You what?

Author: rollinginangeldust (aka Angel Dust)

Warnings: Male pregnancy

Notes: Continuing story following “You want us?” and “You got us!” respectively. Also being lazy I couldn’t be bothered to invent new fashions (you’ll see what I mean) so you have to assume that this story happens ‘in the now’ and that the previous sections happened a few years earlier than they did, either that or that fashions haven’t changed or are on their way around again.

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~Part: 1~

“Ooo sweeties,” Spike purred as he entered Angel’s office, sat down on the edge of the desk and, without invitation, plucked up one of the candies from the box that Angel was still in the process of opening and popped it into his mouth.

“Will,” Angel scolded him, “you don’t know who sent those or what they are.”

“They smell alright and hmm, hand made,” Spike said offhandedly, chewing on the candy as he plucked the postcard that was doubling as a greetings card from inside the box and read it. “Thanks for the help, best wishes, enjoy the eats, yours truly, Dergon Ambole. Or something like that,” he shrugged having only roughly translated the demonic text, a bit rusty on this one.

“Ambole?” Angel pondered, trying to place the name as Spike dropped the card back into the box and helped himself to another sweet. “Ah the Mutsan that we opened the portal for so she could back home to her dimension,” realization dawned on him, “that’s nice of her.”

“Hmm, very nice,” Spike agreed. “Here try,” he quirked his eyebrow at Angel who obediently opened his mouth as Spike leant across the desk to hand feed him one of the sticky sweets.

Angel treated his Childe to a seductive smile as he took more than just the offered sweet and also sucked Spike’s fingers into his mouth, toying with them before teasing with his tongue as he closed his eyes in a show of pleasure.

“Eerrgh gross,” Kelan suddenly commented from nowhere, as stealthy as either vamp, and turned up his nose at the affectionate display between his parents as he discovered them in the office.

Spike rolled his eyes and slipped his fingers free, then leant in further to plant a quick kiss on Angel’s lips before sticking his tongue out at their boy.

“Err don’t,” Kelan chuckled, throwing his school bag to land on the comfy sofa in the corner, sounding embarrassed as usual even though he was used to seeing his parents freely showing their feelings for one another.

“How was school?” Angel asked, watching as his son flopped down onto the wheeled chair and practically melted over it, arms and legs dangling limply, tip toes pushing against the floor to make the chair swivel from side to side.

“Alright,” Kelan shrugged.

“No Ced?” Spike asked sounding surprised. He was referring to Kelan’s oldest and best friend Cedric who normally wasn’t more than two feet from his son at any given time.

“Nah he’s gotta go to his Nan’s today so she can see baby Meg. Oh Yeah,” Kelan suddenly remembered something, “Mrs. Denton sent a photo of Megan wearing one of the dresses you bought her,” Kelan told them whilst pushing his feet against the desk to send the chair rolling across the floor and towards his school bag.

“Don’t do that Kelly, you’ll fall off,” Angel said automatically. Kelan merely sighed, a soft sound that clearly yet wordlessly said “Mum, it’s Kel, not Kelly and I’m not a little boy anymore.”

Still to please his Mum Kelan was more careful making his way back over to the desk, pushing his feet against the floor to slide the chair back into position whilst rummaging through his bag.

“Where is it?” Kelan began to complain when he couldn’t find the picture, continuing to dig deep down into the abyss that was his backpack. “Ah, here you go,” he announced when he finally found the photo, holding it out for Angel to take.

Spike nudged Kelan with the edge of the sweetie box, listening as Angel cooed over how sweet the latest addition to the Denton family was. The boy raised himself up a little so that he could see inside the proffered box to choose a candy, selecting one and sniffing at it before popping it into his mouth. “Hang on,” Kelan pulled the box back towards him as Spike made to offer the candies to Angel. “Can I have this?” he asked taking the greetings card for himself.

“If you want,” Spike confirmed, tapping Angel with the box this time, “What d’ya want it for?”

“I can use it for that local histories thing in Mrs. Davis’ class,” he answered boredly showing his Dad the reverse of the card which was printed with a copy of an old Hammond’s map, detailing 1908 Los Angeles. “Got some glue?” he asked Angel who looked dutifully through his drawer before shaking his head no.

“Maybe Auntie Cordy’s got some,” Kelan spoke to himself vacating the chair and leaving it to roll away from the desk. “Where is she anyway?” he asked as he headed for the door.

“Some emergency cropped up at the mall,” Spike called through to him, “shoe sale,” he elaborated.

Kelan nodded, rolled his eyes and went out into the lobby.

“I wish we could have another baby,” Angel mumbled around the sweet in his mouth.

“What?” Spike asked.

“Another baby,” Angel repeated holding the sweet between his teeth so he could speak more clearly, “I’d love to have a little girl,” he smiled, handing the photo of baby Megan over to Spike. “Doesn’t she look pretty in her dress?”

“Like a princess,” Spike heard himself reply and was suddenly hit with a sense of déjà vu, his brain conjuring up a vivid memory of a similar scene but with Angelus asking him about Drusilla and a dress that he’d chosen for her. Daddy loved to choose dresses for her, prettying her up like a little doll, a princess.

“Will?” Angel asked breaking into the memory.

“Huh? Oh nothing,” Spike smiled fondly and crinkled his nose, shaking his head dismissively realising that he must have some weird expression on his face given the way Angel was looking at him.

“Oh bloody hell,” Kelan’s gruff voice, in an almost perfect imitation of his father, floated in from the lobby following an ominous crashing noise.

“I’ll sort it,” Spike tutted, hopping down off of the desk and popping a sweet into his mouth. Neither vamp had any problem with their son listening to music or watching films that contained swearing, but that didn’t mean that he was allowed to repeat it in their presence unless he happened to be singing along with a track.

“Oi,” Spike began as he made his way towards the door, “what have I told you about swear…ah fucking shit, Jesus Christ,” Spike ground out through clenched teeth rather spoiling what was to be his lecture about bad language (a “do as I say, not as I do” one) as he bumped into Wes, both meeting at the door’s threshold, neither having seen the other.

“Spike, I’m so sorry,” Wes apologized ignoring his injured ‘stepped on’ foot and instinctively reaching out to steady the vampire as he staggered, momentarily incapacitated by his chip sparking off.

Spike didn’t answer, knuckles bright white as he gripped the door frame to support himself, eyes closed against the pain as he waved one hand at Wes dismissively to intone “don’t worry.”

He heard Kelan’s concerned “Dad? You alright Dad?” and an out of place “Hi Uncle Wes,” as he felt Angel’s strong arms wrap around him from behind with a soft, “I’ve got you.”

“Yeah, just give us a minute yeah?” Spike answered his son, breathing laboriously, fighting the nausea that always accompanied the pain.

“I’m sorry,” Wes apologized again.

“S’alright,” Spike murmured, then after a few moments silence as he regained control he suddenly barked a sharp “Fuck!” and angrily pushed himself to stand, inadvertently forcing Angel away as he did so.

“Will?” Angel reached out to him but Spike’s hand instantly shot up to block him, a clear “leave me alone” gesture. Angel let him be.

“I’m going for a lie down,” Spike snapped roughly, not making eye contact with anyone as he stomped his way over to and up the stairs, mumbling angrily to himself as disappeared out of sight to sleep off his migraine.

Angel caught hold of Kelan as he made to follow, patting him on the shoulder and smiling comfortingly at him. “Dad just needs a rest. Give him some space alright?”

“Ok,” Kelan shrugged as if it was no big deal, not letting on that he was calmed by Angel’s easy acceptance of the blonde’s actions. His teenage attitude coming back in to smother the unsure child that had just made an appearance, besides it wasn’t the first time he’d seen his Dad’s chip activated.

“Why don’t you go and clean that up,” Angel suggested, indicating the cold coffee spilt across Cordy’s desk and dripping off of the edge to splatter on the floor beside pieces of a shattered mug that had obviously caused the crashing noise.

Kelan nodded and Angel left him to it, tipping his head that Wes should follow him into the office.

“I’m sorry,” Wes, ashen faced, apologized yet again, this time to Angel.

“It’s not your fault Wes,” Angel assured him. “Your foot alright?” he asked retrieving the wheeled chair for Wes to sit on before taking up his own seat again.

“Yes it’s fine thank you. I’m more worried about him,” Wes confessed. His pain had been momentary, but Spike’s would last for a lot longer.

Oblivious to Wes’ thoughts, Angel added to his guilt with a heavy sigh and, “it’s not the pain that gets to him so much it’s more the feeling of helplessness and weakness that makes him so angry. I can’t even begin to really imagine what it’s like for him, to have all that strength and yet know that you can’t use it to defend yourself, your family…”

Angel trailed off and Wes followed his gaze towards the door and realized why he’d stopped talking.

“Kelly?” Angel questioned his son.

“Coffee’s all sorted. I’m gonna go and do my homework,” he stated, collecting up his school bag.

“Alright, I’ll be up in a while to make your dinner. Keep the noise down on that game thing so Dad can sleep. You can hear that thing all the way down the hall,” Angel added knowing what Kelan would do once his homework was finished.

“Uh-huh,” Kelan confirmed with a nod and turned to leave.

“Uncle Gunn,” Kelan nodded in greeting to his uncle as they almost crossed paths.

“Hey Kel,” he offered back, moving aside to let the teenager out of the office before going in himself.

xxXxx

“Feeling better Dad?” Kelan asked, looking up from his dinner plate, as Spike sauntered into the kitchen, his hair mussed from sleep, absently scratching at his stomach.

“Yeah,” Spike smiled lopsidedly at him, taking up a seat at the table after stretching to loosen his body up and chase away the last remnants of sleep. He flicked his eyes up to look at the clock and saw that he’d been down for a couple of hours.

“Here you go Babe,” Angel whispered into his Childe’s ear as he came up behind him and put a hand on one shoulder giving it a reassuring squeeze, leaning over the other to set his dinner plate in front of him.

“Thanks,” Spike sighed, sounding sadly resigned to Angel’s ears even as it escaped his son’s, and titled his head up for a kiss. Thanks for giving him the space he needed. Thanks for understanding. Thanks for caring about him. Just thanks. “How’s Wes?”

“He’s fine,” Angel smiled softly at his Childe and squeezed his shoulder once more before taking up his seat at the table.

“Hmm it’s good,” Spike commented on his dinner, shoveling a second fork load into his mouth, pushing the thought from his mind of the scene last week when that human in the supermarket queue had decided to have a go at him over some misunderstanding. How utterly humiliated and incompetent he’d felt as his son’s almost imperceptible and instinctive movement brought him to stand before his father, the new alpha, ready to protect *him* if the argument progressed to something more than heated words, not the other way around as it should have been.

“I don’t like the green bits,” Kelan complained scrunching his nose up.

“Eat it up, s’good for you,” Spike told him.

“What green bits?” Angel leant over briefly, curious to inspect Kelan’s plate.

“These,” Kelan prodded his fork at the said green bits.

“It’s parsley,” Angel quirked a confused eyebrow at him. His son had eaten it countless times before.

“Is it? Oh,” Kelan shrugged, forgot about his dislike of the finely chopped herb sprinkled over his fish and ate it quickly. “What?” He asked looking up at Angel whose brow was furrowed in puzzlement over his son’s antics.

“Nothing,” Angel shook his head and went back to drinking his own dinner, settling for blood instead of joining in on the human food.

“How did you do on that test?” Spike asked, dinner being their usual time to discuss and catch up on what everyone had been doing during the day.

“Maths or science?”

“You had a maths one? You didn’t say,” Angel commented.

“It was a surprise one, Mr. Grahams just decided on it today.”

“Ah,” Angel nodded, “so how did you do?”

“I think it was alright, he’s going to tell us our scores tomorrow. I got 74% in the science though,” he added pleased.

“That’s good,” Spike nodded, also pleased with the result. His grades had steadily improved showing that he was moving on up even if he’d never make it to be top of the class. Kelan wasn’t always the best student in his subjects but he always tried his hardest and that’s what mattered to both Angel and Spike, they couldn’t ask any more of him than that.

“Did you give the trip money in?” Angel asked referring to the last installment that needed to be paid for the school trip, a two week holiday at an adventure camp in three weeks time.

Kel just nodded, unable to respond with a mouthful of food.

Spike cleared his plate, chasing his meal down with a mug of blood faster than Angel who was still making his dinner last.

“Mum? Dad?” Kelan asked when he’d finished his last mouthful, sounding very much as if he’d had to pluck up the courage to speak, obviously wanting something.

“Yes,” Angel asked skeptically.

“Well, I was just wondering…”

“Wondering what?” Spike asked when his son began to fiddle around with his knife and fork, pretending to push non existent food around on his plate.

“Can I…am I allowed to get my eyebrow pierced?”

He received two simultaneous yet opposing answers, an “If you want” and a “No way” muffled by the surprised sound of his Mum choking on the last of his blood.

Angel looked at Spike. Spike looked at Angel. Kelan looked hopefully at his Dad who’d agreed to his request, desperately wanting him to talk his Mum round to the idea.

Spike caved first, “We’ll talk about it,” he offered his son resisting the urge to wink knowingly at him lest it break the untied parental front that he and Angel strived to portray.

Kelan didn’t bother to argue, knew that it wouldn’t get him anywhere other than into trouble and would only result in the usual lines of “Not while you’re under our roof” or the classic “and if so-and-so jumped off of Carrauntoohil mountain would you do it too?” if he’d pointed out that “Darren’s got one” to try and sway his parents by letting them know what the other kids were allowed to do. But that didn’t stop him pouting.

“It’s my body,” Kelan blurted, his mouth not following his brain’s reasoning from a moment ago of it being pointless to argue.

“And it’s living under our roof,” Angel answered predictably.

“You never let me do anything,” Kelan whined.

“Never let you do anything?” Angel questioned incredulously. “You’re sitting there with bright red hair, wearing make up and with bits cut off of the clothes that I pay for and I never let you do anything?”

“Darren’s got one,” Kelan’s mouth ran away with its own agenda.

“I don’t care what anyone else has got. If Darren jump…”

“I know, I know, bloody Carrauntoohil mountain…”

“Kel,” Spike warned.

“Well it’s not fair,” Kelan sulked, one hand decorated with blue nail varnish and adorned with silver rings coming to slam down on the table.

“I said we’d talk about it,” Spike stated calmly.

“Not if he’s behaving like this we won’t,” Angel snarked crossing his arms.

Kelan went to open his mouth to complain some more, but closed it at the look that Spike sent him.

“Why don’t you clear the table?” Spike suggested to his son whilst standing up and tipping his head towards the lounge indicating that Angel should follow him. Kelan huffed but set to work. He was expected to do a few simple jobs around the house, the washing up being one of them. Both Angel and Spike wanted him to learn the value of money and so Kelan had to work for his allowance.

“You can have some ice cream for pudding if you want,” Spike called back as an after thought.

Angel sat heavily on the couch, the clatter of tableware and the sound of the sink being filled flowing in from the kitchen.

“What’s the problem?” Spike asked softly as he sat down beside Angel, wanting to understand why he was against the piercing.

“He wants to shove a lump of metal through his face,” Angel spoke to Spike using his “duh!” tone to which Spike just sighed a , “you know what I mean.”

“I don’t know,” Angel rubbed his whole face with his cupped hands as he tried to get his thoughts into some sort of order before speaking.

“Well for one he’s not old enough,” Angel began, “then there’s the fact that it’ll hurt. Plus there are all sorts of things that could go wrong with it. It could get infected or get caught and torn out. What else? Ok, he wants it now but what if he ends up regretting it? It’ll be our fault for letting him get it done. Then there’s other people, they’ll look at him and draw assumptions about what sort of person he is, wrong assumptions, Christ he already dresses like one of the living dead.”

Spike didn’t bother to point out to Angel that he was in fact one of the living dead himself and that his son dressed nothing like him, as his Sire rattled off all of his worries showing that he was concerned about Kelan’s health and wellbeing rather than just wanting to spoil his fun as his son more than likely suspected.

“What does he want it for anyway?”

“Because that’s what’s cool now,” Spike explained, “just like froofy hair was back in your day, and because it’s important to him, it says something to him about who he is, how he sees himself.”

“Like an expression? A definition?” Angel mused aloud, seeing Spike’s point of view.

“Yeah ‘course. Now as for it getting infected, well as long as he takes care of it it’ll be alright and of course we’d check out the studio first to make sure it’s clean and all aboveboard. Yeah he might regret it one day but it’s not permanent like a tattoo. If he decides he doesn’t like it all he has to do is take it out, you know his healing rate is almost as good as ours and the hole would close right up without a trace eventually. And other people Angel? What do you care what other people think? One little piercing isn’t going to change Kel is it? Yeah he’ll be projecting a certain image, but if people are too thick to look beyond his appearance then that’s their problem.”

