Three
by
JezT
Part Ten
Xander was pensive again, not only that but now he had the pressure to do something great. With Buffy it had not mattered if he messed up there was always someone there to save the day, but here, in LA on his own he had no such back up. This was like growing up and he was beginning to see why the Slayer was so arrogant, all of this self questioning was getting him nowhere and was just wasting time that ought to be spent in bed with his lover. Spike was asleep downstairs, having been up all night fighting the forces of darkness to save Angel in his own way and for it Xander had promised he would at least join his lover for a few hours rest. Now that he was so close to finishing the spell however he wanted to get it done, after all it would be so much more of a surprise if Angel was there too in the bed when Spike woke up.
Angelus stalked through the tunnel system that he had made his own and found the connection that would lead him and his Childer to the Hyperion where they would again become a complete family. Spike would no doubt be resting up, ready to spend another night on the side of the White hats that he was living with, but his Sire was going to make him forget them. Maybe he would do the one thing that his boy requested and bring Alexander into the family, of course he would not mark him, or initiate him, that was far too mortal a thing to do, No he would bring Xander in as a Childe and with that bind Spike to him forever.
Penn watched as his Sire scouted ahead of them, his own plans coming to fruition, he was ready to stake not only Spike but Dru as well if it meant that he and his Sire could be the great pair that they had been together again. All he had to do ws kill the slayer as his master had told him and then make it look like she had staked Spike before he could get to her, both deaths would be justified and he would again be his Father's favourite.
Faith welcomed the interuption of her own studies when Wesley's former student came to ask for their help, anything had to be better than the spells that she was currently learning. Faith had always found academic pursuits difficult to manage and when they were in several dead languages it only made it more difficult. They were setting up the circle for the spell when there was a loud crash in the foyer and she turned to investigate.
Angelus watched as the girl flew at him immaediately, not stopping to even question whether his soul was intact or not, his plan had been flawed and he was going to pay for it with a fight that was more difficult to win. Still, if his GrandChilde could take out two slayers he ought not have too much difficulty with this one.
Penn was about to go for the Slayer that was fighting with his Sire when he felt a tug on his arm, expecting Dru he turned only to see his nephew with a stake in his hand. Spike was not afraid of Penn, even when his Sire's brother and his own Sire had tormented him in his early years, had raped and beaten him to try and break the last vestiges of William that lay in his soul he was not scared. Religion was something that William had dealt with at an early age, slaughtering his Sunday School teacher for telling him that lying was a sin, the way that Penn wielded it was not something that aroused fear in him.
Penn and Spike were evenly matched, both taught by the great Angelus and both practiced in many arts of hand to hand combat and dirty street fighting, but Spike had the upper hand, his reason to fight was not hate as it was for Penn but his love. He fought because he knew that in the other room Xander was uttering the words to undo his spell to save Angel and that with Wesley's help the love between the three of them would be restored.
Angel took a fist to the stomach easily, using the blow to catch Faith's wrist and twist her arm. It was broken, but pulling it to her Faith uttered a few short words of Aramaic and it was healed. She smiled to herself as she dodged a blow to the head with ease, this magic may have its plus points after all.
Spike took the stake from his back jeans pocket and thrust it into Penn's heart, as the other Vampire looked up at him there was a sense of sick pride, as if Spike had finally proved to Penn why he was Angelus' favourite, it was his last act before dying. A few short moments later there was only a fine film of dust to remind Spike that Penn had even been there. Spike looked up in time to see Dru move closer to the library, where he knew that Xander was performing the spell. Without thinking of the consequences he followed with only one thing on his mind, protecting his beloved.
Dru had held back while the boys were fighting, she was good enough in a fight, she had killed a Slayer in her time and was willing to get involved when the need arose but Angelus had advised she hang back and there was another task that she wanted to carry out. During their time on the Hellmouth Angelus had talked of the Harris boy as if he were more appealing to him than the Slayer, sure her Sire was obsessed with Buffy but only in the maniacal killer sense. He had singled out the brunette as a potential Childe, he prefered them to have dark hair and dark eyes, it was as if he was trying to mould his Childer in his own image. She wanted to pick up the boy, take him back with them and see if Angelus still wanted him. If not she was willing to turn the boy herself, as a way to keep her Spikey at her side.
Drusilla had heard them chanting in the library, she recognised the words as those of a reversal spell, it was only when she heard the mention of "warrior" and "soul" in the same sentence that she began to worry. Making her way through the large double doors she was unaware of the blue eyes that followed her progress across the room and the blonde that followed her. She had only one thing on her mind, killing the Harris boy, unfortunately her stalker was just as single minded in his task to save him.
"...reverse my words, spoken in haste" Xander spoke the words only to be confronted with a knife wielding Dru, rushing for him so that he could not complete the transformation of her Sire. There was a sharp look of pain as she stopped in her tracks, a hand wrapped around her throat. Dru squirmed and dropped the dagger that she carried, only to be thrown to the floor next to it.
"Spikey?" She asked, the pain and emotion evident in her voice. "What's wrong?"
"Dru...Please..." Spike begged. "Go back to Tranter, leave us the hell alone and stay out of our lives."
"Spikey, I love you. What did he do to you?" She said looking to Xander with hate and disgust, she did not take the chance to wait for an answer, instead she picked up the small dagger that she had been carrying and again moved toward Xander, only to stop again, a look of pain on her face, before Xander could comment she had exploded into a cloud, leaving only a pile of ashes and a sad Spike holding a stake. Xander looked to his lover sympathetically, but Spike did not want it.
"Finish this." He growled as the demon inside him roared at the loss and injustice of the act he had commited.
