After the doctor left, Gunn helped Angel carry Wil upstairs. Angel laid Wil out on the bed and went to find clean clothes for him. He'd need several towels also, since the first of the medicines had to be applied topically, after Wil was cleaned up.

The blonde looked even worse unclothed. He was little more than a mass of bruises, from head to toe. Angel reread the instructions on the first bottle. After he'd cleaned up Wil as best as he could, he opened the bottle and smeared a clear ointment all over his body. It glowed briefly before sinking into his skin and disappearing.

The second bottle was a pain medication, only to be used when the patient couldn't sleep or function. Angel set that one aside and reached for the third bottle. The instructions on that bottle made him frown. It was to be given with blood; human was preferred and Sire's blood was the best. He could get human blood, if he needed to, but if Sire's blood would work better, well.

Angel looked at the bottle again. Somehow, he had to make Wil swallow the stuff. After a moment, Angel unbuttoned and pulled off his shirt, making his neck more accessible. He leaned over Wil and reached up, using one sharp nail to slice open his throat.

Wil immediately oriented on the blood he smelled. Angel leaned further down, touching Wil's lips to the blood running down his skin. The blonde latched on and bit through Angel's skin, puncturing the vein. After he'd taken in a few mouthfuls, Angel pulled away and poured some of the medicine into Wil's mouth. The blonde grimaced but swallowed. Satisfied that he'd gotten some of the medicine into the blonde, Angel set it aside. It was supposed to be given one-sixth of the bottle at a time, once a day.

A glance at the fourth bottle told him that it was more of the same, giving him twelve days of this bone-setting medicine. That meant twelve days of feeling Wil at his throat. Even in an injury-induced sleep, Wil was an erotic creature. Maybe human blood wasn't such a bad idea, Angel thought as he watched his child sleep. It would certainly do wonders for his sanity.

Angel readily admitted to himself that he'd been avoiding Wil. He knew that the vampire hadn't been responsible for his son's death, and had in fact done everything he could to prevent it. That didn't dull the pain, though. It wasn't so much that Connor was dead and that Wil might have stopped it, however. It was that Wil was still there for Angel.

Even in his pain, when Angel saw Wil he knew that there was someone who cared, who loved him no matter what. When Connor had been there, he had felt hope that maybe there would be two people who felt that unconditional love for him, that he could give that back to. But Connor was gone. Angel couldn't help but think that it had been his own sins that had taken his son from him. After all, hadn't Holtz's madness been due to Angelus?

When Connor died, Angel wanted to die with him. But Wil wouldn't let him. When Wil was there, Angel didn't want to die, he wanted to live. But Connor was gone. How could he feel that way? The only thing Angel could do was drive Wil away from him. It hadn't worked, though, because after just a few days Wil had begun to leave him his journal, letting Angel know how much Connor's death had affected him. Angel never wrote much, not nearly as much as Wil himself did. What the vampires said to each other, though, was what Angel couldn't stand to hear out loud.

But that journal was as close as anyone got to him. He spent his days and nights sleeping and crying. Had Cordelia not started bringing him blood, he would have starved to death. The injury of his charges, who he still felt responsible for despite his recent absence, pulled him forcibly out of his exile. He couldn't ignore them; having one of their deaths on his soul on top of Connor's would have destroyed him.

���...�...�...�...���

Oz watched Xander as he turned gingerly on the bed. The werewolf was still worried about the young demon, despite the doctor's reassurances. He hadn't been so preoccupied, though, that he'd forgotten to ask the doctor something on his way out. No one, not even Xander, knew what he was. The doctor might, though, so Oz chanced asking him.

~~~~~

"What is he?" The doctor asked, confused. "You mean, you don't know?"

Oz shook his head. "No one ever told him."

"Oh." The doctor thought a moment. "Well, from what I can tell, he's a Raphe demon."

"Thanks." Oz showed the doctor out.

~~~~~

Now that Oz knew what Xander was, he wondered how to tell him. Raphe demons weren't bad, not at all. According to the book he'd taken from the library, they were distantly related to antelope and were known for their speed, grace, and empathic skills. They weren't much stronger than humans, though. That meant that Xander would have to watch getting into fights. His empathic skills had already made themselves known, but the others would have to be brought to the fore with training, now that they knew about them. However, none of that mattered while Xander was injured.

"Stop worrying," Xander said weakly.

Oz jerked his head up. "What?"

"I can hear you worrying from over here. Stop it," Xander repeated.