“But he might, I don’t know, attract trouble,” Angel worried.

“He can take care of himself,” Spike said softly, eyes downcast for a moment as he was reminded yet again that he couldn’t take care of himself even half as well as his son could. It hadn’t taken much effort for either vamp to train their boy to be as proficient a fighter as either of them were. It was as if it had been bred into him, he was without a doubt a natural born fighter.

“I agree on the getting it torn out bit though,” Spike pushed aside his feelings of inadequacy once more and continued normally, “he’d have to take it out or tape it up for P.E but otherwise it shouldn’t be a problem. I fought a slayer with a safety pin through my eyebrow and it didn’t get snagged or ripped out.”

“A slayer put a pin through your eyebrow?” Angel asked. “How did she manage that?”

“What? No,” Spike shook his head, “I did.”

“You did it to yourself?” Angel looked completely puzzled. “Why?”

“’Cos it was cool and it said something about me.”

“That you were wrong in the head?”

“Oi watch it,” Spike warned but grinned. “No, it made me feel good about myself, completed the image I was after.”

“And what a wonderful image that must have been,” Angel said sarcastically, sneaking a smile at his Childe.

“Well, I suppose he did ask and not just come home with it done,” Angel ventured, starting to crack, giving his son credit for consulting them. He knew plenty of kids who wouldn’t have bothered to ask their parents permission and plenty more whose parents wouldn’t have cared anyway.

“And it’s better that he does it with our supervision too instead of letting one of his friends do it…or worse,” Angel sounded as if he was trying to convince himself. “Even so, he’s still not old enough.”

“Well no, he’s not old enough to get it done legally on his own until he’s 18, but loads of the kids have got ‘em so unless they’re all doing ‘em themselves then I guess it must just be a case of having to sign a release form at the studio, same as with ear piercing.”

“Hmm,” Angel considered all of the facts, thinking the decision over as Spike lay down on the sofa and got comfortable, his head resting in Angel’s lap.

“Go on Angel, it’s only a harmless little piercing. He could be doing things a million times worse,” Spike stated quite rightly. They were lucky that their son wasn’t like some of the other kids in L.A, bowing under the weight of peer pressure to pick up drink and drug habits. He wasn’t out on the street causing trouble, fighting, destroying, stealing or dealing. He was a good kid, who worked hard and tried to do the right thing.

“I know.”

“So?” Spike asked, his own eyebrow raised in question as he looked up at his Sire.

Angel sighed, a slow smile creeping across his face, “Alright, he can have one.”

“Give us a kiss,” Spike demanded, pulling Angel down to steal a not so quick smooch.

“You really put a safety pin through here?” Angel asked softly when they parted, toying with Spike’s eyebrow.

“Uh-huh,” Spike purred, closing his eyes and enjoying the attention, rubbing his head against Angel’s hand to beg for more. “Had ‘em all in m’clothes too, hey don’t laugh, it was cool then. Tore up my jeans a bit, nicked myself some 14 eye docs, spiked my hair, smudged on some make up, done me nails. ‘Course won my jacket that night too. Sometimes I wore this heavy chain with a padlock on, others I wore this real nice studded leather collar...hmm, like the sound of that do you?” Spike growled playfully as he felt Angel’s cock twitch against the back of his head. “Had a belt and cuffs to match too, oh and some nice silver jewellery. Shame though I dunno where any of my stuff went, Kel could’ve had it all.”

“You’ve hardly changed,” Spike could hear the affectionate smile in Angel’s voice.

“Hey I changed a lot,” he protested, “You see any make up on me? No. Plus I don’t wear docs no more, replaced ‘em with my bike boots sometime in the 80’s and um, I used to wear blue denim instead of black,” he nodded briskly as if that proved his point.

“I missed a lot of time with you,” Angel barely whispered, trailing his hands through his Childe’s hair and massaging his scalp.

“Here now though,” Spike murmured, relaxing even deeper against Angel’s thighs with a pleasured sigh.

They heard the faucet being turned off, the fridge door opening and closing, and moments later Kelan appeared in the doorway with a spoon and tub of ice cream, “I’m done.”

“Come sit down,” Spike invited, opening his eyes and rolling on to his side to face his boy, his head still resting against Angel’s knees.

“Right, now there will be rules,” Angel stated and Kelan knew then that he was going to be allowed the piercing. He bit his lip to stop the delighted grin from spreading across his face, trying to match his Mum’s deadly serious mood as he sat on the couch opposite theirs. His Dad’s smile more than made up for the one that he was trying to contain.

“First, we will choose where you have it done,” at Kelan’s confused look Angel added, “I mean as in the studio, not where on your body. You’re not just going to some back-place and having anyone do it. We will check out that the shop is registered and up to code.

“Two, it is your responsibility to keep the piercing clean, I don’t want any crying if it gets infected because you haven’t bothered to take care of it properly. Three you will have the smallest bar they offer and you will wear only that, nothing larger and certainly no hoops…or pins,” he added and again received a puzzled look from his son. “Four, you will put a band-aid over it for Phys. Ed. and five, you will pay for it out of your allowance. I am not paying for you to mutilate your body. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Kelan nodded very business like then softened with a, “Thanks Mum,” as he got up and gave Angel a squeeze.

“You’re a good boy,” Angel told him softly, ruffling his son’s hair as he received a kiss on the cheek. “Do you think you’ve got enough saved up to have it done?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well we’ll check out some studios at the weekend and you can have it done then alright?”

“It’s the weekend tomorrow,” Spike chimed in rolling his head in Angel’s lap to look up at his Sire.

“It is?” Angel sounded surprised, shrugging when both Spike and Kelan offered “Uh-huh’s.”

“Well, tomorrow then,” Angel smiled, receiving a huge grin and another hug from his son in response followed by a, “Night Mum.”

“You off to bed already?” Angel asked in surprise.

“Yeah, well I’m gonna have a bath first, eat my ice cream,” he waved the tub at them, “and I might read for a bit, play my game, watch a bit of TV.”

“Alright, night then Kelly,” Angel pulled him back for another hug. It wasn’t all that often that Kelan was cuddly with them anymore so his parents always made the most of it when he was. Kelan saw himself as being much too grown up for hugs anymore, well except until it came to bedtime like now, when he allowed himself to be fooled that he did it for his Mum and Dad’s sake.

“Night Dad,” Kelan bent down and gave Spike, still lazing in Angel’s lap, a goodnight peck on the cheek too. His Dad slid a hand through his hair, pulling him into a hug by cupping the back of his neck before releasing him.

“Night Piglet, sleep tight,” Spike said as he always did at bedtime, never having dropped the childhood nickname he’d graced his baby boy with. Kelan had long ago given up trying to change this habit of his Dad’s and now just let the name wash over him, it was as hopeless as trying to get Angel to quite calling him Kelly.

Kelan left his parents’ suite and made his way down the corridor, his old nursery room having been abandoned long ago in exchange for a suite of his own further down the hallway.

“Why does he always do that?” Angel asked Spike once their boy had gone, “Say that he’s going to bed when he’s not?”

“It’s his way of politely saying that he doesn’t want to hang out with us,” Spike answered lazily.

“It’s nice seeing him happy,” Angel smiled.

“Yeah,” Spike agreed. “Wanna make me happy too?” the blonde growled softly and quirked his eyebrow.

“I’m sure that’ll be sooo difficult,” Angel teased.

“You saying I’m easy?” Spike purred seductively.

