep her Spikey at her side.
Drusilla had heard them chanting in the library, she recognised the words as those of a reversal spell, it was only when she heard the mention of "warrior" and "soul" in the same sentence that she began to worry. Making her way through the large double doors she was unaware of the blue eyes that followed her progress across the room and the blonde that followed her. She had only one thing on her mind, killing the Harris boy, unfortunately her stalker was just as single minded in his task to save him.
---------------
"...reverse my words, spoken in haste" Xander spoke the words only to be confronted with a knife wielding Dru, rushing for him so that he could not complete the transformation of her Sire. There was a sharp look of pain as she stopped in her tracks, a hand wrapped around her throat. Dru squirmed and dropped the dagger that she carried, only to be thrown to the floor next to it.
"Spikey?" She asked, the pain and emotion evident in her voice. "What's wrong?"
"Dru...Please..." Spike begged. "Go back to Tranter, leave us the hell alone and stay out of our lives."
"Spikey, I love you. What did he do to you?" She said looking to Xander with hate and disgust, she did not take the chance to wait for an answer, instead she picked up the small dagger that she had been carrying and again moved toward Xander, only to stop again, a look of pain on her face, before Xander could comment she had exploded into a cloud, leaving only a pile of ashes and a sad Spike holding a stake. Xander looked to his lover sympathetically, but Spike did not want it.
"Finish this." He growled as the demon inside him roared at the loss and injustice of the act he had commited.
"...With these words, Thy Will Be Done; Unite his soul and demon as one."
-----------------------
Faith rolled away from the attack, feeling a little weakened by the onslaught of kicks and punches that had been exchanged with Angelus, she moved immaediately into a sweeping kick that landed him on his ass. Picking up one of the two discarded stakes she had been packing she moved over him, raising it and about to bring it down when she saw the flash of recognition in his eyes, which turned to fear and understanding. As if he were accepting this as his fate.
Faith dropped the stake and stood, as she heard the doors to the library burst open and Spike grabbed her arm to stop her staking his Sire.
"It worked." Xander said in wonder as he looked at the sprawling body of his lover, now back to being a souled Vampire once more.
Spike watched the scene in sadness, knowing that this was not the end of things by far, now that Angel's soul was back he was going to feel all of the guilt and shame that had driven him away from Spike all those years before, the only difference was that now Spike did not have Dru to get him through it all. He was not sure he could face the loneliness he would see if he lost Angel again, especially not after Xander had stepped off his mortal coil. He would beg Angel to initiate Xander before he left. Surely the Boyscout in Angel would do something for him, give him this one thing to make up for all of the past hurt.
*****
Part 11:
"NO!" Angel screamed as Spike broached the subject that he had wanted to as soon as Angel was awake. In reality it was two days since Spike had killed his Sire and Sire's brother in order to save his lovers. Two days in which Angel had refused to leave the spare room that he had taken to sleeping in and not seen anyone, this was the first time he had left to get the blood he needed to keep him alive.
"Why not? Next time they might kill him, take him from me." Spike said, Angel looked up and only then saw the pain in his favourite's eyes. "You might want to leave me, but the least you could do is help the two of us stay together, he loves us and this is going to be hard enough on him, the last thing I want is him doing something stupid like going back to help the Slayer and leaving me too."
"William, I am *not* going to leave." Angel said insistently.
"Sure, that's what you said last time I'm sure." Spike said, pouting. He was hurt and confused and wanted nothing more than to stake his own Sire and get it over with, except that to do so would be worse than staking himself and even more than that would hurt Xander too.
"Okay." Angel said, after a moments silence. "I'll do it, but only if you explain the full ramifications to him first, I don't want another Peter." Angel said, Spike knew the boy he meant and nodded earnestly, he would do his best to make Xander understand.
"I meant it, that he loves us, *both* of us." Spike said as he watched his Sire brood. "He accepts what you have done and loves you in spite of it."
"How can he when I can't even forgive myself?" Angel said, Spike cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, as if to tell Angel he already knew the answer and in a way he did. Xander was more powerful than both of them, and he knew that now. To bring the boy into the family would strengthen them, especially as he would be the last of their line of Aurealis. There was a rule between him and Spike that no more Childer would be Sired, even if Spike lost his chip. After Dru and Penn it was unspoken but that was not needed, neither of them would place Xander at risk like that again.
*****
Epilogue
"...So, what you're saying is that I'll be immortal, not necessarily tied to the two of you, but tied to the family for eternity."
"And without the aid of some necklace either." Spike said, tossing him the amulet that he refused to wear, currently his only protection against the evil he faced on a regular basis. "There's more, sometimes members of the family have a link, it's stronger in those with psychic powers, but also if you were turned by one of those with the power. Dru passed it to me and I..."
"would pass it to me." Xander said, grinning as he realised that finishing off each other's sentences was all part of some mind reading that they already had going on. "Have you ever done this before?"
"Once." Came a voice from the doorway, it was the first time that Xander had seen Angel since he had restored his soul. "It was not pretty, Peter decided he couldn't live in a world of Vampires and tried to kill himself, of course when you're immortal it's almost impossible."
"What..." Xander began, Angel looked pained.
"Darla dismembered him, cremated him and took his ashes away to spread them out at sea, the only death that fitted a person in his predicament." Xander wanted to ask more questions, but there was fear in him. Angel seemed to pick up on it. "Do you have any questions Xan, I want you to be sure that you know what it is you are getting into."
"Who was he?" Xander asked, an unnecessary jealousy that he was not the first lover they had shared. "Why did you initiate him?"
"He was my brother." Spike spoke quietly. "Angelus did it for me, to torment William and to create Spike." Xander looked as if he was confused. "He did it to make me a vicious killer." Spike said, not a hint of anger or spite in his tone, Angel looked full of remorse.
"He failed." Xander said, looking between the pair and smiling when Spike looked at him in shock. "I want this Angel. I want you." He said. "but only if you are willing to give it." Angel pulled Xander to him in response, draining a small amount of his lovers blood before slitting his wrist with one exposed fang and allowing Xander to drink. Spike took the wound as Angel left it and repeated the exchange.
Xander felt the gentle burning as his body reacted to the new blood in his veins, it was almost exactly the same to the words Anne Rice used, everything had a new tinge to it, there was a heightening of his senses and a new lust he had not felt before. He was not so much a Vampire as a new being, a mixture of all that was best from each of his lovers and of himself.
The three would face a lot more evil, he was sure of that, but it would be together. They kissed lovingly, Angel finally back with his lovers after what seemed like forever. They were moving to the bedroom when the loud thump came from above, the three made their way upstairs to find a passed out Cordelia panting for breathe, Faith stood over her, checking her pulse.
"Vampires...dozens of Vampires...and OH MY GOD...Buffy..." The words were the last thing before she felt unconciousness hit her. Xander too collapsed, the visions coming thick and fast as he struggled to understand the messages from the Powers that Be. Somehow his change had upset a balance somewhere for him to redress and this was there way of showing him. So much for a quiet night in just the three of them.
END.