Oz walked over to the bed. "How do you feel?"

Xander tried to grin. "Like hell, how do you think? I've been beaten up by a bunch of ill-tempered demons, picked and pinched by a weird demon doctor, and my boyfriend's brooding in the corner."

Oz quirked an eyebrow. "Boyfriend?"

"Hey, you offered.didn't you?" Xander said quietly. At least, he was pretty sure that Oz had been sending clear signals for a long time.he hoped he wasn't entirely wrong.

"Um, yeah," Oz said slowly.

"Well then act like one and be nice to me. I hurt," Xander whined.

Oz shrugged and kissed Xander on the forehead, ignoring the boy's complaints. Once Xander had quieted, Oz curled up next to him, propping himself up on one arm. "I asked the doctor what you were."

Xander tried to look over, but winced. "Ah. And what am I?"

"Raphe," Oz said. "I've got a book. You can read it tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok. One question, though. Do I have to drink blood?" Xander asked lightly.

"Nope. No blood," Oz said. He didn't mention that Raphe seemed to have a taste for leafy greens and insects, though. That might bother Xander a little bit.

���...�...�...�...���

Wesley, like Lorne, was much improved the next day. Fred was amazed at how quickly he recovered.

"Speed-healing must be a characteristic of every demon," Fred commented as Wesley strutted into the office from the library, looking for all the world like he'd spent the day at a museum instead of being beaten up.

"Not Raphe demons, obviously," Xander muttered from the doorway.

"Raphe demons? No, they're not exactly known for that, although they're better off than humans," Wesley replied. "Why?"

"'Cause I am one, apparently," Xander said. "At least, that's what the doctor said."

"Oh. Well, I wonder when you'll." Wesley started.

"I'll what?" Xander asked, frowning at the Watcher.

Wesley shifted on his hoofs. "Well, Raphe demons usually have these striped markings, but you've not developed any over the past six months."

"He'll develop them later," Oz said. He walked in around Xander and placed a book on the desk. "After that, he can make them invisible."

"Really? When will they come in? Will I look funny?" Xander asked quickly. He stepped toward Oz but weaved a bit, still wonky from the concussion.

Oz grabbed him and swung him into a chair. "Um.it'll be a bit later, Xander. Don't worry. And the pictures don't look bad."

Xander nodded but frowned. He could tell that Oz wasn't saying everything. He'd ask about it later. "How's Wil?"

Fred shrugged. "I don't know. I'm pretty sure Angel's with him, though. Cordelia and Gunn aren't up yet, I don't think."

"I doubt they will be. Cordelia looked pretty tired when we went to bed," Xander said. "Not that I wasn't or anything."

"Do you think I should take something up to Angel and Wil?" Fred asked Wesley. "They've been up there a long time."

Wesley nodded. "It's probably a good idea, Fred."

The young woman left to warm up some blood for the vampires. "So, boss, what are we going to do about the Hauk demons?" Xander asked.

Wesley sat down behind the desk. "You mean Wolfram & Hart? I don't know. They're getting more aggressive, making bigger plays. It's as though they know we're not at our best and are playing with us."

Oz nodded. He'd noticed that lately the challenges had gotten harder and harder, and it wasn't just a reflection of not having Angel around. Still, he had no idea what to do about it.

���...�...�...�...���

Angel answered Fred's knock, opening the door just enough to take the blood from her. He shut the door before she could ask him anything, leaving her standing in the hallway, confused and wondering why Angel wasn't wearing a shirt.

He carried the tray over to the bedside, placing the tray on the night stand before sitting down in a chair he'd placed there. Angel slowly drank all the blood Fred had brought, watching Wil lay motionless on the bed.

Once he'd fed, Angel got up and went over to Wil. It was too early for the medicine, but Wil needed to feed; regular feeding would help him heal. As he had before, Angel slit open his throat and bared it to his childe, who latched on instinctively and drew deeply of his Sire's blood.

Just like last time, ecstasy raced through Angel's veins as Wil drank from him. The sensation frightened him; he was as powerless in Wil's grip as any victim would be, aching for the vampire to take one more sip, to draw out the pleasure for one more second. Finally, though, he pulled away, wiping clean Wil's stained lips and his own neck.

