Feli slowly walked up the stairs. Ghost was having healing dreams, the others were still sleeping as well, only Angel was missing downstairs. So now she was looking for him, she had the feeling that he needed a little bit of company and she had learned a long time ago to trust her feelings. She peered into the office, looked at the silent figure sitting there. Now she could see where Ghost had gotten his brooding tendencies. Angel was really good at it, she could tell, yet there was no brooding allowed around her. Ghost had learned that quickly and now it looked like Angel was about to learn it, too. "What are you thinking about?"

Angel shook his head. "It is nothing... nothing important." He sounded honest and Feli would have believed him... if she hadn't felt the lie-vibes he was emitting. "That's a lie and you know it." Angel looked at her astonished. She laughed. "I'm an empath, remember? I can feel your emotions, memories too, if you let me. I can feel it when people try to lie to me, it feels not good, like a full-body itch." She grinned mischievously. "Try to think a bit more about Ghost, the vibes you are emitting then are much nicer." Angel was really really thankful for the fact that he couldn't blush, or his face would have been an almost purple color with embarrassment. "Aren't you not a bit young for that type of thought?" He tried to change the topic. Feli shrugged. "You grow up fast when you have to deal with being flooded with other peoples emotions, you have to. Either you handle it or you go insane. And don't try to change the topic, it won't work."

***

Angel sighed... it looked like he was going to have a long and emotional exhausting talk with this mini-adult. But maybe it would help him getting a clear head. So he took a deep breath and began.

***

Ghost blinked sleepily when he woke up. For a moment he didn't know where he was. Then he remembered. Angel's home, Angel's bed. And he remembered his dream. The meeting with his demon, with Alexander. Ghost stretched, then let himself relax as he thought about his demon. Alexander was so different from what he had imagined him to be. In retroperspective he realized that it was probably because the demon had never had the control over their body, not even for a fleeting moment. No, Alexander had been lonely and in pain for the last two years and combined with the memories of Ghost's mortal life it had formed his being.

Ghost shook his head and started to slowly wriggle out from beneath the children. It wasn't the time to think about his demon, it was time to prepare for work. He grimaced slightly. Work was not very fulfilling. Working as a packer in the back of a department store was a very monotone thing, but he needed the money for his kids. It wasn't much he earned, but he couldn't be picky, there were only so much jobs for mute people who hadn't even finished highschool. He sighed as he finally managed to escape from the bed. Sometimes the children reminded him of little octopuses, clutching at him like they really had suckers on their limbs.

Careful he tiptoed to the bathroom, happy that for once he wasn't forced to use the shower at the homeless shelter. He let the hot water pour down on him, basking in the warmth that was giving his own cold body a degree of momentary body heat. There were moments when he became painfully aware of the fact that he was undead, his lack of body temperature was the most obvious one for him. He missed the warmth, even more than he missed his heartbeat. At least, and he smiled a half smile as he stepped out of the shower stall, at least he had kept his reflection. He looked at the half fogged mirror and his reflection looked back. Sometimes he didn't recognize the picture in the mirror as himself. It looked so different, so earnest and adult and sad. He couldn't find a trace of the carefree-looking teen he had been once. But today the smiling face was his and even if he had changed a lot, today he could find residues of Xander.

***

It had been worse than Angel had expected. Talking with an empath was really embarrassing. She noticed every of his half-truths or tries to escape an uncomfortable subject and then she would nail him on it. On the other side he noticed that it was helpful to speak certain things aloud. It helped him to cope. So he wasn't a vampire anymore, but as Feli had pointed out, he hadn't been a normal vampire since he had been cursed the first time. He had no experience with mortal children, but he had people who would help him, would teach him. It was really strange, but for every argument, every problem Feli helped him to find an answer. But it was still embarrassing.

Someone knocked against the doorframe and thankful he looked up. Xander was standing in the door and he looked like he was going to work. He started to sign as soon as he had Feli's attention and Angel learned that Xander *was* going to work. He hadn't thought about it sooner, but now he realized that taking care of so many kids has to cost quite a bit of money. Money only Xander had provided for them, until now.

