I AM YOURS 
By: PetiteMiel 

Chapter Six

Sunlight filtered through the blinds and spread out across the room, chasing the shadows back into the corners where they belonged. Spike snuggled closer to his sire as he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. He had slept well for the first time since his arrival in LA and, for once, he wasn't overwhelmed by that sense of loss he usually felt upon waking. He had not been disturbed by the dreams that had plagued him over the last few days, and for that he was grateful. While the dreams themselves were not unpleasant, they evoked so many conflicting emotions in him that he wasn't sure how to deal with them -- and he was feeling conflicted enough right now. Trying to make sense of his subconscious while the events of the previous night were playing through his mind was not an option. He lay looking at his sire, a slight frown on his handsome face as he tried to sort through his thoughts. 

Angel had seemed genuinely sorry for the hurt he had caused Spike. The younger vampire was certain he had been sincere about wanting to help him, but not as sure about whether he could trust his sire. Spike wanted to -- but he didn't want to be hurt again, he had already suffered too much pain and wasn't anxious to endure more. Angel had said he didn't want to be without his childe, but Spike wasn't sure exactly what he'd meant by that or what kind of relationship Angel wanted with him now. Sighing, he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. Angel's arm lay across his chest and he absently stroked it, calming himself in the process. 

Spike was tired of being angry with his sire, that was one thing he was certain of. He wanted to make things better, as he had told Angel. Getting his soul was supposed to make that happen, but it wasn't only about Buffy and what she needed, it had been about what he needed as well. Spike had felt dead inside for far too long, and he wanted to feel alive again. He needed to be loved, wanted and cared for. Pretty strange desires for a demon, he thought as he smiled ruefully to himself, but then he never was the usual sort. 

Since Angelus' abandonment he had felt alone, not really belonging anywhere. Even with Dru he had not felt truly loved. Some part of her had always belonged to Angelus -- of course that had been true of Spike as well, and, with Buffy, it had been even worse. She hadn't wanted Spike at all. Well, that wasn't entirely true -- she had wanted him for sex. Buffy had needed someone to touch that part of her that was frozen inside. She had wanted Spike to bring her to life, but Angelus had taken all the life from him when he'd left and Spike had none to give to her. He sighed deeply, glancing toward the window as his fingers began to play with Angel's. 

The soul had changed things between them. It had allowed Spike and Buffy to be close, to care for each other without the pain they were so used to inflicting on one another. They had learned to trust and respect one another, at last becoming friends, and Spike wanted that with Angel too. He smiled then, thinking there was at least a chance for them after all -- if the Slayer of Slayers and the Vampire Slayer could become friends, then anything was possible. 

Angel stirred slightly, interrupting Spike's thoughts, and he rolled toward the larger vampire, snuggling close once more. He gave his sire his full attention, smiling at him as he slept. He had to admire Darla's taste. Spike had always thought his sire was beautiful, and time had certainly not changed that opinion. The younger vampire reached out, touching his sire's face, running his fingertips lightly over Angel's brow, then down his nose and lastly over his supple lips. Spike smiled to himself, remembering those lips and the pleasure they were so capable of providing -- yet, strangely, for the first time in years those thoughts didn't cause him pain. In fact, they were causing an all together different sort of reaction in him. 

Shifting backward he tried to slip out of Angel's hold, but his sire only tightened his grip. He didn't struggle but lay still, not wanting to wake him. He didn't want Angel to know how affected he was by him. It would only make things between them more complicated than they already were. Angel wanted him to stay, and Spike was fairly certain that he wanted to be friends, but any other feelings were bound to offend him. The older vampire wasn't likely to want the sort of intimate relationship they had once shared... after all, Angel was still in love with Buffy -- at least Spike thought he was -- and Spike loved her as well. So why was waking up in Angel's arms giving him a painfully hard erection? And why did he feel an equally hard erection pressing against his thigh? 

He considered this for a while but, finding himself at a loss to explain it, decided he had had enough deep contemplation for one morning. All he wanted was to go back to sleep so, in typical Spike fashion, he chose to ignore it. Telling himself it was just an aftereffect of the emotional state that he and Angel had been in when they went to bed seemed the best solution. That way he didn't have to deal with it as it wasn't his fault. That issue resolved to his satisfaction, he closed his eyes again and tried to ignore his discomfort as he curled up against his sire's chest. 
 
 

Angel lay in the bed pretending to sleep. He had awoken at Spike's first touch, but had decided to be still, not wanting to disturb the moment, and instead let his childe play. He had missed having Spike to hold, and it was nice just to be close to him again. Feeling those long delicate fingers playing across the surface of his skin, brushing over his lips, he had wanted to reach out and take them in his mouth, but he had resisted. Laying there with his childe in his arms had brought back a host of memories from the past. Days spent in warm beds with nothing between them but air. Cool skin struggling to be heated by the friction of their bodies. Spike beneath him, the sounds of his moans filling the quiet of the day. 

Sighing quietly the older vampire shook his mind free of the thoughts and tried to concentrate on the present. His feelings about the more intimate aspects of his former relationship with his childe confused him and Angel was ill prepared to deal with them. This new relationship with Spike was too fragile to risk anything that would frighten him off, and he wanted this to work. He needed him in his life. The loss of Spike had made him realize just how much, and now they had a chance to build a new relationship as friends -- and friends were a good thing, Angel told himself, all the rest only got in the way.

The problem was that his body didn't seem to be listening. The scent of Spike's arousal had assaulted him the moment his boy had tried to move away, and he had instinctively tightened his grip, not wanting to let him go. Now his hardened cock was pressing against Spike's thigh. Feeling the younger vampire tense Angel was certain that Spike could feel it too, but a moment later his childe relaxed again and snuggled closer to him. It seemed apparent that Spike had decided to ignore this new development and Angel, liking that idea, decided to do the same. Unfortunately the very insistent erection trying to push its way through the soft material of his slacks wasn't cooperating. He lay there for a few more minutes, but he knew he was going to have to put some distance between himself and his childe. He didn't want to do something that would hurt Spike and ruin all the progress they seemed to be making, so he slowly rolled away from him, slipping his arms out from under the younger vampire. He crept from the bed, pretending not to know that Spike was awake, allowing him this pretense; then, stepping toward the door, he picked his discarded shoes up off the floor and headed down the hall to his room.

Twenty minutes later Angel was dressed, the cold shower he had taken having alleviate his earlier problem. Stopping to right the overturned chair as he entered the kitchen, he quickly warmed his breakfast and set about rinsing the coagulated blood from the two discarded mugs left sitting on the table from the previous night. Consuming his meal quickly he placed all three mugs in the dishwasher, added the cleaning powder, and started the machine. