Three days.

Ten hours.

Fifteen minutes.

Spike watched the hands on the clock tick by, hardly moving from his position
next to Willow’s bed. Xander was in a chair only a few feet away, snoring
lightly in the intense quiet of the room. The dark haired boy had been released
from the hospital the day after being admitted and had spent every available
moment watching the bedside of his best friend with his lover. The vampire had
found himself reassuring the boy as best he could that it wasn’t his fault.
That he couldn’t have known the car was coming, couldn’t have gotten her out of
the way in time. And Xander had finally agreed, vowing to never let Willow walk
next to on-coming traffic if she ever woke up.

The fragile looking red head had made no strides towards getting better and
none towards getting worse. The doctors couldn’t tell them anything other than
to just wait and see what happened. There was no way to guarantee she would
ever wake up, but Spike was prepared to spend the rest of her life sitting next
to the bed if that’s what it took. He wouldn’t give up on her. Not now. Not
ever.

He had discussed with Angel after the first day whether or not turning her
would work in this situation. The older vampire had been helpful as much as
possible, explaining that there really was no way to be sure. That he had never
heard of anyone trying to turn a human who was in a coma. Spike had never
missed Giles more than at that moment. His endless fount of knowledge would
have undoubtedly held all the answers to his question. But he was gone and he
decided, with Angel, that turning her in this condition would be risky at best.
 

So they wouldn’t even try.

Leaning back into the chair he had occupied for the days since she had been
admitted, the vampire allowed himself to relax slightly. His body visibly
softened, the tension seeming to ease out of him as he lowered his lashes. As
he had done twice a day for the past three days, the vampire gently tugged at
the bond between him and the red head, hoping for any sign that she felt it –
any sign that she might wake up.

Prodding softly at the mating bond that existed between himself and the witch,
the blonde watched her through lowered lashes, searching her face for any sign
of life. He sighed, abandoning the task as quietly as he had started when it,
again, seemed to do nothing to help her. A tear slipped from the corner of his
eye, rolling down his cheek and off his chin, finally dropping with a wet
‘splat’ onto his wrinkled t-shirt.

“Spike…?”

The blonde’s head jerked up, his tears drying. The word had been soft, nothing
more than a hoarse whisper. But she had spoken! “Pet? Baby? Red?” He babbled,
his voice catching as he stared at her pale form, waiting for any further sign
of movement. As if in slow motion, the red head’s eyelids began to flutter, as
if she were trying to pull herself from a bad dream.

“Spike…?” There was no denying it now when her lips parted, the word escaping
into the room with a sigh. She was awake and talking. After three long days and
nights, his little witch was awake and talking.

 He lifted her hand, kissing it lightly. Turning to the sleeping youth across
the room, the vampire called out softly, not wanting the nurses to disturb them
yet. “Chubs! Wake up!”

Xander moaned, his brown eyes opening tiredly to stare at the excited vampire
at the bedside. “What?”

“She moved, luv! And spoke!”

The boy was out of his chair quicker than the bleached blonde would have
thought possible, grasping her other hand in his. He could see her blinking
slightly. This was the second time he had gone through this with her. The
second time he had stood over her bed, waiting for her to wake up and not
knowing if she would. A sense of peace filled his heart, knowing that this time
there would be a happy ending. “Wills…come on baby…we’ve missed you.”

“Xander…?” Willow moaned, her tongue inching out of her mouth to wet her dried
lips. Green eyes fluttered open, staring at them in confusion. “Where…what…?”

“Shhh…” Spike cooed, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. “Just rest, pet.
We will explain it all later.” He kissed her forehead and stepped away from the
bed, his crystal blue eyes never leaving the pale form of the woman he loved.
Opening the door, the vampire yelled across the quietness of the hallway to the
nurses station only a few feet away. “Get your arses in here! She woke up!”

** ** **

“Go home and get some rest,” Willow growled softly, glaring playfully at her
lover. She could tell by the circles under his eyes that he hadn’t slept in
days, probably hadn’t left her bedside while he was waiting for her to wake up.
Since she had been awake, she knew for a fact he hadn’t rested, preferring to
stay at her side twenty-four hours a day, scared she would relapse. That had
been two days ago. “Please? Go now while its still dark and you don’t need to
take the tunnels.”

Spike took a deep unnecessary breath, reminding himself silently that the witch
was just trying to look out for his health and not trying to get rid of him.
“But, pet…they’re releasing you in the morning.”
 

“And Delia and I will come get her,” Xander interjected quietly, ignoring the
look the blonde shot him. “Its not like you can drive over here with us anyway,
Junior.”  Coming to stand beside the vampire, the young man kissed him lightly
on the lips before holding his head steady to look into his eyes. “Go home. We
will be there in,” he consulted his watch. “About seven hours.”

