Angel parked the car and the two vampires silently made their way inside the hotel, checking for surprise visitors. The place was deserted, however. Angel caught his childe before the younger vampire could make his escape to his room.

"Wil." Angel began. The scene reminded him of a day several weeks ago. Perhaps this time he could form words.

Wil watched his Sire stare at him. Apprehension knotted in his gut. He had a sudden, irrational fear that Angel would make him leave, exile him to solitude and suffering far away from him.

Angel smelled fear suddenly emanate from Wil. Fear? Was Wil afraid of him? He took a step closer. The blonde didn't flinch or tense up, but the acrid tang of that particular emotion grew. Angel peered into icy blue eyes filled with apprehension. He reached up to Wil's face, sliding gentle fingers over his childe's prominent cheekbones to rest on his neck.

Wil leaned unconsciously into the caress. He couldn't break his Sire's gaze, even though it was so intense he felt like he was shattering. The blonde felt arms pull him forward and he moved with no resistance.

The brunette pulled his childe to him, wrapping strong arms around his back. He nuzzled Wil's cheek, turning his head to capture those soft lips. He tentatively kissed the blonde, savoring the taste of his beloved childe. A low cry escaped Wil's throat and Angel abruptly deepened the kiss, sampling his childe's mouth for the first time in over a hundred years.

Relief and something stronger swept through Wil. He brought his arms up, holding Angel tightly against him, fending off the dizziness that came with his Sire's consuming kiss. It had been so long, far too long, and he needed his Sire, more than he needed life-giving blood.

The kiss continued, lengthened due to vampires' lack of breathing. Wil started when he felt Angel pull away, but relaxed when he realized that his Sire was simply directing them into a bedroom. Angel leaned him against the wall, closing the door beside them. He pinned Wil there, placing a hand on either side of the shorter man's head and pressing their bodies together.

Angel looked at his childe carefully. This was not simple fucking; he wanted, no, needed, to reclaim his childe. Angelus would have simply done so, raping Wil with gleeful abandon. Angel, however, couldn't simply take.

Wil knew what Angel was thinking. A high, keening sound escaped his mouth as he tipped his head back, baring his neck in supplication. "Sire, please."

The older vampire roared, screaming his pleasure. Despite all the years and harsh memories, his childe had submitted, without so much as a word from him. The demon couldn't have been more satisfied. Instead of immediately taking his childe's blood, Angel began stripping off his clothes. Wil pushed both of them off the wall, and then returned the favor for his Sire.

Angel caught Wil, throwing him on the bed. He climbed in after, pinning the blonde under him. He ran his tongue down the center of Wil's pale chest, swirling around his navel. Wil bucked, writhing under the larger vampire. Slender hands pulled and tugged at Angel's shoulders, but he ignored them in favor of torturing his childe.

The sensation of his Sire's mouth closing over his aching erection elicited a howl from Wil. His face morphed, eyes turning a glowing yellow. Angel glanced up, smiling around the flesh in his mouth. His childe was a beautiful sight, arched back, racked with pleasure, snarling at him. The brunette gave no quarter, throwing his childe headlong into orgasm. He savored Wil's essence as it poured over his tongue. Giving one last caress, Angel released the cool flesh, moving back up to lay against Wil.

The younger vampire slowly recovered, his reflexive panting slowing. He had not been intimate with his Sire in over a hundred years, and it had been longer than that since he'd been given any pleasure from it. He felt Angel wrap him in his arms and curled into the embrace, tucking his head into Angel's shoulder, simultaneously offering up his own neck.

The simple gesture weakened Angel. It was so easy to fall back into old patterns. No, not old ones-new ones with a comfortable familiarity. He rolled Wil onto his back, running one hand down his body to rest low on one hip. He pushed Wil's legs apart with one knee, clearly implying his next desire.

Wil smiled, shifting his body until it was open for Angel's perusal. His head fell back when Angel separated his cheeks and massaged the hidden opening there. He was very tight, having had no male lovers enter him since his Sire. Suddenly, Angel disappeared from the bed. Wil looked around frantically, and then saw Angel in the bathroom. The brunette returned a moment later with a bottle.

"You're too tight. It will hurt otherwise," He explained, setting the bottle down on a night stand. Wil nodded his appreciation. Hells, Angelus had never shown such consideration. Angel returned to his task, this time with cool, slick fingers that slid around with ease. He worked one finger inside his childe's body, reveling in the feel of that flesh clenching around him. Wil pushed against him, demanding more.

"Please, Sire, don't tease," Wil moaned, writhing under Angel. He'd wanted this for too long, waited for a century for this moment, and now Angel was taking his time.

Angel relented, speeding up his preparations. He didn't want to hurt his childe in the process of claiming him, although such brutality was traditional. He helped Wil turn on his side and curled around him, pulling the smaller vampire tight to his chest. He guided himself to Wil's slick opening, pausing before pushing inside. "Mine," He growled as he thrust inside that cool, tight body.

Wil arched back, forcing Angel deeper inside him. He then clenched his internal muscles, holding Angel's cold erection inside his body. He felt his Sire snarling behind him as they thrust against each other. They soon set a rapid pace, neither able to restrain themselves after so long a separation.

Wil felt himself approaching climax. It was hurtling through him, setting fire to his nerves. He held his head back and to the side in supplication, demanding that Angel claim him.