Angel insisted on driving him to work, he wanted to see where his childe and future mate was working and yes, he wanted to escape Feli's questions. He drove to the address Xander had written down for him and learned about the lowly job his childe was doing. Frankly said, he was upset. Xander deserved more and better than this. Everything he was was wasted there, he could give so much more. And he realized with just how less money Xander and the kids had survived the last years. This was unacceptable! He wanted to take him back home, to tell him that he would have to work never again, for he had more then enough money (not that he told that Cordelia, mind you), yet he could already see Xander's negative reaction. No, Xander needed to work, he needed to add his own part, but couldn't it be something more fitting for him?

He drove home, thinking about it. One the way to the door he found his answer. Angel smiled. His idea was so simple and elegant, his smile grew into a grin... and he already had the perfect little accomplice for his plan.

***

Alexander paced as far as the chains let him. It felt good to have at least this small means of freedom. He still couldn't believe that the cage was gone. For two years, since he had been born in the heart and mind of the mortal, the cage had been his world. A painful world. He didn't knew why, what he had done wrong or even why the soul hadn't left the body when he had come into existence. Instead the soul had locked him away, to suffer. The soul was stronger than him. He sat down unceremoniously. It had been a surprise when the soul had come to him, easing his suffering and releasing him from the cage. He had felt the strength of the soul then, the raw and pure power and he had known then that he would never take the body against the will of the soul. And strangely he didn't want to go against him. It had been so nice to be held, to be cared for, no one had done this to him before. He stood up and started to pace again. Ghost had promised that he would come back to him... he missed the soul already.

***

It was a setup. Ghost had known it the moment he had come through the door and had seen that smile on Feli's face. But the knowledge hadn't helped him very much, Feli simply knew him all to well and Angel was siding with her. Unfair! There was no known defense against his begging puppyeyes. With a silent grumble and a sigh he submitted. He would quit his job tomorrow and start to learn to become a demon doctor. Ghost couldn't help but shake his head as he saw the look of triumph on Feli's face.

*** A few days later ***

Kate Lockely had made a decision. A difficult decision. She needed to know more. More about the different types of demons, how and where they lived and how to kill them. She needed answers and the only one who could give her those answers was Angel. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed his help, his knowledge and experience.

She looked at the door, so boringly normal. Who would have guessed that a vampire lived behind it? She knocked and entered the office. And stepped into total chaos. There were at least ten children in the office, ten loud children. She looked around, stunned. Three children were standing in front of a young man, all screaming that they were next, while he was carefully hand-copying a woodcut of an Asgridak demon, Angel's secretary was sitting in front of her desk, a cell phone wedged between her ear and shoulder, talking, while she was painting the nails of two little girls. The other man, she had seen him with Angel before... Wesley, he was reading in two different books at the same time, his fingers in his ears to block the noise. And Angel? She looked around until she found him. Angel sat by a small boy who had a squirrel on his shoulder and he was reading to him about the proper care of small animals. Kate took a step deeper into the office and almost stumbled over a child that was lying on the floor, carefully coloring the penciled drawing of a demon.

Angel looked up. "Kate." Suddenly it was silent and there were a lot of eyes looking at her. Kate looked around. "What's happening here?" She asked with disbelieve in her voice. Never she had imagined to find something like this. It looked more like a kindergarten than an office of warriors against the supernatural.

***

Angel sighed and gave Sharim his book back. Kate. Why now? He stood up slowly, watching her out of the corner of his eyes. The look of her face was priceless, utter astonishment and disbelieve warring with something that looked a lot like hysterical laughter. If the situation had been different he would have started to laugh loudly at her. But his relationship with Kate was tense enough and he could live just fine without her trying to stake him. True, he couldn't die anymore, but a stake through the heart *hurt*, even worse than a sword though his gut, but he squashed that train of thought rather quickly.