Nodding, the vampire gave in, apprehension settling over his heart. The last
time he had let the humans out of his sight for more than a few minutes they
had been seriously hurt. He swallowed around the fear in his throat, forcing a
smile onto his almost colorless lips. “Be safe, pets. I will see you in a
couple hours.” He leaned over, kissing Willow’s forehead softly.

When he turned to leave, the blonde’s eyes were still full of unshed tears. He
couldn’t shake the sense of paranoia that leaving them was causing him. What if
something happened while they were apart from him? What if it was fatal this
time? He gave them a small smile, trying not to let his tension show. “Love you
two. Hurry back to the bloody apartment.”

** ** **

The door to the apartment opened quietly, the two humans slipping inside with
barely a whisper of sound. If Spike was asleep they didn’t want to wake him up.
Xander had told Willow how the vampire had neglected to sleep and often eat
during the time she was in her coma and the news had all but broken the red
head’s heart.

Xander placed the small overnight bag he had packed for his lover near the
door, taking her by the elbow to help her into the bedroom. Although the
doctors said she should make a full recovery in time, the frail witch was still
suffering from bouts of weakness and dizziness. It would pass in time, but for
now she needed a little bit of help moving around.

Not bothering to turn on the light, Xander knelt at his childhood friend’s
feet, quickly unlacing the ties of her sneakers. She lifted first on foot then
the other, letting him remove the encasing leather from her feet. The bulky
sweat pants he had helped her put on at the hospital were quickly removed, the
red head leaning against the dark haired youth for support as he pulled them
from her legs. Finally, clad only in her t-shirt, Willow slipped into the bed,
cuddling instinctively against Spike as she watched Xander undress.

“Red?” Spike murmured, half asleep.

“I’m here, baby.”

The vampire’s eyes flew open, his arm wrapping around her waist to pull her
closer to his nude body. Tears of pure happiness sprang into his eyes. They had
made it home safe. No further injuries. His lips trailed kisses along every
part of her face he could reach. Behind the blonde, the bed sank down slightly
as Xander joined them, his own arm going over the vampire’s waist.

“Cor, pets, I’ve missed this,” the blonde purred into the hollow of Willow’s
neck. He needed to make love to them, to claim them again. Just to reassure
himself that they were still with him, still in his arms and not dead in the
ground.

Willow giggled softly, pressing her hips back into the growing erection of her
undead lover. She smiled, feeling a hand reach between her and Spike to gently
stroke at the hard member and knew immediately it was Xander. Every part of her
body ached to feel his touch – needed to have him claim her. She wanted nothing
more than to feel her lovers’ hands all over her – both Xander’s warm ones and
Spike’s cool ones.

And goddess, did she get her wish.
 

~Part Twelve~

Spike stared up at the ceiling, nestled between the two sleeping bodies of the
humans he called family. It had been one week since the accident and Willow had
just been allowed to leave the hospital that morning. Xander had gone with
Cordelia to pick her up and, after a tearful reunion, the three lovers had
fallen into bed to sleep. His hand absently rubbed along the red head's back,
the simple touch offering him reassurance that she was still there, with him -
not dead in the ground somewhere like had almost happened.

He had woken when the petite hacker had begun to cry in her sleep, the stress
of what had happened bringing on nightmares he couldn't sooth away. And thus he
had found his thoughts filled with the possibilities of what could have
happened. What would have happened if that driver had been going a little
faster? Would he have lost them before he ever really had them? They could have
died so easily - could have slipped through his fingers before he even realized
it.

He hadn't been there to protect them and that knowledge wouldn't quit haunting
him. If he had been there he could have easily thrown them out of the way,
taken the impact with his own immortal frame. He hadn't been there though - and
he had almost lost them because of it. But, even in the midst of his own
arrogant protecting thoughts, the blonde knew he couldn't always be there to
protect them. He couldn't be by their sides twenty-four hours a day. With the
lives they led, that meant that one day he was going to lose one or both of
them.

It wasn't a thought he could live with.

Declaring his love to them aloud had been one of the hardest things the vampire
had ever done in all his decades of existence. And one of the happiest. They
were his partners, his lovers, his friends, his family, his mates. They were
everything that meant anything to him and had managed to fill that place of his
heart he had thought would be empty forever – the place he had once given to
Angelus and Druscilla.  The simple fact that they filled that empty place
inside of him made them invaluable. He felt complete for the first time since
Angelus originally lost his soul. Losing them was out of the question. Which
meant there was only one thing to do.

Turn them.

It was something he knew was going to happen one day. He would bring them into
his life, make them his companions for the rest of eternity. Their near deaths
had only made him want to do it sooner rather than later. If he lost them
because he was 'waiting for the right time', he'd never be able to forgive
himself.

The blonde groaned softly, slipping out of his lovers' embraces. He turned,
lifting Xander's arm up to wrap around Willow and watched as they instinctively
cuddled closer together.  A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. If
everything went as planned, they would be his for the rest of his unlife.