The older vampire slammed into Wil's body, stroking the blonde's prostate. His childe was screaming now, working himself on Angel's invading shaft. Angel reached down with one hand, grasping Wil's erection and fisting it in counterpoint to his thrusts. He then placed his mouth carefully at Wil's neck, feeling both of them near orgasm.

Angel thrust once more before biting down on Wil's neck, sucking deeply on his childe's sweet-spicy blood. Ecstasy raced through him, freezing his body. He dimly heard Wil scream his release and felt his childe spill into his hand.

Long minutes later, Angel gently pulled both fangs and cock out of Wil's unresisting body. He turned his childe to lie on his back, watching as the blonde returned to earth for the second time that night. Soon bright blue eyes captured his. He smiled down at his childe, who returned the gesture with one of his own.

Wil was shocked when Angel pulled him into his arms and tilted his head back, offering his childe Sire's blood. After an endless moment, Wil took what was offered, drawing deeply of that rare gift. Angel moaned, and then thrashed under his childe's mouth, the erotic feel of Wil's fangs, lips, and tongue on his body arousing him yet again. He twisted, sinking his own fangs into Wil's neck a second time. They held each other in an iron grip, thrusting their groins together as they fed off each other.

Wil pulled back from Angel's neck, howling his release. A moment later, Angel came as well, letting go of Wil's flesh. They collapsed back into the bed, lazily licking any lingering blood from already-healing skin. Angel caught Wil's mouth, savoring the taste of their blood mixed together.

The blonde pulled the covers from underneath them, burying the lovers in blankets and silk. Angel gathered Wil to him, wrapping arms and legs around the slim body, immobilizing his childe. Wil relaxed into the embrace, returning it by tying his Sire to him with lithe arms and legs.

"Sire?"

Angel cracked open one eye. "Yes, childe?"

Wil grinned against Angel's shoulder. "Just Sire."

Angel laughed at the statement, one of Wil's terms of endearment. "Go to sleep, Wil." He took his own advice, joining the blonde in slumber as the sun rose outside.

���...�...�...�...���

When the human employees of Angel Investigations arrived the following evening, they found Wil and Angel curled up on a couch, reading the newspaper.

"Oh, look. Aren't they so cute like that? A couple of puppies," Cordelia oozed, grinning mischievously at the vampires.

Wil smirked at her, while Angel smiled and blushed, although only Wil could see that. Angel had told him that the gang wouldn't mind the two of them together, and Wil trusted him to keep Angel's pet humans from staking either one of them.

Wesley watched the two vampires closely. "Angel?"

The dark-haired vampire looked up from the paper. "Yeah?"

The ex-Watcher sighed in relief. "The binding spell worked then."

Cordelia jumped. "What? How did you know? I mean, oh. Angel got a happy." She turned beet red in embarrassment.

"A happy? But Angel gets happy all the time," Fred said, perplexed.

Angel choked while Wil burst out laughing. Wesley just beat his head against the counter a few times. Wil recovered first. "So, Angel.anything you want to tell me?"

The older vampire glowered at his child, and then smiled. "Nope."

"Why do I get the feeling that the whole 'keep Wolfram & Hart from bringing back the Scourge of Europe' was just a cover for 'let Angel get some'?" Gunn commented, unimpressed by his vampiric coworkers' happiness.

"Lighten up, Gunn," Cordelia replied, frustrated by the young man's cynicism. "They deserve to beaaarrrgh." she screamed in midsentence as a vision hit, hard. Wil leapt off the couch, catching her as she fell.

"What is it?" Wes asked, examining Cordelia for signs of injury. Ever since Lilah had sent Cordelia false visions, the gang had been hypersensitive about their side effects. No one wanted the girl to suffer unduly.

Cordelia picked herself up, shaking off the headache that was quickly forming. "Club downtown. Vampires, picking people off the dance floor. Very messy."

"Right. Fred, stakes?" Wil said, shrugging on his new coat. He'd traded in his beat-up duster for a similar but classier model.

"How many vamps are we talking about here?" Gunn asked, collecting his axe.

Cordelia thought for a minute. "At least twenty, maybe more. How are we going to get them out of there?"

"We?" Gunn said. "We are gonna go in and kick vampire ass. You, well."

"You will be accompanying us as usual," Wesley finished, glaring at the young man. Gunn's perpetually harsh treatment of Cordelia hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Seriously, how are we going to get the vamps out of there?" Cordelia asked, smiling weakly at Wesley. Everyone stared at the floor for several minutes. Dusting them in a crowd was a bad idea.

"I know!" Fred exclaimed, running into a storage room. She returned with a box of hardware and a milk jug.

"Dare I ask?" Wesley asked.

"Probably not," Wil replied, smiling. Actually, once he'd seen the jug and the large spanner he'd known where Fred's mind had wandered. It wasn't a bad idea-very innovative.

"Enlighten us, Fred?" Angel muttered.

"It shouldn't be too hard to tap into the sprinkler system. Then we just bypass part of the pipes with this and this," she held up several pieces of hardware. "And then fit this into the system," the girl held up yet another piece of equipment. "And then someone sets off the sprinklers."

"Holy water shower?" Gunn said, smiling. "Guess that means Batman and Robin can't play."

Wil growled. He hated being called Robin, and the black man seemed determined to use the nickname at every opportunity. "We'll cover the exits."

"Where did you get that stuff?" Angel asked, peering into the box.

