Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Angel/Spike or more properly Angelus/William 
Somewhat AU with some elements of cannon altered to suit my needs. Meaning William begins life within this story as a human. Who can say if that will change?
Graphic sex, violence
Disclaimer: These characters are NOT mine. I'm only borrowing them. All BtVS/AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon, ME, UPN, WB etc.etc.etc. 
Poems found in this work are not my own. The poem read by William is entitled 'Because I could not stop for Death' and was authored by Emily Dickinson. The title of this story was derived from that poem. The poem read by the bully in the Bronze is called 'A valentine to my wife' and it was authored by Eugene Field. I have made some slight changes to the second poem to fit the needs of the story. 
Other Points of Interests: Buffy still works for the council. Angelus has never been souled and the initiative is still functioning in Sunnydale. 
 

Chapter Two:

William wiped absently at the tears that spilled down over his cheeks. The scene in the Bronze played over and over again in his mind, and he couldn't seem to walk fast enough to escape it. His slight frame and shorter stature had often made him the target of bullies when he was a child, he thought to himself, but it wasn't as if he was totally helpless now that he was grown. He might not be a big man but he was strong and he had done a bit of boxing at his old school, so why had he not handled the situation better? 

The girl hadn't had any problem dealing with the men... and that was possibly the worst cut of all. A petite girl half his size had taken on three men four times her size and knocked them into unconsciousness while he had crawled around on the floor looking for his notebook. He stumbled slightly, his foot catching on the edge of a grave stone he passed, and he caught himself before he fell. Turning, he glared at the offending object as if it was to blame for his troubles, then continued on his way, wondering how would he ever face that girl again? How could he show his face at school on Monday? He would be a laughing stock, as he was sure everyone would have heard about it by the time classes resumed. 

Leaning against a large crypt he hung his head, a feeling of complete disgust washing over him. It was bad enough that he hadn't made one friend since moving to Sunnydale but, after the incident tonight, he would be lucky if anyone would want to have anything to do with him at all. 

"God, just kill me now." He said aloud, feeling quite pathetic as he wiped the last of his tears away. 

"Well, I'm not God, but I think I can accommodate you." William jumped at the voice behind him and turned to see two men stepping around the side of the crypt. He backed away quickly, not liking the look of them -- and liking it even less as they stepped out of the shadows into the moonlight. 

Their faces looked deformed with pronounced ridges across their brows and their eyes were a disturbing shade of yellow. 

"I didn't really mean it, Lord." William whispered just under his breath, his eyes widening at the sight of their fangs. The larger of the two lunged for him and he swung his back pack at the fiend, knocking him away as the second growled his displeasure. William didn't have time to wonder what they were or how he would survive; he just knew that he would not stand idly by as he had done earlier and allow these ...whatever they were to accost him without giving them back a bit of their own.

Not waiting for the second one to attack he swung the pack again, but this one was ready for that. The creature grabbed it, tearing the strap, pulling it free of William's hands as he sent William sprawling. His head struck the side of a tombstone and he fell forward, blood running into his eyes. Scrambling to his knees as he tried to rise, the dizziness overtook him and he fell forward once more, supporting himself on his hands. 

The first one was back on his feet and came at William from behind, lifting him up into a bear hug, effectively pinning the Englishman's arms to his sides. The boy struggled against its superior strength but could not get free. Approached from the front by one and held fast from behind by the other he didn't know what to do, but he knew he had to do something. An idea suddenly formed in his mind and he waited until the smaller of the two was close enough, then, pushing back against his captor, he kicked out with both feet, sending the other flying over a stone bench. Then, before the larger one had a chance to retaliate, he threw his head backward as hard as he could. The sudden cry of pain as his attacker's nose was broken was satisfying enough to make him discount the screaming pain in his own head, and he stumbled forward as the other man let go of him. He grabbed the back pack that lay at his feet and turned, stumbling through the cemetery before they could recover enough to follow him. 

Angelus stepped out of the shadows watching as the boy ran. He smiled to himself as he looked at the damage he had done, then walked over to the first vampire as he tried to get up. Pushing the fledgling back down in the dirt he whispered quietly to him. 

"The boy is mine." Then he sank his fangs into the younger vampire's neck, savoring the blood as he took his fill. He staked him a moment later, then turned to the larger vampire who backed away, still holding his nose as blood ran unchecked down his face. Angelus could smell his fear and he reveled in it. It was not as intoxicating as a human's fear -- but then, so few things could compare to that heady scent. Still he breathed it in, then smiled as the other vampire was backed against the side of the crypt. His scream filled the night as Angelus tore out his throat.

The sound of the scream behind him spurred William on but he could feel himself growing dizzier with each step he took. His head was pounding and he could barely stand, let alone run. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath as he struggled to see past the grave markers to the street beyond. There was little light in the cemetery and he couldn't make out an entrance anywhere; of course, the blurry vision he was suffering with wasn't helping -- or the blood that flowed in a steady stream from above his left eye. Looking back the way he had come he saw nothing but darkness, and he was suddenly wondering why he had ever entered this gloomy place to begin with. Then, not wanting to take any more chances, he started to move once more. 

He didn't get very far, however, as he was suddenly gripped by a wave of nausea. Falling to his knees on the ground, the contents of his stomach emptied on the grass before him as his whole body clenched again and again, long after there was nothing but air left within. Then, crawling away, he sat leaning against a grave marker, the stone cooling his warm skin as sweat poured down his face. He knew he needed to get up. He knew those things that attacked him could be following behind, but he couldn't get his muscles to listen to him and, a moment later, it didn't seem to matter as darkness enveloped him and he slumped to the ground.

