Staggering back, Angel released Spike's wrist, but the
blond closed in on his sire, throwing a hard left into
the older vampire's stomach before following it up
with a vicious right hook that sent Angel crashing
into the empty bookcase. The wooden shelves splintered
under him, slivers digging into his back through his
shirt and effectively pinning the fabric to his skin.
Dazed, Angel managed to stagger out of the mass of
kindling before a Doc Martin struck the back of his
knee and sent him to the floor.
He waited until Spike approached him for the next
attack when Angel sprung from his crouch and drove a
fist hard into Spike's abdomen, sending the bleached
blond into one of the wingbacks that collapsed under
the force. Stalking over, Angel grabbed Spike by the
lapels of his duster and threw him onto a small side
table, which was instantly reduced to scrap. Rolling
to his feet, Spike lunged at Angel, golden eyes
blazing with a century of hidden emotions: anger,
fear, longing, and surprisingly, love. It was that
last emotion that startled Angel long enough for Spike
to knock him to the floor and rain blows on his
unprotected face as the peroxide blond sat on his
chest.
After a few moments, Angel managed to grab Spike's
wrists and wrestled the younger vampire to the floor,
effectively pinning him against the wooden surface
with his own large frame. He tangled his legs in his
childe's and held the pale wrists above the peroxide
colored hair, keeping them from causing further harm.
The dark vampire stared down into the demon's face
only to find bloody streaks tinting his childe's face
as tears escaped from the golden gaze that was inches
away from his own face. The love was still in those
demonic eyes, but it was partially hidden by the
mixture of anger, century-old fear, and frustration.
"Go on. Prove yer mastery over me," urged Spike, his
voice flat as he rolled his head to one side and
exposed his pale neck. The soft blue line that marked
where the cool blood was hidden beneath the fragile
skin was clearly visible, and Angelus was clamoring
for him to sink his fangs into that river and claim
what was rightfully his. But he hesitated, his own
feelings for the blond battling with the instinct to
claim, most were feelings he had forgotten in their
century of separation or he had buried and tried to
forget. Pride, lust, frustration, and love, all for
the small vampire pinned beneath him. Pride at how
well Spike had managed to survive and flourish;
frustration for how easily he manages to annoy the
dark vampire and get under his skin; and love for the
vampire that was as close to being Angel's son as
anyone he could claim.
Shifting his legs, Angel was able to rest most of his
weight on his knees as he dropped his arms, leaning
the rest of his weight on his forearms that were near
Spike's head. "I'm not your master and haven't been
for a century, Will," whispered Angel before leaning
down and gently ghosting his lips over those of his
childe's. Startled, the lips parted and cautiously, he
slipped his tongue through them to explore the cool
cavern of Spike's mouth, tasting the familiar flavor
of cigarettes, blood, and something wild and feral
that could only be described as William.
Strong hands gripped his shoulders and pushed him back
to stare into Spike's confused face. "Why?" The word
was no more than a breath of air across Angel's lips
but the dark vampire understood the question.
"I've never stopped loving you, Wil," he confessed,
staring straight into that unwavering gaze. "When I
was cursed, I was confused and couldn't stand the
sight of anything or anyone that reminded me what I
was. But I never stopped worrying about you or loving
you." He took a deep breath and forced himself to
continue. "When I saw you defeat your first Slayer in
China, I knew that you didn't need me any more and I
had to leave you behind. That was the hardest decision
I have ever had to make and the loneliness only grew
heavier with the passing years."
"I would have accepted you, Angelus," Spike whispered
as strong fingers threaded through the dark hair, and
pulled Angel down for another searing kiss. Angel
moaned as that familiar tongue stroked his and coaxed
it into dancing with him.
In a sudden move, Spike rolled them over and straddled
Angel's hips as their hands gripped each other
desperately. The years fell away with each caress and
soon, their clothes had been stripped, revealing pale
flesh to hungry eyes. Soft growls filled the air with
whimpers and moans as each movement teased and
pleasured the other. But all too soon, twin roars
echoed through the silent mansion as the old lovers
found release together.
*********************************************
The echoing roars drew Willow's attention away from
Darien's lifeless figure and she glanced up with a
small smile. It sounded like Spike and Angel were
working out their differences, and she said a silent
prayer to the Goddess that they remained friends
beyond the bedroom. Bobby looked towards the door with
a frown before returning his attention to Darien, as
if afraid the lanky vampire would crumble into dust if
he removed his eyes for more than a second.
"Everything will work out, Bobby," soothes Willow,
reaching out and laying a calming hand on his
shoulder. "You'll see."
Suddenly Bobby's head snapped up and he spun around to
glare at the door. Willow opened her mouth to ask what
the problem was when he placed a finger to his lips.
"Someone's downstairs," he whispered. "No heartbeat,
but I heard a board creak." The redhead nodded and
pulled a stake out of her back pocket, holding it out
to him. He grabbed it and she snagged a vial of holy
water before following him, silently, down the stairs.
They paused before entering the living room, hoping to
get a look at the intruder so that they would know
what they were up against. A gentle swishing of long
skirts reached Willow's ears accompanied by soft,
almost inaudible whimpers followed by a clack of a
high heel.