"...With these words, Thy Will Be Done; Unite his soul and demon as one."
Faith rolled away from the attack, feeling a little weakened by the onslaught of kicks and punches that had been exchanged with Angelus, she moved immaediately into a sweeping kick that landed him on his ass. Picking up one of the two discarded stakes she had been packing she moved over him, raising it and about to bring it down when she saw the flash of recognition in his eyes, which turned to fear and understanding. As if he were accepting this as his fate.
Faith dropped the stake and stood, as she heard the doors to the library burst open and Spike grabbed her arm to stop her staking his Sire.
"It worked." Xander said in wonder as he looked at the sprawling body of his lover, now back to being a souled Vampire once more.
Spike watched the scene in sadness, knowing that this was not the end of things by far, now that Angel's soul was back he was going to feel all of the guilt and shame that had driven him away from Spike all those years before, the only difference was that now Spike did not have Dru to get him through it all. He was not sure he could face the loneliness he would see if he lost Angel again, especially not after Xander had stepped off his mortal coil. He would beg Angel to initiate Xander before he left. Surely the Boyscout in Angel would do something for him, give him this one thing to make up for all of the past hurt.
Part Eleven
"NO!" Angel screamed as Spike broached the subject that he had wanted to as soon as Angel was awake. In reality it was two days since Spike had killed his Sire and Sire's brother in order to save his lovers. Two days in which Angel had refused to leave the spare room that he had taken to sleeping in and not seen anyone, this was the first time he had left to get the blood he needed to keep him alive.
"Why not? Next time they might kill him, take him from me." Spike said, Angel looked up and only then saw the pain in his favourite's eyes. "You might want to leave me, but the least you could do is help the two of us stay together, he loves us and this is going to be hard enough on him, the last thing I want is him doing something stupid like going back to help the Slayer and leaving me too."
"William, I am not going to leave." Angel said insistently.
"Sure, that's what you said last time I'm sure." Spike said, pouting. He was hurt and confused and wanted nothing more than to stake his own Sire and get it over with, except that to do so would be worse than staking himself and even more than that would hurt Xander too.
"Okay." Angel said, after a moments silence. "I'll do it, but only if you explain the full ramifications to him first, I don't want another Peter." Angel said, Spike knew the boy he meant and nodded earnestly, he would do his best to make Xander understand.
"I meant it, that he loves us, *both* of us." Spike said as he watched his Sire brood. "He accepts what you have done and loves you in spite of it."
"How can he when I can't even forgive myself?" Angel said, Spike cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, as if to tell Angel he already knew the answer and in a way he did. Xander was more powerful than both of them, and he knew that now. To bring the boy into the family would strengthen them, especially as he would be the last of their line of Aurealis. There was a rule between him and Spike that no more Childer would be Sired, even if Spike lost his chip. After Dru and Penn it was unspoken but that was not needed, neither of them would place Xander at risk like that again.
Epilogue
"...So, what you're saying is that I'll be immortal, not necessarily tied to the two of you, but tied to the family for eternity."
"And without the aid of some necklace either." Spike said, tossing him the amulet that he refused to wear, currently his only protection against the evil he faced on a regular basis. "There's more, sometimes members of the family have a link, it's stronger in those with psychic powers, but also if you were turned by one of those with the power. Dru passed it to me and I..."
"would pass it to me." Xander said, grinning as he realised that finishing off each other's sentences was all part of some mind reading that they already had going on. "Have you ever done this before?"
"Once." Came a voice from the doorway, it was the first time that Xander had seen Angel since he had restored his soul. "It was not pretty, Peter decided he couldn't live in a world of Vampires and tried to kill himself, of course when you're immortal it's almost impossible."
"What..." Xander began, Angel looked pained.
"Darla dismembered him, cremated him and took his ashes away to spread them out at sea, the only death that fitted a person in his predicament." Xander wanted to ask more questions, but there was fear in him. Angel seemed to pick up on it. "Do you have any questions Xan, I want you to be sure that you know what it is you are getting into."
"Who was he?" Xander asked, an unnecessary jealousy that he was not the first lover they had shared. "Why did you initiate him?"
"He was my brother." Spike spoke quietly. "Angelus did it for me, to torment William and to create Spike." Xander looked as if he was confused. "He did it to make me a vicious killer." Spike said, not a hint of anger or spite in his tone, Angel looked full of remorse.
"He failed." Xander said, looking between the pair and smiling when Spike looked at him in shock. "I want this Angel. I want you." He said. "but only if you are willing to give it." Angel pulled Xander to him in response, draining a small amount of his lovers blood before slitting his wrist with one exposed fang and allowing Xander to drink. Spike took the wound as Angel left it and repeated the exchange.
Xander felt the gentle burning as his body reacted to the new blood in his veins, it was almost exactly the same to the words Anne Rice used, everything had a new tinge to it, there was a heightening of his senses and a new lust he had not felt before. He was not so much a Vampire as a new being, a mixture of all that was best from each of his lovers and of himself.
The three would face a lot more evil, he was sure of that, but it would be together. They kissed lovingly, Angel finally back with his lovers after what seemed like forever. They were moving to the bedroom when the loud thump came from above, the three made their way upstairs to find a passed out Cordelia panting for breathe, Faith stood over her, checking her pulse.
"Vampires...dozens of Vampires...and OH MY GOD...Buffy..." The words were the last thing before she felt unconciousness hit her. Xander too collapsed, the visions coming thick and fast as he struggled to understand the messages from the Powers that Be. Somehow his change had upset a balance somewhere for him to redress and this was there way of showing him. So much for a quiet night in just the three of them.
The End
Index
