Strange Conceptions

Author: Lisa O.

Pairing: Spike/Puppy

Rating: PG.

Spoiler: Happens after the episode, the wish, and takes place in the wish world.

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me at all. The characters belong to Joss and CO.

Note: Repost for some lists. Redid some minor things. Spelling and little things like that. Hope that helps a bit. Second part rewrite coming soon, along with new parts as well...

Dedication: To my wonderful New Beta reader Christie, who is funny and great...and...ooh...the best *G* and also to Morgan, shy and Gordon...just because I want to. *G*

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~Part: 1~

Puppy was free and he didn't understand why. He stood in the alleyway and tried to figure the situation out. Simply put, Xander had let him go. There had been no fighting, and no yelling.

Just like that, Xander had let Puppy go.

Looking up at the big pale moon, Puppy mulled over that obvious fact. The last look that Xander had given him had been quite strange and more confusing than anything. Puppy remembered the soft words that had been spoken and they only served to confuse him more.

"He's dead. You're free. Go," and then Xander had leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on the souled vampires cheek. The younger vampires actions really made no sense at all.

"Angel?" A soft cultured voice spoke his name and Puppy whirled around to find out who was trying to get his attention.

"Hello?" Puppy was nervous and he could still feel the place where the manacles had bitten into his flesh...but he still remembered his old name. Angel. The calling of it sounded strange to the recently imprisoned vampire, but he knew that the name was also his. "Who's there?"

Out of the shadows stepped a slender figure with blond hair and a lithe walk. "They told me you would be here."

"Spike?" Puppy shook his head, still not understanding. First he had been let go by one of his worst enemies and then this. Spike just showed up out of the blue even though Angel had not seen his grand-childe in years, and the mystery only deepened. Puppy frowned as his eyes moved over the approaching form of the creature that he had practically raised as his own. "What...what are you doing here?"

The bleached blond stepped closer, his feet making echoing sounds against the hard pavement as he moved. The steps were deliberate and before Puppy could move away, his grand-childe was before him.

With a slender cigarette between two pale fingers, Spike eyed Puppy with a long but not forgotten smirk. "I heard The Master's dead; killed by that slayer."

Puppy tried to remember exactly what had happened, but there had been pure chaos and the events were trying to blur. He remembered running mostly...and a lot of screams from all around. And, of course, Angel remembered Buffy. Buffy aiming the cross bow was clearly etched on Puppy's mind, as was the fighting that had ensued. After that, he wasn't so very sure what exactly had taken place. Mostly, he'd just been confused. "I don't know," Puppy admitted before asking, "why are you here?"

"One track mind," Spike observed, before flicking the extra ashes of his cigarette off with an air that spoke of mild frustration. "Let's just say...I was in town and realized that things were different here. Not as crazy." Spike took a long drag from his cigarette, watching Puppy curiously while he waited to fend off any questions he was certain would came next.

"Not as crazy? What do you mean?" The explanation that Spike had casually murmured, wasn't enough and Angel knew that there had to be more than just the convenience of Spike just happening to be in the neighborhood. Angel opened his mouth to ask more but then the blond was talking, cutting off further investigation with words of his own.

Throwing the cigarette off into the night, Spike said, "Come on, mate. Let's get you inside. It's not that far from morning and I don't want you biting the bullet just yet." Spike then put his arm around Puppy and pulled the older vampire along. "I have a place not far from here. Dru and that girl are there; that slayer..." Spike said it with some distaste and that made Puppy look curiously into the blondes almost blank face to see if he could find more to how his grand-childe felt. Spike only looked up at the sky, continuing in a thoughtful tone, "Come on, Angel. We can talk at my place" and then they were on the move once more.

Puppy nodded, having nothing else to do. Quietly he went along, curious to know what would happen next.

~Part: 2~

Spike moved quickly down the darkened street and Puppy kept pace behind him. The Bronze was left behind as they turned down one street and then another, moving at the brisk pace set by Spike in his rush to get them to safety.

"Almost there," Spike commented, having stopped several times as though to find his bearings. Puppy didn't answer back, but only nodded, earning a once over by Spike before there were on the move again.

"The Masters dead...?" Puppy asked even though this information was something that he already knew. Something that they both knew, but Angel found himself needing to hear the answer anyway.

Why? Because Puppy still wasn't sure that what Spike had told him was true.

The thing was simply this...even though the knowledge was understood in his head, the dark haired vampire was having difficulties believing the information in his heart. How could the Master possibly have been killed, even by someone who was a slayer? The realization of such a dream come true, was literally beyond anything that Angel would have even considered to be possible, and part of him was almost certain that some kind of mistake must have been made.

"...And Buffy killed him?" Puppy continued, looking for confirmations even though the facts did seem to be very straight forward on that particular point.

But hadn't Whistler said that would be what should happen in the first place? The Irish demon had told Puppy all kinds of things, so why was the vampire surprised now? Because other things that shouldn't have happened, had.

Puppy wasn't supposed to be captured by Xander and taken to be put in a cage.

Also, Puppy was very certain that being tortured by his captors, really shouldn't have been part of the destiny that Whistler had promised him just several months before.

Again, what was meant to be and what was, blurred because things had happened as they'd happened, and no previous foretelling could change the basic facts of what he had endured. "Are you sure that the Master is dead?"

Spike had stopped as Puppy asked his questions but the dark haired vampire realized then that the blond wasn't about to answer anything at all. Instead, Spike was turned toward a door on the building's front and was inspecting it with a fascination that lead Puppy to believe that he hadn't even been heard.

"Spike?"

The blond ran his hand over the door that had only one step in front of it and nothing interesting to draw attention to it's presence. In fact if Spike had not stopped there, Puppy would have never noticed the door at all. The dull gray finish made the door blend in with the equally faded stone work around them, making the whole thing almost look like a solid expanse of endless wall. Almost.

"Just a second, Angel," Spike finally said and Angel suddenly realized that there was no knobs or handles of any kind on the door shaped flatness before them. How were they supposed to get into a door that had no way of being opened at all?

"Are you sure this is where we're supposed to be going?"

Instead of speaking, Spike let his hand drift sideways just before an audible click was heard by them both.

"I'd say so," he stated before giving the door a shove that sent it opening inward. Spike let his eyes move up and down over the presented darkness within before he moved away to let the other vampire pass around him. "After you, Angel. You go first."

Puppy frowned, not caring for the reversal of roles at his particular time. Spike had led him here and was now asking Puppy to enter a place that he had no knowledge of and also no reason to trust.

"What is this?" he asked with a strong current of worried curiosity undercutting the soft spoken question. "Did Whistler send you?" and that possibility filled Puppy with a new kind of longing. What if Spike really had been sent by his recent friend and teacher? What if all of this was really part of a plan that Puppy couldn't be able to know until he walked through the very plain wooden door? What if....

"Never heard of him," Spike answered back, shattering the hope that had been blooming before he again tried to get Puppy to go through the door. "You going in or not?"

Puppy, for his part, finally just let out a sigh and nodded. He could feel the morning was close to coming and really there wasn't that much of a choice left to either of them at the moment. If they stayed out here much longer, both of them would be so much dust and somehow, Puppy would rather brave the dark then go up in a ball of sunlight induced misery. "I'm...going." He muttered, his tone subdued.

And that was just what Puppy did.

~Part: 3~

The room was pitch black when Puppy stepped in, creating the terrifying sensation that either there was no place to move in at all, or that the space around them seemed to go on forever.

"Spike?" A touch of panic colored the souled vampires voice, making it tremble as he glanced around blindly. "It's so...Can't see." And he *wasn't* afraid of the dark because vampires were creatures of the night and never afraid like this...but his was just so much more. Even more than the darkness brought by Willow and her blindfolds...and even more than the time he'd needed to heal from the holy water drops Xander had let fall into his eyes when he'd been really bored. ~Don't~

Puppy shivered, collecting himself again, despite the thoughts of what had been and what ifs. The thoughts that said, what if something was close by, waiting to hurt him? What if the Master was there, or what if Xander had changed his mind or what if...what if...what if...?

"It's okay, pet," Spike murmured, silky smooth and velvet, whispering in Puppy's ear as one hand went to hold onto Angel's arm with a firm but comforting touch. "Just takes a moment to get used to."

Puppy nodded, blinking slowly as he waited for his vision to return. "Why's it so hard to see, Spike?" he asked, trying to be brave because the once scourge or Europe really shouldn't be this weak when his grandchilde was standing behind him, making him feel stupid and nervous and even more confused than he had been just before they'd arrived here. "Never seen anything so..."

