Sweet William

AUTHOR: Little Mouse (elf_night@hotmail.com)


DISCLAIMER: Yes, they're Joss'. Stop rubbing it in!

WARNINGS: For violence and language and explicit, vampiric, m/m yummy bits.

ARCHIVE: Please ask first.

SUMMARY: Drusilla, in an effort to return Spike to being her 'dark prince', tries to change him back to the way he was when he was called William the Bloody. It doesn't work out quite the way she expected. This story is slightly AU as per vampire lore, and Angel is Spike's Sire.

CHAPTER TWELVE

All the humans looked worried.  Buffy shifted her stance and opened her mouth, probably prepared to threaten Ian.

Angelus forestalled her by laughing.

Not hysterically, or sarcastically - more like an adult laughs when a small child tells a joke they’ve heard before.  It was almost polite laughter.

It made Ian furious.

“What?!  Don’t you think I can do it?”

“Do I have to remind you - again - that I’ve already beaten you?”  Angelus sneered faintly as he looked at him.  “You’re a second-rate Master and you always have been.”

“I’m going to make sure you die slowly,” Ian growled, his face darkening with rage in a way that a vampire’s face shouldn’t be able to do.

Angelus heaved a sigh.  “Again, how?  You didn’t before, what makes you think you can do it this time?”

Ian smirked.  “Perhaps I wasn’t fighting at my best, then.  Maybe I’m better prepared this time around.”

Angelus’ features didn’t change, but inside, he tensed.  He sniffed the air so lightly that even the vampires couldn’t tell he was doing it - and detected the faint, lingering trace of magic.  

Ian really was better prepared - it wasn’t just a bluff.  He’d done something - had someone in his little clan cast a spell or cast it on his own.  Angelus knew he’d have to be on his guard until he could figure out exactly what the spell was.

He was beginning to understand why Spike - William - had always hated magic so much.

“I don’t care what preparations you’ve made,” he said slowly, making a gesture behind his back, toward Wesley, that was known only to his Steward.  It meant ‘magic-use’, and was the man’s cue to start working up general counter-spells until they could figure out the specific one needed.  “It doesn’t matter.  You could turn yourself into a Marlok demon and you’d still be incompetent enough for a fledgling minion to kill.”

“Why... you...” Ian sputtered for a second, then howled and flung a hand toward Angelus.  

Light erupted from the ends of his fingers - burning, yellow light with the unmistakable scent of the sun.  

Angelus dove sideways even as Wesley cast a blocking spell, causing the beam of light to ricochet off to the right, handily taking out two of Ian’s minions.  The rest of them stared, astonished and horrified, then starting running for cover as Ian continued throwing bolts of light at Wesley’s ‘shield’.

It was proof of how well the man’s magic had improved, that every beam aimed at Angelus just bent and shot back into Ian’s garden.

If he kept this up, the vampire was going to kill all his minions, his Brother, and himself without Angelus having to even bother.

“What an idiot,” Angelus heard Xander say, and spared a quick glance over, to see the boy standing in front of William, blocking him from any possible stray rays of sunlight.  The shorter vampire was standing on his tiptoes in order to peer over the boy’s broad shoulder.

“Think he’ll give up soon?” he heard William ask.

“Nah, I think he’s too stupid.”

“I think you’re right.”

Angelus grinned and turned his attention back to Ian, whose magical strength seemed to be waning, as the bolts became dimmer and even less accurate.  The Aurelian vampire gathered himself for an attack, knowing that his moment of opportunity was fast approaching.

Ian realized it too, and ducked behind Hunter, sending another, even weaker, beam aimed lower than the rest, like he was trying to shoot it under Wesley’s blocking spell.

Instead, it grazed the side of Hunter’s leg, making him howl, making the old-fashioned trousers he was wearing catch on fire.  The tall blond vampire immediately threw himself to the ground and began rolling, putting the flames out before he crawled to the dubious safety of the shadows, dragging an injured, burnt leg behind him.

The removal of Ian’s strongest ally was the last straw for the disheartened minions - they had lost over half their number by now, and Hunter was the Master who took care of them, not Ian.  Their loyalty was to him, and to Ian by proxy, since Hunter observed the Old Ways and obeyed the leader of his Clan.  

Now they abandoned Ian, most running for the house while a few gathered up their injured Master and followed, ignoring Ian’s shrieked demands that they return.

“Pathetic,” Angelus smirked, baiting the other Master, “you can’t even control your Minions.  You should just turn your Clan over to Hunter and stake yourself.”

Ian growled, dropping the slightest pretense of an elegant vampire.  He morphed into his true face and threw himself at Angelus, who jumped right back at him.  

The two Masters bit and clawed like animals, their eerie cries of challenge making the watching humans wince, making everyone within hearing distance check their locks before cowering in the dark, wondering if some wild creatures had escaped from captivity and were stalking through their little town.

*

William watched, wide-eyed, as his Sire and the Harrovian Master rolled on the ground, Angelus’ claws gouging out gory furrows in Ian’s chest and sides, while the other vampire’s fangs sliced into Angelus’ arm, into his neck and his jaw.  It was bloody and gruesome and ugly to watch.

The humans looked ill.

William thought it was beautiful.

He’d seen fights like this before - he’d participated in fights like this before, when some vampire became fascinated with Drusilla’s faux-innocence and tried to take her away from him.  

But he’d never been fought over by two Masters, not to the point that they let their demons have almost full control.  He’d never been the prize in a battle like this.

Even when he’d been a Fledge, and his Sire had been jealous of him.  Angelus had been so strong in those days, and with Penn not too far away, and Darla, powerful in her own right, still with them - well, other Masters had admired him, admired Drusilla, but none had been stupid enough or brave enough to challenge the great Angelus for either of them.

And then after their Sire had left, Darla had no objections to any Master taking them away for a night or two, in exchange for some favors, until she’d grown tired of Drusilla’s wailing for her ‘Daddy’ and William’s moody, angry outbursts, and had taken herself and Penn away to parts unknown.  Penn hadn’t wanted to go, but Darla was now his default Sire, so he’d had no choice.

Of course, Angelus had fought with Georges for him, but it hadn’t gone to this level - to this bloody, vicious, kill-or-be-killed struggle.

William watched, utterly silent and completely fascinated, as Angelus finally managed to get a submission hold on Ian’s throat, sinking his fangs in just beneath his jaw.  One quick jerk of his head and the power in his own jaws could rip Ian’s throat out.

Ian knew when he was defeated - even in his deepest feral vampire mode, he didn’t want to die.  He shuddered and lay still, tilting his head back and baring more of his throat in a clear sign of submission.

Angelus growled, shook him slightly, then released his hold and sat back.  He licked the blood from his lips, then looked down at the blood streaking his arms and soaking his shirt.  A quick swipe, and he tore the ruined silk from his body, revealing the bleeding gashes Ian had left.  

Buffy gave a slight shriek of dismay, and she and the others started forward.

Angelus growled at them angrily, stopping them in their tracks.

“Angel,” Giles spoke reasonably, “you need help.  Even as fast as vampires heal, you...”

“Rupert, not now,” Wesley said softly, herding the other humans from LA back, pulling Willow with them.  “He knows what he needs, and it’s not our help.”

“What do you mean?” Giles took the hint, shaking slightly under Angelus’ wild yellow gaze and tugging his Slayer back to a safer distance.

“You’ll see.”

“William...” Angelus growled, ignoring the humans after they were at a more respectful length away, and turning his feral gaze on his prize.  “William...” he tilted his head invitingly, gesturing to his still-bleeding neck and face.

His Childe moved forward almost in a daze, blue eyes fastened on the slowly dripping, thick vampire blood.  He knelt by his Sire, who tilted his head even further, amber eyes burning as they watched him.  William ducked his head submissively, then leaned forward and swiped his tongue from Angelus’ collarbone to his chin, cleaning a stripe of pale skin, his saliva starting the healing of the damage beneath the blood.

Angelus gave a contented rumble and pulled him closer, ignoring Ian, who had shakily crawled a few feet away.  

William continued to clean his Sire, cat-like, licking the blood and nursing slightly at the wounds until they closed, sealing beneath his ministrations.  

Angelus preened, clearly showing off his prize to the defeated Master and to the few minions who had dared to return, hovering around the edge of the garden.  He slung an arm casually around William as the Childe worked, letting his fingers explore the strong, lean torso of his Boy, skimming along the low waistband of his jeans.  His motions were sensual, and so were William’s, both vampires wrapped up in each other, both of them purring softly, just loud enough for the others to hear.

The humans fidgeted, some of them obviously uncomfortable at the display, some of them spellbound.

Buffy was staring in open fascination, her lips parted as she watched William’s pink tongue chasing the blood around Angelus’ pectoral muscles.  Every time William swallowed, so did she. 

Willow was only a little less fascinated, blushing hotly but not looking away.  Xander wanted to leave, but wasn’t going to abandon his responsibility.  Wesley felt much the same way.  Giles looked like he wanted to take notes or run and couldn’t quite make up his mind.  Gunn was the most polite of them all - he turned his back on the overtly sexual display and devoted himself to watching the lurking minions.

Ian stared, feeling jealousy and rage beginning to stir beneath his defeated appearance.  That ought to be him sitting there, with that beautiful Childe attending to him, with the air of victory around him, with his hands on that slender body.  It ought to be him showing off his prize, displaying him to the watching humans, to the staring minions.  

He growled suddenly, making the humans flinch again, and gathered every last bit of strength in his body to dive forward, wrapping both arms around a startled William and rolling away with him.  By all the gods, he had wanted this Childe for over a century, and he was damn well going to have him, even if it was for only one brief moment.  

William yelped with surprise as the other Master’s lips came down forcibly on his, tongue thrusting in and stealing the mouthful of Angelus’ blood.  He growled and shoved at the other vampire, hearing his Sire give a roar of outrage and then suddenly he wasn’t shoving against anything.  

The hands he had against Ian’s shoulders were full of dust, not solid flesh.

Angelus stood over him, still holding the piece of broken branch he’d used to skewer the Master of the Harrovian clan.  “Pitiful,” he growled, kicking at the pile of dust Ian had left behind.  He tossed the branch aside, snarling down at William, reaching to yank him to his feet.  Big hands immediately began brushing the dust off of him, like Angelus didn’t even want that much of Ian touching him.

That was all right with William.  He didn’t want Ian’s dust on him, either.

“You killed him,” a startled voice spoke behind him, and Angelus was sweeping William into a possessive embrace as he turned on Hunter.

The tall blond vampire was leaning against a minion as he stared at the pile of dust on the ground.  “He’s gone... you killed him.”

“Shall I kill you, next?” Angelus growled, his whole body strumming with anger over the insult of Ian snatching his Boy from him.  It didn’t matter that the other Master was dust now; Angelus was furious enough to want to resurrect him and kill him all over again.

“I desire no war with the Clan of Aurelius,” Hunter said quickly, formally, realizing that he was Master of the Harrovian clan now.  “I have no complaints against you; we wish for peace between us.”

All his minions were nodding wildly.

“You call a truce, then?” Angelus asked, some of the yellow fading from his eyes.

Hunter nodded.

“So be it.  You will take your Clan away from here as soon as you are healed.”

“Agreed.”

“And you will not feed on innocents while you stay.”

“Agreed.”

“No humans at all!” Buffy said sharply, gripping her stake as she stepped forward.  All her Slayer instincts were screaming at her to take out this powerful vampire while he was wounded and vulnerable.

“I do not hold truce with you,” Hunter said, not looking at her.  “We will feed off of your criminals, Angelus, and no others.”

“Very well.”

“Angel!”

“Don’t argue, Buffy,” Wesley advised, stepping closer.  “It’s unheard of, for them to even agree to that much.  And I doubt they’ll stay here for more than one more night, even if their Master is injured.  No vampires want to stay around Angelus while he’s this angry, truce or no truce.”

“But... I can’t just agree to let them eat humans, even if they are the bad humans!  ‘No killing humans’, that’s the code, remember?”

“Do you really wish to fight it out with them?” Angelus growled at her, approaching them, dragging a completely willing William along behind him.  “Hunter is a Master, even if he has a mild injury, and his minions won’t run from helping him the way they ran from Ian.  I think it’s best if you just come back with us.  We have things to discuss about the HellMouth.”

“But...” Buffy looked back at the garden, only to find it empty.  Hunter and his minions were gone, and the run-down house looked deserted now, whether it really was or not.  When she turned back to argue with Angelus, the vampire was already half a block down the street, William, Xander, and his friends from LA all with him.  She looked at Giles and Willow - both of whom looked like they wanted to be anywhere but here - and then hurried after them.

*

“So, Xander,” Angelus sounded as calm and controlled as if he hadn’t shaken off his ‘game face’ no more than ten seconds ago, “have you made your decision?  Will you move to LA or are you staying here?”

Xander looked at Angelus, then at William’s hopeful expression.  “I - I’m going with you guys.”

William’s smile nearly blinded him.

Willow’s howl nearly deafened him.  “Xander!  You can’t!”

“Why not?” he asked, trying to stay calm and not sound whiny.  “C’mon, Willow, I’ll have a future there!”

“You have a purpose here, you know,” Buffy huffed, glaring at him.

“What?  To die young while I’m out fetching donuts?” Xander was getting a little fed up of the girls who were in college and were making something of their lives trying to keep him as he was.

“That’s not nice,” Willow said, her big green eyes tearing up.  “You help us, you know you do!”

Xander just shook his head.  “Only as an early warning system.  You know, ‘look, Xander got knocked across the cemetery, must be something big over there! better go take care of it!’”

“Xander!”

“Oh, come on, Willow!  Please don’t get upset!  There are phones, you know, and we can visit each other all the time!  It’ll give you the chance to go shopping in LA!” he wheedled.

Willow sniffled, but looked interested.  “I... but, don’t you think you should take a little longer to think this through?”

“Quick decisions are not always the wisest ones,” Giles put in.

“Besides, you need to pack your stuff,” Buffy said, “you can’t go to LA with just the clothes on your back.”

“It doesn’t take a week to pack a one-room basement apartment, you know,” Xander said.  “I got everything packed up this morning, before I went to Angel’s place.  I got Gunn to drive his truck over to my parents house while Angel was going over the plan with Wesley, and we loaded it.”

“It wasn’t a lot,” Gunn said in a low voice to Angelus.

“We’ll fix that,” was Angelus’ reply.  He’d take his Boy and William’s Guardian shopping at the same time.  He didn’t like the fact that all of William’s belongings fit in two trunks.  He raised his voice so everyone could hear him.  “So, we’re all ready to go, then?  Good, we can leave when we get back to the mansion.”

“But what about the rest of the Masters?!” Buffy shrieked.

Angelus winced.  “Not so loud, please!  There aren’t any more Masters here - I can’t sense a single one.  You shouldn’t have anything more than the usual to worry about.”

“What about your own packing?” she asked, clutching at any reason to keep them here just a little longer.  She didn’t want Angel to leave, especially not with Xander.  

And not without thinking of some way to get ‘William’ away from him!  Spike couldn’t have Angel!  He was her one true love!

“Fred and Cordelia will have taken care of that,” was the calm reply.  

“Oh... well, uh, what about...” she trailed off, trying to think of something else, some reason for them to put off their departure.

“We’re leaving,” Angelus said, wrapping an arm around William’s shoulders and pulling him close to his side.  “I want to show William his new home, and we need to get Xander settled in.  There’s not much of the night left, you know.  We’ll barely have a half-hour to show them around if we don’t leave right away.”