"Oh, when I was renovating my room. I replaced the water system with one that wouldn't ruin my computer equipment when it went off," Fred replied, closing up the box.

���...�...�...�...���

"Where did she learn that?" Cordelia asked, watching Fred finish bypassing the high-pressure sprinkler system.

"This isn't the first time I've done this. Once, in college, I used disappearing ink in the dining hall," Fred said over her shoulder. "It was classic."

Gunn shook his head. "Never would've pegged her for a practical joker."

"It's ready. Better make sure Angel and Wil are out of the way," Fred cautioned, wiping her hands.

"No problem. They're outside," Gunn reassured her.

"Well then." Fred turned on first one valve, then another. "Anybody got a light?"

Within seconds, the dance club was filled with screams of pain and outrage. The humans were furious over being rained on and the vampires were being burned by the holy water. Wesley, Cordelia, Gunn and Fred staked anything that caught on fire, their actions going unnoticed by the distracted human dancers. The continued rain showers served to minimize the clouds of dust that arose from each executed vampire.

At the same time, Angel and Wil were positioned at the front and rear entrances to the club, easily picking off any vampire that managed to escape their human coworkers. By the time the fire department showed up to investigate, the employees of Angel investigations were regrouping back at Angel's car and Gunn's truck.

"We are never doing that again," Cordelia said, wringing out her sodden shirt.

"Why? It worked great," Gunn asked, also trying to dry off.

"Watch it, would you?" Will snarled, dodging drops of holy water as they flew off of the humans' clothing.

"Look at us. We're grimy. Vampire dust and holy water so do not mix." The humans looked down at themselves. Sure enough, they looked like they'd rolled in the streets.

"Well, we're off," Wil said, sliding into the car with Angel, locking the doors as he sat down.

"Wait a minute! What about us?" Cordelia screamed, knowing that Angel was about to leave her to Gunn's mercies.

Angel poked his head out the window. "I don't fancy getting burned every time I get in my car. We'll meet you at the hotel-there are plenty of showers and spare clothing there." With that, the vampires sped off, leaving the four humans to get back via Gunn's truck.

"Everybody in the back," Gunn said, starting the engine.

"But there's room in the front, even with your ego," Cordelia said in return.

"Yeah, but you're nasty. Said so yourself."

"Fine."

���...�...�...�...���

Despite more than an hour's worth of threats and promises, when the humans returned to the Hyperion they eagerly took Angel up on his offer of a hot shower and dry clothing. Of course, the fact that Wil had hot chocolate liberally laced with kahlua waiting for them when they finished helped greatly to smooth things over.

"Almost makes getting caked in ash worth it," Cordelia said, pouring another mug of chocolate. "Almost."

The younger vampire had curled up on the stairwell with a large book, tuning out the casual chatter in the lobby. "What book is that?" Wesley asked the blonde.

Wil looked up after a minute, blinking. "What? Oh, Of Human Bondage." The ex-Watcher's face twisted in disgust. "You don't like?" He asked, grinning. "Actually, neither do I."

"Why are you reading it, then?" Wesley asked.

"Must be exploring my masochistic leanings. Intellectual torture," The vampire replied, marking his place before setting aside the book.

A high-pitched scream from Fred caught everyone's attention. They turned to where she was pointing, only to see Angel sliding down the banister. He landed gracefully at the foot of the stairs, bowing.

"Oookay.Something we should know, Angel?" Cordelia said, eyeing her friend warily.

"Nope," Angel replied, smiling. He eased himself down onto the stairs next to Wil, pulling the younger vampire against him with one arm.

The ex-cheerleader grinned. So that's how it is. "Mm hmm. Anybody else hungry?"

"Why don't you all go out?" Angel suggested, reaching for his wallet. "My treat, since I did leave you with Gunn."

"Hey!" Gunn said indignantly.

"Passing up free food?" Cordelia shot back, grabbing the cash. "Chinese?"

Wil watched the humans hurry out the door, still arguing amongst themselves. The blonde moved away from Angel, taking his novel to the lobby counter. Angel followed, pulling the younger vampire back into a gentle embrace. Wil stilled as Angel wrapped him in his arms.

"You alright?" Angel asked, concerned at Wil's sudden stiffness.

"Mm." Wil stifled a smirk. He then spun around, catching Angel by surprise. He used that to his advantage, knocking the older vampire off balance and pushing him face first into the floor. Wil followed him, pinning the larger man as suddenly wicked fingers searched for and found Angel's well-concealed ticklish spots.

Angel's hands moved just as quickly, trying to capture Wil's slender fingers. The task was made much more difficult by his childe's unerring accuracy; it was hard to keep hold of him when he was reduced to gasping laughter. Angel tried to turn over, but Wil tightened his hold on the vampire's sides. Pale hands pushed Angel's shirt up, baring the brunette's sensitive spine. A feathery touch there reduced the vampire to a series of soft moans.

"Like that?" Wil asked, grinning. He balanced his weight on his knees and lifted his feet, tucking them onto the backs of Angel's knees. The older vampire bucked as Wil rippled his toes across the sensitive flesh there.

"Damn it, Wil, stop teasing!" Angel managed to bite out. He'd been hard before Cordelia and the others had left; that was why he'd paid them to go eat. The feel of Wil's cool body weighing him down and those maddening fingers had sent his arousal to new heights. He twisted, trying to right himself, but couldn't manage to turn over.