"Something to do with how the spell works," Spike answered his grandsire, running his hand up and down Angel's arm, before taking Puppy's hand in his own. "Won't take long at all. Promise."

"Okay," Puppy agreed, holding onto the cool fingers that slipped into his own. Spike. Here. It was ok.

Angel closed his eyes and this time when they opened a split second later, he realized that he was actually beginning to make out blurry shapes and several fuzzy outlines.

"Oh." More blinks followed and Angel found himself taking a step back, almost running into William as he did. The hairs on his neck stood up and Puppy was growling. "No," he ground out. "No." A trap. This was a trap and Spike had led him right into a trap and why had he ever listened to his grandchilde to begin with? Why, why, why? Angel tugged at his hand, transfixed, as he struggled with deciding what to do.

Spike's grip on Puppy's hand tightened because he'd known this was going to happen and was ready to hold on if need be. "It's okay, Angel," but Puppy didn't hear. He only stared across the room that was much larger than it should have been; emotions flooding him with an intensity that left Puppy weak and unhappy. The tormented vampire moaned, torn between running, attacking or throwing himself to the floor and begging to be forgiven for doing what he'd done. "Angel, It's okay." But Puppy simply did not hear. "She's not going to hurt you, Angel. Really."

Across the room, the object of Angel's rapt attention and fear, stepped forward, glancing up before her gaze turned once more to the floor where it had been to begin with. "Master, you've returned." Red hair obscured the female vampires face, but the fact did nothing to protect Puppy from his feelings.

"Willow." Puppy barely said the name before he was turning to run. He had to get away but before he'd gone more than two steps, Spike was wrenching him back and a grip like iron was wrapping around Angel's struggling form. "No. Please! Let me go! Let me go!"

"Not going to let you go, Angel. Not till you settle down." Spike was an immobile force, too strong for the weakened Puppy to move no matter how much he fought to do so. "Hold still." The last was hissed out in slight pain as Angel managed to bang the blondes nose with the mindless flailing.

Spike growled, getting angry and the sound was enough to made the older vampire finally stop what he was doing.

"You tricked me," Angel was muttering over and over again, pushing against Spike but no longer doing so with as much desperation as he had been. This was partially due to the fact that he was getting tired; partially due to the fact that he was ready to give in. "Why?" Puppy whimpered, feeling betrayal rip what joy he'd had at seeing Spike, and smash it to tiny little pieces. "Why did you do it?"

Spike let out a frustrated sigh, before he started to purr in a comforting fashion. "I didn't trick you, Angel. This isn't a some kind of a trap or something." Angel had started to relax but the blond was sure it wasn't because there was trust.

Sadly, Spike kept whispering his message over and over again before finally daring to let the other go. Carefully and slowly, Spike let his arms loosen around the other, and when he had finally finished...arms floating up besides Angel's but not holding at all, Puppy only stood perfectly still, not daring to move.

Puppy cast his gaze downward, body giving off waves of fear as he waited for punishment to come. If Willow was here then there would be no question...and Xander must be very close behind. ~but he let you go, didn't he? ~

~Yes?~

Puppy hugged his body and waited.

"Good, Angel. It's okay," Spike's voice came close by before the vampire walked over to Willow and touched her on the cheek. "Red," he said, looking up and past her. "Where are the others?"

"Xander is making sure that everything is ready, master." Willow was pushing into the light touch, a small smile gracing her face in happiness that Spike was allowing the contact to be made. "Buffy and Dru are coming back soon," she also added, an expression of slight disgust coming but disappearing a second later. "Master. Will we be able to hunt?"

"Maybe later," Spike answered, before letting his hand drop as he turned and sauntered back to Angel. Puppy had been looking up at this point, confused but more and more curious about exactly what this was all about. He was still terrified of Willow and Xander as well, but something very strange was going on, and he had to figure things out before they got any stranger.

Master? Willow had called Spike, Master. Would Xander do the same? Would Dru or the slayer? At this point, Puppy was very curious to know. Should he also be addressing his grandchilde in the same way as the other?

Angel's brows furrowed at the thought and he glanced back to where the door should be. Unsurprisingly, the spot that should have been where they entered was now occupied by a large stuffed and very tacky purple lounging chair. Puppy stared at the spot hard, almost going to figure out what was going on, but stopping as Spike moved before Angel's line of site.

"Angel. Listen to me."

Puppy tore his gaze away from the chair, focusing dark eyes on blue. "Spike?" he asked, not willing to elevate Spike to anything but what he'd called him. "What's going on?"

"Can't tell you yet, Angel. Just listen. I need you to answer me, okay?" Spike was watching Puppy intently, waiting for some kind of answer. When Puppy finally nodded, the blond went on with what he had to say. "I can't tell you what's happening yet because you really wouldn't believe it. It's...bloody bizarre and that's an understatement if I ever heard one...or said one either."

Puppy opened his mouth, feeling a little better only because with focusing on Spike, it was easy to start to forget that his number one torturer was just across the room. Before Angel could speak however, Spike was cutting him off with his own words which demanded to be answered.

"I just need to know if you're going to freak out on me, Angel. Xander..."

Puppy flinched, but didn't move away, and Spike went on.

"Xander and Willow are going to be with us. They are on your side, as are the others. Do you understand?" Spike lowered his chin, while looking up with his eyes at the same time, making his expression a little more serious as he waited. "Angel?"

"I think so," Puppy answered even as a million questions flooded into his brain, all really the same thing but expressed in a slightly more panicked tone each time it was repeated ~What the Hell is going on? "I won't freak."

"Good," Spike said, smiling in relief. "That's good." As if on cue, Xander seemed to appear from behind his lover, stepping up to join her before he too bowed his head in open admiration.

"Master. Everything is prepared. The other's are waiting for us to come along." Xander's hand reached sideways, finding Willow's and clasping on. The two held each other that way, waiting for Spike to reply.

"Waiting for us?"  Spike growled low and angry and Puppy took a worried step back, as did the two vampires before them. "Bloody Hell, Xander. Do I have to do everything around here?" In a flash, Spike was across the room, Xander's hair in his hand, head pulled back painfully as the boy was forced to his knees.

"I told you I wanted them to come here, didn't I? So, why are they somewhere waiting for us to come?" The rage in Spike's voice was palpable, sending out a radiance of heat that made the air oppressive and scary. Spike growled again before his hand disappeared into his coat, pulling out a stake and embedding the thing directly into Xander's undead heart. Xander had a moment to gasp in pain before Spike pulled the weapon out and then the boy collapsed to the floor with a broken cry. "Not real," he growled. "But next time it will be! Understand?"

"Yes, Master," Xander moaned from the floor, curling around his bleeding chest but doing nothing to retaliate in any way. "Please forgive me. I was wrong."

"Don't want to hear it," Spike said, looking over his shoulder to a very stunned Puppy. "Just do what I say and you'll still be around when we get where were going." Spike grinned, and the air in the room changed again, lifting and lightening as he let out a sigh. "okay then. We're all ready to go. Angel. You'll go with Xander. Make sure he behaves himself and doesn't mess up again. If he starts to act up, just kill him."

Puppy's mouth fell open, not sure how he could possibly have the power to do that but he nodded meekly when Spike demanded that he answer. "I will." How? How could he? Puppy had no idea at all but that didn't really seem to matter and so he readily agreed.

"Good. Willow will be with me. We'll meet at the half way mark. Xander knows where to go and when we get there, there will be time to rest. We can hunt or eat or whatever. Understood?"

Angel didn't want to hunt. He didn't want to hurt people and he didn't want to go with Xander at all. He hated Xander and didn't Spike understand anything about what had happened and... God, this was just so fucked up that Angel was sure that he was going to start screaming for answers but somehow he just kept perfectly still. "Yes, I do," ~No, no, no, no.......~ But it didn't matter.

Xander had gotten up and there was a bright red stain on the off white shirt that he'd been wearing but that Puppy had failed to notice. The stain looked like Xander's chest had been crying and in a way, Puppy supposed that it had. God, he really did not understand at all. Nothing made sense and Puppy wanted to demand that someone just tell him what the Hell was going on.

Spike made a gesture and a shimmering occurred. The air wavered as though a sudden heat had sprung up, starting on the floor and rising with a frantic energy toward the ceiling. "I'm warning you, Xander. You do anything stupid and you will wish that you died when the Master was killed." Heat infused Spike's words and Xander stiffened in fear. "You'll beg to die quickly, boy and you know what I'm telling you is true."