***********************************************************************

William woke to the feeling of a cool, wet cloth being pressed to his forehead and he tried to sit up, but the dizziness took hold of him once more as the room began to spin. He moaned as his head fell back against the soft pillow and he lay there for a moment before slowly opening his eyes. The face he saw staring back at him was not what he expected and he pulled away slightly, his fear guiding his actions. The man smiled slightly and William was left with the impression it wasn't an expression he wore often. He stared at the man as he took the cloth away and set it on a towel resting on the nightstand beside the bed. 

"Where am I?" The boy's voice was little more than a whisper, but the other man heard him without difficulty. 

"You are a guest in my home." The other man answered simply, then rose from his seat beside the bed. William took in his appearance, noting the man's superior height and build. He was broad through the shoulders but narrow in the hips, and the young man couldn't help but admire his physique. He looked to be somewhat older than William but not by much, and his face was handsome, with little signs of aging in evidence. His deep brown eyes were clear and alert, and his full lips bore the promise of pleasures William could not even name. 

This last thought brought William up short, shocked by the fact that he had thought such a thing about another man. He lay there for a moment as he considered whether it was wrong to admire this man's appearance. William had never looked at a man quite like that and the thoughts suddenly running through his head startled him somewhat. He had never thought of another man as being beautiful but this man seemed to elicit just that kind of thinking from him, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

He watched as the man padded across the carpet toward the door. Opening it, he spoke briefly with someone who William could not see, then returned to the bed, taking his seat in the over stuffed chair that sat beside it. 

"Who are you?" He asked as the man dipped the wet cloth in the cool basin of water and returned it to William's forehead. The young man closed his eyes for a moment, the feeling of the cloth soothing the headache that pounded inside his skull. 

"My name is Angelus." The name was strange and William wanted to ask if it was Latin; it definitely sounded Latin but the question was forgotten a moment later as he listened to the man's whispered words. 

"Hush now Mion Aon, codail." William tried to make sense of the words but they blurred together, and he felt himself lulled to sleep by the sound of the stranger's voice. 

***********************************************************************

Rupert Giles awoke to the sound of a ringing phone and glanced bleary eyed at his alarm clock. It was not quite half past six and he groaned as the persistent ringing continued. Wanting nothing more than to hurl the offending object across the room he reached out, taking hold of it, then picked up the receiver, answering it with a quiet "Hello."

"Rupert? Oh, I'm so glad you're awake. I'm so terribly worried about William and I didn't know who else to call!" The voice at the other end of the phone was frantic and he could hear her fear as she rambled on. 

"I woke up this morning and his bed wasn't slept in. He didn't come home. Something awful must have happened to him." 

"Anne, calm down." Giles said, using his most reassuring voice. "Now start at the beginning. You said William didn't come home last night?" 

"Yes, he went out, you see...I had insisted." A small sob interrupted her as she allowed her fear to get the better of her. A moment later she took a deep breath trying to be strong. 

"He had been working so hard lately and I just wanted him to spend some time with his friends. He was always underfoot worrying about me so I thought it would be good for him to go out and have some fun. But he would never make me worry like this. He wouldn't stay out without calling to let me know he was alright!" 

"Have you tried ringing his friends?" There was silence from the other end of the phone as William's mother paused.

"I wasn't sure who to call. He hasn't talked about any particular classmate since we moved here so..." 

"I see." Giles said, cutting her off. "Well, I wouldn't worry too much, Anne. Even if he never mentioned his friends, it is much more likely that he did indeed meet them as you instructed him to do and simply stayed with one of them last night." 

"But he would have called me, Rupert. William is a most considerate boy." Giles wiped his hand over his face, trying to wipe the last of the cobwebs from his mind and set the phone back on the night stand.

"I'm sure it was late and he just didn't want to wake you. I'm sure he'll be home in no time but, if it will put your mind at ease, I'll see if I can round up the boy -- and give him a good talking to, besides, for all the worry he's caused you." William's mother sighed in relief and Giles hoped it would not be short lived. 

"Thank you, Rupert. I don't know what I would have done without you. I just can't bear the thought that I could lose him too." 

"Anne, you're not going to lose him. I will find him, and everything will be fine. Now, do you have any idea where he went last night?" He asked, throwing the covers off as he turned sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Yes...oh, what was it called? The Bronze...yes, that was it. I believe he said that was where he was going." Smiling, Giles stood up stretching slightly, his hand pressing against his lower back.

"Fine...fine. I know some younger people who were there last night. I shall ring them at once and see if they saw William there and get back to you as soon as I know something, alright?"

"Thank you, Rupert. Thank you again."

"No need to thank me, Anne, I'm happy to help. Now try not to worry. I'll talk to you soon. Good bye." 

He hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment, praying that what he had told her wasn't a lie. Young people seldom went missing in Sunnydale without dire consequences. He should have been preparing Anne for the worst instead of giving her false hope, but he had heard the despair in her voice and he just couldn't do it.

Walking to the kitchen he filled the kettle with water and left it to simmer on the stove as he went back into his room and dressed. He donned a light green dress shirt and a pair of heavy denim jeans, then grabbed a pair of socks from his dresser drawer as he heard the kettle's whistle. Making his way back to the kitchen he made himself a cup of tea and then sat at his desk, slipping his shoes and socks on as he glanced at the clock. 

It was Saturday and they didn't have classes so it was unlikely he would catch them up but he reached for the phone anyway, hoping to get lucky. Dialing Buffy's number, he frowned as he listened to it ring but with no result. Deciding it would be faster to simply drive over, he hung the phone up and headed out the door, leaving his tea cooling behind him.