"Hello Kate." He tried to remain an even voice. It was a hard thing to do, but he had the experience of a century of brooding and displaying as much emotions as a brick wall, he could do this. Kate stepped towards him, careful now, scanning the ground before her as if another child would pop up in front of her feet. "Angel... I.. we need to talk." Angel had expected something like this, had known that she would come after she had worked through the grieving process for her father and the fight with her rational side about the fact that frighteningly real demons could do frighteningly real damage, he just didn't know what she wanted to talk about.

He opened the door to the back office and Kate walked through it. With a slight sigh and after a short look to the other adults in the office, he followed her and closed the door behind him.

Kate launched into full-blown cop mode the moment the door shut behind him. "OK, Angel, what is the meaning of this?" "The meaning of what?" His voice remained calm, yet he couldn't help the short twitch of his lips as he fought against a grin. "Don't play with me Angel, you know exactly what I mean!" She gestured against the office. "Those kids! Where do the come from? What are they doing here? What are *you* doing with them?" He bristled at the implication of her last question. "These kids are Xander's children, streetchildren he had taken in and protected.. since he now lives with me, his children live with me too. I'm not doing anything to them, well except reading to them and other things like that." "Who's Xander?" Angel stepped to the window to the office, pointed. "See him? The young man in the corner? That is Xander. He is 'Heaven's voice', the lights greatest force on earth. He's also a very young man with a big responsibility burdened to him." Angel's voice had softened as he spoke about his childe and he did nothing to hide the smile on his face. Things Kate noticed immediately.

***

Kate was confused. At one side she could feel great respect for the young man, who was taking care of so many children. But he was living with a vampire, with a creature that should be banished into nightmares. And yet, as she had seen Angel, patiently reading to that boy she had felt that odd twitch in her chest, the same twitch she had felt every time her father had chosen his work over her. She didn't know what she should feel, how she should feel about all this. And Angel had feelings for the man, for Xander, she had seen it in his eyes as he spoke about him. Could vampires love? Or was it only Angel? "You love him." She barely recognized her own voice, so soft and caring, she couldn't remember the last time she had used this particular cadence. He nodded. "Yes." "So vampires can love or is it just you?" He seemed to thought about that particular question. Then he came to a conclusion. "Vampires can love, Kate. Vampires can feel the same emotions than humans can, except guilt. That is something unique, only I and Xander can feel it, you need a soul to feel it."

His answer shocked her. Xander was a vampire? She looked through the window, looked at the man who was having a girl sitting in his lap, careful and slowly combing her hair, before he plaid it into a tail. He looked so .. so unvampiric! She needed to get out here, before she was finally unable to gather one clear thought. "I... need to go now... I need to think..." Angel nodded understandingly and opened the door for her. She rushed out of the back office, through the office and out of the door, like the devil was hot on her tail. And maybe he was... not the real one, but the one in her mind, the one who could tear down her entire world-view with a swipe of his hand...

Her thoughts jumbled and she leaned against the wall of the building, taking a deep breath. Again and again her mind replayed the scenes in the office. She didn't know it, but she was crying, as she finally let go of her great plans to avenge her father.

***

The oracles were pleased. The vampire had adjusted to his new role as balance keeper rather easily, the soul of the police woman had been saved from the abyss and the other balance keeper would be going through his metamorphosis during the course of the next months. All the pieces were coming together... all that was needed now was time... and time was something the oracles had a lot of.

*****
Part 8:

*** several weeks later ***

Cordy's vision about the Hyperion had been a godsend, Angel mused. After they had killed the demon responsible for the psychotic behavior, it had been really easy to buy the building. Cheap too, after all, who wanted to live in a hotel where people where going crazy all the time?

Angel looked through the lobby, at the books and crayons and other things scattered everywhere in the room. It gave the room a certain atmosphere... how had Cordy called it... the 'lived-in-look'. A smile hushed over his face. Yes, there were actually people living in this building, living, not just existing. He, Xander, Wesley and Xander's children. Cordelia had refused to move here after they had failed to find a way for Dennis to move as well. So as long as he was bound to the apartment she would stay there... after all Dennis had become a friend to her. It was a disappointment for the kids, after all Cordy had really bonded with the girls, spoiling them and teaching them girl-stuff.