Xander nodded, body shaking with either terror or rage, or possibly both. "Yes, Master," he said though there might have been a slight choking on part of the response as Xander was obviously loathed in the saying of it. "I'll be a perfect, perfect pet."

Spike was smirking and his hand was petting Xander like the Puppy that Angel had become. "Just what I wanted to hear," and then, the blond was turning and he was moving to the shimmer. Willow stood behind Spike, giving Xander a forlorn look before the air sped up around them and in a flash of light and warmth, both of the vampires were gone.

"Spike?" Angel yelped the name because suddenly his fear was rushing in and he felt as though a thin veil had suddenly been yanked away from over his eyes. Puppy swallowed heavily, gasping for breath as his eyes found Xander's and he moaned. Oh, God, he was going to die. Oh, God, he was going to die. Oh God

"Well, Hello Puppy," Xander greeted, sauntering over with such on look on his face that Puppy almost bolted straight through the wall. "Looks like it's just you and me and you know how I like it when we're together." Almost there now. Xander was close enough to touch an all Puppy could do was tremble. "Oh, you're scared, aren't you? So scared that I might just reach out and touch you."

Puppy yelped, jumping as Xander did just that. "Please, Master," he said because Xander was his Master and had been for some time. No matter how much he denied it, no matter how many times he'd cursed the two when they were gone, the simple fact remained. Xander was the boss and Angel would do what he was told. "Please don't hurt me. I'm sorry. I'll be good. I promise."

Xander ran his hand over Puppy's cheek, watching as a tear slid down the others perfect pale cheek. "I bet you do," he murmured before leaning forward and doing what he had before. The kiss sent a shock wave of confusion through Puppy and he looked up as more tears continued to fall. "I'm not going to hurt you, Puppy. Not now, not ever. I can't." Xander placed one more kiss and then he looked around. That was when Puppy realized that something had happened.

"Where are we?" Puppy asked, his voice rough with emotion as he took the moment to look around. "I don't understand." And the room that they'd been in was gone. Completely. Now, hardwood surrounded the two, warm and inviting and oh so nice and safe. Xander's white shirt was a deep dark blue and his pants were no longer leather but black tight jeans that hugged and showed up the boy to a very arousing degree. "How did we get here?"

Xander shrugged, and a strange shy smile was lighting up his face. "Does it matter?" Xander then let his hand drop away as he turned. A door on the far side of the room was open, showing another room beyond and what looked like something that might lead to the way outdoors. "We have some ways to go, Angel." No Puppy? The play name seemed to have been dropped. "There is one thing I have to do on the way but the stop won't take long at all, and Spike will never know at all."

Puppy felt a tiny flash of fright at the words but strangely the feeling quickly went away. "Where?" he asked as Xander moved toward the other room and the older vampire found himself trailing along behind. "What do you have to do?"

Xander had reached the far door now and he turned back to consider the question carefully. "Something," he said which only made Puppy shiver in response. The tone that Xander had used, sounded so filled with heartache that Puppy found himself wanting to go over and comfort his formerly very unkindly Master. "Just something." Xander's hand was on the door and there was a knob that he was turning.

Puppy whimpered then, remembering that it was supposed to be day and that if Xander opened the door and didn't move, the young vampire would be vaporized in seconds before he could get away. "Don't." Puppy managed, as he started to run, tried to stop the door from being thrown wide as Xander was now about to do.

The door opened up wide and Xander stepped outside. And it was dark. Stars provided the only light, filling the sky for as far as eye could see. Puppy stepped out behind the other and he was filled with an awe inspiring sensation that made him feel like he'd died again and gone to a better place than ever he'd been before.  Beautiful. So beautiful.

"Are you ready, Angel?" Xander was watching Puppy with dark brooding eyes, waiting. "This won't last forever. We really need to go, so are you ready?"

Was he ready? Puppy blinked, staring up at stars that he had the strange impression that he could reach up and pluck from the sky. He felt like he could hold one bright point of splendor in the palm of his hand and keep himself warmed by it forever.

Was he ready? No. Never. Please, what was going on? What? If someone would just tell him what was going on. "I guess so," Puppy answered, before his eyes met Xander's and there's was something akin to understanding. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Good." Xander put his hand on Angel's shoulder and though Puppy flinched at the touch, he did not try and move away. "Then, lets' go." The air wavered around them and Angel closed his eyes. For the tiniest fraction of a second, he was floating and music flowed around, in and through him.

"Ready." Puppy whispered again, before both vampire's vanished in the same rippling that had taken Willow and Spike, as did the scenery they'd left behind them.

~Part: 4~

"No," Puppy stated, tired of the hopping around, and he was getting dizzy in the mean time. "I'm not going anywhere else until you tell me what the hell is going on." He glared at Xander  who was across the room, growling in frustration and defiance.

Xander echoed the sound, tensing minutely before a shiver seemed travel over his body. For a moment, Xander held himself very still before he turned to focus on his companion  "OK," Xander finally said and the next portal that they'd been about to step into, simply faded away. "We'll stay here and rest. Spike won't like it but I think we have about an hour."  Xander grinned, touching the wall closest as he met Puppy's eyes. "We'll just...rest here."

Puppy found himself frowning because they'd been in a such a hurry before and now,   just like that, he was getting his way. "Well...good then," he said, going for brave but sounding startled and edgy. And where were they now anyway?   The older vampire looked around, examining the area that they'd found themselves, but he came up empty. "Where are we?" He didn't recognize the room but there was something here. Something…familiar. The smell maybe? Puppy took a breath, scenting the air but nothing connected.

Puppy shivered with the feeling, unable to keep Xander's direct eye contact for long. He looked down at the carpeting, before focusing on the wall by Xander's hand.

But there were questions and Puppy wanted answers, so he cleared his throat and whispered,  "Why do we have to keep jumping around like this?"

And he wanted to know but still there was that deep gutted terror that said he had not right to question anything that Xander did. In the past, Puppy had sometimes ventured to growl out a pitiful query, gaining only more lashes of the whip or a cool hard cock shoved into the nearest ready opening. So, to ask was to risk…but he simply had to know.

Why was he not being punished for questioning in the first place? Puppy paused long enough to know he would not be hurt before he started again,

"Master...." Puppy froze, gritting his teeth before he managed to go on. "Xander...please tell me what's going on."

Xander grinned then, but his words were hinted with a strange mixture of triumph and glee. "What's the matter, Angel?  Still want me to tell you what to do?" Xander paused, hand still on the wall as he stroked the smooth surface almost sensually. "Want to be my pet, Angel? Still want to call me...Master?"

Puppy shivered at the idea of it, feeling ill because he knew that what Xander was saying was true. He wasn't even sure why he'd decided to stop calling Xander his Master in the first place. After all, he'd only just gotten away from the other and Spike's appearance surely wasn't enough to change the status of the last nine to twelve months that easily, was it? Puppy looked downward but Xander was still talking in a voice that said that he was more than happy by what he'd been saying.

"I'd think," Xander murmured as he moved a few feet closer, "that a creature such as yourself, wouldn't take this easily to wanting to be controlled."

Another step closer still and Xander was grinning. "The scourge of Europe...Right. Angelus, creator of Drusilla and Grandsire to William the Bloody. Childe to Darla and Grandchilde to the Master himself." Xander growled, his voice sneering and angry once more as he went on. "You travelled around the world causing all kinds of torment for the humans. The Master even commented that you were arrogant and un-trainable."

Angel flinched, not wanting to hear this. He already knew his own history and did not need a lesson to remind him. He also already knew how he'd come to these shores after the curse, after wandering for some time alone as he wished for something more.  No, there had been too much pain in-between then and now. Too much wanting and too much hunger and Puppy knew it all too well.

"I guess he was wrong," Xander teased the other, snorting. "You trained just fine to me."

Angel glanced up for a second then and words almost came to his mouth that had suddenly sprang into his mind. Things such as, Puppy not being the only one trained. After all, Xander had done exactly what Spike had told him so far and as far as Angel could see, there was nothing that explained this control. Why was Xander doing what he was told one moment and fully defying the next? The only thing that Puppy could figure was that there had to be something that he was simply missing but for the unlife of him, he really had no clue. And did it really matter?

