TITLE: Body and Soul Trilogy - Reborn - Chapter 6
AUTHOR: Lysia
EMAIL: cricket818uk@wadnitt.fsnet.co.uk
FEEDBACK: Is essential. I can't write without knowing I'm getting it
right and constructive criticism is noted and used.
RATING: 15, for violence and mild sexual situations (because that's
what people seem to want!).
WARNING: Angst, violence. Light S/A comfort-type romance.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of them, but I'll give them back to Joss
when I've finished with them.
SPOILERS: Set sometime after 'Forever'.
ARCHIVING: Here. Anywhere else, just ask.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Final part in the trilogy. Spike, now called Will by
Angel, has recovered from the restoration of his soul and prepares
for a second attack on the vampires who cursed him.

Chapter 6

The Order of Vherdakhi was almost eliminated. The pathetic bunch of vampires
that had survived the gun battle and subsequent hunt consisted of only six
of the original fifty, after they had scattered.

Xander and Anya returned from the first floor, both looking a little
battered while various others congregated in the main hall, all bearing
wounds from the battle but otherwise unharmed. As Will and Angel dragged
Skull's crippled body out of the conference room the team waved silently in
greeting. It was a momentous victory - one they weren't sure they would
achieve - but they were numbed by the sense of relief. No-one had really
confronted their fears much before this conflict, and there was no
celebration afterwards. Their victory was silently acknowledged with no
basking in glory or cheers of triumph.

The others congregated, dragging along the few surviving vampires. Silence
remained, chilling and unsettling. Buffy, Giles, Willow and Tara arrived
next, closely followed by Wesley, Gunn and Cordy.

Cordelia looked at the miserable bunch of vampires that cowered on the floor
in front of them. "Is this all that's left?" she asked, surprised and a more
than a little pleased.

Giles looked up from polishing the one remaining lens in his broken glasses.
"I believe so. Many of the others tried to escape the building rather than
fight. Obviously the sunlight did them no good whatsoever."

The group laughed quietly, the sound breaking the uneasy silence that had
descended. Buffy looked across the room at Will, who was leaning on Angel as
if he couldn't stand.

"Are you okay?" she asked, wondering if he was wounded, or if the battle had
upset him in some way.

Will raised his head from Angel's shoulder, surveying the Slayer's concerned
face. She had a gash on her forehead from the battle. He was impressed by
her bravery - it must have been difficult for her to go into a situation as
dangerous as this without her super-strength. "I'm fine," he replied
quietly, managing a smile.

"Well we appear to have found every remaining vampire in this place," Wesley
announced, pleased that the conflict was over.

"And all the hostages are okay," Tara informed the group. "Me and Willow did
a quick locator spell on the building and it's clear."

"And Christia?" Giles added.

"She's dead," Will replied solemnly, his gaze dropping to the floor. "I
killed her."

Xander raised a hand, his head tilted as he eyed Will in curiosity. "I
thought you said this was the girl you had a crush on way back when you were
shy little Victorian guy?"

Will nodded slowly and shuddered. "Yeah. I didn't want to. she attacked me."

Angel felt a twinge of sympathy for his Childe and put a hand on his
shoulder - the only form of comfort he could use when the others were
around. "You did fine," he told Will, his voice too low for anyone else to
hear. "I'm really proud of you."

A small smile blossomed on Will's face and he kept his head bowed to hide it
from the others.

"So," Buffy announced, "all that's left of the leadership of this gang is
this sorry little sight here?" Buffy looked at Skull, who was half-sitting
on the floor beside Angel, who was holding him by the scruff of the neck.

Skull stared up at them with wide panicked eyes as he lashed out at Angel
and tried desperately to get his useless legs working again. "Kill them!" he
hissed at the remaining members of his gang.

Angel chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, you'd really let what's left of
your family get themselves killed in some hopeless attempt to save you,
wouldn't you? The rest have already been wiped out in your insane quest for
power and glory, why don't you let these guys give up while they can?"

Skull sniffed disdainfully, glaring at his disobedient Childer who just sat
on the floor, surrounded by their mortal enemies. "They should do as I say,
no questions asked."

"I thought making a minion into a Childe created some sort of special bond,"
Anya commented, puzzled by Skull's behaviour, "but this guy doesn't seem to
care."

"He doesn't," Buffy observed, disgusted at Skull's cruel disregard for the
vampires who served him. "He just makes true Childer because they're
stronger and more loyal. He doesn't care about the bond at all."

Skull just looked back at her and laughed. "Oh come on," he scoffed,
sneering. "Like I'd want to be treating these idiots like we're a bloody
family?! They're just pawns in my scheme."

Will looked at Skull, shaking his head sadly. "And you said I was a bad
Sire," he muttered.