“Weeeellll,” Angel drew out the word as he slid his hand down Spike’s body, slipping it into the loose waistband of his jeans without any preamble, awkwardly wrapping his hand around his boy’s cock and making him hard with one stroke…easy.

~~~*~~~

“It’s a belly button,” Spike stated as his boy stopped beside him having completed yet another circuit of the tattoo and body piercing studio, studying the various tattoo designs on the waiting room walls before coming to stand before the jewellery display cabinet at each pass.

“Oh yeah,” Kelan tilted his head and starred through the glass at the silicon body part that had puzzled them, standing amidst the other easily recognisable fake segments, each showing the multitude of ways in which they could be pierced.

“Alright?” Spike asked, receiving a nervous grin and an affirmative nod for his answer. “Sure you want it done?” He checked, and not for the first time.

“Uh-huh,” Kelan confirmed looking over towards the screened booths where the continual sounds of buzzing filtered out into the waiting area, the hum of the tattoo guns.

“Shouldn’t be long now,” Spike assured him, then went back to starring at the piercing display as his son took off on another stroll around the studio.

They’d already spoken to one of the three artists, Susannah, who had been more than happy to let them have a nose around the studio and answer their questions as she cleaned the surfaces in her work room in preparation for her next customer. Satisfied that the studio was up to code, Spike had filled in and signed the consent form. Now they were just waiting on the next available artist.

“You going to get one?” Kelan joked on his next pass of the display cabinet, finding his dad still starring intently at the silicon pieces.

“Might do,” Spike threw back casually.

“Really?” The boy asked, pouting as he backtracked to stand beside him.

“Maybe,” The blonde grinned.

“Not your eyebrow though?” His son asked sounding put out. His would hardly be cool if his dad got one too.

“Yeah, thought we could be twins.”

“Wha…Dad,” Kelan’s shocked expression broke in to a smile as he realised that he was being teased.

“…thanks, bye now,” Spike and Kelan both turned towards the voice as one of the booth doors had opened and a man with a neatly wrapped forearm came out and headed towards the main doors.

“Be with you in a minute,” a voice, obviously belonging to the tattooist/piercer, called out to them in the waiting room.

A strong antiseptic smell filled the air accompanied by the sounds of clattering and scrubbing as the artist prepared his room for the next customer.

“Ready?” The tattooist stuck his head out of his booth after a couple of minutes and looked over at Spike.

“It’s not for me,” Spike answered, “eyebrow piercing for my son,” he explained, tipping his head to indicate his boy standing beside him.

“No problem. I’ll need you to sign for him alright?”

“Already done,” Spike raised the folded form as proof.

“Alright then ….”

“Kel,” Kelan filled in the gap.

“Come on in,” the tattooist nodded that Kelan should follow him.

“Want me to come with you?” Spike almost asked, but changed it to an, “Alright if I come and watch?” so that he didn’t embarrass his son. Stubborn as he himself was, there’s no way that Kelan would have answered yes to the first question even if he wanted his dad there with him.

“If you want,” Kelan shrugged pretending he didn’t care, following the artist into his room with Spike trailing along behind.

“I’m Rob,” the tattooist introduced himself. “Have a seat,” he offered, taking the consent form from Spike and giving it the once over as Kelan got comfortable lying back on the chair.

Spike wheeled over one of the stools and sat beside him.

“So an eyebrow piercing then?” Rob asked. “Where?”

“Here,” Kelan pointed out exactly where he wanted it done. Until he’d seen the silicon examples in the display he hadn’t realised just how many ways an eyebrow could be pierced.

“Uh-huh,” Rob nodded. “Now you just need to choose what jewellery you want and we’ll get started,” he motioned to a small plastic display rack on the wall behind him showing the range of jewellery suitable for new piercings.

“Um, that one,” Kelan pointed to a small straight bar.

“Good choice,” Rob nodded then spun his chair to face the counter.

Kelan’s could feel his anxiety increasing as the piercer pulled on some gloves and started setting up everything in preparation for the piercing. He was reminded of being at the dentist as he watched Rob laying out all of the equipment he needed on a papered tray. He felt his Dad tap his arm and turned to face him, looking up into calming blue eyes with his own worried ones.

“Alright?” Spike mouthed, to which Kelan nodded and smiled nervously. Spike smiled back, soft and reassuring.

“Ready then?” Rob spun his chair back to face Kelan and rolled a little closer. “Don’t worry,” he smiled down at the boy before picking up something off of his tray, a pen it turned out, and leaning over him. “It’ll all be over before you know it.”

“There you go. How’s that?” Rob asked handing Kel a mirror so he could see the purple markings that showed where the bar would go. “That alright?”

Kelan nodded and from there things moved pretty swiftly. Rob cleaned his eyebrow, asked his dad to witness him opening a new needle, clamped the eyebrow and told him to take a deep breath as he rested the sharp point lightly against the first mark.

“On three,” Rob said, counted to two then did it so that Kel wasn’t expecting it, so that he didn’t react. It hurt, no doubt about that, but not as bad as he’d imagined, in fact if he was truthful the pinch from the clamps had been worse than the actual piercing itself. There was a bit of tugging as Rob fiddled about placing the bar, pulling out the cannula and finally fixing the second ball on to the bar. All in all, the whole process only took a minute.

“All done,” he cleaned the area again, peeled off his gloves and handed Kel the mirror once more.

It was only when Kelan went to take the mirror that he realised that he’d grabbed on to his dad’s hand at some point and was still holding on tight….and that he was trembling a little.

“Looks cool,” Spike told him, making no mention of the instinctual hand holding nor the fact that his son had turned very pale.

“Happy with it?” Rob asked and Kelan agreed that he was.

“Just give yourself a minute,” Rob told Kel as he went to sit up, experience telling him that it was best to let the customer rest a minute, let the adrenaline settle and the body return to normal to avoid fainting or nausea.

Kel obeyed and lay back down.

Rob used this recovery time to explain to him how to take care of his new piercing and gave him a cleaning solution to use along with a care sheet detailing everything they’d just discussed.

“Alright now?” Rob asked when the colour had returned to Kelan’s face.

“Yeah.”

Kelan thanked and paid Rob. Spike offered his own thanks too as they made their way back out into he waiting room.

“Do you feel alright?” Spike asked concerned, half looking at his boy, half at the care sheet Kel had handed him.

“Fine now,” Kel confirmed with a warm reassuring smile, for once there was no point in denying that he’d been scared or felt a little unwell. “I just need…,” he tilted his head in the direction of the toilets.

“Alright. Wait here when you’re done I just wanna ask Rob something about this,” he held up the instruction sheet that he’d gone back to studying. “Can you give Mum a ring and see if he can come pick us up if he’s done? If not phone Uncle Gunn yeah?”

“OK,” Kel agreed and headed to the restrooms.

Angel had been driving them to the studio when they got a call from Wes saying they’d had a call about some demon activity going down right then, so instead of joining them he’d had to just drop them off and go.

“Mum said he’d pick us up. He was on his way back already anyway. Turned out to be a domestic,” Kel explained to his dad when Spike came out of the booth and found him sitting on one of the waiting room chairs. “He said he’d phone when he gets here to tell us where he’s parked. Did you find out what you wanted? You’ve been in there for ages …oh hang on,” the boy fished around in his pocket for his cell phone and answered it with a, “Yeah? Already, that was quick. Alright level 2. See you in a minute Mum.”

“Level 2,” Kel informed his dad as if he hadn’t heard the phone conversation, getting up ready to leave.

The pair walked through the mall and took an elevator to the level 2 car park where it would be safe to meet Angel. It was all very well having specially tinted windows fitted to the car so that either vamp could now drive around in daylight but it didn’t help when either one needed to get in or out of the car.

The elevator doors pinged open and Kel followed his dad who unerringly, as always, knew just where to find Angel’s car.

“Will,” Angel acknowledged his boy with a tip of his head as he slipped into the front seat, an action that was reciprocated.

“Mum,” Kelan greeted as he opened the door and slid onto the backseat.

“Alright Kelly? Hmm, that actually looks good,” Angel sounded surprised briefly turning and leaning over his seat to study his son’s new piercing.

“How was it? Did it hurt?” Angel kick started a conversation as he faced the front once more, started the engine, pulled out of the parking bay and headed off for home.

“Alright” and “A bit,” were Angel’s only answers before the beeping noises from the back indicated that his son was playing with one of his hand held games.

“What are you playing?” Angel tried to show an interest.

“A game.”

“Oh,” silence, then, “What’s it about?”

“Nothing much.”

“Oh.”

“It was alright?” Angel asked Spike instead, this time his answer was only a nod of confirmation.

“They told him how to look after it?” Angel tried again, not used to being the one doing the talking, and was treated to another nod and a hummed “Um-hmm.”

“Good,” Angel stated sounding slightly unsure as he indicated and turned left.

Angel enjoyed the rare peace that had settled in the car, but it wasn’t long lived. He’d only driven a couple of blocks when the silence started to get to him, it just felt so wrong.

His thoughts began to wander and he tried to think if he’d done anything to upset Spike. It wasn’t like his boy to stay quiet for more than a second, hell he even talked in his sleep. Even when Spike was at his most angry he never gave his Sire the silent treatment.

Surreptitiously the older vamp flicked his eyes to look at Spike to gauge his mood. He appeared to be happy enough, just unusually quiet. None the wiser he fixed his eyes back on the road.

“You alright?” Angel ventured curiously after a few more minutes of silence.

“Umm-Hmmm,” The blonde nodded.

“I never thought I’d say this, but it’s too quiet,” Angel laughed nervously, a dumb attempt to get Spike to speak.

Spike dutifully leant forward and switched the radio on before leaning back and getting comfortable again, treating his Sire to a “there you go” smile.

“Uh, thanks,” Angel offered sounding confused.

“Welcome,” Spike’s eyebrow quirk said clearly even though no sound passed his lips.

“So um, yeah,” Angel began, still uncomfortably aware of the silence even though the radio now played. “I sped down there, jumped red lights and everything, had to do the staying in the shadows bit, singed my hand,” Angel missed the quick worried glance that Spike threw him checking for damage, “and then it turns out they were just arguing over whose turn it was to do the washing up or something. They weren’t even demons and have I done something to upset you?” Angel suddenly tagged on the end, unaware even that he was going to say it himself until he heard his own voice.

“No,” Spike replied, turning to look out of the window to hide the small smile that was trying to break out on his face, he wasn’t fast enough though and Angel just managed to catch a glimpse of it.

Rather than calming him, this confused him even more.

“Hey,” Angel said softy and Spike obediently turned to face him. “What’s up?” Angel asked without speaking, his expression clearly doing the talking for him.

Spike bit his lip trying to contain the smile that so badly wanted to break out, his eyes sparkling playfully. Angel could almost hear the slow teasing “nothing” spilling from his boy’s lips, the one that actually meant quite the opposite.

“What?” Angel’s expression deepened, increasing the urgent tone of the still unspoken question.

Spike looked thoughtful for a second then shook his head to insinuate that no, he wasn’t going to tell.

Angel’s face crumpled in amused confusion as he starred a moment longer at his boy as if trying to read him before turning his eyes dutifully back to the road once more with a puzzled shake of his head.

Angel could feel Spike watching at him, could see the smirk he was wearing without even having to look. Various thoughts ran through his head until suddenly…he looked at his Childe again, half questioning, half knowing.

Spike winked at him, the only answer he was going to get.

Angel’s eyes widened comically for a second then he concentrated on the road again.

“Can Ced come over?” Kelan asked as they arrived back at the hotel and got out of the car, three short beeps signaling that he’d turned off the game he’d been playing.

“Yeah if you want,” Angel confirmed absently as they headed inside.

“Can he stay for dinner?”

“If his Mum says it’s alright,” Angel shrugged then questioned Spike silently, “Upstairs?” his expression doing the talking for him again, this time in the form of a raised eyebrow and a mischievous smile.

“Oh yeahhhh,” Spike sparkling eyes delivered his soundless response loud and clear.

Kelan walked ahead of his parents up the stairs, ignoring the flirtatious playful smiles and glances they were sharing with one another, chatting away to Cedric on his cell phone, “Uh-huh, Uh-huh…Go ask your Mum. Yeah? Cool. I dunno, hang on I’ll ask. Can I go to the arcade?” Kelan turned and quizzed his parents, his Mum suddenly wearing a very neutral expression, which in fact made him look stranger than if he’d been caught leering at his husband.

Spike smiled softly to himself at Angel’s behaviour. He found it endearing that even after all these years, after all of the kisses and cuddles that their son had seen them share, that Angel still got embarrassed if there was even a vague hint of anything beyond that going on.

He was sure that Angel honestly believed that his son didn’t know that they had sex, that they were discreet.

Spike nodded yes that Kelan could go.

Kelan rolled his eyes, turned forward and carried on up the stairs, “They said yeah,” he sighed, “think they want me out the way so they can shag,” he mumbled below the vamps hearing range in a clear “look what I have to put up with” tone. “I’ll meet you out front on my bike in um, about 5 minutes yeah? Alright see ya then.”

Kelan took off up the remainder of the stairs and ran down the corridor to his room.

“Get home before dark,” Angel told his son, same as always, as he passed them on his way back down the corridor, hovering around outside their suite door, looking uncomfortable and antsy.

“Uh-huh,” Kelan nodded and snuffed a soft laugh shaking his head in amusement at his Mum’s so obvious loitering, watching to see him leave to know when it was safe for him to act.

Angel looked at Spike in askance of their son’s behaviour.

Spike rolled his eyes at Angel’s obliviousness, but shrugged as if he didn’t know all the same. If he told him Angel would only brood about it.

“Be careful out there,” Spike leaned over the banister railing and called after his boy.

“Always am,” Kelan answered with his usual response, looking up at both of his parents, Angel having moved to stand beside Spike.

The older vamp’s eyes followed his son’s descent of the stairs and his trek across what he could see of the lobby before he sprung into action. Taking hold of Spike’s hand he hurriedly pulled him backwards and pushed him unceremoniously into their room, closing the door by pinning Spike against it with an excited breathy “I knew it” as he claimed his mouth in a desperate, all consuming kiss.

“Knew what?” Spike hushed when Angel released him, playing ignorant although he knew full well what Angel had been thinking, after all he’d purposely deceived him, planting *that* idea in his Sire’s head so that when the truth was discovered it’d be so much sweeter.

“Hmm, oh nothing,” Angel tried to cover, almost managing to keep the trace of disappointment out of his voice.

“Sure?”

“Well it’s silly really,” Angel shrugged bashfully after a moment of hesitation. “I thought…I thought you’d had your tongue pierced that’s all,” he passed the comment as if he weren’t that bothered.

“You wanted me to?”

“No, I just, I don’t know. I just thought you had. I thought that’s why you were being quiet, keeping it as a surprise.” Oh yes, Angel *had* fallen for Spike’s unspoken suggestion perfectly.

“Nope,” Spike stuck his tongue out as further proof. “I thought you were against piercings?” he questioned innocently.

“No,” Angel looked surprised at first then conceded, “well yes and no. I was worried about Kelly having one done but, well, I have to admit that it does look good on him and after what we talked about…”

“You really got off on that last night didn’t you?” Spike smirked cutting in, thinking of how one little safety pin had excited his Sire so much yesterday.

Angel had asked him again about his ‘punk’ years, intrigued for some reason and trying to imagine what he’d looked like. Spike found a safety pin and let Angel find out for himself, let his Sire pierce his skin, make it bleed. Of course they’d moved on and experimented beyond a simple eyebrow piercing quite rapidly. Spike didn’t know if it was the look, the inflicting or the feel that got his Sire so worked up, most likely a combination.

“Why were you so quiet then…and what was with all of the looks?”

“I thought you wanted a shag,” Spike said uncertainly. “Don’t you wanna?” he feigned hurt for a spilt second then quirked his eyebrow mischievously, teasingly at Angel.

“You did get something done didn’t you?” A slow, lusty smile spread across Angel’s features and his eyes sparkled with excitement. “Your nipples?” Angel guessed, his voice deep and lascivious as he slowly ran his hands up his Childe’s ribs, drawing out his own anticipation. “You know how much that turned me on yesterday. Did you get them done for me huh boy? Oh,” Angel didn’t bother to hide his disappointment when he found out that the answer to that was no.

“I’m sorry Babe, I didn’t know,” Spike lied, “Look if you really want me to get a piercing done we’ll go back sometime yeah,” Spike said soothingly, actually rubbing Angel’s arm as if consoling him.

“It’s not that I…” It suddenly occurred to Angel that what he’d said was insensitive, he loved Spike the way he was, pierced or not, yet he’d heard the disappointment clearly even in his own voice, it was almost as if he was telling his boy that he didn’t want him the way he was and that just wasn’t the truth at all. He was just about to dig himself deeper by trying to explain his way out of that, and stupidly draw his Childe’s attention to a comment that he seemed to have let slide by unnoticed.

“Shhh, I know,” Spike cut him off before he even started. So perceptive. He got that Angel had just wanted to play; it had nothing to do with his appearance. “I still got something for you,” Spike growled huskily grinding his body up against his Sire’s. “You want?”

“You know I do,” Angel breathed.

“Good,” Spike whispered pushing himself off of the door, turning the tables on his Sire as with one quick movement it was the older vamp who was being pinned, this time to the wall, cheek squashed against the plaster, Childe pressing up against his back.

“Undo me,” Spike ordered softly and Angel dutifully obeyed reaching around behind himself and popping the buttons on his Childe’s jeans.

“You want me?” Spike purred, nuzzling into Angel’s neck, planting soft kisses on the smooth skin as he reached around and slowly lowered Angel’s zipper, kicking his legs apart a little as he did so.

“God yes,” Angel titled his head to one side, allowing his boy better access.

“Want me to fuck you?” Spike asked seductively sliding his hand inside Angel’s trousers, inside his shorts, reaching low enough to cup Angel’s balls, gently dragging his nails over them and massaging the heavy globes with his palm.

“Yesss,” Angel loved surrendering himself to his Childe, letting him take the reins.

“Take my dick out,” Spike hushed, gently biting at the ear that received his whispered request. Again Angel complied, sliding his hand inside the open denim, wrapping his hand around…*gasp*

“Yeah that’s right Sire, got my cock pierced for you,” Spike purred huskily. “Surprise.”

“God Will,” Angel breathed, panting a little in his excitement.

“Easy,” Spike hissed a warning as Angel in his enthusiasm began to slide his foreskin back to reveal his new frenum ladder, three separate piercings on the underside of his cock positioned to give Angel the ride of his life.

“Sorry,” Angel made to move his hand away.

“Don’t you dare,” Spike growled, “a little bit of pain ain’t gonna kill me. We’ll just take it easy alright?”

“Uh-huh,” Angel tentatively rubbed one finger against the small beads he could feel, two bars still hidden beneath the silky foreskin.

“Yeah that’s it, nice and slow. Like this,” Spike encouraged him, his own voice becoming breathy as his Sire explored with gentle fingertips, following his Childe’s lead as Spike demonstrated, on Angel’s dick, how he wanted to be handled. Anxious as Angel was to play he didn’t want to damage his favourite toy.

Rob had told Spike to abstain from sex until he was fully healed, but he hadn’t known that his client was a vampire whose healing abilities had pretty much started to kick in as he’d left the studio.

Spike had to admit he was still a bit sore but he could handle that, mostly he was nervous. What if they tore out of something? The pain he’d be able to deal with, but the sight of his abused dick, well that would certainly put a dampener on his libido.

As Spike had gained more confidence he’d started to really lose himself to Angel’s ministrations, thrusting harder into his Sire’s hand and working the cock that he held harder and faster, treating it as if it were his own, showing what he needed and wanted.

He could feel himself drawing close, so close, almost ready to explode when…

“Will, stop. Will,” Angel panted heavily and released the dick he was holding.

“Shit,” Spike cursed, angry that he was being denied the friction he needed to release, and in response worked Angel faster as if somehow those actions would transfer and tip him over the edge.

“Will, stop. Please,” The begging reached his ears again, sounding painful delivered as it was through gritted teeth.

“Sorry,” Angel gasped as Spike released him, fighting for breath in an imitation of the Childe resting his head between his shoulder blades.

“I, I want to feel you in me, come with you inside me,” Angel explained breathily.

Spike nodded against Angel’s back that he understood and after taking a moment to collect himself, stepped back enough to let Angel remove his clothes.

Spike didn’t bother removing all of his own, keeping his jeans on and just stripping off his duster to leave it puddled on the floor on top of his t-shirt once he’d retrieved a tube of slick from his pocket. No way was he taking any chances on his test drive.

“It’s beautiful,” Angel hushed having turned around to take a look at Spike’s dick as he’d undressed.

“Yeah,” Spike agreed absently. “Here,” he took hold of one of Angel’s hands and squeezed a more than generous amount of lube on to his fingers. As far as he was concerned there couldn’t be enough slick this time.

Angel set about greasing him up, taking his time exploring his boy’s new piercings, never taking his eyes from the sight; fascinated by the way the silky foreskin could be pulled forward to cover the bars snugly, the way it took a bit more coaxing than normal to reveal them as it was pulled back.

“If you want me to fuck you you’d better stop that now,” Spike groaned.

Reluctantly Angel released his new and improved toy with a grin and leant back against the wall, making to raise his right leg.

“Other way,” Spike circled one finger in the air instructing his Sire to turn around and face the wall once more.

Catching the small, almost imperceptible look of hurt that flashed across his Sire’s face as he turned, Spike explained, “It’ll feel better this way.”

He squeezed some lube onto his own fingers. “You’re gonna feel it right…” he slowly and carefully slid two fingers inside Angel, “…here,” he pressed forward eliciting a “Fuck,” from Angel, making him buck and tremble, weak at the knees.

“Ready?” The blonde removed his fingers, leaning heavily against Angel’s back.

“More than,” The older vamp breathed, raising one leg as high as he could, resting his knee against the wall to give his boy maximum access.

“Fuck me,” Spike groaned as he slowly pushed his hips forward and sank deep inside his Sire.

“No, fuck me,” Angel moaned, his voice tight as he pushed back against the intrusion.

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” Angel chanted, low as if reciting a prayer when Spike’s piercings brushed him *there*.

“Slow, do it slow,” Angel ordered as Spike, seated deep within him, made to draw back again.

“Oh God, Spike, Will,” Angel began his prayer again as his boy withdrew.

“Slow, slow,” he begged, “real slow,” as the blonde began to slide in once more.

“Oh fuck, fuck, William,” Angel whimpered and sobbed, his hands scrabbling wildly, trying to find something to hold on to but finding no purchase on the smooth wall, as his boy’s piercings caressed that magic place again as he slid inside.

“It’s alright,” Spike who’d been silent until now, enchanted listening to his usually near stoic Sire begging and pleading, soothed him. He held still inside him as he nuzzled against the side of his face, surprised to have seen real tears making tracks down the older vampire’s face.

“William?”

“Right here,” Spike shushed him. “Right here,” as he took Angel’s hands in his own, entwining their fingers together and bringing them to rest against the wall on each side of Angel’s head.

“Slow, slow, slow, oh fucking hell, fuck, fuck,” Angel begged and whimpered as Spike withdrew again.

“You wanna kneel on the floor?” Spike whispered, noting the way Angel trembled and shook violently as his piercings did their work on every pass.

“Don’t stop,” Angel panted. Spike took that to mean no.

“Yes, oh God, Spike, yes,” Angel mewled as Spike pushed his hips forward again.

Angel chanted similar words over and over again with each incredibly slow push forward, each amazingly slow withdrawal until nothing made sense anymore, until he babbled nothing more than incoherent nonsense, lost to his Childe’s spell.

Spike too fell quiet, ceasing to murmur soothing words. He’d lost the ability long ago, concentrating on keeping his movements slow, wanting this to last for Angel, making him feel so good, making himself feel good. With each thrust, each retreat, Angel’s muscles had fluttered, contracted and gripped him so hard, so fucking hard as if he were coming with every stroke his boy delivered.

“Wmmm,” Angel mumbled something unintelligible, though Spike thought it was possibly supposed to be his name given the way Angel’s fingers suddenly tightened, gripping his hands harder than they’d done so far.

“Still here,” he hushed, voice tight, gritting his teeth against the intense pleasure as Angel’s body squeezed him impossibly tight again, only this time it didn’t let up.

“You coming?” Spike panted. “Yeah you are. I can feel you. Christ Angel I can feel you, coming so fucking hard. Feel so fucking good,” he chanted, knew that Angel loved to hear him. Whether or not he understood this time didn’t matter.

“Fuck Angel,” Spike gasped, “Can you feel me? Oh fuck Sire, fucking hell,” Spike spoke brokenly as he joined his Sire in orgasmic bliss, still keeping the same slow pace, drawing out both of their climaxes, keeping them right *there* coasting along the peak long after their bodies had given up all the spunk they had to offer.

Angel surprised Spike with his first understandable words, a delirious and semi-panicked, “I can’t stop,” his body still tensed rigid, his arse muscles locked and clenched, rippling madly, “Can’t stop coming.”

Spike gave in, pumped his hips a few times fast and succeeded in brining them both over the peak and crashing down to completion at last; sated.

“Whoa easy,” Spike caught Angel under his arms as he threatened to slide down the wall, a boneless heap.

“William?” Angel asked sounding bewildered.

“Yeah,” Spike whispered his confirmation as he lowered the blissed out vamp to the floor.

“So good,” Angel closed his eyes tiredly.

“So, I take it you approve of the piercings then?”

~~~*~~~

“Socks?” Spike asked.

“3, 6, 9, 10,” Kelan counted out the bundled pairs on his bed.

“Right so we need 2 more and 2 spare,” Spike muttered, reminding himself of what still needed packing for Kelan’s school trip, “4 socks, 2 jeans, 3 shirts.”

“I’ll um…the drying, I’ll go see if it’s finished,” Angel stumbled over his words as he abandoned the folding of T-shirts into his son’s bag and swiftly left Kelan’s room, well aware of his Childe’s curious eyes watching his departure.