~Master~ Puppy thought again, this time with a touch of  reverence that overrode everything that Spike had told them before. No. Puppy hated Xander but that also didn't matter.  He'd hoped before and always, there had been failure and this could be no different. The scenario was changed, more elaborate... but the outcome would be the same. Puppy was sure of this, and in a way, the knowledge that he would not get away from Xander, made him feel safer than the worry of hoping that he might succeed when he'd always failed before.

Xander shrugged, not noticing his pet's distraction or not caring if he did. He'd paused in his talking, conveniently it seemed but now he was going on.

"I remember when we found you, Angel. You were helping some humans escape one of our night traps." Xander crossed his arms, contemplating that. "Too bad that your plan didn't work. We killed them all you know. Every last one of them."

Puppy remembered all to well, as he recalled being captured and pushed in to a cage. He's then been taken to a cell and the training had begun. Puppy couldn't forget that no matter how much he wanted to, so why was Xander reminding him now? Even now, Angel could feel the cool touch of the Masters fingers as they trailed down his back and then lower still. Touching, possessing and then handing him over to Xander and Willow to be treated as the two saw fit. And once they'd realized that he had a soul?

Puppy moaned again, saying with as much defiance as he could muster, "I don't want to be your pet." A wave of terror washed through him as the words were said because they felt so futilely familiar. Not recently said, but something that Puppy'd managed to get out once upon a time. But that was before they'd realized other ways of making him keep his disagreements to himself and that only made Puppy cringe because he shouldn't have said anything just now.

"Don't you?" Xander was watching Puppy as he stood casual and curious. Puppy braved a glance up and he finally realized that they were in a bedroom. In fact that was very obvious in fact as there was a bed and a dresser up against the wall beside Xander. He also realized his words had not gotten him punished, for which Puppy was grateful…and disappointed? Maybe.

Puppy looked down again, the image of his surrounding burned into his mind as he tried to hold the details for later observations. The furniture held things that looked very much like what a teenage girl might possess and he thought that he had seen some makeup. Puppy shivered at the idea of being in a young girls room, hoping that no one would have to be hurt. Someone like his sister, who he had killed himself so long ago when things had been easy and Puppy had been his own boss. So long ago. God, he missed Darla.

Puppy shivered at the memory before he looked up again briefly. Xander was looking at him as though waiting for attention. There was a look of annoyance there, and a growl in his Master's voice as he went on.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten the pleasure we gave you as well as the pain, Puppy, " Xander ground out, and Angel was sorry that he'd let his mind wander but now he was thinking of other things.

Puppy was recalling nights of pure bliss, when Master and Mistress came home from the hunt and they were generous in everything that they did to him.

Puppy remembered...guilt because he could not save who had been killed, but also he remembered the touching. Xander licking and rubbing as Willow teased her Puppy to painful hardness and eventual sobbing relief. He remembered crystal clear and he almost wished that he'd been able to completely give in to what they had offered to reward him with...such treasures that were tainted only by the soul that knew that what they did was wrong and he himself was damned because he took pleasure from anything at all.

"Puppy."

Puppy startled because Xander had suddenly crossed over and his Master was now standing close enough to cause alarm. "Don't," Puppy pleaded in instant panic, just managing to keep from trying to get away. Something kept Puppy still however as he stood there panting lightly and waiting to see what Xander had to say; what he would do about Puppy's roving mind.

"Don't," Xander echoed back, the tone of the word holding soft mocking as he whispered it into Puppy's ear. "Stop." He licked the pale flesh causing Puppy to tremble almost violently before adding in a tone of utter cruelty, "Please."

Puppy moaned, taking a step back before he stopped as he felt the wall behind and  against the heels of his shoes. The fact that Xander had said that he wasn't going to hurt him, was somehow now going through Puppy's mind in a dizzying circle of disbelief along with other things which wouldn't quite keep themselves still. "Xander…please."

"Call me Master," Xander replied before he put one of his hands onto Puppy's chest and pushed him back against that wall just a touch rougher than was needed. Angel whimpered as he felt the surface behind him against his back and he realized that he had nowhere to go.

"Tell me you want this, puppy. Tell me...you want me to tie you to the bed and hurt you like I always have. Tell me, you want me to claim you again because you're already mine and I deserve to do this whenever I find it pleases me. Tell me..."

With renewed terror, Puppy could feel his body responding.  He felt his face flush with embarrassment and then anger as he tried to stop this from happening.

"Spike said..." What? To kill Xander if he misbehaved? Surely this must be high on the scale of naughty...but for some reason that was as far as Puppy was able to go. He wanted to say more about what Spike had said when they were in that room before, but nothing else was coming out no matter what his brain was screaming that he say.

"Hmm?" Xander's hand was sliding down and then it was resting over the bulge in Puppy's pants. "What did Spike say, pet? Tell me." The hand became cupping and then it gave a not so gentle squeeze causing Puppy to yelp.

"Well?"

"He...said.." Puppy paused, feeling dizzy and confused. Xander knew exactly what Spike had said because he had been there as well. Didn’t he? He had to know.

"He said..." Another wave of dizziness rode through Puppy but he realized with horror that his hips were pushing forward on their own accord. He could feel Xander's hand fondling him roughly and all Puppy could think about was how he wanted even more.

"Please Master." The word felt safe and yet horrible. Puppy moaned wantonly as the hand hold lightened and Xander spoke so softly into  his ear.

"Good Boy. You know what I want." Xander massaged Puppy's hard, cloth covered crotch,  as his mouth moved to ghost over his pet's lips.  "Just think about this. I own you, Puppy. The Master gave you to me and no matter what Spike tells you...or says to us when we're together, this one fact will never change."

Angel's eyes had slid closed now and his head was tilted as though to offer up his neck as he'd been thoroughly trained to do. "Yours," he said because he was suddenly in a place that he knew all about. No, he didn't know what was going on. No, he had no idea what was going to happen...but that didn't matter. He was Xander's pet and he knew what he was once again to be used for. "Please."

"Please?" Xander's lips parted and his tongue flickered out to wet his pet's nose in a teasing gesture that had nothing to do with gentle fun.  "No. You please me and then I will tell you what you want to know." Xander's' voice sounded reasonable and there was a touch of a purr to it. "I promise."

"Wha..." Angel's eyes flew open in surprise. He didn't know why Xander was offering to tell his pet what was wanted and needed, but Puppy wasn't about to refuse by any means. Not if he could help it. "You'll tell me?"

~Please, please, please~

Hope. Angel felt something hopeful, because really that was all that he wanted at this point and more than he'd imagined he might receive. He just wanted to know why they were here. Why Spike and Xander were able to do the things that they'd done. The portals, after all, opened for his Master as well as his grandchilde and he just wanted to know why that was. "Please. I just want to know. Please tell me, Master."

Xander pulled back and he was grinning again. "I can do that," he said smugly. "And all you have to do is do exactly what you've done before. Please me, slave and I'll tell you exactly what you want to know. Everything."

Puppy nodded gratefully, the old anger that he felt every time Xander and Willow had left him to his pain somehow not even bothering to show. Instead, Puppy was in a place of eager pleasing, which was also something that had happened to him in times of possible reward. Willow and Xander had been horrible to their pet over the last year but sometimes they had been generous as well. Sometimes.

"Get to it then," Xander ground out before he backed away just enough to give Puppy the room that he might need. Xander's hand was now on the back of Puppy's neck, having moved there without much thought and falling into a spot that was customary to them both. "Please me, Puppy."

Puppy went down to his knees, his face coming level to his Masters covered crotch. He leaned forward, nuzzling that spot as he remembered the times before.

The first time they'd made him do this, Angel had managed to break one of the guards arms that was trying to hold him still. Willow had brought in ten humans and proceeded to kill them one at a time until Puppy had complied. Xander had stood in front of his pet then, with a hand on Puppy's dark spiky hair, fucking his mouth and throat raw and then leaving him for days without feeding. Willow had come in every day and whipped his back bloody raw. The next time Xander came to his pet, Puppy wasn't quite as rebellious and had done exactly what his Master had told him to do.  That time, no one had died and Puppy had been allowed to have some food.

"Good, Puppy," Xander murmured, his fingers now entwined in his pet's hair loosely. "You know how I love your mouth on my cock. You know how I want you."

 "Yes, Master." Puppy brought his hands up, moving through this part with his eyes closed. In his head, he was already taking Xander into his mouth, already feeling the fullness against his tongue and the way his Masters glans would brush over the roof of his mouth, along with the rest of the thick column of flesh. Puppy shivered, undoing the jeans and then pulling down the zipper. The sound of it sent a shiver down the kneeling vampire's spine but he managed not to pull away. He had to know what was going on, why he was there...and Xander was the only one who would tell him. Puppy just had to do this. There was no other choice and it was as simple as that.

"Spike doesn't care about you," Xander said from above and Puppy almost didn't catch the meaning. He was nuzzling the opened space before him, his tongue flickering out to taste. He pushed his nose forward, teasing the fine hairs that stuck out around his masters confined cock.

"Spike thinks he knows everything about everything. He think he's better than..." Xander's fingers tightened in Angel's hair then as his pet pulled the top of his masters pants down. A pale hard cock was revealed, popping out from behind denim like a naughty magic trick.

"Slow," Xander said then, wanting this to last though they were running on a time table. "Do it right."

"Everything?" Puppy wanted to know everything too but he also knew what he needed to do. Tugging the pants down even further, Angel licked his lips before he carefully covered up his teeth. Master didn't like to be scratched in any way possible. But what did Spike know exactly and would the blond share what he knew?

"No talk, slave," Xander growled as he thrust his hips forward to get his pets attention. Angel opened up and obediently took Xander in. No talk, and that was very easily delivered with a hard dick in his mouth. ~Master~ he thought, as his mind clouded and the pattern of sucking came to him as easily as tying a shoe. It wasn't something that he thought about but only something that he simply performed. He had done this too many times to count since the first time they'd whipped him for daring to do other wise.

Puppy took Xander in deeper and his mind closed down.

"Hmm," Xander moaned, shoving into the cool passage that surrounded him, both hands clutching the black hair now. "Mine. Fuck..Mine." and he was close to coming but wasn't ready just yet. There should be something more because this was just a touch too easy. Maybe he should go all the way and take his pet as was the custom. He should make sure that Puppy knew who owned him so that later there would be no doubts and then he would be sure to get exactly what he'd hoped for. Hmmm...yessss.

 Puppy's hands were hugged loosely around his Masters legs now as he took Xander in deeper with every thrust. He could feel an orgasm was approaching and he was ready to swallow every drop down as he'd been taught. But there was something else that he needed to do and until that happened, the act was not completely correct at all.  Puppy worked his throat around his masters need and then with a wave of nausea, the tormented creature forced himself to purr.

Xander let out a strangled moan of surprise as vibrations sent pleasure through his cock that radiated through him in a way that caught the standing vampire off guard. How could he have forgotten this part? Xander was thrusting brutally into Puppy's mouth now, howling his need as his balls tightened up and the orgasm rushed at him like a speeding bullet. "FuckfuckFuckfuck," he screamed, slamming into his slave without care of pain or bruising. "FUUUCCK!! "

Puppy's felt the rush of Xander's seed spill into his mouth and then into his throat as his Master climaxed in mid thrust. Eyes rolling upward into his head, Puppy did his best to hold on and to keep up the purring rumble that his master had always demanded. He swallowed the thick liquidy goop that shot against the back of his throat, hoping that the ride would be over soon...and then just like that, it was.

Slowly, Puppy came back to himself, his Master's softening cock still in his mouth but starting to slide free.

As the dreamer coming to his senses, Puppy blinked sleepily and then pulled away, swallowing the last drops of his masters sticky seed. He glanced up, seeing a look of total bliss before he focused on licking over any remaining mess on his masters flesh. Everything seemed to be ok and Puppy was relieved. "Now… you'll tell me?"

Xander took in a long shuddering breath, swaying forward to halfway lean on his pets head with both hands that had been resting there still. "God, that was fucking good," he said after a moment as his cock tried to decide if it wanted to go on with the rest of what they always did. A twitching motion besides Puppy's mouth, gave proof to the fact that it did.  "You're not done," Xander muttered, sounding slightly annoyed. "Want to fuck you, slave. You know that."

Puppy looked down, the once again bobbing cock, tapping him lightly on the top of his head. "Yes, Master...but please." He needed something if he was going to go as far as the other wanted him to go. He had to know *Something* "Please, Master," he moaned. "Please." And there were tears on his face now and Puppy just felt so damned lost. He felt that he'd given himself up for something that wasn't even likely to pay off but that he had to do this because...he didn't even know the reason why. He just did. "Please.."

Xander had kicked his pants away now despite the fact that Puppy should have done this. He padded away from Puppy, going to the door which he opened a touch and looked out through and into the hall. Nothing. It was silent and they really were running out of time. A clock on the far wall noted the fact that they only had half an hour left, but it was enough he was sure. Enough to claim his pet and to give the other some small type of information that Spike would likely tell him when they arrived.

"You forget yourself, slave." Xander mentioned, turning from the door and walking over. He had a look of satisfaction on his face because he knew that this would just take the cake. "I'm going to claim you, pet," Xander crooned, "and then, I might answer your questions...if I feel like it."

"Might?" Puppy was looking up from his place on the floor and he found that he suddenly didn't like that. "Might?" he repeated and now his own anger was there. "You said..." Puppy was up and on his feet, glaring in anger. "I...you...No!"  Puppy growled something that was frustration, anger, and terror all rolled into one. He launched himself across the room at his Master, only to be slapped aside with a fast moving fist. Angel hit the dresser, rattling things before he fell to his side with a moan. "No. You told me you would tell me. Please. I need to know."

Xander's hand was in Puppy's hair, pulling his head painfully back. He growled, jerking Puppy over to the bed before he forced him to bend over the end of it. "I don't have to tell you anything," he snapped, tearing Puppy's pants off brutally and then grabbing his pets hips and tilting them upward. Xander spit onto his hands and then coated his cock with the slick substance. He pushed Angel's' head down against the bed before thrusting into the others tight hole and moaning out angrily, "I own you!  I own you body… heart... and soul."

Xander set about a gruelling pace of pounding then, hands on his pet's hips before he bent over to find a spot that was a favourite. Demon face transforming, Xander opened his mouth and bit down hard, renewing his claim as he once again spilled cool seed into the Puppy's tight passage.

"Mine. Always mine. Always will be mine." Xander had pulled his fangs free to declare his words and he gave the punctures a few licks before pulling out and away, leaving his pet to recover. “And don't you fucking forget it."

"Yes..."Puppy was stunned but he knew that this was finally true. He didn't move but only lay there and waited. "I'm sorry," he whispered, Buffy's face floating in his mind, along with Whistler and then Spike...and lastly his Master. "Please…I'm sorry."

Xander giggled, realizing that he'd done what he'd wanted to do and that he was that much closer to getting exactly what he'd wished for. Xander looked his pet over, still resting his head on the bed and he nodded. "Yeah. You are," he said before sitting down beside his pet. "Come here. Lay your head here."

Xander patted his lap, and Angel wiggled up to comply. He put his head on Xander's leg and shivered. "It's ok, pet," Xander said then, running his hand over Puppy's body. "I am going to tell you something that you want to know but...I don't want you to question me again. When Spike's around, or Willow or anyone, you will pretend like everything is normal. When you're just with me, you will treat me as your Master, which I am."

"Yes, Master," Puppy agreed to with his eyes closed tight. "I will. I'm sorry. Please don't be mad." And everything was so simple. All of that time with Willow and Xander had trained him for this. Buffy's coming had changed nothing. Spike's helping had changed nothing. He belonged to Xander and that was all that there was to this. "Thank you, Master. I'm sorry."

Xander purred softly then, continuing to touch his pet. He noticed that there was a bruise on his pets forehead and he had the idea that Puppy must have hit his head when he went down. No matter. This would heal soon enough and if not before they left, he was sure he could think of a story...or maybe he wouldn't even bother. Spike had no power over him. Yeah, that was right. Spike just thought he was something wonderful. Xander would show...

Puppy wiggled against Xander, drawing the younger vampires attention. "Master?" he asked. "You seem tense. Is everything ok?" They should probably get going.

Xander glanced down, forcing himself to relax. "It's ok, Puppy," he said. "I was just thinking...and I told you that I would tell you something so I will."

Puppy smiled, not believing his luck but happy all the same. "Thank you, Master," he said. "I'd like that." Puppy purred shortly but then stilled, listening to what Xander had to say.

"Have you ever heard of a vengeance demon?" Xander began in a voice that was filled with musing. "Have you every heard about wishes that came true just because someone thought they had been wronged and then there was someone there to avenge them?"