Spike knew he couldn't do it alone, though. Taking one childe was always hard.
Two at once was just asking for trouble. He would need help to teach them,
control them, to make sure they didn't turn out to be creatures he despised.
Plus there was that whole soul issue - he didn't want them to lose theirs. They
were too perfect the way they were.

That meant asking Peaches for help. The blonde slipped on a pair of jeans,
tucking the edge of his t-shirt in. If he was going to ask his Sire for help he
would also need to ask his permission to even take a childe. That meant
formality and formality meant dressing up in something his Sire wouldn't be
able to resist.

Grabbing his wallet from the nightstand, the vampire hastily wrote out a short
note to the mortals in case they woke while he was out. He knew they would
probably sleep until at least midnight, but there was no sense taking the risk
of worrying them.

Kissing their foreheads lightly, Spike left in search of clothing suitable for
an audience with his Sire.

** ** **

Angel looked up when Spike entered his office, surprised to see the blonde out
of the arms of his lovers so soon after they had come home. He had expected not
to see any of them for the rest of the week with what he knew of his childe.
But here he was - dressed in leather?

Chocolate eyes raked over the blonde, taking in every inch of magnificence that
was his childe. Black leather pants encased slim, strong legs, molding to them
as if a second skin. A white silk shirt was buttoned halfway, exposing the pale
chest he had once licked and kissed as a lover would. Blonde hair was spiked
slightly, giving the younger vampire an almost feral look.

"Spike?"

"Sire."

Angel knew from that one word that something was going on. His favorite childe
rarely referred to him as his Sire, choosing to try to ignore the bond they
once shared. The title, plus the clothes and the haunted look in the blonde's
eyes told him more than words that he needed something - something big.

"Childe, what is it?" The darker haired man falls easily into his role as Sire,
worried by the look on Spike's face. {What is going on...?} His eyes followed
the blonde as the younger vampire dropped to his knees, his head bowed in
submission.

"I've come to ask both permission and a favor."

The silence in the room is thick as Angel ponders the words in his head. What
could be so important that his arrogant childe would prostrate himself for it?
"Permission?"

"I'd like to beg permission to take a childe, sire." The words are barely
audible, whispered at an intimate level he knows only his Sire could hear.
"Two of them."

Angel stared down at the top of Spike's short blonde hair and did the last
thing said blonde would ever expect.

He laughed.

"You're joking right, Spike?" The older vampire turned, the laughter still
rumbling in his chest. After a few moments, when he didn't hear anything from
behind him, he turned, eyes taking in the sight of his childe still kneeling,
eyes still downcast. "You're -not- joking, are you?"

Spike shook his head. "No, Sire, I'm not." The words were forced out around
clenched teeth. This meant a lot to him and the ponce had automatically assumed
he was just playing a prank. That hurt. A lot.

"Spike..." The reality of the blonde's words hit Angel suddenly. He was asking
permission to turn someone, -two- someones at that. That meant...
"Willow and Xander?"

Spike nodded, his eyes still glued to the floor. If he his heart beat, it
certainly would have stopped at that time. He would find a way to do this with
or without his Sire. But with him would be so much easier. He would have his
help, his guidance, and he wouldn't have to worry about the wanker staking him
for 'killing' two of his friends.

The dark haired vampire exhaled sharply in a forced sigh, pulling the blonde to
his feet. "Sit." He pointed to the small leather couch against the far wall of
his office.  He waited Spike had sat before taking a place next to him. "You
know you're overreacting, right? They got hurt and you're reacting off of
that."

"I know that," Spike growled. "But I also know that I don’t want to lose them
and I'll end up doing it eventually, anyway." His voice softened, and he turned
pleading eyes up to his Sire. "Please? You know I'll do it on my own if I have
to. I will take them far away and teach them as best I can. But it would be so
much bloody easier if you helped me. I need your help, Peaches."

Angel's heart broke at the calm words of his one time love. The compassion the
blonde showed for the two humans was almost unbelievable.  "Do they even want
this? Have you asked them?"

Spike shook his head 'no'. " I didn't want to mention it to them until after I
talked to you." He paused, licking his lips before continuing, his voice
shaking. "I need them, Angel. They are my bloody life. After you got souled I
thought no one would ever fill up my life the way our 'family' had. But they
do. They complete me."

The older vampire nodded slowly, his mind reeling under the revelations of his
childe.  After all these years the blonde had finally found his other half,
well - other halves in this case. Who was he to deny him? For once he could be
a good Sire and help his childe. "They have to be cursed."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." The blonde smiled softly, knowing he was
going to get his way.

"They won't be the same as they are now, you know. The demon will still be
there, close to the surface, ready to strike. Promise me you'll keep them here
long enough for me to teach them at least a little control."

Spike nodded, happiness filling his dead heart. He held up two fingers, a
crooked smile on his face. "Vamp's Honor. I promise."

Angel sighed again, knowing he had just given permission for his childe to
basically kill two of his only human friends. He could understand his reasons
for it though, and that was the only reason he was going to allow it. "Fine. I
will help."