The blonde, meanwhile, was immensely enjoying himself. Angel's wriggling was pushing his erection into the older vampire's lower back. "Had enough?" He got a low growl in response. Leaning forward slightly, he saw that Angel had slipped into full gameface. "You want me to stop?"

"Get on with it," Angel snapped, bucking up again. Wil's eyes widened as he realized what Angel had meant. Looking around quickly, he spotted a possible source for what he needed. Reaching up, he snagged the first-aid kit Cordelia had left open on the counter. Angel took his distraction as an opportunity to get free and bolted, grabbing his childe and rolling over the floor.

The pair engaged in several minutes of mock fighting, pulling off each other's clothing as they nipped and bit at pale skin. Finally, Angel pinned Wil to the floor, sealing his mouth on the younger vampire's neck. Wil fell back in surrender.

Angel reared back slightly, grinning. This was fun, but he was growing impatient. He reached over, picking up the discarded tube of antibiotic ointment Wil had retrieved earlier. He slapped it into one of Wil's open hands, watching in great amusement as his childe's eyes snapped open. The blonde stared at Angel, disbelief clear on his face. "Changed your mind?" Angel asked, smirking.

Wil wasted no more time, flipping Angel over onto his stomach. The blonde ran trembling hands down that sensitive spine, relishing how his Sire shook and moaned at the caress. The touch continued, separating pale cheeks as Wil tested the puckered opening there. He quickly slathered his fingers in the makeshift lubricant, stretching the hidden passage with great care. Angel thrust back against him, silently demanding greater haste.

The blonde shifted around, positioning himself. Angel groaned in loss as Wil removed his questing fingers, a sound that was repeated in pleasure as the younger man thrust inside him. Wil stilled, waiting for Angel to relax and accommodate him. After a moment, he pulled out, and then thrust forward.

Angel's head snapped back as he met Wil thrust for thrust. He howled softly as one of his childe's hands reached underneath him, firmly grasping his straining erection. The feel of Wil inside him was overwhelming; he'd not let anyone have such control over him in more than a century.

"Gods, Angel. So tight," Wil growled, caught by his Sire's cool, tight body. He twisted his hips, smiling at Angel's snarl as he prodded the older man's prostate. He was close; the excitement of being dominant over his Sire took away any endurance he might have had. He increased his pace, thrusting viciously into Angel, forcing the vampire's cock into his fist. So close.

Wil bent down further, bringing his mouth close to Angel's ear. The brunette was panting as he strained against his childe. "They'll be back soon, you know. Then they'll see you here on the lobby floor, bent underneath me. What'll that do for your lovely friends, hmm?"

Just as he'd known it would, the whispered comments drove Angel over the edge. The older vampire came with a howl, spurting cool semen over Wil's still-moving hand. The blonde joined him, unable to resist the clenching muscles milking his cock. He moved slightly off to one side before collapsing next to his Sire.

Angel moved faster than lightening, pulling himself over Wil. Snarling harshly, he left the younger vampire only a second to tilt his head before sinking his fangs into his neck, reestablishing his dominance over his childe. After a moment, he retracted his fangs, licking the small wound to aid its healing. That done, he looked down at Wil, knowing that the dozy smile he found there was a mirror of his own.

"We'd better clean this up," Wil said, not wanting to move. Angel nodded but made no effort to get up either. They curled up together, petting idly. The lobby was soon filled with the contented purring of sated lovers.

After several more minutes of snuggling, Angel and Wil reluctantly retrieved their clothes and righted the lobby. It was none too soon; barely five minutes after Wil had reclaimed his seat on the stairs, with Angel pinning him to the wall as he had before, their coworkers returned.

"Did you guys move at all?" Cordelia asked as Fred, Gunn and Wesley looked on.

"Of course we did," Angel said, turning the newspaper. "I got a paper to read."

Not even looking up from his novel, Wil said, "Had hot, mad sex on the lobby floor."

Wesley choked on his drink. "What?" he screeched hoarsely.

"You did not," Gunn said, eyeing the vampires.

"Was it good?" Fred asked innocently. The other humans stared at her in shock. "What?"

Wil looked up at her. "'Course it was, pet," He replied, straight faced. "Isn't it always?"

"Enough," Angel said. He'd rather not discuss his sex life with his friends, and at the moment they still thought Wil was joking about the lobby. "Wes, what needs to be done?"

The ex-Watcher smiled gratefully. "Bills, Angel." The dark vampire groaned, following Wesley into the office as the others resumed their usual activities.

���...�...�...�...���

Angel wearily climbed the stairs. In some respects, he was no different than a human-paying bills left him tired and cranky. He stopped in front of Wil's door, wondering if the younger vampire had retreated there. Angel wasn't sure what Wil would do now that their relationship had progressed. Sighing softly, he went on toward his own quarters. He wouldn't push his childe; despite their camaraderie, their relationship was too new.

He was pleasantly surprised, then, to find Wil bundled in blankets in one of the cushioned chairs in his own room. His childe made a lovely image, swathed in cream and burgundy silk, his hair tousled down around his face. Wil hadn't acknowledged his entrance and was still bent over his journal, lower lip caught in his teeth as he continued to write. He paused only to push his glasses up from where they'd slipped down his nose. Angel left him there while he undressed, then leaned back on the bed to watch his childe write.