“Hair gel, toothbrush, toothpaste…” Kelan touched each of his toiletries as he read the names from his list checking that he’d got everything; all of the items new and wrapped so that he wouldn’t have any last minute packing to do in the morning.

“Back in a minute,” Spike stated distractedly, receiving a barely acknowledged “uh-huh” from his son as he too left Kelan’s suite.

Spike got to the top of the stairs in time to see Angel disappearing across the lobby in the direction of the main kitchen and jogged to catch him up.

“Angel?” Spike called as he pushed open the heavy kitchen doors. “Are you alr…aaw c’mere,” Spike shushed Angel, pulling the crying vampire into his hold, stroking softly down the nape of his neck and toying with the soft hairs there.

“What is it?” Spike asked and felt Angel shrug against him.

“Kelly going away?” Spike guessed and this time felt his Sire briefly tense and hesitate before nodding ‘yes’ into his neck.

“He’s been away before,” Spike stated softly, calmingly. It was true, this wasn’t the first time that Kelan had stayed away from home. He’d been on holidays before and slept over at Ced’s house plenty of times.

“I know,” Angel sniffed feeling silly and embarrassed as he raised his face to look at Spike. “I don’t even know why I’m crying,” he laughed a little at himself, wiping his hand ineffectually at the tears slowly running down his face. “I can’t help it. I was fine with him going, then, just now folding up his shirts, I…I dunno,” he looked lost, puzzled.

“Yeah well, sometimes kids just get you like that,” Spike shrugged matter of factly, gently brushing his thumbs across Angel’s cheeks and chasing his wayward tears before moving in to kiss him softly, Angel’s salty tears finding their way into his mouth. The same thing had happened to him plenty of times, most recently when he’d been watching his boy reading aloud in an assembly they’d been invited to. He was fine one minute then out of nowhere was overcome with a choked feeling that he couldn’t describe any clearer than a proud ‘that’s *my* son’ feeling.

“Alright?” Spike breathed, resting his forehead against his Sire’s, soft caring hands cupping his lover’s face.

“Yeah,” the older vamp sighed and smiled, tears vanishing as if they’d never been there. Spike planted a quick chaste kiss on his lips and gave him a reassuring squeeze before allowing him to escape, giving him a playful pat on the butt as Angel headed towards the tumble dryer.

“You do realise that we’ve got the hotel to ourselves for two whole weeks right?” Spike said suggestively as he pushed himself up to sit on the counter, watching Angel as he opened the dryer door and checked that the clothes were dry before pulling out articles and folding them into the basket.

“Hmm whatever will we do?” Angel quirked an eyebrow at his boy as he paired up some socks and dropped them in the basket.

“Oh I’m sure we’ll think of something,” Spike purred.

“We should have a meal,” Angel stated suddenly, pausing in the folding of a pair of shorts as if he couldn’t talk and work at the same time.

“Um alright. If you want,” Spike said slowly, a little confused. Not that he minded if Angel wanted to take him out to dinner, not really anyway. Sure he enjoyed eating out and loved Angel’s romantic attentions, feeding him, flirting with him (though he wouldn’t readily admit that to anyone) but it frustrated him a little, seemed too one sided when he couldn’t do the same back. He much preferred to stay home and share blood or sweets with his Sire; now those Angel would eat.

“I mean with Kelly,” Angel flicked him with the shorts guessing what was going through his head then became animated in folding again. “We should all have a meal together tonight before Kelly has to leave. The whole family. We haven’t done that in ages,” Angel said wistfully.

“The whole family?” Spike repeated doubtfully. “We can ask but it’s a bit short notice for a Saturday. They might have plans already,” Spike suggested, letting Angel down gently in advance, preparing him in case anyone couldn’t make it.

“We could get Chinese,” Angel continued ignoring Spike’s gentle warning. “I like Chinese.”

Spike smirked at him and shook his head disbelievingly.

“Well I like the smell of it,” Angel conceded. It wasn’t about the food anyway. It was about being together.

xxXxx

As it turned out everyone was more than happy to cancel any plans that they might have had in order to share a meal together. No one had really noticed that they’d stopped meeting up until tonight’s meal had been suggested but now that it had been mentioned they found that they had indeed missed being like this together.

With everyone having found partners now, and more often than not doing their own things outside of work, it was pretty much only special occasions that led to them sitting around the table as a family anymore; Gunn and his wife Annie from the East Hills Teen Centre, Wesley and his husband Daniel, a bartender from Caritas, and Cordelia and her fiancé Matthew, a one time client of Angel Investigations and now a stay at home dad to their almost 4 year old daughter Abbie.

xxXxx

It made more sense to eat in the main dining room where the tables catered for larger groups now that the family had grown, so when the food was delivered that’s where it was taken.

Angel was happy as usual to sit back and watch the others in their commotion as they generally caused havoc passing various trays of food back and forth across the table.

“Whose got the beef szechuan?” Cordelia asked.

“Me. Hang on,” Daniel put a couple of spoonfuls on his plate. “Swap you for the egg fired rice,” he handed one tray to her, taking the other in return.

“Water chestnuts?” Annie asked.

“Here Hon,” Gunn had already nabbed them for her. “You want some bamboo shoots too?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Crispy duck anyone?” Kelan offered the tray he’d been serving himself from to the rest of the table.

“Over here please,” Matthew answered taking the tray from him.

“Pork chop suey?” Spike asked.

“Here,” Wesley handed it to him.

“Cheers.”

“Pwan Cwackers quease,” Abbie, who still hadn’t mastered her r’s or l’s, instructed her cousin Kelan.

“Here you go,” Kelan put some on her plate. “Enough?” he asked and she nodded yes.

“Chicken chow mein?” Spike offered the tray he was now holding to any takers. “No?” He was just about to put the unwanted tray on the table when he felt Angel’s hand on his arm.

“Can I try some,” Angel hushed, sounding embarrassed even though he had no reason to be.

Spike looked stunned for a second, then his face bled into a warm smile, “’course you can. Hey Dan pass us a plate over will you?” he leant across the table and took the plate from Daniel with a “thanks” then gave it to Angel along with the tray of food.

Angel slowly spooned a small amount of food onto his plate, suddenly feeling very self conscious, sure that everyone was starring at him even though they weren’t. Strangely he felt more awkward now that he was going to eat than when he was truly out of place observing.

In response, as if reading his mind, Angel felt Spike’s hand, heavy and reassuring, coming to rest on his thigh, unnoticed by the rest of the diners.

Angel tensed at Gunn’s call of “chicken chow mein?” and knew that Spike had felt it too when he began to rub his leg comfortingly.

“Here,” the older vamp offered hesitantly, holding out the tray for Gunn, waiting for the questions or comments to begin, not expecting the tray to just be taken with a smile as if his eating wasn’t anything unusual.

He smiled bashfully at Spike when he felt his Childe pat his leg, a definite “good boy” receiving the most beautiful soft smile in return followed up rapidly with a lascivious naughty wink and a wicked flash of tongue that spoke straight to his cock.

“Wice Unca Angel?” Abbie offered from beside him, snapping his attention away from Spike, and without waiting for a response pushed her hand into the depths of rice and dumped a handful onto his plate, including him without a second thought.

“Wice Auntie Annie?” she held out the tray across the table with her sticky hands, not waiting for the “uh thanks?” from stunned Uncle Angel.

“Here,” Spike hushed calling Angel’s attention back to him, his voice soft and at odds with the restless anticipation reflected in his eyes as he speared a piece of chicken on his Sire’s plate with his fork, leaning in to create their own private space and carefully sliding it past soft lips as Angel obediently opened his mouth.

Angel held his Childe’s gaze as he cleaned the fork, closing his lips around it to trap the food in his mouth as Spike slowly withdrew the cutlery.

Angel let the morsel rest on his tongue a moment, savouring the taste before chewing. Christ it tasted good. He didn’t realise he’d closed his eyes until he opened them to find his boy starring at him, eyes dilated with lust, breathing a little. His boy was getting turned on watching him eat? Strange Childe.

Raising his eyebrows seductively Angel plucked the fork out of his Childe’s hand, loaded it again, raised it to his mouth and then faltered as Wes called his name, suddenly realising where he was having been lost in his own little world with Spike, oblivious to everyone else around them.

“Hmm?” he questioned silently with his eyebrows, not trusting himself to speak, trying to look as innocent as he could.

“Wine?” Wes waved a bottle of red at him. Angel shook his head ‘no thanks’ and so Wes moved on to Spike who accepted the bottle gratefully in absence of a glass of blood like the one his Sire had.

“Annie?” Gunn offered his wife some wine too and at her nod, filled up her glass. Anyone else?” he held the bottle of white aloft.

“I’m waiting for the red,” Cordelia told Daniel, pointing at Spike when he looked at her ‘ladies first’ before putting his hand out to take the white wine from Gunn.

And so the meal progressed; food, drink and stories being shared.

Wesley was currently recounting a tale about some particularly comedic cases that A.I had dealt with recently, Daniel watching him adoringly hanging on his every word, Gunn jumping in and adding to the story, spicing it up when needed, entertaining the others and holding their attention.

“Where you going?” Spike caught hold of Angel’s wrist, leaning back in his chair and causing it to balance precariously on the two back legs.

“Thought I’d put the tea and coffee on.”

“I’ll help,” Spike offered giving Angel a meaningful look, rocking his chair down on to all four legs and casually standing up to follow his Sire.

“Oh Spike,” the blonde paused as Cordelia caught his attention. “Watch him with the coffee,” she sighed sounding like an indulgent parent. Spike threw her a “will do” nod and headed towards the back of the dining room and through the kitchen’s other doors, the main ones for a change rather that the ones they usually used that backed onto the lobby.

“Soo,” Angel purred seductively turning away from having set the water boiling, then “Oof,” as he was caught off guard, unprepared for just how raw Spike’s need was for him as his Childe practically barreled into him.

“Want you so bad,” Spike breathed in a rush, bodily forcing Angel backwards until he had nowhere to go, pushing him to sit on the counter, standing between his open legs, grasping the back of his neck in a vice grip and pulling him into a brutally passionate, greedy kiss, smashing their mouths together, trying to devour him whole.

“Ow,” Angel complained as Spike’s mouth was suddenly gone and his head came crashing down into contact with the counter when his boy grasped the back of his pants and gave a good hard yank, successfully skinning both trousers and shorts from around Angel’s arse and causing him to fall flat on his back, legs automatically hitching up on either side of Spike’s waist as far as the material trapping his thighs would allow.

“Will,” Angel warned worriedly, struggling to sit and trying to pull his pants back up to cover himself, very aware of their family not that far away on the other side of the door, even though it was unlikely that they’d be interrupted. He’d anticipated kissing, a bit of groping maybe, wanted it, but the fire in Spike’s eyes, the determination in his actions told him that he was in for so much more.

“Shut up,” Spike panted. “Want you Angel. Going to have you,” as he hindered his Sire’s attempts to pull his pants back up.

“No,” Angel pleaded, holding firmly to the waistband of his shorts, fighting against Spike.

“No?” Spike whispered softly despite his heavy excited breathing, halting his actions. Never mind all of his talk, there was no way that he’d ever take his lover by force or if he wasn’t comfortable with the situation.

“Um,” Angel glanced at the kitchen doors, looked at Spike, flicked his eyes to the doors again, starred at Spike, both fear and desire evident on his features; indecision.

Spike saw his chance and jumped on it. “Come on Babe, you know you want to,” he growled huskily. “I need this. Please Sire,” he begged knowing now that it was only the worry of being discovered that was holding the older vamp back. Angelus had never been one to mind exhibitionism but Angel was a different story. His body definitely wanted whatever Spike had to offer. “I need you,” Spike hushed, bending forward and nuzzling hungry kisses into Angel’s neck, sliding one hand downwards to massage his Sire’s hard dick.

“Alright,” Angel caved with a pleasured moan, “but be quick.”

“Not gonna be a problem,” Spike groaned in anticipation making to pull Angel’s trousers off completely.

“Not like that,” the older vampire gasped, rolling onto his front and sliding backwards towards Spike so that his feet touched the floor. “At least I stand a chance of pulling my pants back up like this,” he reasoned.

Spike popped the buttons on his jeans with one hand, caressing the barely exposed pale flesh of his Sire’s buttocks with the other.

“Hurry up,” Angel hissed, wriggling his arse to show his impatience and growing concern at being caught.

“Alright, alright,” Spike griped. “I haven’t got anything,” he warned Angel as his cock head nuzzled against the indent that it wanted to penetrate.

“Never mind,” Angel growled readying himself then, “wait! Cream,” he suggested, pointing down the counter at the pot of coffee creamer he’d put there before Spike turned up.

“Suits me,” Spike shrugged, leaning across to reach it, pushing his thumb through the foil lid to open it then pouring a generous amount of the white liquid to run down between Angel’s buttocks, inducing a shiver at its coldness, using sticky fingers to guide it to where it was needed.

“Come on,” Angel urged his Childe to quit fiddling about preparing him and just get on with it.

“Sure?”

“Yeah…ooohhhhh,” Angel moaned as Spike sank forwards and imbedded himself deep inside his body with very little effort, sliding in on the chilled cream.

“Want it quick?” Spike checked, his voice as tight as Angel’s channel surrounding him. He didn’t care if this was over in seconds. He just wanted to get off, but Angel had taken to begging for long slow fucks since the piercing and Spike was never one to disappoint.

“Hard and fast.”

“That’s just what I wanted to hear Babe,” Spike hissed, wasting no time in delivering what had been requested of him, rearing back then thrusting home relentlessly.

“Yeah, just there, right there, oh God,” Angel moaned, no longer ashamed to beg for what he wanted, not relying solely on Spike’s encouragement to speak anymore.

“Right there Babe? That what you want? Tell me Angel, tell me,” Spike kept his voice low, pumping his hips jerkily knowing he was giving his lover just what he needed.

“Yeah just…ahh yeah there, right fucking there, there, thheeerrrre,” Angel fell into a chant, then, “slow, do it slow.” ‘Here we go,’ thought Spike as his Sire abandoned his rush to get this over with.

Angel suddenly found himself pulled upright, his back against Spike’s chest, a strong arm wrapped around him holding him safe, pulling him impossibly close, one hand in a possessive hold on his hip as Spike thrust up into him, sharp and shallow, rubbing him right there.

“Oooooh.”

“Yeah?” Spike half agreed, half questioned.

“Yeah,” Angel panted, feeling a little light headed as he slouched back against his boy, head on his shoulder lolling in a blissful daze, making him take his weight.

“Alright?” Spike checked, releasing Angel’s hip, sliding his hand up under his shirt and ever so gently clawing at his chest, teasing hard nipples, muscled abs.

“Feel…dizzy…bit,” Angel gasped brokenly. “Don’t stop,” he added as he felt Spike falter a little in concern.

“Won’t stop,” Spike promised him softly, picking up the pace again, kissing into his neck, sliding his hand lower to wrap his fist around his Sire’s dick, working him with long slow strokes.

“God you smell so good,” Spike buried his face deeper into his Sire’s neck, inhaling his scent, mouthing at the soft skin, trailing his tongue over the smooth flesh trying to lap up his essence, wanting to drown in it. Angel’s scent always smelt wonderful to Spike, but just recently he’d smelt different somehow, more...vulnerable; pure ambrosia to a predatory hunter. If he was honest Spike would say that Angel smelt a little like prey, not that he’d tell him of course.

“Wonder what you taste like right now,” Spike teased, scraping blunt human teeth down the column of his Sire’s neck causing him to tremble.

“Shall I find out?” Spike let his fangs drop, scraping harder, panting raggedly as he imagined tearing into Angel’s throat with reckless abandon. He worked Angel’s cock harder faster even as he kept up his strong yet slow thrusting. “Blood and cream Angel?” he moaned. “You going to cream for me Babe?”

“Uh-huhhhhhhhh,” and that was all it took to bring him over the edge. “Will, Will, fuck, so fucking good,” muttered and mumbled, whimpered and cried repeatedly as he spilled himself over the counter, over his boy’s hand.

“Oh yeah that’s it Babe, let me hear you,” Spike gave up on the slow thrusting, couldn’t help himself as he pumped his hips harder and faster chasing his own goal. “You feel so good Sire, squeezing me tight, so fucking tight and ah fuck,” Spike gasped, “I just wanna pound into you, fuck you through the counter, ride your arse so fucking hard, I, need, I, I wanna…” Spike thoughts slipped out of his brain and straight onto his tongue, escaping into the air before he knew it.

“Will,” Angel panted breathlessly with the softest yet huskiest voice in existence, donning his own vampiric visage. “Use me. Get yourself off. I wanna feel you explode. Do me. Take what you want.”

“Sire?”

“Fuck me Will. Make me your whore.”