They had come within sight of the mansion by now.  Fred was loading suitcases into the trunk of Angelus’ car, while Cordelia had started Gunn’s truck.  

“Hey, Angel!  The place is locked up tight, and we’re ready to go!” the brunette called cheerfully.

“Giles!” Buffy hissed, “what are we going to do?!  We can’t let Xander just go, and we can’t leave Spike to be an evil influence on Angel!”

“Actually, I was just thinking that we should,” Giles said softly.

“What?!” Buffy and Willow yelped in chorus.

“Think about it - Xander tried to go on that driving trip, remember?  And ended up spending the summer in Oxnard?  Things rarely work out the way he expects.  I think he’ll be calling us within a week to come and pick him up.  And if Spike is anything like he used to be, Angel will be ready to throw him out in the sun by then; we can just bring them both back with us.”

“Oh...” Buffy thought it over for a moment, visibly brightening.  “Yeah, you’re right!  So we just let them make a mistake?”

“And learn from it,” Willow nodded, trying to look wise.  “It’ll be a nice trip for Xander, that’s all.  He’ll get homesick for us really fast.”

*

Wesley, who had overheard every word they were saying, rolled his eyes.  He knew Angelus wouldn’t be getting tired of William any time soon - if ever.  Hell, he knew that Angelus knew precisely what Spike was like, yet had discussed - several times - getting the younger vampire and bringing him to Los Angeles to help them out, instead of leaving him to the Scoobies tender mercies.

As for Xander, he might get homesick for his friends, but the Bond that would exist between he and William would be too strong for him to do more than go and visit.  Like he’d already promised them, anyway.

Oh well.  The remnants of the Scoobies would just have to find out that their ideas were wrong.  He knew they would miss their friend - probably - but they’d get used to it.

They’d have to.  Angelus, unlike Angel, didn’t let any of his family go.  Not if he could possibly stop them.

He watched as Xander gave Willow and Buffy quick ‘good-bye’ hugs, and shook Giles’ hand.  Then William practically stuffed him in the backseat of Angelus’ car, before running over to his Sire, tugging on his arm and whispering in his ear.

Gunn and Cordelia were getting in the truck.  Wesley knew Fred preferred the car, so he opened the door for her and helped her into the backseat with Xander, then climbed in beside her, leaving the front seats for Angelus and William.

“What’s Spike doing?” Xander was frowning suspiciously, watching as Angelus grinned down at his Childe, who was obviously asking for something.

“I’m sure I have no idea,” Wesley said, smiling at him as he got out the book he’d been reading.  He wanted to make sure all his notes were still in their proper places - the streetlights would be strong enough for him to see until they left town.

Fred gave Xander a shy look.  “Is he always... that excited?”  William was bouncing slightly as he talked to Angelus, gesturing wildly.

“Yeah, pretty much.  Hope you guys can deal with a hyperactive vampire.”

Fred giggled, while Wesley just rolled his eyes.  “It might be a change, at that.”

Xander watched as Willow, Buffy and Giles walked off, sighing slightly as they turned the corner and vanished.  He’d miss them, but this was something he felt he had to do.  If things worked out the way he hoped, then they’d see that this was a good idea, and be happy for him.

If he was lucky.  He usually wasn’t, but things had to change sooner or later.  Didn’t they?

And even if he was wrong, he had to try.  Nothing short of a disaster was going to change his mind.

William finished whatever discussion he was having with Angelus, and headed for the car.  “Sire said I could drive,” he told them, giving them an innocent smile as he climbed in and started the vehicle.

“Oh,” said Wesley, not looking up from his book.

“Sure,” said Fred, watching as Angelus got into the passenger seat.

“I changed my mind!” Xander shrieked, clawing at the door handle.

William gave an evil laugh, then the tires screeched as he floored the gas and sped off into the night.
~finis~