After several more pages, Wil closed the book and set it aside. He rose from the chair, stretching, and then stopped when he saw Angel. "Sorry. Forgot you came in," He apologized, blushing.

Angel pulled the blonde to him, catching up the blankets as well. Smiling softly, he pushed Wil back into the bed, following him down. Angel's smile grew as Wil burrowed into his embrace, tucking his head into Angel's shoulder. The older vampire drifted off to sleep, his childe's whispered "Sire" lingering in his ear.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

15 November 2001

If someone had asked me a month ago the likelihood that I would ever share
Angel's bed again, I would have laughed in their face, shortly before crying myself
to sleep. I was, of course, proven wrong by Angel himself. I still cannot believe he
drew me in, giving me comfort again. Yet my surprise at that action is nothing
compared to what I felt when he reclaimed me.

I was afraid of letting Lorne read me, knowing that he would immediately see
just how hard I had fallen for my Sire-again. And, of course, that is exactly what
he saw. I simply never imagined that Angel would renew his claim over me. Yes, our
relationship has improved since I arrived in Los Angeles; he seemed to accept me as
his childe as I accepted him as my Sire. But during these past weeks I never thought
once that he would want to fully resume that relationship. He seemed content to look
after me and instruct me. Not that I am complaining; far from it. Even before I was
ensouled, I missed my Sire. I even missed him once I had met his souled version. The
fact that he can forgive so much, so many betrayals on my part, astounds me. I do
not know that I could do the same were I him. But then, he is the Sire and I am the
childe. I can forgive him his betrayals of me, it only follows that he forgive me mine.

All of that pales when I remember how he felt, what it felt like to be his
childe again in the truest way. I had almost forgotten the ecstasy of having my
blood flow into him as he fills me, marking me as his own. Those lost pieces of my
heart are returned to me. It would shame me that I require this approval to be a
whole being, if I were not dizzy from euphoria. We are one, Sire and childe.

Things are different now. Before, Angelus would have never let me dominate
as I did this evening-I would have been soundly tortured for such antics. But then,
my unsouled self would not have simply been toying with Angelus-it would have been
a power play. Perhaps we are both changed for the better by our souls, that I can
simply love my Sire and he can let me, without either of us having to protect
ourselves from our own natures.

I can only hope that I am not dreaming. To be taunted with one's fondest
desire is unjust cruelty.

Wil

*****
Part 14:

"Sinatra?" Cordelia snickered as the group exited Caritas. "Sorry, Gunn, I just never pictured you as a Rat Pack fan."

"Lay off, Delia," Gunn snarled, speeding up to walk next to Angel. He'd finally broken down and returned to the demonic karaoke club. Humility was not his strong suit.

"I thought it was lovely," Wil said, leaning into Angel. He'd greatly enjoyed the evening; but then, Lorne had told him he was doing well, and it never hurt to have your unofficial therapist give you a good report.

"Excuse me, sirs." A tall, heavyset man stepped out of a doorway.

The investigators stopped. "Yes?" Angel said, wary. The man was human, but they'd run into many types of trouble. It was probably nothing, though.

Angel and his coworkers were suddenly surrounded. They took defensive stances, turned outward. Angel reached for Wil, shoving him behind the older vampire. "Hey!"

"All human, Wil," Angel warned. There wasn't a demon among their attackers, so Wil was defenseless. "Care to explain?" The older vampire asked the tall man.

Their attacker smiled. "No." With that, the humans attacked.

Cordelia immediately took out the two closest to her. "Angel, do you know these people?" She asked, pulling out the Beretta .380 she kept with her at all times. A few well-placed shots convinced the humans to retreat.

Wesley and Gunn stared at Cordelia in shock. "Delia, where did you get that?"

The ex-cheerleader smiled, checking the safety on her weapon. "A few months ago. It works better than a stake on some things."

"Like humans," Angel said, grimacing.

"What was that all about, anyway?" Gunn asked, looking around. The humans had appeared out of nowhere, and had disappeared the same way.

Angel reached out to Wil, trying to reassure himself that the younger vampire was unhurt. "I can't be sure, but I have a very bad feeling about this."

"Who would send humans after you? Even if you won't kill them, they stand no chance against you," Wesley said, confused. Most of their enemies used demonic thugs, not humans.

"Yeah, none of us are easy targets," Cordelia remarked as they hurried down the street toward the hotel.

"Except for me," Wil whispered, leaning further into Angel. Being surrounded by hostile humans had severely shaken the vampire. He was completely helpless against them.

"Wolfram & Hart," Wesley said firmly. "If they found out that Wil is working for The Powers, and that he can't hurt humans.then sending humans after us makes sense."

"Cause none of us would kill a human, and Wil's no challenge, since he can't even pinch them," Gunn added.

Wil trembled in fear. This was his worst nightmare come to life. He'd finally adjusted to having a soul, gotten over Buffy, and been reclaimed by his Sire. Now, after being his Sire's lover again for just a few short weeks, the strongest evil in the city was gunning for him. Again.

"We'll just have to get rid of it then," Fred said, nodding her head for emphasis.

"What?" Cordelia asked. "Get rid of what?"

"The chip. It shouldn't be that hard, really-a translocation spell or something," The young woman replied.

"She's right, it shouldn't be that hard," Wesley agreed. "Why haven't we thought of this before?"

"Never crossed our minds," Angel said.

"This means another spell, doesn't it?" Wil asked, grimacing. He could have lived a century before enduring another spell.