"Thanks, Peaches!" The blonde grinned, kissing him soundly on the lips before
jumping up. He stretched, the leather of the pants uncomfortable after sitting
so long, before turning to leave.

"Leaving so soon?" Angel asked, coming out of the kiss-induced haze the blonde
had created. A slight amount of disappointment filled him that the moment of
true bonding he had just had with his childe was over.

"Gonna miss me?" The blonde arched an eyebrow, a smirk on his pale lips. "Just
gonna go wake up the kids and bring them down here for a nice little chat." The
light went out of his blue eyes and his voice was suddenly soft again. "You
-will- help me talk to them, won't you?"

Angel smiled, knowing that this wasn't the end of their time together, just the
beginning of something a little different. "Of course. Go wake them up. We have
plans to make." After two and a half centuries he, the once feared Angelus, was
finally going to be a real grand-sire.

And he was feeling almost giddy about it.
 

~Part Thirteen~

Angel sighed, closing the phone book in front of him. How was it possible for
every occult store in the area to be out of Orbs of Thessaluh? He had been
trying for three days to locate two of the handcrafted orbs, only to be told by
each shop he called that they were ‘awaiting another shipment’ and to ‘expect
them in a week’.  Had someone suddenly decided they needed to amass the
over-priced paperweights? If they were useful for something other than
restoring souls he might would get worried. But, as it was, that’s the only use
they had.

“Still no luck?” Willow asked quietly from her seat by the door of his office.
She sighed when he shook his head ‘no’ and closed her book, waiting for the
inevitable reaction from her bleached lover. They were due to be turned the
next night and Spike had already made it quite clear that it was going to
happen one way or another. Orbs or no orbs.

“I’m not putting this off for another bloody week, Peaches,” Spike growled,
stalking across the room to his Sire’s desk. “You were lucky I’ve waited this
long, letting them get over the accident. I will-not- put it off any longer!”

Again forcing an unnecessary sigh through his dead lungs, the vampire forced
himself not to get upset with his childe. “Spike…do you really want them
running around with no souls for a week…or more?” His deep brown eyes focused
on those of his Childe. “Do you think they could live with the guilt of having
killed someone?”

“We’ll keep them chained to the soddin’ bed!” The blonde smirked.

“Um, remember, we’re right here,” Xander spoke up finally. He glanced back and
forth between his undead lover and said lover’s Sire. “As much as being chained
to the bed sounds like fun if we’re going to be engaging in lots of kinky
activities…I don’t think I’d enjoy it for a week.”

“Pet,” Spike’s voice was imploring as he stared at the dark haired youth.
“C’mon, don’t side with the Poof on this one. I don’t want to wait! What if you
get hurt or killed in the meantime?”

The boy sighed, leaning back in the comfortable leather chair he had snagged
from the waiting room.  “I didn’t say I wanted you to wait, Spike. I just don’t
want to be chained to a bed! There has to be another way.”

“There isn’t,” Angel insisted.

“Well, actually…” Willow murmured, her fingers moving absently on the cover of
the book she had been reading in a nervous gesture. She blushed as the whole
room turned to look at her, equal expressions of shock and surprise on their
faces. “There’s this spell I found a year ago. I have no clue if it works –
never had a chance to test it out. It has to be done at the time of the turning
and makes it to where the newly undead keeps their soul, permanently.”

Spike’s eyes lit up with demonic joy. “Bloody perfect, luv!”

“Wait,” the red head whispered, looking at the vampire. “There was a warning.
If it works, the demon will still be close to the surface, it will just be
tempered by the soul. So we won’t be exactly who we are right now, either. And
there wouldn’t be any going back and doing Angel’s curse if we didn’t like the
results of this one. Its one way or the other.”

Angel sat back, pondering Willow’s words. Their demons would be close to the
surface, but with their souls still there to guide them? It didn’t seem like a
totally bad spell to try.  He thought back to the time the vampire Willow had
come to their world and knew his Childe wouldn’t mind seeing his mate act a
little like that. She had been so wild and free, purely a sexual creature.
No…Spike wouldn’t mind at all. “I think it sounds like a good plan, Will.”

Both Spike and Willow turned to look at the older vampire, unsure who he was
speaking to by using the name ‘Will’. Angel grinned. “I was talking to Willow.
Are the ingredients for the spell hard to get?”

The witch shook her head, staring into the brown eyes of the man who would be
her grand-sire in less than twenty-four hours. “Everyday herbs and some
crystals you can get at just about any shop.” She felt her heart flutter with
the knowledge that soon she would be dead, joined for all of eternity with her
lovers. A slice of excitement coursed through her, dulled only by the fear that
death always brought with it.

“Its settled, then,” Spike grinned, bouncing up and down on the balls of his
feet like an excited child. “We’ll go get the stuff you need after sunset and
then, tomorrow, I make you both mine for all of bloody eternity.”