Angel settled back into his chair and continued his new ritual of watching Wil recover. He was determined to be there for his childe, no matter what it took. The last time Wil, or rather Spike, had been so severely injured, he'd laughed and taunted his childe, making his recovery a hell. Of course, he'd been Angelus at the time, but it didn't matter. Angelus had, at one time, felt passion toward Spike that could reasonably be compared to what Angel felt for Wil. Had it been love? He wasn't sure that Angelus could feel that emotion, even if Spike could. But he did know that the soulless version of himself had felt strongly for Spike. The Slayer-obsessed madness that Angelus had felt had blinded him to the needless suffering he'd caused his favorite childe.

He couldn't help but see parallels with what had happened before. Spike, or Wil, would stick his neck out when his loved ones were hurting, and then get overwhelmed and suffer in consequence. His lovely childe had far too big a heart. Wil's indentured servitude to The Powers That Be didn't require that he take care of Angel, or any of the others. He just needed Xander's visions and his own strength.

Wil's absolute love for him was a heavy burden for Angel to bear, although he knew it shouldn't be. But how could he return it, when every time something happened, he shoved Wil away? He'd done it a century before, when he'd gotten his soul. He could have returned to Wil then, and risked the chance that the vampire would have rejected him. He hadn't, though, and he knew it had wounded Wil deeply.

Then he shoved Wil aside in his grief for Connor. The blonde was the only one of their group who had any idea of what he was going through, and he'd pushed him away, accusing him of helping in the death of his son. Looking back on it, Angel grew disgusted with himself. He was little better than the hypocritical lawyers he fought against.

���...�...�...�...���

Wil watched as the ceiling swam before his eyes. The first thought he grasped onto was that he was, in fact, alive. He knew this because he was in incredible pain. The only thing that didn't hurt was his hair, and he was sure that it didn't hurt only because he couldn't move it. With a little effort, Wil found that he could turn his head. Looking to the left, he saw Angel staring out into nothing. "Angel?" He couldn't believe that his Sire was anywhere near him.

Angel jumped and nearly fell out of his chair. "Wil?" He stood up and rushed over to the blonde. It had been almost three whole days since the attack and Wil hadn't shown any sign of consciousness in all that time.

Wil smiled weakly. "How's Wesley?"

"He's fine. They're all fine and mostly recovered," Angel said. "You need to rest. Are you hungry?"

Wil nodded weakly. He was so ravenous he figured that pig's blood would actually taste good right now. He wasn't expecting Angel to pull down the neck of his shirt and bare his throat, however. "Angel."

"Drink, childe. It's the best thing, and you know it," Angel said calmly. Still, Wil hesitated. Finally, Angel used a fingernail to rip open the skin. The tantalizing smell of blood drew Wil and he bit into Angel's neck.

Wil moaned as hot blood poured into his mouth. The taste and scent of Angel's blood was like the finest wine, intoxicating and delightful. He could taste Angel's worry, his sadness, and his growing excitement as Wil's bite seduced him. He reluctantly released Angel's flesh when he heard the dark vampire moan. It wouldn't do to take too much.

Angel pulled back, wishing that Wil had continued. He reached for the bottle of medicine and pressed it to Wil's lips. "Drink."

Wil grimaced but did so, making faces at the medicine. Angel recapped the bottle and pulled the covers back up to Wil's neck. "Rest now, Wil."

"Why?" Wil asked, watching Angel shuffle around the room.

Angel turned back to Wil. "You're my childe, Wil, and my heart. I couldn't not do it."

Wil looked confused. "But."

"I.was in a lot of pain, Wil. I still am, actually. I know I was wrong to do what I did, but I couldn't." Angel said, drifting off.

"It's ok," Wil replied, his voice slurred. The medicine was making him sleepy.

"Rest, childe," Angel murmured, watching Wil drift off to sleep. They would have more time to talk later.

Once Wil was sound asleep, Angel kicked his shoes off and curled up next to him on the bed. The chair just wasn't meant for sleeping and Angel needed some shut-eye himself.

*****
Part 26:

"How's Wil doing?" Cordelia asked Angel.

The vampire grimaced. "Healing, but slowly. It was serious enough that it'll take a while, even for him."

"Must be bad then," Oz said. Vampires healed very quickly, so for him to still be incapacitated meant the injuries had been very severe.

Angel nodded. "It may take several weeks."

Xander grimaced. "Are you going to be around?" With his vampire out of action, they really needed Angel. He would be back to normal in a couple more days, and Lorne and Wesley had shaken off their injuries and were back in top form. Without another strong fighter, though, they'd be in real trouble. Visions didn't wait for them to be at full strength.