"Unless you want us hacking around in your tiny little brain, Wil," Wesley said, smirking.

���...�...�...�...���

"No."

Fred smiled tremulously at the blonde vampire, trying her best to gain his consent. "I need a picture, Wil. Otherwise." She emphasized her statement with a loud 'splut' and suggestive hand motions. Wil remained unconvinced.

Angel intervened, putting his foot down. "Wil, you will go with Fred and Wesley to get an x-ray. Tonight." Wil scowled, but was unwilling to argue with his Sire-at least, not when Angel was in such a bad mood. Finding out that his archenemies were gunning after his favorite childe had ruined his short-lived good mood.

"Fine." Wil stomped upstairs, slamming his bedroom door behind him. Angel winced. Wil's room had been relegated to the position of office/study for the younger vampire, since the two were sharing a bed. Apparently Angel was sleeping alone today.

Fred patted Angel on the shoulder. "He's young, he'll get over it." Angel just stared at her. "I mean it. He will. Now you go have a nice warm mug o' blood, and I'll write up a spell with Wesley. Sleep well!"

Angel just shook his head at Fred's eternally chipper attitude, sending him off to bed with a hot drink and a pat on the back, like a schoolboy.

"I take it Wil was.resistant?" Wesley asked Fred as she joined him in the library. He's suspected that Wil wouldn't like the idea of an x-ray, but he and Fred had discussed it on the way home and had decided that no matter what type of spell they used, they needed an exact location of the chip-and that meant some sort of imaging.

Fred laughed. "Resistant? No, Angel took care of that."

"Oh my. What happened?"

"Let's just say we won't be interrupted today-by anything." Giggling, Fred pulled down several books. "So, do you think a simple translocation spell will work, or do we need something more complicated?"

Getting back on task, Wesley examined the first spell Fred found. "I would think not. In removing the chip, we may be leaving a physical gap between key nuclei in Wil's brain. My hypothesis is that the chip was inserted as a replacement for naturally occurring connections between several sensory/motor nuclei and the periventricular tract. The result would be, of course, a sensation of pain whenever Wil harms humans."

"But how does the chip only hurt him when the person is human?" Fred asked as she drew a rough sketch of a brain on a piece of scrap paper.

"My first instinct is to say that one of the nuclei the chip connects to is a visual or other sensory area responsible for identifying input"

Fred cut him off. "But Wil said that he chip still hurt him, even if he thought the person wasn't human."

Wesley continued. "Which leads me to believe that the chip itself has some sort of sensor embedded in itperhaps a monitor for heart rate, body temperature, or electrical signals. In short, anything that would positively identify the target as human."

"So if you're right, the chip replaced these connections." Fred pointed to a schematic she'd drawn. A small square marked the probable location of the chip, derived from Wil's information on where the surgery had taken place and the location of the nuclei Wesley had identified. "And if we want to remove the chip and still have a functioning Wil, we need to rebuild these connections, because they've been cut?"

"That is my current hypothesis, yes." Wesley frowned. It was generally considered difficult, if not outright impossible, to regenerate brain tissues.

"I don't think so." Fred shook her head in emphasis.

"Why not?"

"Well, vampires have remarkable regenerative capacities. In fact, considering some of the cranial injuries Angel has sustained-and survived, I would hypothesize that any damage done to brain tissue is rectified by that healing ability." Fred stopped for a moment, taking several breaths. "So severing those connections wouldn't do anything. However, something else would."

She then turned to the bookcase, pulling down a seemingly out-of-place college textbook she'd brought in some time back. Flipping to the middle, she showed Wesley a schematic. "It's far more likely to be a setup like this-a microscopic probe, of some conductive metal, embedded in individual axons within the periventricular tract. The chip would send an electric current into the membrane, causing it to fire. There would be another set of probes embedded in the cells of these motor areas, ones that picked up currents instead of sending them. That's where the chip gets its input." She sketched out another schematic on the paper. "The entire circuit would be like this: The chip sensors pick up whatever signal it's using to determine humanity. Then, when Wil moves to hurt the human, and causes any pain, the chip picks up on changes in the human, and sends its output, which results in Wil's massive headaches."

She looked up at Wesley, who was frowning, but following along. Taking a chance, she continued. "Remember how Wil gets hurt if he hurts a human, even if he didn't mean to? That's because the chip isn't connected to any cognitive areas. That would be where the actions would be linked to intentions. If it had been linked there, then Wil wouldn't hurt if he accidentally hurt someone, or hurt someone while trying to help them. They probably didn't do that because it's so much more complicated than motor areas. What do you think?"

Wesley studied the schematics. It did pain him to admit it, but Fred was right. This certainly made things simpler, for all of them. "I think you're absolutely correct, Fred. I had also worried about some sort of destructive mechanism within the chip to prevent its removal, but anything of the sort they had installed would be designed for mechanical removal, not magickal. And from the information we have on the Initiative, they weren't very reliant on magic."

"So, which spell do you think will work?" Fred pulled down several more books. "So many of them have a serious danger of taking brain matter out with them, and even if he could recover, it could be very bad until he does."

"Let me see that one." Soon the two researchers were engrossed in a pile of spell books and drawings. Wesley was trying desperately to find a spell that they didn't have to alter-Fred was a bit too eager to 'customize' a spell, and that worried Wesley.