“Oh God,” Spike whimpered forcing Angel back down onto the counter, his hand on the back of Angel’s neck, arm locked, pinning him in place like a victim, making him take it.

Angel’s cheek was pressed against the cold steel counter, his head tilted to the right where he could almost envision a distorted reflection of his Childe in the frosted mirrored tiles, fucking him with an unrestrained power, stretching him wide open, forcing himself deeper and deeper.

All at once the hand suddenly released Angel’s neck from its captive grasp, but he got no respite as instead his hips were seized in a punishing grip and pulled violently backwards. His Childe, crushing him to his own body, holding him immobile as his cock pulsed and released its essence deep inside him, spurting over and over. His lover’s back arched in a bow, head thrown back, mouth open in a silent roar, fangs bared as a wild animal. His boy frozen in time, immortal, seemingly made of stone, solid, rigid, unbreakable, then crumbling, shuddering, collapsing into a puddle against his back, panting, breathing, made of flesh once more though still not human, never mortal, as deadly sharp fangs penetrated his neck, pulled the blood forcefully from his veins. Slowly the tremors subsided until they were no more, vicious fangs replaced with a soft sweeping tongue, lovingly healing his wounds, then contented silence, near stillness.

“Good?” Angel whispered and wriggled back against him.

“The best,” Spike planted a soft kiss behind Angel’s ear, then with a sigh slid backwards allowing Angel to escape, watching as he slowly, dreamily pulled up his pants and stretched to loosen his muscles, rolling his neck and shoulders to ease them.

“Supposed we’d better make the coffee and stuff,” Spike sighed, absently licking at his fingers, chasing the taste of Angel, the evidence of his pleasure, “Hmmm.”

“Yeah,” Angel agreed with a sigh of his own, watching as Spike buttoned his jeans back up, as he set to work filling the jug with coffee and pouring on the just boiled water. “Hey wash your hands first,” he lightly scolded Spike as he went to grab the sugar bowl. Spike rolled his eyes but obeyed.

“Oi,” Spike turned from one sink just in time to catch Angel before he poured the coffee down the drain of another.

“It smells off?” Angel explained with a question, looking at him sheepishly like a little boy caught doing something he knew was wrong.

“Let me see,” Spike said doubtfully, leaning over to sniff at the coffee. He looked at Angel giving him the same flat “uh, no I don’t think so,” look that Kelan was often on the receiving end of, and took the coffee pot from him.

“I tell you it’s your bloody nose,” Spike enlightened his Sire, picking up the half empty pot of creamer and looking at it doubtfully before sniffing at it, he went to hold it out seeking Angel’s approval but the look he received told him that he was expected to throw it away. Shrugging Spike poured the creamer down the sink, got out a new one instead and finished sorting out the tea and coffee essentials; sugar, cups, spoons and milk.

For the last couple of weeks Angel had taken to drinking tea, continually complaining that their coffee was off and smelt disgusting. He wouldn’t be told otherwise. They’d checked expiry dates and even changed brands to appease him but still he persisted and, given the chance, would dispose of perfectly good coffee meaning that they had to keep restocking.

“Get the door Luv,” Spike kissed Angel, picked up the tray and headed towards the dining room, his Sire preceding him.

“Hot stuff,” Angel warned as they approached the table, causing a scrabble of hands to clear a space.

“Tea and coffee too,” Spike added with a wink and a wicked grin, putting the tray on the table.

Angel closed his eyes for a second and sighed, as he sat down, he’d walked right into that one.

Spike retook his own seat as everyone dived in on the hot drinks, everyone except for his son who was looking at him suspiciously.

Spike eyebrows knitted in question then it hit him as Kelan answered him by flaring his nostrils a little, scenting the air. Blood, Angel’s blood. Kelan’s sense of smell was as keen as theirs.

Spike surreptitiously gnashed his teeth at his boy to intone unashamedly and dismissively, “I bit him. Vamp stuff,” but smiled reassuringly. There was no point in being coy pretending that they didn’t do things like that when their son knew full well they did and was obviously worried about his Mum. Kel nodded pleased and accepting of the silent explanation and fell back into listening to the conversation going on around him.
 

“C’mere,” Spike held his arm out in invitation to his lover. Angel sighed happily and leant into the welcoming embrace, lounging against him, laying his head on Spike’s shoulder as his boy tightened a protective arm around him.

“Hmmm tired,” Angel breathed and closed his eyes nuzzling into the younger vamp’s neck.

“You’re not the only one,” Spike said and Angel briefly opened his eyes to follow his boy’s head tilt to look at little Abbie laid out across two dining chairs, fast asleep.

“Probably all of that…eating,” Spike snuffed a laugh, providing Angel with a reason for his tiredness.

“I felt you watching me all night you know,” Angel snuggled even further into Spike’s hold, picking up on the subject of eating.

“Not a crime is it?” Spike titled his head a little to plant a quick kiss on his Sire’s cheek. “It was nice to see you enjoying yourself. Got me all…”

“I know what it got you,” Angel’s seductive tone implied that he knew very well.

“Yeah,” Spike sighed and fell silent once more, toying with Angel’s fingers where his arm had crept around lower to hold his hand.

“Spike what was it that clown said to you again?” Gunn asked, brining the younger vamp into the current conversation.

xxXxx

“Hhhwa!” Angel suddenly shouted as he jerked awake violently, his whole body flinching as if he’d been shocked, making everyone sitting around the table jump, including Spike whose shoulder he’d fallen asleep on.

For his actions he was treated to various surprised yelps, a “Jesus Angel” a “Bloody hell” and a groggy “Huh?” from Annie as she too woke up, all accompanied by a symphony of startled pounding hearts before nervous relieved laughter set in.

“What?” Angel looked blankly, sleepily at his family, not really with it.

“What time is it anyway?” Cordeila asked herself aloud ignoring his question and looking at her watch, “it’s almost 4,” she said incredulously. “We’d better go home and put Abbie to bed,” she told Matthew with a sigh pushing her chair back so that she could stand. Her actions set the tone for everyone else as they all started preparing to call it a night.

“Oh I’m sorry, I must have fallen asleep,” Annie yawed, leaning against her husband as Gunn put his arm around her.

“We’d better be making a move too,” Daniel stood up and stretched, smacking Wes playfully on the butt as he too stood up, causing him to blush. “Want any help with tidying up?”

“Nah we’ll do it later,” Spike waved dismissively at the table they’d vacated.

“Kel gone to bed?” Angel asked Spike, looking around for their son, worried that he’d be too tired to go on his trip in the morning.

“Yeah,” Spike slipped an arm around Angel as they slowly made their way out into the lobby, following the others to say goodnight. “He went a while ago. You woke up briefly, said goodnight to him,” Spike smiled knowing that Angel would start worrying about that next.

“I did?” Angel didn’t remember but believed Spike when he nodded and hummed an “Umm-hmm,” at him.

It took a few minutes longer for everyone to say goodbye to each other and be ready to leave.

“Thanks for the meal,” Wes threw back, he and his husband being the last couple out of the door, following Matthew who was carrying little Abbie in his arms, curled up against his chest.

“Goodnight,” Angel yawned as he locked up the door behind them.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” Spike hugged him from behind.

“We should tidy up first,” Angel allowed himself to melt back against his Childe, wanting to do anything but cleaning.

“Nah sod it. It can wait until morning,” Spike easily dismissed the mess waiting for them a second time, kissing the back of his Sire’s neck softly, “bed?”

“Umm-hmm,” Angel nodded his agreement and with a contented sigh pushed out of Spike’s hold, taking his hand instead as they made their way up the stairs.

xxXxx

“Will, oh God Will,” Angel accidentally kicked Spike in his panicked state as he scrabbled out of bed and made a run for the bathroom, causing his lover to jolt awake much like he’d done himself at the dining table earlier.

“Angel?” Spike was after him in an instant, finding his Sire already on his knees in front of the toilet, gripping the sides with white knuckles.

“You not feeling well?” Spike hushed as he knelt down bedside him.

“Oh God, Oh God,” Angel started to chant, panicking, hyperventilating, rocking from side to side on his knees, extremely agitated. “I’m going to,” he knelt up higher and heaved.

“Shh it’s alright,” Spike knelt up with him, rubbing his back soothingly as Angel emptied his stomach, suddenly very aware that Angel was actually scared of being sick, much like their son when he was little.

If he thought about it he couldn’t remember Angel or Angelus either for that matter ever being ill.

“Alright, alright,” Spike soothed, rubbing Angel’s neck with one hand, flushing the toilet with the other, when the older vamp finally sunk back down, his arms crossed on the rim of the toilet seat, his cheek resting against his forearms, sobbing quietly and shaking madly.

“Cold,” Angel shivered, his teeth chattering.

“It’s alright,” Spike assured him once more then went back into the bedroom and collected Angel’s robe, wrapping him up in it as he came back into the bathroom, plating a kiss on top of his head before moving over to the sink to fill up a glass of water. “Still feel sick?”

“I don’t know,” Angel groaned looking up at him, his face a mask of misery as he took the offered water, taking a sip and swilling it around his mouth before spitting it down into the toilet bowl.

“OK,” Spike hushed, crouching down beside him, taking the glass off of him, reaching behind himself to put it on the edge of the bath before recapturing one clammy hand in his own. “Wanna go back to bed? Try and sleep it off?”

“I, I don’t know.”

“It’s alright we’ll just sit here a bit yeah?” Spike murmured softly and sat properly, leaning back against the side of the bath, holding his arms open encouraging Angel to rest his head in his lap and stroking the dark hair soothingly as his Sire did just that and curled up on the floor against him.

“I’m never eating again,” Angel mumbled then fell silent, staring to doze off as his Childe massaged his scalp calmingly. It didn’t take long for Spike to join him, falling into a peaceful snooze with his Sire resting safe in his lap.

xxXxx

“Will, no, no,” Angel was suddenly on the move again, panicking once more, gasping and fidgeting agitatedly as he tried to fight the inevitable.

“It’s alright. I’m here Babe,” Spike babied him, following his moves, rubbing his back, biting back the “Daddy’s here,” that he almost offered out of habit given that Angel was behaving much like their son used to right now.

“I don’t want…” was all Angel managed before he was heaving once more, trembling violently, before collapsing exhaustedly again, his arms across the toilet seat, eyes closed but with his face looking down into the water.

“Angel take your face out of the bowl,” Spike scolded him softly, lifting his head gently a little so that he could flush again without spraying his Sire.

“Don’t want to move,” Angel sulked, and slumped back down, hugging the toilet.

“Drink?” Spike offered.

“Don’t want to move,” Angel repeated. “Don’t want to talk.”

“Alright,” Spike indulged him for a while, cuddling up against his back, just letting him know that he was there for him.

“Wanna go back to bed?”

“No.”

“Still feel sick?”

“Don’t know.”

“Why don’t we go back to bed? Get you nice and warm?”

“No.”

“I’ll get the bucket,” Spike tried to persuade him.

“No.”

“Tired?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Angel you can’t sit out here all night,” Spike reasoned with him. “Come on, come back to bed it’ll be alright.”

“Promise?”

“It’ll be alright,” Spike repeated.

“That’s not a promise.”

“I can’t promise can I? I’ll look after you though Babe, you know I will.”

“OK,” Angel finally agreed in a small voice.

“Come on then,” Spike hushed coddling him, helping his Sire to stand and leading him back to bed after making him swill his mouth out to feel better, cleaner.

“There you go,” the blonde soothed, tucking his Sire into bed then climbing over him to spoon up against his back, snuggling up against him.

Angel fidgeted about, squashed back against his boy, squirmed about some more then finally rolled over to face his Childe, wriggling about until he was resting on Spike’s chest, head tucked tightly under his boy’s chin, strong arms holding him protectively, keeping him safe.

“Better?” Spike asked when Angel ceased moving, and felt the older vamp nod against his chest.

“Love you,” Spike kissed his hair and felt Angel snuggle deeper against him, rubbing his head against him in a sleepy show of affection, an “I love you too,” before allowing sleep to take him.

xxXxx

“Donuts Angel? You sure you want Donuts?” Spike asked surprised. They’d just dropped their son off at school, waved him off from the shadows as the coach departed taking him on his trip and now, driving home, Angel had asked for donuts.

“Uh-huh.”

“OK, donuts it is,” Spike looked both ways before signaling right, turning in the direction of the mall and consequentially the donut bar.

~~~*~~~

“Peru.”

“Hmm?” Angel stirred on Spike’s chest, his head resting in the crook of his boy’s neck, the rest of his body half sprawled on the blonde, half on the couch.

“Paddington Bear came from Peru.”

“Oh um, good,” Angel groggily pushed himself up a little, inadvertently dislodging the duvet that had been covering him. “What?” he asked confused when Spike’s words sunk in properly.

“Peru,” Spike nodded towards the TV and the game show he was watching. “See told you,” he nodded pleased when the little yellow box lit up showing that he’d got the right answer. “Wanker,” he told the contestant who’d chosen Turkey as their answer and so was now out of the game, leaving the host with the task of reading out a new starter question to determine who’d sit in the hot seat next.

“How long have I been asleep?” Angel yawned.

“I dunno, couple of hours maybe?” Spike guessed.

“Sorry,” Angel yawned again.

“S’alright,” Spike smiled warmly at him, pulling his Sire to lie back down against him, tugging the duvet back up to cover them both.

“What is the name of the brightest star as seen from Earth?” The TV host asked.

“The sun,” Spike answered before the four possible answers appeared on the screen, then “Oh,” when it wrongly wasn’t one of the displayed options. “OK Sirius then.”

“Polaris,” Angel murmured disagreeing, “the North Star,” snuggling down and making himself comfortable on the blonde once more.

“Nah, that’s a Common misconception,” Spike dismissed Angel’s answer. “Just cos Polaris is the most important, people reckon therefore that it must be the brightest too when in fact it’s not.”

“Uh-huh?” Angel scoffed. “Everyone knows it’s the brightest,” he persisted.

“Well then, everyone is wrong.”

Both watched the screen waiting for the answer to be announced. Both knew they were right and that the other was wrong.

“Ha, told you,” Spike grinned smugly when Sirius proved to be the correct answer.

“Oh?” Angel sounded a little surprised.

“What? I know stuff,” Spike defended, then “Dru had this book on stars, liked me to read it to her.”

“Ah.”

“In scrabble what value is given to the letter Q?” asked the host.

“10” Angel threw out instantly, Spike however waited for the multiple choices to appear on the screen before offering an assured “15.”

“15? None of the letters are worth 15.”

“Yeah they are, Q is.”

“Isn’t.”

“We’ll see,” Spike said knowingly waiting for the answer to appear. “Shit, 10? No way! Nah, they’ve got it wrong,” Spike complained when it seemed that Angel had the right answer. “They just messed up on the star one and now they’ve got this one wrong too.”

“It’s not wrong.”

“It is and I’ll prove it to you. Let me just go get the scrabble board,” Spike shifted, ready to get up. “Angel?” He whined when his Sire didn’t budge a single inch to aid his escape.

“Awww. Stay here. I’m nice and comfy,” Angel wriggled against him to prove how comfortable he was. “You’re right they must have got it wrong.”

“I know you don’t believe me. You’re just humouring me. Come on, mind out the way” Spike patted Angel’s naked butt under the duvet.

“But all cozy,” he whined.

“I’ll only be a minute.”

Angel sighed, giving in and moving just enough to let Spike out.

“Um, do you know where the Scrabble is?”

“Oh Will,” Angel sulked at being pointlessly disturbed.

Scrabble would have to be the only game that wasn’t easily to hand wouldn’t it? The coffee table was littered with loads of other games, Articulate, Chess, Cadoo, Monoploy, Top Trumps, Connect Four and even Tiddly Winks could be found amongst the heap of other numerous boxes. Somewhere on the floor lay Kelan’s games console too along with a range of empty snack packets and various take out boxes.

“Don’t pout,” Spike grinned at Angel, bending down and playfully biting at the stuck out lower lip before planting a kiss on his nose and heading out of the lounge leaving his Sire to snuggle himself back up in the duvet.

Kelan’s two weeks at the adventure camp were almost up and all his parents had done in that time was laze around their suite. They’d spent their time just enjoying being together, whether that involved just relaxing or working up a sweat, playing games, watching TV, or just talking. Not really doing anything but loving it all the same, relishing their alone time, free from parental responsibility. No more set dinner times, no playing chauffer to Kelan, no homework to check over and no children asking “Can I have…?”

Angel had given himself the whole two weeks as holiday leave, most of which had been spent in bed, on the couch or occasionally on the floor between those two furnishings…though that resulted in unintentional carpet burns which neither was a big fan of.

There had been two callouts, both cases demon orientated which meant that Spike had been able to tag along as he always did in non-human situations. It had been just like the old days, fighting side by side, coming home fresh from the kill, hyped from the violence and fucking like the vampires they really were. Not, as usual, merely having to settle for a quick rut in some alleyway or on the backseat of the car; neither of which stated the bloodlust stirred and barely took the edge off.

For once they had the additional opportunity to do what they needed in the spur of the moment, but then come home and continue in the privacy of their own home. Not having to suddenly turn into ‘parents’ as they crossed the hotel threshold. Not having to worry about younger eyes seeing things they shouldn’t. Instead they were free to carry on and do what they wanted without restraint.

xxXxx

Half an hour later Angel, laying flat out on the couch with his feet in Spike’s lap, had agreed that yes, perhaps on some Scrabble boards that the Q was valued at 15. He’d also agreed that fastlier (as in running faster than someone else) was a real word and that Kudos could indeed be spelt with a silent Q; which in this version, incidentally, was worth only 10 points.

“J I M, M ,Y,” Spike detailed the letters as he set them down on the board.

“Jimmy? Will, we agreed no names.”

“I know but I mean as in ‘go for a jimmy’ you know, have a piss, jimmy-riddle?”

“Fair enough,” Angel sighed, he really didn’t care anymore. He remembered why the Scrabble board had been missing from amongst the other games on the table and wondered how he’d been coerced into playing it this time, groaning in sheer pleasure as Spike pressed his thumbs into his foot and rubbed in just the right spot, massaging expertly…and oh yeah, that’s how he’d been persuaded to play.

“Hmm?” Angel studied the letters in the holder balanced on his stomach then leant sideways to place his tiles on the board. “Alright, P H O N E,” for a score of 10.

“Umm? Ah! Z Y L O,” Spike added the four letters to the beginning of Angel’s last word.

“You can’t have that. Xylophone starts with an X.”

“Yeah but it sounds the same,” Spike reasoned.

“You can’t just have it because it sounds the same or I could have...” Angel studied his letters again, flicking his eyes between them and the board before deciding on his next move and laying down the tiles. “Q U A R T A, Quarter. That’s,” Angel added up his score, “15.”

“You can’t have that.”

“I can if you have don’t take Zylo away.”

“Fine,” Spike grumped, taking his letters away and coming back with an E and T to make ‘pet’ out of Angel’s ‘phone’.

“Right then, Q U I Z Z E S, Quizzes,” Angel laid down the 34 pointed word.

“Cheat.”

“How is that cheating?” Angel asked incredulously.

“You put down too many letters,” Spike tried.

“That isn’t a rule. Ooh can we watch this?” Angel was suddenly distracted, noticing an old hockey game on the muted TV screen.

“Huh? Oh yeah if you want,” Spike put down the rack of letters he’d been holding on the coffee table, taking Angel’s ones too when the elder vamp passed them to him. “It was getting boring anyway,” he shrugged, grabbing the TV remote and turning up the sound.

“Only because you weren’t winning,” Angel quirked a knowing eyebrow at Spike.

“No,” Spike lied and after a moment of pause added, “anyway I still kicked your arse on Trivial Pursuits.”

“Hmm,” Angel agreed in a suspicious non-committal way. Maybe if they hadn’t been playing the specialist ‘entertainment’ version with all of those film and music questions he’d have stood a chance at winning. “Can you still rub my feet?”

“Uh-huh,” Spike got comfortable on the couch, laying head to toe with his Sire so that he could massage his feet some more, arranging the duvet so that it covered both of them instead of just Angel, the duvet hogger.

~~~*~~~

Spike held the door open with the heel of his boot, arms laden down with bags of grocery shopping, as Angel trailed in behind carrying next to nothing and overtook him, leading the way to the lobby. They’d meant to do the shopping before Kelan came home from his school trip but had somehow never managed to get round to it, making the most of the time they had alone instead of wasting it at the supermarket. This was the first chance they’d had to do a real shop, so for the past week the three of them had been living on take outs and whatever they could find in the kitchen.

Was it really only a week ago that Kelan had come home? It felt a lot longer to Spike, those two weeks of relaxing bliss seeming a life time ago.

“…yes, uh-huh,” Wes held the phone uncomfortably against his ear with his shoulder as he scribbled notes down. “No, it’s our pleasure,” he continued, pointing at Angel as he noticed him and motioning that he should stay right there.

Angel nodded and looked as if he was about to head over toward Wes, but was thrown off track as Spike purposefully walked into him, bumping against him and making him stumble a step or two in the direction of the stairs. Angel turned, face knitted in a frown, mouth open and ready to make some sort of protest, but a hard meaningful glare from Spike and a threatening “you wanna try it?” head tilt had him sulkily stomping his way up the stairs much to Wes’s surprise and annoyance.

xxXxx

“No, it’s not trouble at all,” Wes said quite pleasantly, although had the caller on the other end of the phone been able to see him they’d know that the ‘niceness’ was all an act. “Thank you. Goodbye.”

“I told him to wait there,” Wes snapped at Spike, who was coming back down the stairs having taking the shopping up, as he hung up the phone; his tone matching the look on his face this time.

“Yes, and I told him to go upstairs,” Spike answered, obviously overriding Wes in everyway and leaving nothing open for discussion. “Now, what did you want him for?”

“That was that Mr. Dillon,” Wes stated pointedly, referring to their new client, a very wealthy, influential and respected client who had paid them a ridiculous amount of money in advance just for Angel to be a visible presence at his daughter’s birthday party.

“Yeah?” Spike asked, not seeing a reason yet for Wes’ stressed out state. “Everything still on for tonight?”

“Yes, that’s what he was phoning for, to check that 8 o’clock was still alright.”

“And?”

“I could hear his daughter in the background, thoroughly spoilt if you ask me, throwing a tantrum and complaining to someone that Daddy hadn’t got her a Dalian talisman liked she’d asked for and…”

“What does a kid want with a talisman?” Spike interrupted.

“She’s not a child,” Wes rolled his eyes. Had Spike not listened to anything when this case had been discussed? “She’s going to be 26, although you know how it can be in these well to do families and…”

“Yeah I know,” Spike nodded as if he understood, cutting Wes words short. His mind suddenly flying back to past times, remembering Cecily, 24 years old, a young lady for certain but every bit a child if she couldn’t get her own way; if Mummy and Daddy didn’t bend to her will. His brain conveniently skipped over the fact that he’d been a Mummy’s boy himself, though then again he’d never thrown a wobbler to get his own way, sulked, pouted and coerced yes but…actually come to think of it he hadn’t changed much.

“Anyway, I just happened to mention that we’d got one and…”

“Now he wants it and you don’t want him to have it, right?”

“No, that’s not it. Will you stop interrupting me? He’s quite welcome it to, in fact I told him so. It’s not like we’ll ever need it for anything but it’s…” Wes didn’t finish the statement, looking sheepishly at Spike, waiting for him to fill in the vocal gap even though he’d been told not to interrupt.

“It’s in that sodding Aladdin’s cave of a storage room isn’t it?” Realisation suddenly dawned on Spike. He sighed irritated when Wes nodded that he was correct. “Why the bloody hell did you tell him we’d got one?”

“I didn’t mean to. I said it without thinking. It just kind of slipped out.”

“Well you’ll just have to phone him back and say you’ve changed your mind, couldn’t find it or something. I am not hunting around in all that junk just to please Little Miss Tantrum.”

“I can’t do that. I promised him,” Wes whined. “…and I didn’t expect you to go hunting for it which is why I wanted Angel’s help.”

“Angel’s…busy.”

“Spike, he’s going to pay us double if we can deliver.”

“Double? As in twice what he’s paying already for Angel to be the hired,” Spike floundered for a word, “intimidation?”

“Uh-huh,” Wes nodded.

“Well in that case we’d better get cracking,” Spike stated. His mind on the money and what it would mean to them, as Angel’s had been when he agreed to take the job in the first place, this not being the usual thing that he went for. Cordelia and Matthew were looking to get married, Wes and Daniel wanted to move into a bigger apartment, Gunn and Annie were planning on starting a family and Kelan had hopes of going to college. The money they’d already been given would more than ease the way but the promise of extra cash couldn’t be passed up.

xxXxx

“Oh for fuck sake,” Spike growled, angrily pushing the box he’d finished with aside and moving on to search through the next. “Haven’t either of you found it yet?” He asked irritably.

“Don’t start again or I’m out of here,” Gunn griped. His threat empty and pointless, knowing how important it was that they found the talisman. He wasn’t going anywhere. “I only came down here to see what you were doing and ended up getting roped in. What exactly is it that Angel’s doing that he can’t help too?”

“He’s, he’s resting,” Spike offered quietly, unsure at first whether he was going to tell the truth or not.

“Resting?”

“He’s tried alright,” Spike defended angrily even though Gunn’s comment hadn’t been accusing in the slightest.

“Alright, keep your hair on,” Gunn snapped back. “I was only asking,” he huffed.

There was silence for a moment as they went back to searching through boxes and cupboards until Spike offered a soft, “Sorry,” and after a deep breath, a seemingly begrudging explanation. “I dunno what’s up with him lately. I reckon all that sugar is messing with him somehow. He’s not used to it. It perks him up for a bit but he’s crashing real hard on it. I tell you, it’s like a drug with him. He’s craving the bloody stuff.”

“Tell me about it. I put a candy bar on my desk yesterday, turned around to answer the phone and when I turn back guess who’s eating it? Without asking if it was alright too! Who’d have thought it, Angel, a sugar junkie,” Gunn snickered.

“It’s not funny Gunn,” Spike shot back, something in his tone of voice telling them that far be it from a joke, he was genuinely worried about Angel.

The older vampire had continued to follow his new passion for eating human food even though it still made him sick most nights, but now it seemed that it was starting to affect him in other ways too; at least Spike blamed the food given that nothing else had changed to act as a trigger to spark off the differences that he couldn’t fail to notice in his Sire.

At first he’d thought that Angel’s new ‘Jekyll and Hyde, fine one minute, cranky as hell the next, with more than a dash of unexplained weepiness thrown in just to confuse things’ attitude could be put down to an allergy to, or possibly additives in the food. He was now leaning towards sugar as the culprit given that Angel was actively hunting down the sweetest of foods to pig out on as readily as he’d ever tracked prey.

Spike had surprised himself that he almost been on the verge of opening up, wanting to say what was on his mind, needing to get someone else’s perspective on the whole situation. Someone who’d tell him that he wasn’t over reacting to this ‘sugar’ thing of Angel’s, that he wasn’t just imagining a change in his Sire. With Gunn’s thoughtless response though he’d quickly shoved all of his worries back inside.

Gunn was laughing at the ridiculousness of it all wasn’t he?

A vague inspired flash of Angel at a twelve step program, “Hi my name is Angel and I’m a sugar junkie…” playing in his mind made Spike cringe. Yep he felt stupid alright. Maybe he was the one going mad.

“Spike?”

“Yeah?” Spike asked quite normally, denying that he’d heard any hint of concern in Gunn’s voice. He didn’t want to discuss this anymore, shouldn’t have let on that he was worried in the first place. He scolded himself for worrying at all and ignored the little voice that told him quite firmly that he *did* have a reason to worry, pointing out that he knew his Sire better than anyone and that something wasn’t right. That same voice reminded him of the reason why Angel wasn’t here helping them now, why he’d made his Sire take a nap because he’d given him a fright when they’d been at the supermarket, near fainting in the frozen food aisle, crashing down from a sugar high most likely and only reviving properly when he’d fed his addiction, stuffing yet more sweet foods to get his fix.

“Nothing,” Gunn conceded, he knew better than to push for an explanation.

“You know you can talk to us about anything Spike,” Wes wasn’t so quick to dismiss the vampire’s concerns. “If you’re worried about Angel or…”

“You sure this fucking thing is down here?” Spike griped cutting off Wes’ words and bringing a stop to any further talk on that subject, pushing aside yet another box as he finished with it, still coming up empty handed.

“Yes,” Wes droned. He’d answered the same question plenty of times already.

“What sort of a present is a talisman anyway?” Spike muttered to himself as he climbed over a couple of boxes and headed for the cupboards, pushing all previous thoughts out of his mind.

“I guess when you’ve got as much money as they’ve got and can buy pretty much anything you want then you have to start looking for unusual presents,” Gunn answered anyway.

“Ah, is this it?” Spike sighed holding up yet another talisman for Wes’ inspection.

Wes looked up briefly, arms still buried in the cardboard box he was searching through. “No, it’s that sort of size but it’s got more gems around the edge.”

“Just how many of these bloody things have we got?” Spike complained opening a new cupboard to look through and accidentally cracking Gunn, who was kneeling on the floor looking in the lower cabinets, across the forehead with it.

“Ow damn it Spike,” Gunn snapped, his hand instantly shooting to his head to check for damage. “Watch what you’re doing.”

“Bloody hell!” Spike exclaimed stunned, no delayed recognition in what he’d just done.

“Your chip didn’t fire,” Gunn caught on immediately, his shocked words drawing Wes’ full attention too. “Do it again,” he ordered, quickly followed by “Shit. Not with the door. I meant pinch me or something,” as he rubbed his injured head.

Spike rolled his eyes in exasperation then looked at Wes expectantly assuming he’d know what was going on.

“You must have touched something,” Wes offered as he clambered over a heap of boxes to join the other two, intrigued.

“You’re not even gonna bat an eyelid?” Spike asked, sounding more shocked by the fact that his friends didn’t so much as flinch at the idea that William the Bloody was back, than finding out that his chip seemed to be inactive.

“Why, you got itchy fangs?” Gunn asked dispassionately, not a bit fazed that this cold blooded killer had seemingly been given his bite back.

“No,” Spike said in a ‘duh!’ tone, “But…Oi!” Spike growled when Wes pushed past him, more interested in finding out what had caused his chip not to work than wasting time worrying over the ridiculous notion that Spike might want to snack on either of them.

“No, this couldn’t have done anything,” Wes muttered to himself, studying the last artifact that Spike had held and shaking his head. “Spike, what else have you touched?”

“I dunno. There’s so much bloody hocus pocus crap down here I don’t know what I’ve picked up and what I haven’t.”

“It can’t just be something he’s touched,” Gunn said reasonably, his words at odds with his actions as he too began rummaging through the areas that Spike had been searching in, trying to find out what might have deactivated his chip.

“I don’t know,” Wes shrugged clueless. “But something has obviously happened and we need to know what unless…” Wes trailed off, lost in thought for a moment. “Spike, pinch me,” he held out his hand and the vampire hesitantly obeyed. “Hmm, no it’s not just Gunn,” Wes murmured to himself and continued his search when Spike’s chip failed to trigger again.

“Do you reckon it’s permanent?” Spike asked sounding hopeful.

“I haven’t got a clue,” Wes answered. “We need to find out what caused it before we can figure out things like that. Maybe you said something, uttered some majikal words. Have you said anything while holding any artifacts?” Wes wondered.

“He hasn’t stopped yammering the whole time we’ve been down here,” Gunn pointed out.

“Oi,” Spike sounded offended. “I was not yammering. I was making conversation.”

“Complaining,” Gunn corrected.

“Whatever,” Spike conceded, “but I didn’t say any abracadabras.”

“Maybe it didn’t happen today,” Wes suggested, abandoning his search for a moment to stare up at Spike. “When was the last time it worked?”

“Um,” Spike thought back for a moment, “the office, when we bumped in the doorway,” Spike grinned suggestively.

“That was weeks ago. Anything could have happened between then and now,” Wes said hopelessly, turning back to the pile of junk Spike had been looking though.

“A spell,” Gunn blurted. “Have you been around while a spell was being cast?”

“Ummmm, no, don’t think so,” Spike was racking his brain.

“Have you read any incantations, written any down, read any out, anything?”

“Nope,” Spike shook his head.

“Drunk a potion?” Gunn asked.

“Yeah ‘cos I’m always drinking weird potions,” Spike said sarcastically. “No.”

“Electrocuted yourself and shorted it?” Wes asked grasping at straws. A level ‘do you think I’m crazy’ look was his answer, although Spike didn’t let on that he’d tried that once or twice in the past just to see if it had any effect.

“Did you wish it away?” Gunn suggested, laughing a little as he held up something that looked suspiciously like a genie lamp and rubbing at it.

“Gunn don’t do that!” Spike gasped, worry flooding his face, his features only bleeding into a huge grin when Gunn froze with a panicked look on his face and asked, “It’s not a real one is it?”

“Your face,” Spike smirked. “Genies? Really?”

“Oh shut up.”

“Actually genies are real,” Wes chipped in.

“Yeah right?” Spike scoffed. “They’re out of fairy tales.”

“So are fairies,” Wes pointed out helpfully, knowing that Spike had seen those before. He shook his head and mumbled to himself, “this from a vampire?”

“So what, you think a genie could have granted me a wish then?”

“I doubt it,” Wes answered.

“What about a demon?” Gunn shrugged.

“Nah they’re all into vengeance and stuff aren’t they?” Spike said thinking of Anya.

“Only vengeance demons are into vengeance,” Wes rolled his eyes. “There are a few others that can grant wishes but I seriously doubt you’d have run into any. They’re all rare nowadays, hunted down by other demons in the past hoping to steal their powers and such. Haroks, Lyburs, Mustans…

“Mutsans?” Spike questioned slowly.

“You have a problem with those too?” Wes asked snootily, throwing back to Spike’s comment on genies.

“As in that Derga wotsit that we helped get back home with the portals and stuff?” Spike ignored Wes’ dig at him.

“Oh yeah, I remember her. You asked her for a wish?” Gunn jumped ahead of himself, not stopping to think that if Spike had in fact made a wish that it would have been granted before he bumped into Wes previously, and hence the chip wouldn’t have fired.

“Hang on, you mean to tell me you’ve actually met a Mustan?” Wes asked in awe.

“Yeah,” Spike shrugged. “Came in when you were on holiday that time.”

“We had a Mutsan as a client and no one thought to mention it to me?” Wes asked aloud though he was clearly talking to himself. Obviously the others had been ignorant of the rareness or importance of such a demon.

“I’ve gone and done a bloody Alice in Wonderland,” Spike’s suddenly muttered to himself, utter disbelief showing on his face.

“Alice in…Spike?” Wes asked.

“You know, eat me, drink me,” Spike elaborated.

“I don’t understand.”

“That Dergon bird sent us some handmade sweets as thanks. I was eating one when you bumped into me, still chewing on it as I went upstairs cursing the bloody chip it and wishing it away. Could it have been that?”

“I’d say that was a strong possibility,” Wes nodded enthusiastically, but without talking to her…” Wes held his hands out helplessly, if she’d returned to her own dimension then there was next to no chance of finding her again.

“She sent a card with them, said something about eating them on but I only got the jist of it, looked kinda like old fashioned Treylean but I didn’t recognise all of the words,” Spike gave Wes all the information that he could, hoping he could do something with that.

“I don’t suppose you kept the card?”

“Wait, you had homemade candies and didn’t share them?” Gunn sounded put out. “I helped get her home too.”

“Hey I only had a couple. Angel was in charge of them.”

“Well that explains it,” Gunn huffed and rolled his eyes.

“The card Spike,” Wes reminded the vampire, stepping in before heated words were thrown back and forth again.

“Um, Kel had it, yeah, said he wanted it for a school project. He’s probably still got it.”

“Maybe we need to take another look at it,” Wes suggested, nodding towards the door as he continued to enlighten them. “I doubt it was old Treylean, more likely it was original Mutsan. It’s a very old language, but I’m familiar with it, in fact I wrote a paper on it. It’s quite interesting actually; although it was obviously created by the Mutsan it’s the basis of many of the demon languages including Treylean incidentally.”

“Uh, Wes?” Gunn questioned sheepishly as he took his jacket off of the hook on the back of the storage room door, revealing at least 9 pendants hanging there, one of which looked suspicious like the one they’d been searching for.

Wes sighed and plucked the correct talisman from the back of the door, shaking his head at Gunn as he opened it and led the way out.

Spike smiled sweetly and gave Gunn the ‘after you’ gesture. Defenses down, Gunn stepped past him, letting out an indignant “hey” as Spike clipped him round the back of the head for wasting their time, just because he could now.

Wes picked up where he left off, prattling on about his knowledge of demonic languages regardless of whether or not the other two were listening to him, as the three of them made their way upstairs leaving the storage room in an even greater state of chaos than when they found it.

xxXxx

“Kel,” Spike knocked on his son’s suite door, not wanting to burst in on him. Finding his son mid wank that one time and not knowing what to do other than mumble an apology and close the door quickly, was not a moment Spike wanted to repeat.

“It’s open,” Kelan called back, meaning that it was safe to come in.

Spinning on his chair to face the door instead of the computer, Kelan greeted his father, standing there flanked by his uncles, with a smile that just seemed too innocent to the vampire.

Spike looked at Kel suspiciously, flicked his eyes to the suddenly blank computer screen, then back to his son and quirked his eyebrow questioningly.

Kelan’s blush was answer enough. “Um, what did you want?” He asked trying not to squirm in embarrassment, only a glimmer of nervousness tainting his voice.

“Do you remember that postcard that was in Mum’s chocolates a while back?” Spike let him off the hook. “You wanted to use it for a school project,” he prompted at his son’s blank look.

“Oh yeah, that map of L.A,” Kelan answered.

“Do you still have it?” Wes asked.

“Probably,” Kelan shrugged, pulled open a draw on his desk and rummaged through his school books. Not finding it in there he moved on to the next drawer and sorted through those. He found the right book and flicked through it until he found the postcard which he tore out and handed over to his Dad.

“Thanks for the help, best wishes, enjoy the eats, yours truly,” Spike translated the card as he’d done in Angel’s office, shrugged and passed it to Wes.

“Thank you for your help,” Wes nodded agreeing with that part, “May what you desire and wish for come true and bring you happiness as you eat. Oh Spike,” Wes looked despairingly at him, “you had powerful wishes at your disposal! We could have done all sorts of things with those.”

“Well I didn’t know,” Spike defended incredulously.

“Oh well what’s done is done,” Wes sighed letting it go, there was no point in dwelling on something that they had no control over, no way to change. “Mystery solved. At least we got something wonderful out of it,” he smiled reluctantly at Spike, his words sincere unbelievably happy that the younger vamp had his bite back, but regretful that they could have done so much more if they’d known about the wishes.

“Still think you should have shared the candies either way,” Gunn grumped.

“What happened?” Kelan asked still in the dark about what was transpiring before him.

“My chip don’t work,” Spike said, suddenly seeming rather distracted.

“Cool,” his son agreed, his body language showing that he was ecstatic, wanting to throw himself at his Dad and hug him. He restrained himself though taking note of Spike’s absent look, “Dad? That’s good isn’t it?” He stammered over his words.

“Yeah it’s fuc…I mean, brilliant. I’ll um, I’m just gonna go and tell Mum,” Spike said haltingly, leaving his son with his uncle’s to wonder about his strange behaviour.