"Some," Angel replied. "I have to take care of him, though."

"We can help," Cordelia said, but Angel shook his head.

"He needs."

"You?" Wesley finished. "He's needed you for a long time, Angel. What's different now?"

Angel winced. "Wesley, it's different."

"Lay off, Wes. Wil needs Angel, and that's that," Gunn said shortly. He wasn't any happier with Angel than the rest of them, but if Wil needed Angel to take care of him, then so be it. He for one wanted the blonde back as quickly as inhumanly possible.

"How are the rest of you?" Angel asked cautiously.

Wesley shrugged. "Fine, I supposed. Xander's a Raphe."

Angel looked at Xander in surprise. "Wow. That's good for you; Raphe are very."

"Fast?" Xander inserted. "Empathic? Known for liking bugs?" He spoke the last one at Oz, who just smirked. Xander was still a bit pissed at his new boyfriend for not mentioning that fact. He was appalled to find himself eyeing grasshoppers in the park. It brought back memories of being Dracula's toadie. At least this time around he could fend off the cravings by eating a hamburger or something else high-fat, high-protein. The leafy greens, though, he was still struggling with. He just didn't like salad.

"Long lived and lucky," Angel finished. He'd known a few Raphe in his time. Actually, he'd tried to kill one or two. For all their fragility compared to vampires, they were hard to kill, since almost no demon could catch them. He hoped that Xander got some training soon.

"So are you back on the team?" Gunn asked. He still wasn't sure Angel wasn't going to disappear on them again. "Because this hiding away every time something bad happens shit is getting old."

Angel stared at the floor. They were right, of course. He'd been treating his problems, serious as they were, as more important than his job. They, being a part of that job, were suffering the consequences. "Yeah, I'm back. Next time I do that, though, could one of you just hit me with something?"

"Me? Please?" Xander asked, raising his hand like a schoolboy.

"No," Oz replied.

"Why not?" Xander whined.

"You'd have too much fun," The werewolf answered. Xander grinned.

"If anyone's hitting Angel, it's going to be me," Cordelia declared. Angel looked relieved.

"What?" She asked.

"At least you won't break anything," Angel replied.

"Wanna bet?" Cordelia spat, grabbing Angel's arm and twisting it. He'd forgotten, briefly, that she was now a werewolf.

Angel yelped and she released him. "Ok, ok, you can break things."

"Damn straight," She replied.

They all relaxed a little after that. When Fred came back from paying bills, she found her coworkers lounging around the office, laughing at Xander's antics. "I guess everything's ok, huh?" She asked Gunn.

He quirked an eyebrow. "Not really, but it may be getting there." She nodded her agreement.

"Do we have any clients right now?" Angel asked eventually. He liked reconnecting with his coworkers, but he also wanted to check on Wil.

Cordelia sat down in front of the computer. "Let's see. Gunn, did you and Fred take care of that Wairak infestation?"

"Yup. Fred's got the check," Gunn said.

"Fred?" Cordelia said, holding out her hand.

Fred slapped a deposit slip into it. "Same day deposit, m'am."

Angel watched in awe. Since when did they get paid with no hassles?

Cordelia smirked. "We got serious while you were away, mister." He guessed so; the place had gotten pretty out of shape during all the turmoil, but she'd straightened it out. She turned back to the computer, studying the screen. "That leaves us with two outstanding cases: a nest of vampires near Hollywood and hell hounds on Vine."

"Hell hounds?" Angel murmured. He hated the blasted things.

"We'll take the hell hounds if you go after the vampires," Wesley said.

"Sure. Gunn?" Angel asked.

Gunn shrugged. "Vampires, pit bulls from hell, it's all the same to me," He replied.

Cordelia rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Angel, you and Gunn take the hell hounds. Wesley, Oz and Fred go for the vampires."

"But" Angel began.

"But nothing, buddy. The hell hounds will cause more trouble for werewolves and fauns than for humans and vampires," Cordelia said, her tone uncompromising. "You get the bad doggies."

Still grumbling, Angel filed out with the others. "Payment beforehand, if possible!" Cordelia shouted after them.

Xander grinned at Cordelia. "You're a great taskmaster."

She smirked. "Of course. Pradas are expensive." She leaned back in the chair. "Did Angel take his cell phone?"

Xander shook his head. "No, but Gunn did, and so did Wesley. We'll be fine if visions come-a-knocking."