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"I hate hospitals." Fred and Wesley had managed to get the vampire into Angel's car and all the way to the parking lot before he began to balk. Of course much of that was due to his Sire's glare-of-death as they exited the hotel. Neither human had the heart to tell Wil just how worried and forlorn Angel looked when Wil got into the car with them. It was obvious Angel was worried about his childe's welfare, but it would do no good to have Wil even more upset.

"Wil, act your age for once? Please?" Wesley grabbed the vampire's arm and began dragging him into the hospital. Fred took up the other arm, and instead of starting a fight he couldn't win, Wil just gave up and started walking.

"And how, by the way, do you intend to get access to an x-ray machine, technicians, film, and whatnot?" Wil asked as they passed the admissions counter.

"I know someone," Wesley said, pulling Wil down a side hallway.

"Who?" Wil asked, wondering why they were going lower into the building's depths.

"A forensic pathologist." Fred giggled at Wesley's statement.

"Forensic.path.You're taking me to the morgue?!?" Wil stopped suddenly, sending the two humans flying forward. "I am not, NOT going to the morgue!" To emphasize his point, Wil slid down against one wall and sat down on the floor.

Wesley sighed. He'd expected this sooner or later. "Wil, where else can I take a person with a large number of characteristics in common with a corpse to get an x-ray where no one will question those characteristics? Hm? Can you think of some other place with the equipment where there is no line, none of the other patients care if you skip in front of them, and the technicians don't ask questions? Besides, the pathologist I know happens to be a demon."

"Oh." After a couple more minutes of pouting, Wil got up. He didn't really intend to resist forever, but he couldn't help wanting to be a prick every once in awhile.

A short, rotund man smelling distinctly of cotton candy met them at the morgue. "Ah, Wesley! How's Victoria?"

Wesley grimaced. "Gone. Arkie, this is Fred, Fred, this is Arkienim Hustiere." Wesley gestured back toward Wil, who was lingering in the shadows. "And of course that is Wil, who'd rather not be here, as I'm sure he'll let us know. Repeatedly."

Arkie cocked his head to on side, examining Fred. "Fred.Fred.I know you! Physics, right? I've not heard about you in ages! What cave did you have yourself holed up in? Good to have you back."

"Cave? How did you know?" Fred asked, frowning. "Oh, joke! Right. Cave."

"Can we get this over with?" Wil stepped from the shadows to follow the pathologist into his lab.

"Sure. Why don't you just slip into this," Arkie handed Wil a gown, "and then we'll get those pics made."

Wil looked askance at the flimsy garment. "You're taking a picture of my head. Why do I need this? I don't have clothes on my head."

Arkie grinned. "You're clothes will interfere with the equipment. Go change."

Wesley reinforced Arkie's statement with a frown, as did Fred. Wil went to change, although he grumbled mightily about it.

Wil returned, dressed in an ancient blue-green hospital gown. "Don't say it," he said to Fred as she opened her mouth. "Just don't. say. a. word."

Fred grinned. "I was just going to say that it brought out your eyes."

Wil growled, the turned to ignore her in favor of Arkie. "Can we please"

"Get on with it? Sure. You know, though, I prefer corpses that don't talk." Arkie gestured to a table across the room. "Go lay down there. I'll position you in a minute. Fred, Wesley, would you wait in my office?"

After the humans had left, Arkie maneuvered Wil's head into a vice-type mechanism. "Now hold still, ok? Otherwise we'll be doing this over and over."

Several minutes later a surprisingly obedient Wil was allowed to get dressed. Arkie packaged up the x-rays for Wesley, sealing them in a large brown envelope.

"They're all in there, clear as a spring sky. I hope it helps you get rid of that thing in his skull."

Wil squinted suspiciously at Arkie. "What do you know about that?"

Arkie sighed. "Quite a bit. There aren't that many of our kind in medicine, so we keep up with what goes on. Damned shame, those chips. Say, if you all find a way to remove them, pass it on? There are more of them out there than you think."

Having agreed to that request, the trio exited the morgue for a more pleasant environment.

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Angel was surprised to see Wil curled up in his bed that morning. The blonde had stayed away the day before and appeared none too pleased with his trek to the hospital. Not questioning his good fortune, Angel stripped down and joined his lover for a day's sleep, if nothing else. He started to curl around the sleeping form, but stopped. He didn't want to upset the still-fragile vampire.

A soft snort had Angel turning back over. Wil's tousled curls popped up from beneath the covers. "Come 'ere, pillock." Angel happily gathered Wil to him, burying the younger vampire's head in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Wil. It's for the best."

Wil sighed. "I know. And I'm bloody well ecstatic about the chip. Hate the thing with a passion. I just."

"Hate magic," Angel finished for him. "But it's not Drusilla casting the spells. Fred and Wesley wouldn't do anything to harm you."

"On purpose." Wil shuddered. What was that yank expression? The road to hell was paved with good intentions?

"Or Democrats, or Republicans," Angel responded. Wil jerked his head. He hadn't realized he'd spoken aloud. "They won't harm you, Wil."

"What makes you so sure?"

Angel turned and shifted down until he could see Wil's pensive face. "Because they know I'll dismember them and walk into the morning sun if they do." Satisfied by the shocked look on Wil's face that his point had been made, Angel settled back and closed his eyes.

Sleep didn't come so quickly for Wil, who lay awake with Angel's last words circling in his head.