Puppy frowned, snuggling against Xander's lap but having no clue as to what his master was talking about. "I don't know," he admitted with a sigh, wondering what this had to do with him at all. "Did someone make a wish?" and if so, who had received the vengeance? Certainly not him or he'd not have been fucked and put into his place...which now that it had happened, he didn't mind as much as he would have. It was familiar at least despite the countless times he had cursed at the act of being taken. The one familiar act in the craziness that was quickly taking over his life.

"You could say that," Xander said, looking toward the door. They had about ten minutes left that he could tell and they would need to get going. "Pull your pants up."

Puppy nodded, doing as he was told before laying his head down again. "A wish?" he asked, still not understanding. "And this is what’s causing everything to happen?"

"Sort of," Xander said thoughtfully. He looked down at his pets head in his lap and found that it was hard to believe that Puppy would give in so easily as he had done. For months, Xander and Willow had fought the other, and when the slayer had shown up, Puppy had been the one to lead her to the factory and to a hopeful defeat of the Master. The Master, who had threatened both Xander and his lover, simply could not be tolerated any more. Xander could not have that nor could his lover...and so he had vowed that something be different.

Right after the master had made them go out and kill that girl who had spoke of the Slayer, Xander had gotten back and he had gotten a chance to do some thinking on his own. And he'd been angry. Yes, they had pleased the Master this time but what of the next? and that was when Xander did something. That was when Xander made a wish.

And someone had answered it.  "Three wishes, Puppy," but Xander still found parts of the wishing to be slightly hazy. He did know that everything was different but he wasn't sure how that he knew. He only knew that something very interesting had happened in that moment, when he'd said the words with heated passion. Everything had changed.

Wishes and spells and things happening that never should have happened in the first place at all and all very strange. All of it was an exercise in strange conceptions...except that all of it was real and a lot more than just someone's dreams now. Wishes had been granted and where they would lead was anyone's guess at all.

"Master?" Puppy wiggled, looking up and still confused. "I don't understand. Who wished?"

Xander shrugged then, running his hand over Puppy's body again as he thought about what to say. "Doesn't matter," he finally answered in a voice that would brook no questioning.

"Just remember that you're mine and that I don't want you letting Spike know what I did here. He'll find out soon enough, so...just don't." and if Spike did know, than there could be trouble. Spike could be very dangerous if he got it into his head and there was also the fact of their agreements. This was going against certain happenings and if the blond found out, then...well, he didn't want to think about it.

"Do you understand, Puppy?" Xander asked, pushing away the thoughts of discovering. "Tell me that you do."

Puppy didn't really but he nodded dutifully.

Xander pushed himself up and then got his pet onto his feet. "Spike told me that he would tell you more when we got there," Xander said then as the light from before flared into life causing Puppy to whimper before holding himself still. "He actually knows a lot more than I do," Xander said, even if it wasn't exactly true. Spike knew things about what he wanted to do, as Xander knew about his own agenda's, but then again, who said that he always had to tell the truth? "Ready?"

Puppy stood there, holding himself and feeling pained. His head hurt and he was frightened. He was angry at himself as well because he had done again what he always swore that he would never do when his captors left.

He had called Xander Master again, which only took them back to where he had been before. Master. Xander was his Master.

Head spinning, Puppy took in a deep breath and then stepped closer to Xander. His shoulder also still hurt but it seemed to be healing as his head most likely was too. "Did you say that we had...another place to go?" Puppy paused, looking to Xander, who looked back with a frown. "Master," he finished, feeling i ll at what had happened to him but feeling better now that he'd said it. "Some place before we met with the others?"

  "Yes," Xander stated with a wry grin. The light was expanding and Puppy realized that the room around them was fading out around the edges. He felt Xander grab his arm and pushed him through...and just as they both popped onto their next location, the older vampire heard. "This was the place. I did exactly what I needed to do. Everything is perfect."