Wesley was teaching the children too. Really teaching. Writing, reading, math and demonology. He was a good teacher, the kids loved him and he was enjoying it. Angel leaned back in his chair, thinking about all the things the last weeks had revealed. He could see it, imagine it, one day the young ex-watcher would become a terrific father, better than his own or Xander's or Wesley's. And he would be there, to watch over the children of a friend.

***

The dreams about Alexander were coming more rapidly now. Once he had dreamed about his demon once or twice a month and now there wasn't a single night when he didn't met him, talked with him and held him when his memories ripped opened old wounds. He knew Alexander quite well now, liked him actually. His demon was decent guy. Ghost smiled at that thought, yet it was true. Alexander had never done anything evil and he had the feeling that the demon wouldn't start being evil if he freed him from the chains. Soon... soon the chains would go, as soon as he completely trusted him.

***

Feli snuggled into Ghost's sleeping form, he had fallen into bed exhausted. So much to do and Ghost was trying to do everything at the same time. He was learning so hard and still found the time to be with her and the others. And his dreams... she snuggled closer to him as she felt his mind slip into *that* place. The place where his other half lived. Before he had started to live with Angel, his visits to this place were short and painful, but now the visits became longer and longer and the feelings he emitted were those of friendship and understanding. He was getting closer to his vampire half and this closeness was effecting his behavior and his emotional landscape. Ghost was loosening up, smiling more often and once in the last days she had seen him bounce! The chest beneath her fingers started to vibrate with gentle purrs and Feli slipped into a deep sleep.

***

Angel glanced into the bedroom and couldn't suppress a smile. Xander was curled on the bed, sleeping in a position that was comfortable only to cats and vampires. Attached to his side, like his own personal limpet, was Feli, sleeping soundly as well. It was a view he was becoming rapidly familiar with, after all he had seen it, or something similar every of the previous nights.

He stepped to the bed, carefully untangling the girl from Xander, picking her up. Perhaps he was a little bit selfish, but tonight he wanted Xander all for his own. The last time had been rather hectic and when Xander wasn't learning, then he was helping one of the kids or was out with Cordelia or Wesley, who wanted to learn more about him. Now Angel needed him, needed him to be here, needed to feel him, to smell him, to be with him. Quickly he carried the sleeping girl out of the room. Wesley had gone to bed two hours ago and would surely be asleep by now. Angel was sure there were already one or two children sharing his bed, so Wes wouldn't be so suprised if he added Feli to the melee.

Silently he crept into Wes' room, using all his stalking skills not to wake up Jeremy and Tracy, who were using Wesley as their own overgrown teddybear. Careful he placed Feli next to them and quietly he left the room to return to Xander... and a hopefully children-free bed. Tonight Xander was his and only his. He slid under the sheets, inching towards him when Xander rolled around, embracing him.

***

The body in his arms was too big to belong one of the kids. Ghost blinked and looked into the brown eyes of Angel. For a second he stiffed, when his memories took him to another time, another place, where he had woken up to look into that eyes, colder, yet the same, when he had been helpless and vulnerable, defenseless in front of Angelus. But Angelus wouldn't do it again, ever, Ghost remembered and he relaxed. Angel had seen, felt his reaction and Ghost could see the sadness settling on his face. And he hated it. The past was the past he couldn't change it and Angel couldn't as well. All they could do was learn from it and try to prevent the bad things from happening again. He didn't want to flinch when someone touched him from behind, he didn't want to shy away from Angel when he woke up...he loved Angel and he.. he didn't want to remember how he had lost his virginity.

Maybe it was time to make some new, some better memories with Angel. Decision made he leaded forward and kissed the tip of his nose.

***

The kiss took Angel by suprise. He looked into the expressive eyes of his childe and could only read determination and love. Xander's mouth was curved into a gentle smile as his hands started to roam Angel's chest. It felt so good, like electricity tingling over his skin, before starting a fire in his blood. But Angel needed to be sure. If he read this wrong and acted in an unexpected way, he could revoke bad memories. Xander's tongue started to follow the path of his wandering hands and Angel knew he had to ask now, before his brain started to melt from the pleasure.