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Gunn watched Fred scurry around the dining/ritual room setting up for yet another spell on Wil. Disgusted, he snorted and turned away. Leaving the room for the more acceptable confines of the lobby, the vampire hunter decided his time was better spent sharpening weapons. Again. He refused to think about just how often he'd polished axes and daggers in the past weeks.

"Still got a cob up your rear over the chip?" Cordelia leaned over the counter, smirking at Gunn.

"Shut up, Delia." Gun poured oil on a whetstone and picked up a dagger.

"I don't get you. This needs to be done. Otherwise Wil's a liability to all of us, and I don't want my new Pradas ruined because Soulboy jr. couldn't keep up."

Gunn pitched down the dagger and whetstone. "A liability? His being here is a liability! Some serial killer waltzes in here, says he's reformed, and all of a sudden we're taking him off his leash? That's not helping us; it's signing our death warrants."

Cordelia walked around the counter, getting right in Gunn's face. "You know what your problem is, Charles? Envy."

Gunn snorted. "And how did you figure that one out, Dr. Chase?"

Cordelia smiled a not-very-friendly-smile. "Simple, really. Angel's smarter, faster, and stronger than you. Wesley's smarter, got a better track record with the ladies-and that's not saying much--, and has a rapport with Angel that you'll never have. Then there's Fred-smarter, more popular, and more adaptable. After all, she was stuck in a cave for five years, but she's recovering. You, though, you're just muscle, and not very personable muscle."

"Muscle? That's all I am to you?" Gunn stepped forward, pushing Cordelia back into a pillar. "This muscle has saved your hide more than once. This muscle put up with your oh-so-wonderful Angel going bad, getting depressed, screwing his Sire and firing me-and you. This muscle," Gunn raised his voice for effect, "knows this city better than all of you put together. This muscle has a neighborhood that depends on him-one that suffers when you all decide you're more important than they are. Maybe you should get off your little 'Seer in Prada' pedestal and think about what you contribute to this group, Delia. Cause this muscle isn't going to stick around somewhere where he's stupid, mean, and not wanted."

Cordelia watched in shame and dismay as Gunn stalked out of the hotel. That hadn't gone as planned, not at all. She had never meant to insult him like that, just poke a hole in that damned arrogant pride. Apparently, she used too large a needle. How was she going to fix this?

Fred walked out of the dining room, carrying a large box. "Where's Gunn? I needed him to help Wesley set up the altar."

Cordelia winced. "Um, well, I kind of got into an argument with him and."

"Oh. Can you help me and Wesley then?" Fred just smiled and tilted her head back towards the dining room. "We gotta get this set up before sundown."

"Yeah, ok." Guilt was the sole motivator for Cordelia lowering herself to do manual labor.

Fred, Wesley and Cordelia were grinding the last of the required herbs when Angel and Wil ventured downstairs.

"What do we need to do?" Angel asked, looking over the supplies.

Wesley straightened, dropping the mortar and pestle he'd been using. "Not much, really. Wil, if you could refrain from feeding until we're done?" At the vampire's nod, the researcher continued. "Most of this is protection-just in case someone tries to interfere."

"Call me paranoid, but I don't trust Wolfram & Hart." Fred smiled at Wil, who couldn't help but grin right back.

"Don't know why. Lovely bunch of bananas over there." Wil draped himself over a chair, watching the proceedings with little interest.

Unlike the last magickal procedure, this spell took little time and almost no effort on the part of Wil. Wesley and Fred positioned the vampire inside a protective pentagram, and then worked the spell. Several minutes and a soft 'pop' later, Wesley presented Wil with a small square of plastic with barely-there wires protruding.

"That's it?" Wil peered at the little contraption.

"It wouldn't be very big. It doesn't have to be, really." Fred watched Wil nervously, and then jumped back as the vampire crushed the thing in his hand.

"Well, only one way to find out if it worked, hmm?"

Wesley and Angel shared a glance. Wil just stepped forward, invading Fred's personal space. Cordelia stepped forward, but before she reached them, Wil brought one hand up, pinching her left earlobe between two fingers.

"Ow!" Fred yelped-but didn't jerk back. Wil smiled and loosened his grip on her ear, massaging the spot he'd pinched.

A grunt and sigh from the doorway caught their attention. Gunn was standing there, stake in hand. A look of guilty relief flew over his face, before his usual bored expression took over.

"Guess it worked then, huh?" Wil nodded. "Fine. I've got.stuff to do. See you tomorrow."

Cordelia bit her lip. She really needed to talk to Gunn. "Um, I gotta do something. You all stay out of trouble." The seer ran out after Gunn, calling his name.

"What was that all about?" Angel asked, confused.

"She and Gunn got into a row earlier," Wil said, staring at the doorway where the two had exited.

"You heard it?" Fred asked. "I thought I heard shouting, but."

"Couldn't sleep." Wil shrugged. "Delia's a smart girl and Gunn's alright. They'll work it out." He smirked. "Or not. I'm voting for 'not.' It's fun watching them snarl and scratch at each other."

"Wil!" Wesley and Angel groaned together.

"What?" He squeaked. "As if you don't like how those two keep going at it?"

"That's beside the point, Wil. Don't encourage them. It's not healthy," Wesley said primly.

Wil just rolled his eyes. "So, no visions, no appointments, no raving mad humans after me with a stake. Who's up for Caritas?"

*****