"Is Daddy really here?" asked a soft, childlike voice
that seemed lost and yet sent familiar shivers down
Willow's back. "Everything is so confused in my head."
A sigh. "Yes, Angel is here," replied a cruel voice
that was also familiar, but Willow couldn't place it.
Then it clicked. It was Darla's voice. She and
Druscilla were the intruders. "And so are others."
"Well, you're right on both counts, Darla," remarked
Willow, stepping into the room with Bobby right behind
her. It was rather funny to see the tall brunette
hiding behind the tiny blond in the tight dress and
spike heels. Both were disheveled and streaked with
dust and dirt. Rips marred Dru's long skirts and even
Darla's pale skin had slashes of dried blood blending
in with the grime. It looked like they had tangled
with rosebushes only the bushes won. It suddenly
occurred to Willow that no one had seen the pair since
Buffy and Darien had run into them the week before
when Darien's power revealed itself. "But if you want
to talk with Angel, you're gonna have to wait. He's
busy right now."
Darla glared at Willow and folded her arms across her
chest. "You will take me to see Angel now before I get
upset, human," growled the blond.
A low growl beside her revealed what Bobby thought of
Darla's order but a calming hand on his arm stopped
him from outright attacking. "Keep an eye on them,"
advised Willow, nodding towards the pair. "I'll get
the boys." Bobby nodded and Willow turned, leaving the
three vampires alone.
The redhead paused before the door she had locked with
magic and listened, making sure that she wouldn't be
interrupting anything. When she didn't hear a sound,
she dismissed the magic holding the door closed and
casually knocked. There was a brief scramble before
the door opened to reveal a rumpled Angel.
"Darla and Dru are downstairs in the living room," she
announced. "I told her that you were busy, but she's
acting all high and mighty right now and I figure
you'd rather be interrupted by me than by her."
Angel sighed and closed his eyes, his shoulder's
slumping slightly as if a great weight had descended
on them. "Thanks, Willow." He brushed past her and
descended the stairs with Spike and Willow behind him.
Willow tossed a questioning look at Spike but he shook
his head, indicating that he didn't know what Angel's
problem was. Something in his blue eyes told Willow
that she suspected he had an idea, but wasn't going to
share it with her.
When they arrived in the living room, Bobby only
glanced up at them briefly but didn't move from his
position near the stairs while a sickeningly sweet
smile spread across Darla's face. "Angelus, how good
to see you again," she greeted, her voice as sweet as
her smile. Spike snorted and Darla threw him a glare,
which he returned before focusing her attention on
Angel again.
"Hello, Darla," Angel said, his voice flat and
emotionless. "What do you want?"
"Why to be a family again," she announced as if it was
the most obvious reason in the world. "Why else, my
darling boy?"
Angel cocked his head and looked at her like a cat
deciding when it should pounce on a mouse. "I thought
I told you that if I ever saw you again, I'd kill
you." He shook his head and Willow caught a glimpse of
golden flecks in his chocolate eyes. "How quickly you
forget." Reaching over, he casually plucked the stake
out of Bobby's hand and closed in on the terrified
blond.
Darla backed away from him only to run into Dru, who
was swaying slightly with an unfocused look in her
dark eyes. "Wait! You can't stake us," begged Darla,
holding her hands up to ward off Angel's advance.
"Why not?" The question was soft and held a multitude
of promise if Darla failed to convince him.
"Because, Dru and I have our souls back." Angel
stopped and studied the two vampires before him as if
judging the truth of her words.
"The Invisible Man gave them back and Oh! They hurt
so," whimpered Dru, her fingers tangled in her hair.
"My head is all jumbled and the stars don't sing."
Darla folded her arms across her chest and smirked at
Angel. "And it would be wrong of you to kill someone
with a soul. Therefore it would be wrong of you to
kill us."
"Just like it's wrong for a Childe to order around
their Sire," stated Spike, grinning at Darla. "Or in
you're case, it would be Grand-Sire, pet." Every eye
in the room turned to focus on the peroxide blonde,
silently asking for an explanation and Spike casually
lit a cigarette before blowing a cloud of smoke at
Darla. "Simple logic. Darla was turned by Angelus's
Childe, Druscilla, and thus making Darla the
Grand-Childe of Angelus." His grin turned evil now and
Darla cowered back against Dru. "Therefore, Darla, you
are in no position to be ordering us around."
Silence descended on the room as everyone absorbed
this twist of logic, and Willow glanced at Spike to
discover that he was grinning like a cat that had
sited a helpless bird. Rich laughter burst out of Dru
who threw her hands into the air and spun in circles,
her skirts swirling about her legs. "Mummy is sad that
her party is ruined and the moon sighs her
disappointment."
As Willow watched, Darla seemed to shrink before the
amused gaze of Spike and the hard gaze of Angel until
she looked nothing more than a teenager who had been
caught trying to play grown up.
"Sit down, both of you," ordered Angel, his voice
unemotional, and Darla scrambled to obey, dragging a
humming Dru with her. "Now, you will tell me how you
were cursed with your souls and leave, no detail out."
Bowing her head in submission, Darla began recounting
the confrontation in the cemetery and the fight with
Buffy.