Cordelia nodded her approval. "So, how's it going with you and Oz?"

Xander blushed. "Fine, I guess. It's just getting started."

"Uh huh, like it hasn't been waiting to happen for months now."

"Um.hello? He wasn't here!" Xander replied.

"I meant before that, dimwit," Cordelia shot back. "You two were doing the googly-eye thing when you thought nobody was looking."

"So?" Xander squeaked. "What's it to you?"

Cordelia looked down. "I want you to be happy, that's all. He's alpha, you know. I can't help but."

Xander studied the seer. "Want him to be as happy as you are with Gunn?" He finished for her. "Classic case of girl in love wants everybody to be as happy as she is?"

She threw a pencil at him. "You know, you can take the romance out of anything."

"It's a gift," Xander replied, catching the pencil nimbly. "Don't worry about us, we're fine."

"But you aren't doing it yet," Cordelia said.

"Cordy!" Xander groaned. "Can you not use that turbocharged nose around me and Oz? Please? That's just."

"Get over it. You know how everybody feels before they do. How do you think we feel? We can't hide a damned thing with you around," Cordelia complained.

Xander grinned. "I know, but you have no idea how frustrating it is to be me when you and Gunn are making it upstairs."

"You can feel that?" She squeaked.

"Yup. You two, Wesley and Fred. Angel and Wil more than evened it out, though. They'd make you suicidal. All that guilt and stuff is a real drag. It's a good thing you're young and hormonal. Balances things out nicely," Xander said.

"I can see that, but I am not having sex just to make you feel better! That's what Oz is for," Cordelia shot back.

Xander squirmed. "Actually, that's what Oz is worried about. He thinks I need more practice controlling the empathy before we do anything, because sex is so intense. The empathy's slowly getting stronger, too, the more I learn to use it."

"Sounds like a plan, although I hope you get the practice in soon, because otherwise the two of you are going to drive me nuts with all those pheromones," Cordelia answered.

���...�...�...�...���

Angel stopped by the kitchen to feed before going up to check on Wil. He wouldn't have bothered heating the blood, but if he'd had it cold, his own blood would have been colder for Wil to drink. If what he had was hot, Wil would have warm blood to feast on.

The fact that it made the animal blood go down easier didn't hurt. Angel was surprised to find several pints of human blood in the fridge when we went to pull out the cow's blood. "We thought it would do Wil some good," Oz said from behind Angel.

"Yeah?" Angel said. "He's on a very.strict diet right now."

"Sire's blood?" Oz guessed. At Angel's look, he explained. "We could smell that you'd been cut. It's logical."

Angel put the human blood back in the fridge. It was fresh and would last a long time. Maybe Wil could handle it in a few days. "Thanks."

Oz left Angel to go find Xander. The vampire heated up several pints, knowing that he'd need more after he fed Wil. After finishing off a couple, he carried the rest upstairs to Wil's room.

The blonde looked the same as when he'd left him earlier that evening, still as the corpse he was and frail beyond belief. Angel needed to get him to feed more; between the reduction in feeding and his injuries, Wil was getting too thin.

When he went to feed his childe, he wound that Wil was awake. "Hi," He said softly.

"Hi," Wil replied, whispering. "Everything ok?"

Angel nodded. "Fine. Hell hounds."

Wil wrinkled his nose. "I can smell them."

Angel stepped back, sniffing. "Ugh, you're right." He stripped off his shirt and headed for the bathroom.

"Sire." Wil watched him go away. "It doesn't bother me," He finished sadly.

Angel returned a few minutes later, wet but smelling much better. He found Wil asleep, with tears drying on his pale cheeks. "Wil?" He murmured, wiping away the tears.

The vampire didn't wake, so Angel began the ritual he'd been performing ever since Wil's injury. The blonde finally woke up when the first drops of blood hit his lips. Angel cried out softly as Wil began to feed, reveling in the feel of his childe's tongue pushing against his skin as he pulled life out of his veins. The suction was maddening, and it took all his self-control to keep from simply throwing himself over the injured vampire.

After a couple more minutes, Wil began to pull away. Angel followed him, commanding him to continue feeding. "You will take more, Wil." Angel's voice brooked no argument. Wil complied, suckling with renewed vigor at his Sire's permission. He was afraid of overstepping some invisible boundary, but Angel had insisted.

Finally, though, Wil grew tired despite the heady nature of the blood and he released Angel. The dark vampire sat back and wiped the blood from his neck, finding very little. Wil had cleaned up all he could. It was a sign he was improving; at first such an act was beyond his abilities, as weak as he was.