** ** **

“So…this is it.”

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

“Scared?”

“What do you think?”

Xander shrugged, smiling slightly. In less than an hour they would be turning
over their lives to join their mate in eternity. “I think you are. I know I am.
But everything is going to be ok.” He put his hands on her shoulders, looking
deep into the emerald green depths he had grown to love more than his very
life. This was the way for them to be together, with Spike, for eternity. No
more sickness, or worrying about getting mugged walking down the street. None
of that would matter after tonight.

{Whole knew set of worries then, soon-to-be-Deadboy,}Xander chided himself,
remembering that being undead didn’t make him invulnerable. There would be no
more sunrises, which he didn’t necessarily mind, being no type of morning
person himself.  The aversion to crosses and holy water wouldn’t hurt too much,
it wasn’t like he had gone to church before this. The only real thing to worry
about was staying away from stakes, and with the only Slayer currently holed up
on the Hellmouth he didn’t see that as being a problem either.

“Everything is going to be ok,” Willow repeated, more to herself that to him.
She shuddered and stepped closer to his body, needing to feel the warmth and
safety his arms had to offer.  A tear fell silently down her cheek, shed for
the life she was about to lose and the friends she had lost getting to this
point.  This was it. The end of the line. After this there would be no turning
back, no going back to the life she was giving up. It was death on a much
larger, grander scale.

“Second thoughts?” Angel asked quietly from the doorway. He had been watching
them, unwanting to disturb the comfort they were seeking in each other but
feeling the need to ask them one more time if they were sure about the decision
they were making. It had come as a shock to them when Spike had originally
asked them to make this choice and they had both agreed, almost immediately
that being with him forever sounded right to them.  They had been through so
much, though, losing almost everything that had ever mattered to them with one
plane wreck. The last thing he wanted them to do was lose their lives without
giving it one last consideration.

“Not really,” the red head whispered, turning slightly so she could see the
dark haired vampire. She smiled slightly, biting her lip to keep the hysterical
laughter that was threatening  to burst from her lips. “Just scared. You know,
dying is a big step in a relationship.” She felt Xander’s chest rumble slightly
with laughter and heard Angel also chuckling. Smiling at her own silliness, the
young witch gave into the laughter they had infected her with, giggling quietly
in the warm circle of her lover’s arms.

“Yes, I guess it would be,” the vampire smirked playfully. His eyes stayed on
the two humans who had come to be part of his extended family, and were about
to become part of his closer family – the kind of family that didn’t need to
breathe. He could feel his Childe come up behind him and chose his next words
carefully. “Its not too late to back out, if you are having second thoughts.
Spike will wait if you need more time. He doesn’t want to force you.”

Willow shook her head, not even noticing her mate had arrived. “I have no
desire to back out. I want this. Want to be with them both until time ceases to
exist. They are my life, Angel.” She favored him with one of her brightest
smiles. “Believe me when I say that I’m just nervous.”

“Glad to hear that, pet,” Spike purred, stepping around his Sire to engulf his
mates in a hug.  His demon had roared when he heard Angel’s words, telling them
that they could still get out of it if they wanted to. While it was the truth,
he would never turn them against their will, he didn’t need the Poof putting
any thoughts in their heads.  “And you, Xan? Are you ok with this?”

Xander swallowed, kissing Willow’s forehead almost reflexively as he
contemplated the question. He nodded slowly, wrapping an arm around Spike’s
waist. “I’m positive. You guys are my family and I don’t want to lose that.
–Ever-.”

The bleached blonde vampire smiled softly, his normal smirk shelved for the
night. He kissed them each in turn, enjoying the last few moments of their
mortal warmth, the way their hearts beat against his chest as he held them in
his arms, the scent of their salty-sweet skin. He closed his eyes, committing
to memory every nuance of the moment so that, decades from now, he could still
hold onto it.

Angel cleared his throat, glancing at the clock. “Shall we get started?"
 

~Part Fourteen~

The room looked absolutely gothic, Xander decided, leaning back into the
leather chair he had pulled next to the bed. It was understood that Willow
would be turned first since she had no desire to see the process happen to
Xander while he, on the other hand, was intensely curious about what was about
to occur. His heart was fluttering rapidly in his chest, beating with a pace he
was sure wasn’t healthy. He was going to be dead in less than an hour anyway,
though, so he didn’t worry about it.

Dead in less than an hour.

Xander shook his head slightly, trying to clear the sense of wigginess that was
pervading it. He had no second thoughts about being turned, none at all. It was
just the fact that he was going to die and he was going to see his best friend
die. The shiver that ran through his body was involuntary.

“Are you ok?” Angel asked, coming to stand next to the dark haired teen.

“Just feeling a little creeped, I guess,” Xander sighed. He ran a hand back
through his hair, watching as Spike spoke quietly with Willow. “I don’t know if
I can watch this… I just wish there was some way he could do us both at the
same time.” The boy thought for a moment, his eyes growing distant as he
searched his mind for any way to get this done as painlessly as possible for
everyone involved.