And then the light engulfed them both, and they were on the move again.

~~~*~~~

Spike glanced up as Xander and Puppy appeared in front of the desk that he was currently sitting in.   Puppy looked shaken but otherwise okay as far as Spike could see The shy vampire gaze had shifted downward as soon as Spike had looked at him, making his Puppy's being difficult to discern right now.

Spike took in a breath and let it out slowly. Time to do this then, and they needed to decide what to do next. Also, Puppy would need to know certain things before they could continue and Spike never had been into explainations..but that was how the game would be played.

 Cat and mouse. Dru would like that analogy, he was sure and for now, the imagery fit quite nicely.

Putting put down the pen that he'd been using Spike closed the very large book that he'd finished marking in as and took one last breath to prepare himself. He licked his lips, gaze slipping over to Xander, noting something that he did not care for at all and something unexpected. Spike frowned, pushing his chair back from the desk, hoping that he was mistaken.

Xander looked up, a startled look crossing his face before it went away. The boys mouth parted slightly and Spike held back a growl. Was Xander really stupid as he'd thought him to be? Apparently so but again, the blond hoped that he was wrong.

Gaze downward, Puppy licked his lips nervously as he waited for his grandchilde to speak. He sensed that Spike was watching them,  and Puppy wondered if his grandchilde might come over now. The soft scrape of the chair over the floor had sent a shiver through Puppy but he managed to keep that feeling to himself. Really, all he had to do was wait and how hard could that possibly be?

Briefly, Puppy fought the urge to find out what Spike's expression might be, but somehow, he kept from looking up. If he did so, Spike might see the embarrassment in his eyes and Puppy wasn't sure that he could take that right now, or what might come after. No. Puppy would keep his eyes fixated downward, and let Xander...Master do the speaking.

"There you are," Spike said as he got up from his chair, a movement smooth and unhurried before he sauntered around to the front of the desk and made his way over to the two vampires waiting for him. Spike put a hand on Puppy's shoulder when he'd reached them, noting the slight flinch that he received in response to the contact.

Interesting, but not completely different. Spike took that moment to glance over to Xander, and his eyes fixated again on the spot that he'd noted even from across the area between desk and here. "Angel," Spike said, making an effort to keep his tone light, despite what he was seeing and what he wanted to comment on because now his thoughts had been confirmed, Spike said, "What do you think of the portals, Puppy? They make you dizzy, don't they?"

Puppy looked up, his eyes flickering over to Xander before he answered hid grandsire's question. "Yes," he said, "they're very confusing, Spike. I didn't know what was going on and we kept going through them one at a time..and without stopping at all." There. He'd said it. Puppy winced, knowing that he'd told a lie but also knowing that he was doing what his Master had told him to do. He wasn't sure if he should feel good or scared for this betrayal and part of him hoped that Spike might actually know the truth and not believe him.

"I see," Spike said, nodding before he headed over to Xander who was only a step or two away at most. "No stops at all, huh?" Spike stared at Xander hard and until the young vampire started to fidget in discomfort. "Is that right?"

Xander growled and then he frowned because he suddenly realized that he'd made a very stupid mistake. "I..no," he whispered, feeling his defiance slithering away and his stomach flipping because of something he'd somehow missed before. "No stops," he tried for weakly, but Xander could feel something wet where a slight breeze blew over still slightly parted lips and he suddenly found himself trying to adjust what he'd said. "Only a..small stop?"

Spike's hand moved, coming to trace the down turned corner of Xander's lips as he snorted. "Such a bloody childe," he mentioned as he wiped away the spot of red that stained Xander's mouth at the corner. "and you're were supposed to be one of the Master's favorites? I hardly think so." Spike brought the finger to his own mouth and licked at it carefully with his eyes fixed glaringly onto Xander's. The act was redundant at this point but he did it all the same, grinning to himself as he caught Puppy looking up from the corner of his eye, face gone slack with his own realization. Spike didn't spare his Grandsire even a moment's glance. Instead, he let his hand come up to touch Xander's shirt, fingers touching the buttons there teasingly.

"Sorry. I must have misheard you," he said with a pur that was full of edginess and something akin to toying. Cat and mouse..yes, he did like this game now.

"You said no stops, Puppy?"

Puppy made a squeaking sound, moving a touch away, feet taking him side ways. "No..Yes?" he whispered. "Just..yes?" Oh, God. Puppy shivered, trying to figure out what Xander wanted him to do or say but his Master only stared straight ahead.  To Angel, it looked as though he might want to disappear into the ground or run away as far as he could possibly make it "just a short stop, Spike. Only..."

"Hmmm, I see," And Spike sounded so calm that Puppy felt a shiver run up his spike and back again because when the blond became this collected that meant something was waiting just under the surface to explode. Puppy had seen this in the past, when they had traveled, though such things rarely occurred with his brash and impulsive Grandchilde. But..when they did, then bad things were bound to happen.

"Just a small stop...and you just decided to let Xander bite you while you traveling on the way?"

Stupid, stupid, Xander berated himself, but keeping very still as he said. "So what if we did? Puppy was tired and he wanted to rest...so we did."

Puppy cringed at that but the wording was correct at least on that part of the story, was it not? So, technically, this was his fault...kind of, right? Xander stopped for him and then things just got carried away and really, Puppy only got what he deserved, so this was all unneeded, wasn't it? Puppy nodded in his mind, his mouth starting to open to say this and to make things better with Xander and Spike as a whole, but then his Master was speaking and there was nothing for him to say.

Xander sneered then, taking his own step back from the hand that had turned to resting over the silk of his blue shirt. "Puppy wanted me to bite him. He wants me to be his Master and you can even ask him, so guess what...big bad? You are out of luck. " Xander's voice was getting louder as he gained confidence because Spike wasn't doing anything to him but only looking on with a scowling twist of his lips that showed displeasure.

"You lose and I win, so..why don't you just stop acting like you're so tough." Xander openly grinned now and he even ignored the open warning that came from Spike in the form of a low vibrating growl. "You're nothing, William the bloody. You're just.." Xander giggled, saying with total disrespect and disregard. "Bloody Awful..."

Spike's fist flew and Xander only had a second to see tightly clenched fisted knuckles before he was sent flying across the room in pain.

"You used him!" Spike growled in anger, traveling across the room to Xander and then grabbing the other by his shirt and hauling him up and around to punch again even harder. Xander went to the ground and Spike kicked him solidly in the side. "What the Hell is wrong with you, Xander Harris?" Spike demanded heatedly, "I tell you a simple thing and you can't even obey that. Are you just amazingly stupid or.. No. It's simple. You are a stupid, worthless, bloody idiot!"

Puppy whimpered as Spike turned on him, glowering with rage. Xander Harris? Xander had a last name? Of course he had a last name, came the crazy thought in Puppy's otherwise stunned mind. Puppy managed a whimper before he stepped back in fear. "Please, Spike. It was only a short stop. He was...hungry. Please."

Puppy took another step back, unsure if he should help Xander or run himself. "I just wanted to help.. He needed me."

"You lied to me!" Spike cut through with raw heat. "I saved your worthless grandsire hide and you have the *nerve* to lie to me! And for him!" Spike clenched and unclenched his hand, the look on his face clearly saying that he was trying not to use that same fist on Puppy's flesh as well.

Puppy hugged himself around the middle, mind buzzing but unable to think of anything to say, his excuses all fled as he hoped that Xander would get up and they could just pretend that this had never happened at all.

"Master," Xander pleaded weakly from the floor. "I only took what was mine, " he whispered, "he belongs.."

Spike's foot struck out, slamming into Xander's face viscously at full force and blood spurted from the now broken nose. "You don't own anything, lame brain. And don't you get it? That's the whole bloody point to this whole stupid thing. You know that. I know that! God...fucking...we both know it!" Spike informed with venom.

Spike gave Xander another kick, this time in the middle again for good measure as he growled out, "And what did you tell him, whelp? What kind of nonsense did you fill my grandsire's head with? Did you tell him that you were in control? did you tell him he belonged to you and that only you had control or something close to that? Did you tell him...Grraaaaagh!"

Puppy swayed, once again confused and very unhappy. "Spike," he began softly and then let out a whimper as Spike whirled in his direction with a snarl.

"He said that you would tell me what's happening. He said that there were some wishes? That..someone made some wishes for vengeance?' Puppy thought that that was what Xander had said before or hinted at, though again, his own justice most certainly could not have been anything on the wish makers agenda.

"Please, Spike. He said...I just wanted to know what was going on. Everything's so confusing and I just.." Puppy came to a halt, shivering because he was so tired of asking and pleading now. Why did everything have to be so strange?

Spike's eyes narrowed on Puppy and he took a slow breath, scenting his Grandsire and not caring what the two thought of this act. Xander was still holding his nose on the floor, trying to keep the leaking through his fingers to a minimum as he lay there with eyes closed and teeth gritted in pain.

"He claimed you, didn't he? Just while you were gone." The tone in Spike's voice was different now. It was a razor blade waiting to cut anyone who would dare walk on it and not watch exactly where they were headed. "You let Xander fuck you! You let him! Xander! You bloody wanker!"

Xander cringed, trying to scoot back from Spike and hold onto his nose at the same time as he slid away. "Please, Master," he moaned. "Please. I didn't mean to. I only wanted to..."

Spike made a sound that was not a word but was filled with disbelief, anger and a touch of something slightly stunned. He put his hand up and let out a startled laugh. "You didn't mean it? What? Just like that and I should believe you? Why? Because you call me Master now?" he asked.

Spike was almost giggling now and he leaned forward in the effort to stop the stomach jerking sounds, which he accomplished with limited success. "What? An act of passion? Oops..didn't mean to? Something just came up?"

Puppy frowned, not understanding what the big deal was about claiming and Xander only taking what was his. He looked to his injured Master, wishing himself that the confusion would stop and also wanting his own vengeance demon to pop up and tell him that all of this would just go away.

No such luck. Spike was still talking in an almost rambling, and very amused sort of a way. God, this was not good at all. And again, why *did* Xander call Spike Master now? What was keeping his Master in check? What??

"You mean, you bloody well didn't just mean to bloody fucking claim him? What? He fell onto your dick? You tripped onto him and your mouth just happened to land on his flesh? What?" Spike let out another short burst of laughter before he growled and turned away, muttering. "We'll just have to fix that then, won't we? There's more than one way to cause an accident, and this ones going to be all your fault as well. Accident my foot."

Puppy frowned, glancing down to Xander on the ground before he finally managed to bring up a question. "Spike..Xander's..done that before. He's claimed me...many times." Too many, so why would this be anything different? It wasn't like Xander could magically make Puppy any more of a pet than he'd already been before the master had been killed and Spike had made his strange appearance, could he? "I don't...know what the big deal is. Xander is...already my Master. I don't under..."