"Better?" Angel asked. Wil nodded tentatively. "Good. You need your medicine now." Wil swallowed that dutifully as well, not even wincing at the taste. All too soon his eyes drooped and he fell asleep again.

Angel drank the blood he'd brought up with him and watched Wil sleep. The feeding had brought a little color to his pale cheeks and he seemed healthier. Angel was resolved to get more blood into him as soon as he could. That meant he needed more blood for him to drink, preferably of a higher quality. He could afford to buy human, even if he avoided it. If that would get Wil better quicker, so be it.

After a few more minutes watching Wil, Angel shrugged on a clean shirt he'd kept stored in the room and left. If he hurried, he could get a week's worth of blood in the hotel before sunrise.

���...�...�...�...���

"Hey, Wes," Xander called to the faun. "Wanna play?"

Wesley looked over at the deck of cards Xander was waving around. The other investigators, save the vampires, were gathered around a table in the office. Why not? "I'd love to."

Xander smiled as he sat down. "What's the game?"

"Poker," Gunn said.

"Go fish," Fred asked.

"Gin," Said Oz.

"Rummy," demanded Cordelia.

"Rummy as well," Wesley decided. Since Xander had taken himself out of the dealings, Rummy was the game. They started their first hand, tapping their feet to the sound of Caritas in full swing. They spent a lot of time down there, but sometimes the office was a more conducive environment for bonding.

"Three jacks," Cordelia said, laying down her first meld. "You know, Caritas is doing pretty well here."

Wesley drew and discarded. "The clientele, at least some of them, feel safer with Angel Investigations above the club."

Gunn picked up several cards from the discard pile and laid down a run of four diamonds, 2-5. "Unless they know Wolfram & Hart are after us."

"Then they stay away," Fred added, drawing and discarding.

Oz drew and laid down three eights.

Xander played next, laying down a run of hearts, 4-7, and playing a 6 on Gunn. "But it's nice having a club in the same building you're living in."

"Other than the 'constant influx of people you don't know and don't trust' factor," Cordelia muttered, drawing and discarding.

"It's not that bad," Xander said as Wesley played.

"Not now," Gunn replied as he played a 2 and a 3 on Xander. "But it could be later on."

"I hope not, since it's nice having Lorne around," Fred added, laying down the jack, queen, king and ace of spades.

Oz drew and laid down a run of clubs, 6-10. "I'm floating."

Xander grimaced and drew, then discarded. "Did anyone talk to Angel after he got back from playing animal control?"

"I did. He was getting dinner," Oz said as Cordelia drew and discarded.

"I saw him leaving a little while ago," Wesley said as he played a five on Oz.

Gunn drew and discarded.

"Must have had an errand," Xander commented while Fred drew and discarded.

"Probably. Rummy," Oz said as he discarded.

"Damn," Xander snarled, looking at his hand. He always kept too many face cards. "Can we play poker next?"

"Sure," Came the call from around the table.

���...�...�...�...���

Angel crept up the stairs as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake his friends. He'd just made it home as the sun rose, stashing the blood in the fridge. He'd heated up a few pints to take upstairs, knowing that Wil would need to feed.

He knew that the human blood would be sufficient for Wil's healing, but couldn't quite let go of the pleasure of feeding his childe himself. It was such an intimate, connecting act, one that Angel craved.

When he got to Wil's room, he found the vampire dozing lightly. He woke up as soon as Angel closed the door, smiling weakly. "You know, you don't have to keep doing this," Wil said.

"Yes I do," Angel replied. He sat down next to Wil's bed and drank the blood, watching Wil watch him.

"Human?" Wil inquired, knowing what he smelt.

Angel shrugged. "It's better for you."

"What about you?"

"I'll live," Angel quipped. Before Wil could respond, Angel pulled off his shirt and leaned over the vampire, moving to cut his skin. Wil stopped him, however.

"I can do that," he whispered as he sank his fangs into Angel's flesh.

Once again Angel was drawn into the act, feeling himself pouring into Wil's body. He trembled under the force of what he felt, knowing that he could never give this up, not for anything. How could he have lived without his childe, even for a month?

Despite his bravado, Wil faded off to sleep as soon as he was done and had downed the required medicine. Angel undressed and settled into the bed next to Wil, staring at his childe until he finally fell asleep.

*****