Part 6:
"Your family isn't gone. Whether we submit to the Order's demands or not, I am your Sire. I will always be your Sire. But I have a soul now and so do you, and that means that I have not and will not impose my will upon you in so serious a matter as this. You can accept or reject my claim as you see fit. Or you can ignore the issue entirely, pretty much like we've both been doing since our paths crossed in Sunnydale. It's up to you."
Angel paused for a moment, letting the words sink in, then walked past the stunned, younger vampire and left the room.
* * *
"Okay, this is sorta freaking me out. Did you two know this about Angel and Spike?" Gunn asked.
Wesley turned from his quiet examination of the closed basement door, and Illyria tilted her head in his direction. She spoke first, a contemptuous note in her voice.
"Humans are like children. The white-haired one spoke true; how could you know so little about the creatures you work side by side with? There are rules to the physical universe, and one constant is that the strong dominate. Vampire hierarchy should be clear to even the most naïve of your kind. Surely you've digested at least two of the basic rules where they are concerned; Sires dominate their Childer, both to train and control, and pain and pleasure are often one and the same to creatures such as they. They may seek this thing you call human redemption, though its virtue eludes me, but they are not human. They are vampires, no matter how they mask that to protect their human pets' sensibilities."
If possible her voice became even more contemptuous at the end, as though being included among such a lot still rankled.
"And even if you didn't know their history, surely the behavioral dynamics between them now should provide sufficient insight, even to a human such as yourself."
Gunn lifted his eyebrows incredulously at that statement.
"You're saying you watched all that fighting and bickering between them and saw that behind it?"
"Of course," she replied, tilting her head in the other direction, somehow managing to look askance at him without the slightest change in her expression. "I'm surprised you did not."
Gunn turned a beseeching expression towards Wesley.
"What about you? Did you know?"
Wesley shrugged and managed to look a little chagrined.
"The records on Angelus and his family are voluminous, and that part of it which is focused on Angelus and William particularly so. Their relationship prior to Angel regaining his soul was very well documented, and of common knowledge among the Watchers Council."
"Oh man, why am I always the last to know this stuff?" Gunn muttered to himself. "Why didn't you tell me?" he added, directing the question to Wesley.
"Because so far as I could tell it was in the past, and not relevant to Angel and Spike as they exist now. I was wrong," he added with another shrug.
"Well what now? What do we do about this thing with the Aurelians? Are we really going to try and convince them that we're part of Angel's clan? I mean seriously."
"You are a member of Angel's clan."
Illyria's voice filled the silence of Gunn's trailed off expression.
"Isn't that clear? If you have fooled yourself up to this point, human, delude yourself no longer. The strong dominate," she reiterated, "and vampires are stronger than humans, both physically and intellectually. They are weaker than I, in my true form, but I am diminished by this human shell and even I, a superior being, admit to being a member of Angel's clan now. The strong survive, and attaching yourself to power is both wise and necessary for continued survival. I do what I must, and so do you."
Angel's sudden presence at the top of the stairs put a halt to any response Gunn might have had. They had no idea how long he'd been there when his voice broke in to their discussion.
"Anything on the docket tonight, Wes? I'm a little wound up and killing something sounds pretty good right about now."
One eyebrow quirked up at that pronouncement, far more typical of something Spike might say, but Wesley simply nodded and kept his thoughts to himself.
"There's evidence of a feral lair of vampires down near the Santa Monica pier. We should check it out and clear it if possible, before they set up shop and teenagers start disappearing."
"Great, let's get a move on," Spike replied as he entered the room behind the taller vampire. "I could use a spot of violence myself," he added, making Wesley smile to himself as his previous thoughts were confirmed.