The other vampires seemed to have the same opinion. One stood up, his fists
clenching by his sides. "You betrayed our trust," he snarled, pretty much
ready to beat Skull to a pulp. "You made us willing to die for you and your
stupid plans and you don't even care!"

"I vote we let the vamp boys take care of head-case here," Gunn suggested,
pointing at Skull.

"No," Will interrupted. "Don't kill him. I don't think he'll be much trouble
any more. His gang aren't going to follow him after he betrayed their trust
like this."

"Damn right we're not," one minion scowled. "No Sire should treat his
Childer like disposable soldiers."

"What should we do with these guys then?" Xander asked. The vampires had
surrendered and to kill them now seemed. cruel.

"Let them go," Angel decided. He stepped forward, dropping Skull to the
floor. Surveying the sorry demons in front of him, he spoke. "You have a day
and a night to get out of Sunnydale. If we catch any of you here after that
you will be killed, but you have a right to find a better life than what you
had here."

Wesley stared at Angel in disbelief. "Angel, are you sure that's."

"And try not to feed on humans," Will added, tentative and showing his
nervous nature. "Just go to the butcher like we do."

Angel chucked at Will's naivety. "W. Spike, I really don't think you can
expect."

"Whatever you say," one of the vampires complied immediately, much to the
surprise of everyone else. The others nodded in agreement, bowing
courteously to Will. "You've been a far better Sire than him. That bastard
would happily let us all die. You've shown us mercy, and we're grateful."

The Scooby gang stared at Will in disbelief as the vampires they had fought
pledged obedience to Will as their former Master fumed, swearing revenge.

"Wow," Buffy murmured, impressed at the peace that had been made. "Spike,
you're a real pacifist aren't you?"

Will shrugged. "Well I couldn't bear to let them die when they've already
surrendered."

"You're right," Buffy agreed with a melancholy sigh as the vampires were
escorted back to the basement where they had snuck in. "I have real issues
with killing defenceless creatures - even vampires."

Will grinned. "Lucky for me, eh?"

Angel grabbed Wesley's arm as he walked past with the final survivor. "Keep
tabs on these vamps for a few days, okay?" he requested quietly. He was
worried about how sincere these vampires were, despite his knowledge that
they would more than likely obey their grandsire without question provided
they were guaranteed survival.

"We will," Wesley agreed.

"So what happens to him?" Cordelia asked, glancing at Skull.