"If you say you don't understand one more time, I'm going to break every finger on your hand," Spike declared, "both of them," he added, turning back around to look at both his grandsire and Xander. Spike took a long shuddering breath then, once more trying to keep his temper as he let the rest of the laughter finally die away.

"Rules have changed, pet," Spike muttered before he beckoned for Willow to come over and join them. "Xander knew this and he chose to ignore what I told him. He chose to ignore the rules that we both knew about and we both agreed to because..well, I'm a right git to have believed him but then, here I thought that Xander actually had a brain in his very dense skull. Guess I was wrong so...I guess we'll just move to plan B now won't we?"

Willow was standing beside Spike, eyes glancing toward Xander fleetingly before she turned toward Spike. "He's only done it once, Master," she whispered. "There's been no real damage done just yet. Please, Master. Don't hurt him."

Willow had fear in her eyes, her voice trembling because even she had heard of William the bloody and she knew of stories of his days with Angelus and the terrible foursome. She had read up on her history when Puppy had been captured because she loved to torment him with that knowledge and saying his history always hurt their Puppy more. Now however, the history only served to chill her already very cold blood. "Surely, Master, this can't be something that hurts you. Please. Just..please don't hurt Xander."

"Oh, I won't," Spike calmly informed as he turned toward her just a touch and his hand went out to cup one of her small breasts just under the skin tight outfit that she always wore. "Not yet." He squeezed just a touch before he trailed his hand over her front and moved until he was behind the red head. He moved one hand up and slid it through the smooth red strands until he massaged her scalp just above the ear. "But I told him what would happen if he didn't do what I told him to do. We both agreed but you see, I haven't broken my bargain. Lover boy there...did."

"No!" both Puppy and Xander screamed in unison as Spike made a fast movement with both hands on the seductress in front of him. There was a cracking sound that reverberated and seemed much louder than could be even possible for the breaking of a supple and beautiful neck of someone as petite as the female before them. Spike ginned over the surprised look on Willows face, pain etched there and stunned confusion in that split second before he used his vampiric strength to go just a bit further. He twisted with a gleeful sound of growling, tearing head from neck for a cold blooded kill.

A split second later, Willow exploded outward as a howling scream accompanied her total obliteration, as her body fell and Spike let the dead weight go. And then, as all of their kind in death, the red head was no more.

"Willow!" Xander gasped as her ashes floated over to him and then disappeared entirely. Gone. Just like that, Willow was gone. "Why? You didn't have to do that. She didn't do anything to you!" Xander pushed himself up, a look of loss on his face as he focused on Spike's calm visage.

"Oops," Spike said to the upset young vampire. "I guess I must have slipped. My hands must have... accidentally snapped her neck when you...accidentally, failed to comply to our bloody rules that we made together along with..what's her name." Spike snorted loudly and shook his head. "Why? Like you don't have a clue."

Puppy whimpered, his mind racing but there was no way that he was going to ask why again. He had a feeling that in this state, Spike would be glad to break more than just fingers or even necks. Instead, Puppy backed up until he was against the wall behind him, shivering uncontrollably. Oh, God. Was Xander next? Would they all die now? Oh God oh God Oh God!

Now..." The blond growled and walked over to Puppy, grabbing him by the hair and dragging him over to a door that had suddenly appeared behind the desk and all the way across the room. "We're going to fix the problem and then I'm going to think hard about why I shouldn't just kill your "Master" over there in the most painful way possible."

Puppy didn't resist, whimpering as he was pushed against the door and then Spike turned away, looking toward Xander with a glare. "Don't think that I can't kill you, whelp," he growled. "Just because the game isn't finished, doesn't meant that it won't be! When this is done, boy, there will be payment and you will get exactly what is coming to you!"

Xander, having partially recovered, also finally managed to get himself standing. He glared, looking across to Spike as he spat out. "You can't kill me," he ground out the words, a growl accenting every syllable. "And you haven't won. You have no power over me and I will win. Puppy is mine!! You can't tell me what to do!!"

Spike was over to Xander in a second, his hand around the other's throat and tight enough to choke any human if that had been who he held now. "Want to test that?" he asked pointedly, slamming Xander's head down as he brought his knee up to slam into the younger vampires face. The nose that had stopped bleeding started up again, but Spike had already turned away and headed back to his grandsire without looking back.

"You don't know.." Xander whispered, holding his face as he looked up with only a glimmer of fear. "What makes you think you can do this?"

"I know how the wishes worked," Spike growled, his hand on Puppy's shirt collar as his other hand went to the door knob in preparations of turning. "I know what I need to do to win and I know now that I don't have to play nice anymore. You have been a very very bad boy."

Puppy whimpered as Spike pulled him close and then forced a kiss on his lips, almost splitting his lip with the ferocity of the act. "Please, Spike," Puppy whispered weakly, looking over Spike's shoulder to see Xander was actually standing though his shirt was plastered with blood and stray dust that stuck from the floor where his Master had fallen. "It's my fault. I just wanted to help."

"Shut up, Angel!," Spike growled. "Just accept the truth of the matter. Xander fucked up things real good and now, I'm goin' to have to teach you a lesson, boy. Both of you!"

Puppy moaned in terror because he couldn't seem to do anything else. How could Spike do this to him? Talk to him like this? The blond was supposed to be helping, not hurting but Puppy had really messed up this time, hadn't he? "No. Please..don't," he croaked out and almost expected to hear Spike's mocking echo as though he'd watched what had occurred earlier in the bedroom with the achingly familiar scent and was going to enact it like a play.

Xander growled from behind, taking a step forward. He still held his nose and small amounts of leaking could be seen around the edges of his fingers as he spoke. "So what? You'll claim him but you won't get him all. You have to do it three times, Master." The word Master held as mocking as was possible to be saturated into an exclamation. "Do you think that he'll really fall for you now?

Spike grinned, unconcerned as he kissed Puppy on the nose several times as though he had not heard what Xander said to him at all. "Never taken you before, have I, Puppy," he asked softly. "Never licked you all over your hot sexy body, biting and feeding where I pleased...claiming you like some fledgling that I made." Spike gave Angel's nose a swipe with his tongue, delighted when Puppy shivered under the wet touch. "Going to set things right, Puppy, and then you'll be happy for us both."

Puppy's head was spinning as he leaned his head back against the hard surface of the door. How many doors had he seen and how many had they gone through on the short distance from one shining portal to the next? "Will you tell me...Spike," he asked, almost filling in the name with something that he might have called Xander and gladly done so a moment ago. "Please, Spike. Please tell me," he softly begged. "I'm so tired of this confusion." And at this point, he didn't care who called him pet or slave or anything at all. Puppy only wanted to know.

"You don't know anything," Xander howled from behind, much closer now. He was leaning against the desk with one hand, his face healing up what had been done incredibly fast even for a vampire.

Xander giggled as he touched the bones and felt them pulling back into the position that they'd held before and flesh seemed to flow around the wound. "He'll only use you Puppy. He doesn't know a God damned thing. He doesn't know.."

"Everything," Spike whispered to Puppy, nuzzling his neck almost lovingly. "I'll tell you everything." Spike licked a spot on the cool flesh, causing Puppy to moan with need. "No more confusion. No more being afraid. I'll tell you everything."

Xander, recovered now, suddenly yelled in pent up rage and then he jumped over the desk, coming straight for Spike to attack him. "You think you'll win, but you won't" he screamed, but somehow never reached Spike at all. Instead, he froze in midair, trying to fight against something invisible that held him like a glove. Xander panted, fighting to move forward as he let out litany of curses.

Spike pushed his body against Puppy's, causing his grandsire to moan softly despite the need to know how Xander was being kept from going any further. Another power they both had perhaps? But then, why hadn't Xander used this power as well? Or maybe he could not use this particular aspect and that was why Xander was so afraid of William. Maybe.

"Spike," Puppy rasped out wantonly. "Did you..make a wish too?"

"Yes," Spike answered back. "Six people made wishes that we know of, and I was one of them." He then raised his voice, talking to Xander without the need to turn around. "I'll meet you at the half way point," he said to Xander, again grinding softly against Puppy. "Don't do anything that you'll regret again," Spike mentioned with a neutral sounding tone. "You're already messed up enough as it is. Do you really want to make things worse?"

Halfway place? But wasn't this supposed to be the half way place? Puppy's hips pushed back against Spike's body and he again was hard and ready. ~Slut~ his mind told him but Puppy didn't care. He didn't care about anything at all. And what did Spike mean about six wishes? Xander had said that there were only three. Did Xander know that there was 6 wishes or was Spike only saying that to make things more complicated and confusing. But why would he do that now? or at all?

"NO!!!" Xander screamed in fury but a second later he was gone as a portal flared up around him and took him on his way. Spike smiled to Puppy, pulling back to give the other some room.

"Thank the god's that he's gone," Spike murmured "He won't be back. At least not to this place." Spike smiled, adding. "And why go anywhere else, eh?"

Puppy nodded, mind giggling as he decided that maybe about right now was the best time to have a nervous breakdown. Sure. Why go anyplace else? That made as much sense as anything else, now didn't it?

Puppy took in a sharp intake of breath, feeling frightened as he recalled the words about fixing just then. His inner laughter disappeared as terror took it's place and he knew then what was going to happen to him next. Spike was going to rape him now and do the claiming thing that really shouldn't make any difference but somehow seemed to matter a great deal to both of the other men

"Spike..," but his words were covered over and swallowed by Spike's greedy kiss.

"Shhh, pet," Spike murmured. "None of that." Then, the blond pulled away even more, finally turning the knob that he'd touched at what seemed like ages ago. He gently scooted Puppy aside and then opened up the door outwardly. From inside, candles flickered around a large canopied bed that was covered with dark comforters of blues, purples and deep reds. Other things were in that room but the shadows only hinted, showing only what the candles allowed others to see.

"I promise not to hurt you," he added "And remember...I'll tell you everything. Truthfully, kindly and just how you want it."

"Everything?" But that was what Xander had said, or that at least he'd promised to tell him something so how could Puppy possibly believe Spike about this now? Maybe nobody really had a clue what so ever at all. Or maybe this was just a strange horrible dream. Yes, Puppy wasn't here. Puppy was in his cell and he was dreaming, or even worse ... maybe, they were all already dead. The idea left a cold streak down Puppy's middle and he wondered if that could possibly be true. Maybe, this was Hell and he just didn't realize it. "Are you...sure?"

The question was answered with another kiss and then Spike half pushed and half led Puppy inside. "Yes, I'm sure," he said, closing the door behind them with a soft and final sounding click. "Everything."

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