“I think the information has just sunk in properly,” Gunn said knowingly, but wrongly. Reassuring his nephew with a huge happy smile, that was quickly reciprocated.

~~~*~~~

“Hey Angel, sleep well?” Spike asked softly as he found Angel toweling himself down in their bedroom.

“Hmm,” Angel hummed, stealing a kiss from his Childe on his way across to the dresser. “I think, well, maybe you’re right about the sugar thing,” the elder vamp finally said softly, rooting through the drawers for some shorts and socks. He’d obviously had time to think about what Spike had said to him on the drive home from the supermarket and taken his concerns to heart.

Unseen by Angel, Spike shook his head in the negative. It had nothing to do with sugar. How could he have been so dumb to think it ever was? He knew better now.

“Did you find the talisman?”

“Yeah,” Spike sighed softly. “Look Angel, we need to talk alright?”

“Something wrong?” Angel paused in pulling on his shorts, looking concerned. “Did Kelly do something?”

Spike mused thinking back to the scene in their son’s room a few moments ago. Kel could have shut down his computer for any number of reasons but Spike guessed he’d been looking at porn. That in itself didn’t worry him so much as what kind of material he was looking at. It was only natural that Kel would be curious, but there were some sick fuckers out there.

Kelan had already had ‘the sex talk’ with his parents. They’d both taken on the responsibility in educating him, and even though Angel had been embarrassed he’d agreed with Spike that it was important they handled the task together. In their day things such as this weren’t discussed. Sex was dirty, shameful and they didn’t want their boy raised the same way, clueless as they’d been.

Liam had discovered sex with the looser lasses and lads of his village, knew nothing of being safe and had no idea how many ‘little Liam’s’ he’d been responsible for, if any. William had leant all he knew at the hands of Angelus, Penn and Drusilla; and what a learning experience that had been.

They’d hoped that being frank and open with their son would mean that he’d feel free to come to them with any problems or questions. It had been surprisingly easy once they’d started talking. They’d gone way beyond detailing the mechanics of making a baby and promoting safe sex and dealt with the emotional side too, love, peer pressure and so on, covering everything as best they could, hoping to send their son out into the world prepared.

Spike wasn’t going to embarrass his son in front of his uncles, but the matter wasn’t forgotten, he’d definitely be looking into this later, but right now there were other things to discuss and oh where to start!

“My chip doesn’t work,” Spike opened with.

“What?” Angel’s expression was one of pure shock. “Really?” He hushed, almost afraid to get his hopes up.

“Yeah really.”

“I don’t underst…how?” The look of joy on his Sire’s face was priceless and Spike felt his throat constricting with emotion.

“Made a wish,” Spike shrugged in the safety of Angel’s arms that had managed to find their way around him all of a sudden, hugging him tightly.

“You…a wish..I…what?” Angel was beyond confused, pulling back a little so that he could see his boy’s face but unwilling to release him.

“Remember those sweets you got from that Mutsan?” Angel nodded to show that he did. “Yeah well, turns out you eat them, make a wish and it comes true.”

“Just like that and you’re back?” Angel was still in shock, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

“Just like that,” Spike confirmed softly, and suddenly the true depth of what had happened sunk in on him. “I’m back,” he barely breathed. “I’m really back,” as he rested his head against Angel’s chest and let all of the emotions he was feeling wash over him, an amazed smile playing about his lips, overwhelmed with what it meant to have his bite back, his dignity, his strength, his pride.

“All of those things we tried,” Angel murmured unbelievingly, “and all it took was a wish,” he snuffed a feather soft laugh into Spike’s hair.

“Angel?” Spike asked having been silent for a while, content to just be held. Unable to resist smoothing his palm over Angel’s abs, stroking his stomach as he kept his eyes downcast watching the movement of his own hand.

“Hmm?”

Spike almost didn’t want to say the next words, scared about how the information he was about to impart would be received. “You made a wish too that day,” he said hoping that everything would click into place with his Sire.

“Did I? What was it?”

“You don’t remember?” Shit! Spike’s hand froze on Angel’s belly.

“No.”

“You really don’t remember,” Spike asked, pushing himself back in Angel’s hold to stare up at his face, bracing his hands against his Sire’s biceps begging him to get a clue.

“No?” Angel asked cautiously, the look on Spike’s face worrying him.

“Angel, you wished for a baby,” Spike said reverently.

Angel’s face froze in shock a moment before he crinkled his nose and laughed, “A baby?”

“Yeah, a baby,” Spike confirmed with a relieved smile; not sure that Angel wouldn’t have just freaked out at the news.

“You what? Where do you come up with these ideas?” Angel laughed again and shook his head disbelievingly, dismissively. “A baby?”

Spike’s smile faded away. “Angel, don’t you get it? You’re pregnant.”

“Yeah right. Of course I am,” Angel joked planting a quick kiss on Spike’s surprised face before releasing him to continue getting dressed. “I wished for a baby and now I’m pregnant?”

“Yes,” Spike’s voice held a strong hint of a plea, wanting Angel to take this seriously.

“We can’t have any more children,” Angel stated, pulling on a shirt and starting to button it, “and even if we could I wouldn’t want yours, I’d want you to have mine,” he smiled still not getting it.

“You wished it,” Spike insisted, wounded by his Sire’s unintentionally cruel words. Angel wasn’t buying this for a second.

“Well then I didn’t mean it. I take it back,” Angel shrugged as if that solved everything, closing one cupboard door and opening another to find some pants. “Why would I want to put myself through all that?”

“You can’t just take it back,” Spike growled angrily.

“Of course I can. It’s not real. Wishing your chip away is one thing, wishing for a baby well that’s something else. It’s impossible. One life, that’s what that prophecy said. I would create life once, that’s all,” Angel reasoned then sighed when he saw the crushed look on Spike’s face. “Look as nice as it would be to have another baby, well sometimes at least, it’s just not practical is it? You know how hard it is, would you really want to do that again? It nearly broke you the first time, almost tore us apart. Me having your baby Will? It’s ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous? It’s a bit late for all that, Angel you *are* pregnant,” Spike snapped in annoyance. This wasn’t a joke.

“No,” Angel protested defiantly as he pulled on his pants, buttoning and zipping them.

“Yes,” Spike persisted, following his Sire around the apartment as he got ready to go out.

“No. I can’t have a baby. I don’t want a baby and I’m not having a baby are we clear?” Angel huffed as he picked out and slipped on a suit jacket, angry at Spike, wanting him to stop with this silliness.

“You don’t have any choice.”

“If I was,” although Angel’s tone clearly showed that he didn’t believe it for one second, “then there would be some way to undo it,” he stated matter of factly.

“Undo it?” Spike asked in a small voice, the hurt contained in those two words escaping Angel’s ears.

“Yeah, like an anti-wish or something,” Angel suggested absently, flicking his eyes up to look at the clock and sighing when he saw that it was almost time to go. He hated these fancy events, always felt to exposed and awkward nowadays, but it was easy money. “Do I look alright?” He asked Spike, seemingly forgetting that they were having a discussion, an argument, whatever, as he posed.

“What? It’s the shirt isn’t it?” Angel looked down at his clothes, taking Spike’s shocked expression completely the wrong way.

“Angel,” Spike hushed taking hold of his Sire’s hands, stilling them as the elder vamp began to unbutton the shirt. “You look stunning Babe, beautiful, but please we need to talk about this.”

“I’ll be late. We’ll talk about this when I get back alright?” Angel’s tone was soft and promising but the look in his eyes bore a different tale, told Spike all he needed to know. Angel didn’t believe him and didn’t want to discus it any further.

“I’m pleased about your chip,” Angel smiled lopsidedly at his boy as he reached out to take his face in his hands, running his thumb affectionately down his cheek before kissing him deeply, lovingly. “I have to go. I’ll see you later,” he hushed, “and we’ll celebrate you being back.”

Although Spike had watched his Sire preparing to go out, it had been without any conscious thought and only just registered that he was in fact going out on a job.

“No.”

“Huh, you don’t want to celebrate?”

“I mean no, you’re not going.”

“The party starts at nine and Mr. Dillon wants me there for eight. If I don’t go now I won’t make it in time. I promise we’ll talk when I get back.”

“I don’t think you heard me,” Spike injected a touch of menace in his tone. “I said you are not going.”

“Oh I know what this is about. Look we’ve been through this already,” Angel sighed thinking that they were revisiting Spike’s concerns about this party when Angel had first accepted the job. “There isn’t going to be any trouble. This isn’t a set up. Mr. Dillon doesn’t have some ulterior motive. He’s not expecting any trouble. I’m not there as a bodyguard, just purely as a recognisable face, a deterrent I guess.”

“And what if something does kick off huh?”

“I can take care of myself.”

“And what about the baby? Don’t you get it? You can’t go out like this. Angel you are pregnant, why can’t you just accept that huh? I won’t let you put our baby in danger.”

Angel let out a long suffering sigh, annoyance creeping back into his tone, “Will, I’m not pregnant. I can’t get pregnant. If it was in my future, my destiny, then it would have been foretold in the prophecy. It wasn’t. Look, don’t you think I’d know if I was. I’d feel something right? This isn’t some TV show or book, how could I be pregnant and not know? For a start you’d be able to see it.”

“You’re not far enough gone to show yet. Although…” Spike tilted his head and studied Angel’s stomach.

“I’m not showing because there’s nothing to show,” Angel snapped defensively.

“What about all the signs, the symptoms?”

“What signs?”

“Tiredness…”

“This week has been hard,” Angel cut in with a reasonable explanation before Spike could continue.

“Mood swings, hormones going mad.”

“As I said, busy week,” Angel huffed.

“You nearly passed out in the supermarket today. It could easily happen again. What if I’m not there to catch you, to protect you? Anything could happen. I’m not letting you get yourself in that situation. You’re not fighting anymore. No more cases.”

“I can’t just quit working and I don’t know why that happened today but…”

“You’ve gone off of coffee,” Spike carried on regardless.

“You’re kidding right? You don’t like coffee. Does that mean you’re knocked up too?”

“Yeah but I never liked it in the first place, I didn’t just suddenly go off of it,” Spike reasoned. “And don’t say it like that, knocked up,” before carrying on listing the symptoms that were obvious to him now. “There’s the sickness…”

“Because of the food,” Angel whined, once again cutting Spike’s words short.

“Listen to yourself. The food,” Spike stressed those two short words, “since when have you eaten food in the past? You haven’t. The baby needs it. Your body has nothing to offer a living being. You’re eating to feed the baby.”

“For fuck sake Spike, there is no baby. It’s not real.”

“But what if it is? Think about that. Don’t you care?” Spike pleaded.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not pregnant. It’s impossible.”

“I can smell it.” Spike admitted quietly. Lowering his eyes ashamedly as he continued, “You smell like prey Sire, vulnerable…and if I can sense it then others will too eventually. They’ll see it as….”

“Weakness?” Angel questioned distastefully, an edge of danger to his tone.

“You’ll be a walking target,” Spike dared to meet Angel’s eyes, his voice full of apology for what he’d insinuated, but it had to be said; might be the only way to convince him.

Spike face was a picture of hope as Angel actually, but reluctantly, scented the air. His face fell though when Angel shook his head sadly. He couldn’t smell anything different about himself and with a sigh told Spike, “I know you think it’s true but…”

“Do it for me then, humor me huh? Go to the doctor and make me look stupid. Prove me a wrong,” Spike pleaded desperately.

“Alright,” Angel finally agreed after a short pause. How could he deny his boy when he looked at him like that? “When I get back I’ll make an appointment.”

“No not when you get back. Now! I already told you, I’m not letting you go. Look, I’ll take your place alright? You’re staying right here.”

“I have to go. He’s relying on me. I can’t let him down.”

“But you can let me down?”

“It’s not like that.”

“It’s exactly like that.”

“Look, I have to go, that Dillon guy asked for me especially.”

“Sod him asking for you. I’m asking for you. Which is more important?”

“You know you’re more important but this job is worth a lot of money; money that we need. Tell you what, make an appointment for me and I promise as soon as I get back we’ll go to the doctors if it’ll make you happy, but in the meantime I *am* doing my job. The demon clinic is open all hours right?” Angel checked absently. “If what you say it true then I’ve been going out like this already. One more case won’t make any difference will it?” Angel tried to reason with the blonde.

“You’re wrong Angel, one case will make all the difference, because…because if you step out of that door, if you knowingly put our baby in danger you’ll…you’ll lose me,” Spike threw out without thinking, rushing to block the door, when Angel, deciding that their conversation was finished headed towards it. That would make him listen.

“Will, this is silly.” Or maybe not.

“Move.” Angel tried to reach for the door handle.

“No.” Spike spread his arms wide, plastering himself to the back of the closed door, creating a barricade.

“You can’t stop me.” Angel again tried for the handle, but Spike squirmed about blocking his target at every pass.

“Only because I won’t fight you in your condition.”

“In my condition?” Angel barked out a short, cut off un-amused laugh. “Spike, get out of my way.”

“No.”

“Either you move or I move you,” Angel threatened but made no move to do anything when Spike still failed to yield. Instead he simply rolled his eyes, crossed his arms against his chest and huffed. “What you’re going to run away, leave Kelly and me over an imaginary baby? What’s that supposed to accomplish?”

“I’d never leave him. I take care of *my* own,” Spike snarled both defensively and accusingly, glaring at Angel intoning that he was about to do just the opposite with their baby.

Spike hadn’t expected the slap across his face and managed to pull his own reflexive retaliatory punch before it connected, gritting his teeth as he unclenched his fist and instead held his stinging jaw. The physical pain nothing compared to the emotional. Angel had struck him? Maybe he’d asked for it with his remark but it was still a shock.

“I, I,” Angel sounded as if he might apologise but then his tone changed, “I don’t have time for this.” He roughly pushed Spike aside and quick as a flash stepped out, locking the door behind him.

“Angel!” Spike pounded on the door and rattled the handle. “Fuck!” He scanned the room with his eyes, wildly looking for his keys before he did what came naturally and simply twisted the handle to break the lock.

“Angel!” Spike leant over the banister and called, but his Sire was nowhere to be seen.

“Angelus!” Spike bellowed down into the empty lobby, thumping his hands angrily on the railings before rushing down the stairs, taking three or four at a time.

“He’s gone,” Wes answered slowly, unsurely, moving out from his place behind the reception desk and twisting to follow his descent of the staircase. “The Dillon thing remember?”

“Fucking bastard!” Spike growled. “Keys, quickly.”

“But…”

“Now Wes,” His tone was urgent, desperate and sparked Wes into action, leaning back over the counter, retrieving Spike’s spare car keys and handing them to him as he reached the bottom step.

“Everything alright?” Wes called after him worriedly as he failed to slow his step. Obviously everything wasn’t alright but he wanted to know if this was a lover’s tiff or something much grander for which he needed to call back the team.

Spike nodded briskly. “Watch Kel for me?”

“Of course, but what…?”

“Not now,” The vampire didn’t break his stride, waving his hand impatiently, dismissively.

“Dad?” Kelan appeared leaning over the banister.

Spike halted for this voice, torn as he looked back up at his son’s worried face. “Kel I…” He didn’t want to just rush out without explaining, but time was of the essence here. Older blue eyes met younger ones, a silent something passing between father and son. The pain in his Father’s eyes twisted something in his heart.

“Is Mum…?” Kel left the statement hanging, couldn’t bear to utter the thoughts running through his head.

“He’s fine,” Spike nodded reassuringly, tried to smile but just couldn’t. It was enough though. His son knew he was telling the truth.

“OK,” Kelan nodded slowly, bravely, giving his Dad permission to leave.

Spike tipped his head gratefully, eyes full of love tainted heavily with sadness.

“I’ll see to him,” Wes assured the blonde, looking between the pair. He didn’t need to be a mind reader to know what was going though Spike’s head right now. The vampire didn’t answer, just nodded again before turning, picking up his pace again and leaving.

“Uncle Wes?” Kelan walked slowly down the stairs, his eyes still looking in the direction that his father had just vanished in and where the sound of manically screeching tyres now emanated then quickly faded into the distance.

“It’s alright,” Wes assured the boy, walking towards him as he neared the bottom of the stair case.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know but I’m sure….Angel? What are you doing back?” Wes asked in surprise as the elder vamp came in through the front doors. “Oh whatever’s the matter?” Wes asked softly, his voice full of concern when he thought that Angel looked as if he might burst into tears any moment.

“Mum?”

“I can’t do it,” Angel whispered, not meeting Wes’ eyes as if he expected to be told off, holding out one arm inviting his son over for a hug. “I can’t take this job.”

“Um, OK,” Wes said in slow confusion.

“OK?” Angel looked up at him surprised and hopeful. Wes wasn’t angry with him?

“Angel if you can’t then…” Wes’s words trailed off and he shrugged. He knew Angel must have a pretty good reason, he’d never let them down.

“Oh,” The older vamp said dazedly. “Yeah OK then, um Will said he’d go in my place.”

“Oh,” Wes’s voice didn’t sound so sweet now. He sounded like the bearer of bad news.

“Oh?” Angel questioned worriedly, parroting Wes.

“Mum, Dad’s gone,” Kelan looked up at his mother, eyes brimming with tears. Scared because he didn’t have a clue what was going on.

“Gone?” Angel’s lower lip wobbled. “He left me?”

“Actually I think he went out after you. Don’t worry, we’ll give his cell a ring to let him know that you’re here and he needs to go to the Dillon’s,” Wes tried to assure Angel, already dialing the number as he spoke.

The tinny sound of ‘Pretty Vacant,’ the ring tone on Spike’s mobile phone, floated down into the lobby from the apartment.

Angel’s eyes filled up. “I’m going to have to go aren’t I?” He sniffed, his sense of honour prevailing. If there was no one to take his place then he’d have to go. “The money…”

“I don’t know what’s going on here,” Wes cut in, “but there are more important things than money. Could perhaps Gunn and myself fill in?”

“I don’t…”

“Mr. Dillon can only say no,” Wes reasoned, guessing what Angel was thinking. The Dillon’s were expecting the ‘Hero’ not the ‘Sidekicks’.

“I…yes please. You don’t mind?”

“I’ll give him a ring,” Wes smiled at Angel and hit the speed dial button for Gunn’s cell phone. “Oh Gunn? Wes. Angel can’t go to the Dillon party. Why? Because he just can’t ok,” Wes supplied in a voice that let Gunn know that Angel was obviously standing right there beside him. “I’ve said I’ll stand in for him, can you come with me? OK good. You’re by Cordy’s house? Right, I suggest you start heading over to the Dillon’s and I’ll meet you outside with the present. Is that alright? Ah yes of course I didn’t think, um, phone Annie and I’ll stop by yours on the way past to pick it up. See you soon then,” Wes hung up that phone and started dialing another number on his own cell phone.

“I’ll have to take your car,” Wes held his hand out for Angel’s keys and the present, taking both as the person he was calling picked up. “Danny? It’s me Darling. Can you do me a favour? Get my dress suit out and…” Wes headed up the entrance steps and disappeared out into the night without so much as a backwards glance.

xxXxx
 

This was hopeless. Spike didn’t have a clue where he was going, or even where he was. He’d torn out of the parking garage without any conscious thought of what he was doing and just driven. It didn’t immediately occurred to him to phone home and ask where the Dillon mansion was, but when it did that’s when he discovered that he’d forgotten his phone, left it in the apartment in his duster pocket.

“Fuck!” He slammed his hands against the steering wheel as he turned down yet another dead end. He was a mess, couldn’t concentrate on what he was doing and was certainly in no fit state to be out on the road. Snippets of his conversation with Angel continued to flow randomly through his brain, screwing him up even more.

Angel obviously didn’t believe that he was pregnant but the wish and the signs and symptoms all pointed to that conclusion. That wasn’t what was getting to Spike though, whether Angel believed it or not was beside the point, it was no excuse for the way his Sire had spoken.

Given that Spike did believe it (or even if he hadn’t) there was just so much wrong with what Angel had said. He’d laughed at the idea of him carrying their baby, as if it was below him and only acceptable for Spike to suffer the discomforts of pregnancy and birth. He’d shown that even if he did have a baby that Spike would still be the one expected to stay home and care for it.

Angel had completely ignored any of Spike’s needs or wants as a joint parent and instead said how *he* didn’t want a baby.

The worst was when he’d dispassionately commented that he undo it. Pretend that it never existed. Just scrub out a tiny life like that, a life they’d created together in love, without a second thought, to not even give it a chance.

“Fucking, fucking, fuck,” He thumped his fists on the wheel, his anger and frustration all at once bleeding into hopelessness and despair as he collapsed against the steering wheel in a fit of tears and heart wrenching sobs. He was useless. He’d got his bite back but what good was it doing him? He still couldn’t protect his family, his daughter. Spike cried even harder as that thought ran through his brain, the reality hitting him with all the subtlety of a brick to the face. A girl, Angel had wished for a baby girl. He couldn’t help but imagine the tiny girl, his daughter, growing inside his Sire, waiting to be given a chance at life, oblivious to her fate and unable to save herself even if she knew what *he* had planned for her. “Undo it.”

Maybe he was over reacting about Angel going out tonight. It was unlikely that anything would happen, but whether or not it did Angel had still been willing to take that risk, had still said that he didn’t want a baby. Spike hadn’t planned on having another baby either but that was neither here nor there. Now that she existed, his blood, he wanted her. He wouldn’t just turn his back on her because she wasn’t planned. She didn’t ask to be created. It was up to them to take responsibility for their actions, for her, and make the best they could out of the unexpected situation, just like they’d done with Kelan. It didn’t bear thinking about if Spike had behaved the same way as Angel when he’d discovered he was pregnant.

xxXxx

Angel sighed as he saw the state of the broken lock on their apartment door. Had he really locked his boy in there?

“Did you have a fight?” Kelan asked, trailing along behind his mother.

“We argued,” Angel sighed again. He wouldn’t lie to his son but wasn’t going to offer up any information on what it had been about. He couldn’t say it. Didn’t know how to. “Do you want some tea or something?” Angel walked purposelessly into the kitchen. He didn’t know what to do with himself.

“Alright,” Kelan said quietly, uncertainly taking up a seat at the table.

There was silence as Angel made the tea. “Tea because I’ve gone off of coffee,” ran unbidden through his head.

“Hungry?” Angel asked breaking the long silence. Kelan shook his head no, but Angel was so he grabbed the biscuit tin from the counter. “The baby needs it,” Spike’s voice reminded him from somewhere inside his head.

“Um, carry these?” Angel handed the tin to his son so that he could pick up both hot mugs, tipping his head in the direction of the lounge indicating that they should go through.

Kelan took a seat, Angel another, sighing heavily as he put the mugs on the coffee table, closing his eyes and putting his head in his hands as he tried to come to terms with what was happening here.

“Should we go looking for Dad?” Kelan ventured, setting the biscuit tin down noisily.

“Uncle Wes took the car, besides he’ll come home when he can’t find me,” Angel didn’t look at his son, keeping his head buried in his hands. Was he right? Would Spike come home or had he left as he’d threatened?

“Was it his chip?”

“Huh?” Angel looked up at his boy then.

“Did you fight about his chip?”

“No.”

“What then?”

“Dad didn’t want me to go out, but I did and…oh Kelly I don’t know,” Angel collapsed back against the couch, running his hands through his hair.

“Do you still love him?”

“Of course I love him,” Angel hushed honestly.

“Good,” Kelan nodded, reaching for his tea and taking a careful sip of the hot liquid.

Angel followed suit, leaning forward and picking up his own cup.

“He is coming home isn’t he?” Kelan asked uncertainly, not meeting Angel’s eyes and instead becoming seemingly engrossed in drinking his tea.

“Of course. He loves you. He’d never leave you.”

xxXxx

“Mum?” Kelan wasn’t sure what had woken him, but he found himself laid out on one of the couches in his parent’s lounge. He must have fallen asleep while waiting for his Dad to come home and Angel had simply covered him with a blanket and let him sleep on.

An unmistakable noise from the bathroom caught his attention and had him on his feet in an instant.

“Bloody hell. I mean Mum, you alright?” Kelan found Angel kneeling in front of the toilet, throwing up.

“I’m sorry,” Angel gasped. Kelan shouldn’t have to see him like this, sick, sniveling and crying because he still hadn’t got used to this, was still scared when this happened.

“What? Hey no,” Kelan soothed kneeling down behind him and unconsciously taking on Spike’s role as comforter, rubbing his Mum’s back in slow easy circles.

“I’m alright,” Angel persisted weakly, not wanting his son to witness this. No one had even mentioned Angel’s nightly bouts of sickness to him, the poor kid must be wondering what was happening. “It’s the food,” Angel’s own words from much earlier ran through his own head. Was that true?

“You don’t have to st….oh God, no, no,” Angel heaved again, collapsing against the toilet rim when he was done, resting his head on his arms and breathing heavily.

“Alright,” Kelan hushed, tying his best to take care of his Mum.

“No, No,” Angel wailed, rose up onto his knees again and wretched. There were no words of comfort this time as small hands were replaced with larger, surer ones.

“Will?”

“Why don’t you go to bed Piglet?” Spike’s voice hushed somewhere behind Angel.

“Dad?” Angel could hear a whole multitude of questions in that one word, but none were answered.

“It’s alright I can handle this, go on yeah? You look tired.” Spike’s voice was so smooth and calming that Kelan either forgot his worries or decided to save his questions for later.

“Sure?”

“Yeah, night Piglet.” Angel heard Kelan kiss Spike, then felt a soft peck placed against his own temple before he was up on his knees again, hacking away.

“I didn’t go,” Angel gasped out as he collapsed for what he hoped was the final time tonight. He had to let Spike know that. “I came home, but you’d gone.”

The older vamp felt gentle hands soothing him, calming him but still Spike didn’t speak. He wasn’t talking and that meant that he was still angry. That was fine, Angel could deal with that. At least he was here.

After a while of sitting on the bathroom floor, Angel finally decided to call it a night and get some proper rest. Spike handed him a glass of water to rinse his mouth, helped him to bed and tucked him in; gentle and caring as ever, but all carried out in a stony silence.

“Will?” Angel whispered sounding so unsure when, instead of climbing into bed beside him, the younger vamp headed back towards the lounge.

Spike froze in the doorway, took a deep breath and without turning to face his Sire whispered just as softly, “Angel, you said some things tonight and…” he paused and took another deep breath. “I don’t know. I just can’t be with you right now. I’m sorry.”

“Will?” Angel’s voice was so small and scarred.

“I’m sorry,” Spike shook his head, still not turning to face his lover.

“William? Talk to me, I’ll listen, I’ll…” Angel pleaded desperately.

“Please Babe,” Spike’s voice caught in his throat with emotion. “I can’t deal with this right now. I need some time to think.”

“Whatever I said, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I,” Angel’s voice was lost to tears leaving him only able to whimper, “William?”

“I’ll be right out here if you need me,” Spike said softly, tears obvious in his own scratchy voice.

“I need you.”

“Angel,” Spike sighed intoning that Angel knew very well what he meant.

“But…” Angel fell silent. He didn’t know what else to say.

Spike took one step then paused again, Angel’s heart filling with hope only to come crashing down in a flood of silent tears when Spike simply uttered a hushed and emotional, “Thank you for not going,” before he was gone.

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