Buffy looked at Angel. Angel looked at Will. Will looked back at all of them
and shrugged. "Don't ask me."

~~~~~~~~~~

Skull's legs may have been useless, but he more than proved that he could
still punch as Will attempted to carry him into the training room at the
back of the magic shop and chained him up.

"You think I'm going to be running off somewhere like this?" Skull snapped,
gesturing towards his shattered legs as Will cuffed his hands.

Will didn't look up from his task as he replied, "I'm not taking any
chances."

Skull shook his head as if disappointed. "Oh dear. Whatever happened to the
merciful souled vampire who let a bunch of worthless lackeys go free? What a
heartless creature you must be to leave a wounded."

He fell silent as Will shoved him away.

"Don't expect me to feel sorry for you," Will informed him icily. "I can't
kill you again, but I'm not going to let you go. I'm sorry I killed Henry
Carver, but his soul is somewhere safe now, where mine was before you
dragged me back. You're more evil than I ever was. You don't deserve my
pity."

That said, Will went back to his task, remaining expressionless.

His first plan having failed, Skull changed his tone from aggressive to
pitiful and looked up at his Sire, sulking. "I just thought you might allow
me a little dignity after all you've done, especially after killing my
girlfriend."

Will stood up, shuddering. "I didn't want to do that," he muttered, hurt,
before regaining his composure and glaring at Skull. "It was self-defence.
Don't think you can use it against me."

"Oh but you have to feel guilty," Skull taunted him, melodramatic in his
plea. "How could you not? The way she looked at you as you drove that stake
into her heart? You know, I could have sworn she was about to say something
as she crumbled to ash right in front of you. Perhaps she was going to beg
for mercy, or give herself up."

Will did his very best to ignore Skull's comments, but his complete lack of
emotion now at his lover's death was appalling. "How can you talk about it
like that?" he demanded, shocked. "How can you use her death to try and
upset me? Don't you love her? Don't you respect her memory?"

The wicked grin on Skull's face confirmed Will's suspicions, and it sent a
chill through him. "You didn't," he realised, his voice weak at the horror
of it.

Skull shrugged and ceased his laughter. "Well, we were friends. She was a
nice girl, but not my type. Bloody loyal though. Stayed with me, even after
the seven hundredth affair."

Will was aghast at Skull's heartlessness and complete disrespect for the
woman he had so cruelly stolen from William all those years ago. "You never
loved her," he whispered, his heart breaking for Christia - for Cecily - and
wondering if, somehow, his own chances with her would have been increased if
one Henry Carver hadn't meddled. "You only wanted her because I loved her."

Skull chuckled to himself. "Yeah, but you're forgetting the important
thing." He lashed out and grabbed Will by the front of his shirt, dragging
him to the floor before hissing in his ear. "At least I actually had her."

Furious, Will lashed out, punching Skull across the jaw, before struggling
to his feet and striding away from him, desperate to escape the evil words
his Childe was uttering. He was so wound up he nearly crashed into Angel,
who had just arrived.

"Oh," Will squeaked, stepping back. "Sorry."

"That's fine," Angel replied softly, looking daggers at Skull before turning
his attention back to Will. "I heard him talking about Cecily."

Will's lips twisted into a sneer before his relaxed again, clutching Angel's
hands. "Yeah. He doesn't even care that she's dead."

Angel gave Will's hand a squeeze before running his hand up and down his arm
in a reflexive comforting gesture. "You okay?"

Will nodded silently, before looking up at Angel. Both vampires looked
tired, the stress of the day taking its toll on them. Will knew he should go
home and get some sleep, but before that he needed the reassurance of his
Sire to help him recover.

Regardless of their audience, Will leaned closer to Angel and captured his
mouth in a kiss. Angel flinched at first, wondering what Skull would make of
this display, but then gave in to Will, gathering the younger vampire in his
arms. He allowed Will the comfort he needed - the knowledge that he had a
caring Sire who wanted to keep him safe from all the dangers around him and
who forgave him for all his past crimes.

Their sweet tender moment together was ruined by the mocking laughter from t
he chained and crippled vampire in the corner. Will and Angel turned to face
Skull as he sniggered at them, a cruel grin on his face. "Always knew you
were a ponce, Healey," Skull spat viciously, his grin turning to a sneer of
utter disgust.

Angel looked at Will, praying that his Childe wouldn't be upset or hurt by
Skull's spite. However, all his fears were quashed when Will smiled
cheerfully at Skull, then reached up and kissed Angel again, this time not
seeking consolation, simply expressing his feelings. The kiss was
passionate, heated and full of want and need. Will practically wrapped
himself around his Sire's muscular frame, clinging to him.

When they drew apart, Angel noticed Will's eyes were dark with lust. It sent
a shiver through him to think that all that desire was for him - that this
perfect creature he had made only as a servant and hurt so brutally in his
past could ever want him.

Skull was silent now. Will and Angel stood in the silence, staring at each
other, unnecessary breath dragged from their lungs echoing in the empty
room.

Eventually Angel spoke, diverting their attentions away from passion and
desire and back to the dull monotony of their post-fight activities. "Are
you going to head home now?"

Will nodded, trying desperately to hide his disappointment that Angel was
once again avoiding discussing the intense feelings they had for each other.
Every time they kissed Will felt more alive than he ever had in his life.
The thought that someone he found to be so perfect could possibly want him
in return was amazing, but Angel was refusing to let their relationship
grow. Their kisses were always cut short, their embraces brief and awkward,
their touches cautious and tentative as they fretted over the consequences.

"Yeah," he muttered, looking down at the floor so as to avoid looking into
Angel's eyes and seeing the unrequited desire he always found there. "You
coming?"

Angel looked back at the door that led to the main part of the shop. "No. I
have to contact some demon doctor to look at Skull and decide whether or not
he's harmless. The gang don't want to let a psychopath like him loose
without being certain that he's crippled. We've already got my team tracking
the others."

"Right," Will sighed, bored with all this discussion about their enemies. "I
'll probably see you later then."

With that, he headed up the steps into the shop.

"Goodnight, Will," Angel called after him.

Will left without a word.

~~~~~~~~~~

Will hated the mansion when it was empty. Without Angel the place just
seemed full of bad memories. The front door crashed shut behind him, and
Will made his way across the floor, his footsteps echoing in the silence. He
looked around, feeling so horribly lonely and small in this vast place.
Normally he spent the first part of the night in his own room before heading
down to Angel's if he had a bad dream or couldn't sleep or just felt like
it.

Now Angel wasn't here, but Will could still feel the presence of his Sire in
the ground floor bedroom that Angel occupied. He stood in the doorway and
felt the pride and the fear of when Angel had disappeared off to challenge
Skull over betraying him to the authorities; he sat down on the side of the
bed, recalling how honoured he had felt when Angel had offered up his blood
to make him stronger; and as he curled himself around a pillow, inhaling the
familiar scent of Angel's hair gel, he remembered the sweet tranquillity of
how they drifted off to sleep together every night.

Will felt safe here, surrounded by his Sire's possessions and scent. He didn
't like the silence - too much quiet gave him flashbacks and bad dreams -
but he simply tried to focus on Angel. Will felt as if he was being watched
as he stripped out of his clothes. It was as if the past evils of this house
had come back to haunt him. He shuddered at the memory of his time spent in
the wheelchair when he couldn't do anything for himself, recalling with
bitterness how Angelus used to walk past while Drusilla was bathing him,
laughing at his Childe's helplessness.

