| Timely Salvation by Michelle |
| �There�s yer first meal, m�lad,� Angelus said to Xander. They were on the streets of London, hunting. Xander suspected it would be more exhilarating in a less populated area, but hungry vampires can�t be choosers. Xander looked at the group of women standing several yards in front of him. He realized with a small shock that they were the prostitutes from the previous night. �I know that one,� he said, more to himself, referring to the most aggressive woman of the bunch. �Do ye, now?� An evil gleam entered the Irishman�s eyes. �She yer sister?� �No. She tried to get me to hire her last night.� �That�s disappointin�,� Angelus said. �Family is always a magnificent kill.� He sighed and stared off into space for a moment, immersed in memory. Then he turned his dark brown eyes on Xander. �Go on, make me proud.� Somewhat more cautiously that the previous night, Xander walked out onto the street towards the group of prostitutes. They were talking and laughing amongst themselves, ignorant of the danger he was. The thought gave him a heady thrill. �Well, look who it is,� the one woman said. �It�s the gent from last night. Change yer mind, luv?� His smile would have been charming if it didn�t have an evil slant to it. �How could I hope to resist such beauty?� The women tittered. �Watch out, Mary, �e�s a charmer,� a tall, blonde woman said. �Yeah, �e�ll charm ya out o� yer money,� a dark brunette added. �Shush, all o� ya,� Mary chided. She smiled at Xander. �I�m all yers, luv.� Austin Powers has better teeth than you, Xander thought with pure disgust as they walked away from the group and into a nearby alley. He could feel Angelus watching, although he couldn�t see his sire. A faint stirring of rebellion entered his mind, but it was dismissed by the hunger. Grinning, he pushed Mary against the brick wall and kissed her roughly. In that moment he realized what a wonderful thing toothpaste was. Mary, however, didn�t seem to notice his disgust. Instead, she began to raise her skirts and tried to unfasten his pants. He stopped her with his hands and kissed his way down to her neck. �Oh, ya really are a charmer,� she breathed. �You have no idea,� he replied, before letting go of his self-restraint. The plains of his face shifted as he sunk his fangs into her neck. The sudden burst of blood into his mouth was arguably the most wonderful moment of his life, including sex. The blood was warm and thick going down his throat. It tasted of copper and life, if life could be tasted, and then there was fear as she realized she was going to die. Mary began to struggle against him, fighting for the life he was draining from her. His superior strength kept her pressed against the wall, and with each mouthful of blood her energy disappeared. The fear still remained, a potent narcotic to his senses that made him crave more. When the last drop of life left her body, Xander let her fall to the ground. The useless fight she had offered lit a fire in him, urging him to kill again and again in order to feel the power of control. He had to struggle to regain control of himself; getting killed was not on his current to-do list. And at last he understood. Xander wasn�t quite sure what it was he had been having problems with before, but everything was clear. All of the strength he had, the lack of mortal weakness, the sheer confidence � he was a god, or damn close to one. He was the embodiment of power and he could do whatever he wanted with that power. Angelus walked into the alley, clapping. �Well, done, m�lad, well done. That was a apt kill, indeed.� It was obvious he was unaware of Xander�s epiphany. Xander just stared at Angelus, curious about the feelings that were warring inside of him. He felt torn between beaming in pride and growling in anger. A sharp mind he didn�t know he had was unsure which feeling was real, if either of them were. He did know that he didn�t like this confusion. The Irishman seemed to notice his prot�g�s indecision. �What�s wrong? Was her blood sour? I knew yer first shoulda been an aristocrat. They�ve the sweetest blood ye�ve eva tasted.� �No, it wasn�t the blood,� Xander said. He wasn�t about to admit any weakness to Angelus, so he opted for what felt the most real to him. �I hate you.� �Ah, that.� Angelus waved his hand, dismissing his companion�s statement. �Come, let us find other entertainment this eve.� �No,� Xander repeated, this time more forcefully. �I *hate* you.� Angelus finally looked at Xander � really looked at Xander � for the first time since he entered the alley. His dark eyes seemed to take in everything in a cold, calculating way. When he was done he sighed, a noise that sounded harsh to Xander�s ears. �Ye remember hatin� me,� Angelus said in a slow tone, as if he was talking to a child. It just served to anger Xander more. ��Tis a remnant of yer soul, ta be forgotten soon. Now come � this alley is not the place for the likes of us.� �I�m not going anywhere,� Xander said boldly. �Oh, so ye want to stay in this filth, then?� There was a dangerous edge to his maker�s voice, but Xander wasn�t about to acknowledge it. He had power for the first time in his life, and he was going to use it. �No, but I�m not going anywhere with you. I hate you.� Angelus growled then, a sound that was full of anger and impatience. In the space of a human heartbeat, Angelus had Xander against the wall, holding the younger vampire by the throat. �Listen ta me and listen good, �cause I�m only goin� ta say this once,� he bit out. �I am yer sire. I made ye what ye are right now and I can just as easily unmake ye. Now, ye can either cling to this idiotic notion of yers and try ta fight me, or ye can let go of it and embrace all I can offer ye. What�s it ta be, lad?� Almost everything inside of him screamed out in hatred, telling Xander to strike out and kill Angelus. There was, of course, that annoying part that also told him to fall down on his knees and beg his sire�s forgiveness. But a new part, one that had begun to develop since his first kill, told him that hatred would not help him now. If he played along with Angelus� game, he might be able to one day destroy the object of his hatred. �I�m not your lad,� Xander ground out. �I have a name.� Slowly, a smirk tugged at the edge of Angelus� mouth. �Then what, pray tell, should I call ye?� As he spoke, Angelus loosened his grip on Xander�s throat, lowering his new creation to the ground. Rubbing his throat, Xander thought about what he wanted Angelus to call him. The thought of the being he hated calling him by the name he loved made him sick and Lavelle was completely out of the question. Since he wasn�t crazy about being called by his last name for the rest of his immortal life, that left only one other option . . . �Alex,� Xander said. �Call me Alex.� �Well then, Alex, now that we�ve cleared that up, I know of a tavern a few street ova.� Angelus grinned and slung his arm over Xander�s shoulder. �The tavern wenches are mouth-waterin�.� <<It�s only a matter of time,>> Xander thought. <<Only a matter of time.>> back back to the archive |
| LONDON, ENGLAND 1785 |