Then he had it.

“Angel…”

“Yes, Harris?” The vampire kneeled down next to the chair, looking into the
eyes of the human who would soon be his grand-childe.

“What if he drained Wills and you drained me? As long as we both drink from him
we’ll still be his childer, right?”

Angel looked at the mortal youth closely, searching for anything in his eyes to
let him know the boy wasn’t joking or playing a game. Slowly, the vampire
nodded his head. “That does sound like an idea worth asking Spike about.” He
stood, turning in the direction of his childe. “Hey, Spike, come here.”

The blonde haired vampire looked over at the two dark haired men, his eyebrows
raised in question. Grabbing Willow’s hand, he moved to stand next to his Sire,
awaiting what the older vampire had to say.

“Xander just brough up an interesting point,” Angel began. “He doesn’t really
want to watch this happen to Willow and she doesn’t really want to see it
happen to him. I can drain him and you can drain her…you feed both and they’re
still your childer.”

Spike thought about the suggestion for a long moment, his eyes growing distant
with thought. Let his Sire drain one of his lovers? The idea alone made his
demon roar, but the rational part that was still left to his brain thought the
idea was a good one. This way, neither of his human loves would have to watch
the other being drained and then dying. He breathed out in an unnecessary sigh.
“Sounds like a good plan, mate.”

Angel smiled, glad his usually stubborn Childe could see reason on this
subject. Deftly undoing the buttons on the cuff of his silk shirt, the vampire
lifted it over his shoulders from his body, throwing it onto the chair Xander
had just vacated. He didn’t want to take any chances of getting a drop of blood
on the beautiful imported silk.

“You have everything for the spell I showed you, right, Angel?” Willow asked
uncertainly, laying back onto the bed. She smiled softly when Xander laid next
to her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it once in support.

“Its all there in the corner, little one,” the dark haired vampire purred,
sitting on the bed next to Xander. “What was the time limit again?”

“Fifteen minutes from the time we drink from Spike. Its more than enough time
to do the spell for both of us.” Willow let her eyes close as her bleached
lover softly caressed her face, parting her lips with his thumb. She leaned up
and met his lips, kissing him one more time with all the passion her mortal
shell could give. Sighing in complete contentment, the red head laid back down,
feeling her lover lean over her to give the same treatment to Xander.

“Are we ready?” Angel asked when Spike sat back up. He favored his Childe with
a brief nod of encouragement when he nodded.

And then it began.

There were two identical cries of pain as the human’s felt the sharp teeth of
the vampires sink into the tender skin of their necks. Then the pain was gone,
replaced by pleasure so sweet and pure it was akin to the agony they had felt
at first. Angel felt his demon rise up at the tantalizing taste of the boy’s
blood, roaring for him to take the youth then and there, claim him as his own
Childe.

The hard swell of Angel’s erection against his leg drove Xander from the
bite-induced euphoria. Through the haze of his dying brain he could feel a
sense of wonder that the dark-haired vampire was obviously turned on by being
this close to him.  He arched up as much as his drying body would allow,
teasing the creature who held his life so firmly in his own cold hands.

Willow groaned softly, her hands threaded through the bleached hair of her
lover. She could feel her life trickling away from her, flowing away in a
crimson tide sent straight to her lover’s willing mouth. She felt a small rush
of fear as her heart started to fail, the effort to breathe becoming too much.
Slowly, her green eyes closed, one last labored breath shuddering from her
lips.

Spike pulled back from Willow, slashing not one wrist, but both, with his razor
sharp fangs. He held one to Willow’s mouth, smiling proudly when she swallowed
the first mouthful of his blood. He waited for Angel to pull away from Xander
before placing his wrist at the boy’s mouth as well.  The pull of their mouths
at his torn flesh filled the vampire with a rush of pleasure. These two living,
breathing creatures had given up their lives just to be with him. It was truly
a wonder.

After what seemed like an eternity, the soft suckle of their mouths on his
wrists slacked off. He watched as their chests rose and fell for the last time
before giving in to death. Across the room he could hear his Sire finishing the
last of the spell, the scent of incense heavy in the air. Leaning down, he
brushed a kiss across each of their foreheads, thanking whatever gods looked
out for miserable creatures like himself for the love he had found in them.

“Its done.” Angel murmured, standing next to the bed and looking down at the
boy he had fought against his demon not to claim for his own.

“Yeah,” Spike smirked. He rose from the bed, careful not to disturb the
dead-still form of his red haired Childe. “Care to come to the kitchen and
drink with a proud new Sire?”
 

~Part Fifteen~

He knew something was different the moment he opened his eyes. The colors of
the bedroom seemed sharper, more alive and he could hear Spike and Angel
talking in the other room.  There was a nagging feeling in the back of his
mind, as if a part of him were fighting something, the sensation altogether new
and almost frightening.  His hand brushed against something and he looked down,
unsurprised to find Willow laying beside him, her eyes still closed in the
heavy grip of her own slumber.