Desperate to escape the memories of his Sire's evil persona, Will tugged on
the silk shorts Angel had given him and clambered into bed. The shorts had
been Angel's idea of a compromise in sleep-wear. Will didn't like wearing
pyjamas in hotter weather, but Angel didn't want to risk the temptation of
having Will sleeping naked beside him, so he had bought him two pairs of
navy blue silk boxers to sleep in during warm spells. Will had whined about
having to wear them, but secretly liked the material and loved the fact that
Angel had bought him a gift.

Wrapped in the sheet, he was surrounded by Angel. He felt safe now. Angelus
couldn't get to him here. He nuzzled the pillow beside him and cuddled it to
his chest.

Alone, Will's dreams returned that night. He sobbed and thrashed as he
relived the murder of an innocent family in an isolated farmhouse; he curled
up and whimpered as a young girl died in his arms for the sake of a midnight
snack. But then his dreams changed to the comforting arms of his Sire taking
him away from the evils of his past to a field somewhere back home in
England. It was strange to him, yet oddly familiar, as if he had walked past
it sometime but never really stopped to explore. The grass was sprinkled
with dew, the sky scattered with stars. They took shelter under a cherry
blossom tree and sat, holding and kissing, longer and more passionate than
his Sire would allow in the real world. Words of love were whispered from
red, numb lips between fevered kisses and hands clung to firm muscular flesh
as their bodies were pressed together.

The events were a blur - not a detailed fantasy in Will's mind but a
confusing mish-mash of hopes and desires. A few clearer moments defined
themselves: Angel kissing him and telling him how much he loved him; the
showering of blossom on them; the feeling of dew on his bare back as they
tumbled to the ground.

He didn't know when they had lost their clothes, but all that mattered now
was the fact that they were naked and lying together on a bed of grass under
a blanket of blossom.

The sun rose and didn't harm them, but Will merely acknowledged it as a
beautiful backdrop to the blissful moment he was living. He and Angel stared
at each other, hypnotised by the sight of each other bathed in sunlight, not
in danger, not burning. Smiles spread across their faces and they showered
each other with light kisses as they made love on the moist grass of the
field, and the blossom tree showered them with pink petals like confetti at
a wedding.

And this was why when Angel arrived home from the Magic Box, dumping his
jacket on the sofa in the living room, he went into his bedroom to find Will
sprawled on his bed, fast asleep but with one arm wrapped around a pillow
and Angel's name falling from his lips between gasping panting breaths.

Angel couldn't deny that his Childe was a beautiful sight. The look of
desire on Will's face made Angel's heart leap. His eyes travelled down the
lean muscular chest to the sheet around his waist and legs which rose and
fell as Will writhed on the bed, caught up in his dream.

But Angel's worries were not of whether Will's subconscious bliss could rob
him of his soul - Angel knew from his own experiences that it could not.
Instead he was once more afraid for his own self-control. The smell of
arousal in the room was intoxicating, Will looked practically edible and,
what made the scenario so irresistible to Angel, was the fact that it was
his name Will was murmuring.

Devastated and furious with the happiness clause of his curse, Angel forced
himself to leave. Will's voice still rung in his ears, so dreamy, so filled
with adoration as the young vampire breathed his name.

Angel's fist smashed a vase as he strode up the stairs and into the room as
far away from Will as he could get, where he flung himself to the floor and
beat his fists against the wall in frustration. Why did fate have to be so
cruel? He adored his Childe. He wanted Will more than he had ever wanted
Buffy, and their curses robbed them of the right to express their feelings
through the intimacy of lovemaking. Words couldn't tell Will the extent of
Angel's emotion.

Angry and mournful, Angel curled up on the bare mattress of the bed beside
him and forced himself to sleep - alone, desperate and frustrated.

Meanwhile, in another reality - the one in Will's mind - Angel was wrapped
around his beloved Childe in a picture of post-coital bliss.

"I love you, Will," Angel told his lover as they lay staring at the blue
sun-filled sky.

Those words made Will tingle and the world went blurry. He leant back
against Angel and nuzzled him, but as he did the field and the blue sky and
the blossom that covered them fell away into a dark void and Will found
himself alone in a dark room with only a pillow cuddled against him.

His heart sank as he looked around. Angel was not with him. Angel had never
said those words. Angel had not held him in his arms and made all his dreams
and fantasies come true.

Angel wasn't even there.

With a sigh, Will lay back in the bed and inhaled the sweet smell of his
Sire again. Angel's words kept rattling around his head. "I love you. I love
you." Will wondered if they were true or if they were just wishful thinking.

~TBC~