"Xan...Xannnder...," he half moaned, his breath hitching when the tongue, sweet clever tongue, dipped into his navel, circling a wet path around it. Xander looked up. 'Stop ?' his hands asked and Angel thanked all gods he was aware of that he had decided to learn sign language. "Only if you want to. I just need to know that you want this. Do you?" Xander crawled up until he half lay onto Angel's chest, looking into his eyes. Then he nodded, starting to rub himself against suddenly ultrasensitive flesh and Angel stopped thinking, wasn't even able to speak, all he knew, felt, was the urge to respond in kind to the sensual creature on top of him.

He didn't know how long they had petted, caressed and licked each other, didn't know when they had shed their bedclothes, he only knew that when he finally emerged out of the haze of pleasure, that both of them were naked and that he felt the need for his mate to possess him, for him to claim him. "...in me.., please I want you in me..."

***

Ghost stopped when he heard the whispered plea, heard the need in the voice. He looked up, met Angel's eyes. Questions were asked and answered silently. 'Lube' he mouthed the word to Angel. It was a bit awkward, for he didn't knew the word in sign language, wasn't sure that there was even a word for it, but Angel thankfully did knew what he was asking for. He felt for the nightstand, his eyes never leaving him. The searching hand finally reached the goal and Ghost suddenly held a brand-new tube of vanilla scented lube in his hands... his shaking hands. It took a few moments for him to uncap it. The aroma of vanilla flooded his senses, mixed with the sharp musk of their shared arousal.

Angel spread his legs and Ghost couldn't believe that this could work for the hole was so tiny, yet at the same time his cock twitched with want. He needed this and from the looks of it, Angel needed it too. Slowly, oh so slowly he started to circle the tight plucker with one lube-covered finger. Angel's moans grew louder, needier and finally, finally Ghost's finger entered. It felt strange, but good and he had to do something right because when he started to move, Angel's hips bucked upwards and his cock jerked. A bit more sure he added the second finger and finally a third. And Angel bucked and moaned and his cock weeped pale pink precum. With a tiny bit of regret Ghost removed his fingers out of the now stretched hole. He used more of the lube to slicken his erection and nearly came from the sensation of cool wetness. Taking slow, unneeded breaths, Ghost calmed himself until he no longer had the feeling he would explode with the lightest touch to his cock. He crawled forward until his cock was resting firmly against the quivering hole. Then he nudged forward.

***

Angel moaned hard when he felt the cock, sweet glorious cock, against his hole. He could feel the head inching forward, passing the ring of muscle and then he slammed downward and the cock was IN him and he was filled with the length of his mate and he couldn't help it, but scream out in fulfillment.

For a moment both were still, panting for unneeded breath and then Xander started to move. Angel's world narrowed to the cock inside him. The cock that owned him, possessed him, claimed him forever. Then Xander changed his angle and suddenly Angel was very aware of his own cock, that was now rubbing against Xander's belly with ever trust.

***

He was close, he knew that. Ghost could feel the tightness in his balls, but something else was happening. Something unexpected. Deep in the back of his mind demon and soul were becoming one, in a similar act of pleasure. Yet now was not the time to think about it, Ghost buried himself in Angel for one last time, before the white bliss of orgasm swept him away. Dimly he was aware of Angel following him over the edge.

He didn't know how long he had been lost in the waves of orgasmic pleasure, but when his mind finally returned from the place of bliss, he was aware of several changes. For one, he felt very close to Angel now, not just loving close, but mated close. A good change. The other change was good as well. He was one. Ghost and Alexander. Xander. He was Xander. A different Xander, older and maybe a bit more mature than he had ever believed to become, but the youthful joy of Alexander was so much like the joy he had felt before.

Angel was holding him close. And for the first time he had the feeling to belong in his arms. "Love you." he heard him murmuring in his hair. "Love you, too." He whispered in reply, before he fell asleep.

The end