But she wasn’t sleeping, she was dead.

All at once, the memories of the night’s events came rushing back to the youth,
flooding his mind with images and sensations he had felt hours before. He
remembered vividly the feel of Angel drinking him to the last drop, remembered
the salty goodness of Spike’s blood as it poured into his mouth. He licked his
lips at the memory of his Sire’s blood gushing over his tongue and spilling
down the back of his throat, bringing life back into his dying shell of a body.

“Xander…?” Willow whispered, her eyes fluttering open in the darkness.

“Wills,” the newly turned young man purred, laying down next to his lover
again. His now cool hands traveled up and down the bare skin of her arm,
teasing it into goosebumps. Through his enhanced sight, he could see the true
beauty of his lover for the first time. The way her hair shined like fire in
even the dimmest of lights, the way her eyes sparkled like the most clear of
emeralds. She was truly beautiful. The sight of her had never ceased to ignite
his lust as a mortal and now, as a vampire, just gazing at her was enough to
make him want to jump her then and there.

“Hungry, Xan,” Willow yawned, sitting up next to her dark haired lover. Her
eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness and she could hear the sound of her other
mate talking with his own Sire in the next room over. “It all feels so
different, yet all the same.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Xander chuckled. “I feel basically the same but,
at the same time, so different that I can’t explain it.” He glanced down at the
t-shirt and jeans he was wearing, grimacing with distaste. “I know one thing
that’s –has- changed though, my clothing style.” He could feel his demon
roaring within him at the childish way he was clothed and knew what it wanted
him to wear. Something darker, something less innocent and assuming….something
in leather.

Willow laughed, the sound filling the room, and she could hear her lover’s
voice stop in the next room. The sound of a chair scraping across the floor
came shooting to her ears and she looked up at the door, awaiting the entrance
of her bleached blonde lover.  The sound of the lock turning in the door was
like a scream to her sensitive hearing and she winced slightly, sliding off the
side of the bed. When Spike’s body appeared in the doorway she ran, tackling
him with kisses and hugs to the cool marble floor below.

“Luv?” Spike blinked, caught off-guard by his Childe’s rampant display of
affection.

“Shh…” Willow whispered, her lips capturing his in a brutal kiss. Breathing in,
the red head could smell the distinctive scent that was all her Sire, and the
odor brought her senses to overload. She could smell her own arousal in the air
as she ground slowly against her mate’s growing erection.  Her moan could be
heard clear across the room when Spike reached down to tease her clit through
the cotton shorts she was wearing.

“Spike…” The former witch growled, glaring at him when he continued to tease
her. In the back of her mind she could feel the demon screaming for her to take
him hard and rough, right there on the floor. To fuck the hell out of him and
leave him wanting and needing. Her fingernails dug into the wrist of the hand
she was holding, breaking the skin and sending a few drops of blood spilling
into the open. She licked her lips, her soul giving way to the demon within at
the smell of fresh blood.

“That’s enough of that, pet,” Spike smirked. In a move he had obviously used
his more than hundred years of life to perfect, the blonde flipped Willow over,
covering her body with his and pinning her to the ground with one hand. His
free hand stroked her cheek, running along the ridges of her true face as he
smiled at her. Never before had she been so lovely, so full of life and hope.
But now was not the time to be shagging. Now was the time to be getting her her
first meal and starting to teach her control. “Calm down, Red.”

Willow sighed more in reflex than anything else. She forced herself to calm
down, pushing the darker emotions to the back of her mind at her Sire’s
insistence. Her stomach clenched in pain, hungry. “Hungry, Spikey.”

“I know, baby.” The vampire looked up at his own Sire, silently asking him to
go to the kitchen and grab a few bags of blood. The dark haired vampire nodded,
seeing the request in his Childe’s eyes, and left the room to prepare his
grand-childer’s first meal.

Xander smiled, easing off of the bed with merely a whisper of silk from the
sheets. His demon was crying out for blood, begging him to nourish it with the
only thing he could. Watching as Spike helped Willow from the floor, the once
goofy human boy smiled, knowing that there were many nights of passion in store
for the three of them. Many nights of unbridled lust and desire waiting to be
fulfilled. He shelved the idea to the back of his mind, coming to join his
lovers with a smirk on his face.

Spike bit his lip, watching as his dark haired lover stalked towards him, pure
lust filling his eyes. The blonde let his eyes wander indiscreetly over the
lean body of his mate, admiring the catlike grace he seemed to have already
perfected as he sauntered over to them. Rich brown eyes never left his own blue
ones as the newly turned youth came to stand with his lovers. Spike couldn't
help but chuckle, though. Only Xander Harris could look so damn sexy prowling
in jeans and an old  t-shirt.

