"Noooo!!!!" Angel roared, his game face reflecting pain and anger.
He and Xander had taken to the sewers after Cordelia received a vision about a group of fledglings causing havoc in the underground system. They had found the vampires and dusted them quickly. They had been on their way home when three Traivalac Demons had suddenly appeared from a side tunnel and attacked them. They were big, strong, and dumber than rocks but they had surprise on their side.
Xander had been hurled into a wall were he promptly lost consciousness. It was what had caused the outburst from Angel. Jumping at the demons he began to tear limbs and flesh in a rage, uncaring of his own unlife. It was short, quick, and bloody and when it was over blood and gore splattered over the slime covered walls and over Angel.
Hearing a soft moan he rushed over to his Childe and quickly surveyed for damage. Blood seeped from a large wound in the back of the young vampire's neck and his arm was twisted at an odd angle. As Xander's eyes opened, Angel forced his face back into his beautiful human visage and gave the boy a shaky smile.
Realizing he needed to get Xander home, he gently lifted the dazed vampire and carried him the remaining distance to the hotel. Walking in he ignored the startled exclamations of his fellow co-workers and raced up the stairs to the bedroom. He placed Xander on the bed and stripped off his clothes, continuing his inspection of his lover's body. Finding no more injuries, he spoke.
"Xander baby. I need to set your arm, ok? This is gonna hurt." At the pain filled nod he took the broken arm in his hands and with one strong pull, set the bone back in place. Xander gave out a scream of pure agony and promptly passed out again. Taking advantage of the boys state, Angel rushed into the bathroom and retrieved the first aid kit along with a wet washcloth. He tended the head wound first, cleaning it and bandaging it with loving care. Next he made sure the arm was set properly and fixed in place. Even with vampire healing and large quantities of Sire's blood the arm would take a few days to heal properly but the head wound should be fine by the next night.
It was only after his lover's injuries had been tended that he realized he was hurt himself. Glancing down he saw where a large claw had cut him deeply across his chest and he was covered in a myriad of bruises and small cuts. Reassuring himself of Xander's comfort he went into the bathroom and tended to himself. Once done, he picked up a bottle of pain pills and a glass of water, making his way out into the bedroom. The pills would do little to help, mostly taking the edge off the pain. Sitting on the bed he waited for his Childe to wake up.
His mind turned over how close he had come to losing his mate and the contemplation of a future without him left the dark vampire close to breaking down. He couldn't live without Xander. He was precious, more important to him than anything else and he would do *whatever* it took to keep him safe.
As he reviewed the fight in his mind, he saw where they had gone wrong. They had been too wrapped up in each other to notice their surroundings. Caught in their new passion they had completely disregarded the dangers in the L.A. sewer systems which was why they had been attacked.
Xander was too young to go out alone. Even though Xander was a Childe he was only barely stronger than a fledge at this stage of his unlife. The amount of Sire's blood being his only advantage and considering what roamed out there in the streets it was a small one. Angel knew himself well, he could train Xander in everything he needed to know but he would need help. The young vampire was simply too much of a distraction.
His thoughts were broken by a quiet moan and the fluttering of his mate's eyes as they opened once again. Smiling, he gently lifted up Xander's head and feed him the pain pills before settling him down again.
"God....remind me not to do that again!" Xander stated in a rough voice.
"I promise. Listen, some things are going to change around here. I can't believe you got that hurt in what should have been a simple fight." At Xander's hurt look he continued. "No! It wasn't your fault, it was mine. I let myself get too distracted by you and I haven't been a proper Sire to you. I've been lax in your training but that is gonna change as soon as you get better."
"Okay." He couldn't say anything else, Angel had used Sire's voice. He had learned rather....painfully what that meant inside his first hour of his new life. Even though Angel treated him like an equal most of the time, he was still the vampire that had made him and Angel had let him know early on that in some things the older man simply would not be lenient on.
He watched as Angel shifted to game face and bit into his wrist. Holding out the bloody arm, Angel pushed it to his Childe's lips and feed him his strong blood. As always, an ecstatic thrill swept thru him but he struggled to tamp down the ecstasy. Now was not the time. After a few moments, he gently pulled Xander off and settled him once more into the pillows.
Angel quickly stood up and stripped off before climbing into the bed and spooning behind his lover. Making sure all limbs were arranged and tucking Xander's head into the crook of the neck, he buried his nose in his boy's hair and inhaled. No, he could never let something like this happen again.
He needed to call in an old friend.
The End