“So…How do you feel, luvs? Besides the hunger and all that?” Spike looked at
back and forth between his childer, feeling happy now that they were with him
in the night. Now they could protect themselves against just about anything.

Willow shrugged, running her fingernails over her mate’s chest through his skin
tight t-shirt. “Different. The same. More alive…”

“Sorta funny since we’re both dead now,” Xander smirked. He moved around behind
Willow, resting his chin on her shoulder as he gazed into his Sire’s eyes. The
vampire was gorgeous, there was no doubt about it, and the dark haired youth
had to fight his demon just to keep from throwing him down and fucking him
silly. He licked his lips, winking at his bleached blonde lover as he trailed
his hands across Willow’s stomach.

Willow purred softly, leaning back against Xander. She held her arms out for
Spike, her lips attacking his as soon as he stepped in reach. Moaning, the
lip-locked pair allowed their hands to wander over the curves of both their
bodies and that of the third member of their trio, Xander. The red head gasped
in pleasure as her childhood friend grazed her neck gently with his blunt
teeth, the sensation reminding her all too clearly of her turning merely hours
before.

Arching back into his embrace, the former witch ran her hands along the arm
that was encircling her waist, her lips never leaving those of the vampire in
front of her. The bond she felt between her lovers was almost indescribeable,
not just between her and her Sire, but also between her and Xander as well. It
was as if they were all just separate parts of the same entity. In her mind,
she could feel their presences, blazing hot like the sun she would never again
have the opportunity to see. She could feel their passion echoing down to her,
as substantial as the hard-ons pressed against both her back and stomach.

This was heaven, or as close to it as Willow wanted to see for a very very long
time.

“Need you…” Willow gasped, tilting her head back slightly. She felt her Sire’s
teeth graze her jugular, sharp like they had been when he drained her of her
mortal life and introduced her into this one. The fangs nicked her skin,
drawing a thin line of blood which her blonde haired lover quickly licked away.
 As if inspired, Xander repeated the action on the other side of her neck,
eliciting another long moan from the red head.  He grinned across her back at
his lover and maker, Spike, his eyes darkening with lust as images of what he’d
like to do to the blonde haired vampire flitted through his desire-filled mind.

“Here’s something for you two to eat,” Angel murmured softly, breaking the trio
from their momentary display of passion. He handed a mug of slightly warmed
blood to both Willow and Xander, watching their faces carefully for any sign
that the spell to hold their souls had not worked.

“Thanks, Dead…er…hmm…,” Xander grinned ruefully, winking at his grand-sire in
an openly flirtacious manner. “Guess I can’t really call you that now. Thanks,
Angel.” He made a face, as if the name tasted odd to his mouth.

Willow laughed, almost dropping her mug with the force of her giggles. “It just
doesn’t sound –right- to hear you call him Angel, Xan…not after this long.” She
held the mug up to her nose, sniffing it slightly. The scent called to her, but
she couldn’t bear to take a sip of it, not yet.

“You’re right,” Xander smirked. “It doesn’t sound right. I guess I’ll have to
think up something else.” He cocked his head to the side, contemplating the
elder vampire with a smirk on his lips. “Grandpa?” He heard Angel growl and
shook his head, chuckling softly. “Guess that’s out.”

An evil glint entered Spike’s eyes as he looked at his male childe, standing
there so alluring and attractive, trying to find an annoying name to call the
poof. “Call him Peaches. It works for me.”

The boy nodded, a smile evil enough to match his Sire’s creeping across his
face. “Peaches. Yeah, I like the sound of that.”  He licked his lips,
remembering for the first time the mug of blood he held in his hand. With an
almost shy smile, he tilted it to his lips. He could tell the exact moment his
demon came to the front, knew without a doubt that the prickling sensation that
ran across his skin was the evil inside of him being released. He took a long
swallow of the blood, letting the thick red fluid glide over his tongue and
down his throat.

Looking over the top of his mug, Xander could see his red haired lover drinking
from her own mug. The sight of her, showing the demon she had recently
acquired, sent shivers up his spine. This was his lover, his mate, his best
friend, the only person other than his Sire who would ever come close to being
his equal.  She was more beautiful now than she had ever been, the ridges and
bumps of her true face sending his own demon into an uproar. When her golden
eyes met his over the tops of their mugs, his cock grew hard, aching to be
released. To fuck her and be fucked by Spike simultaneously.

Angel looked back and forth between his grand-childer, chuckling softly. The
sexual tension in the room was almost too much to bear. He could feel his own
demon straining to be let free, to claim the boy he had drained only hours
before as his own. He turned to Spike. “Think you can handle them on your own?
I need to make a run to the store.”

Spike barely looked up at his Sire, so entranced by his own childer that he
was. He nodded. “Sure thing, poof. Don’t rush on our account.”

The older vampire shook his head, grinning. {I think we’ve just created two
very gorgeous monsters, my boy.}

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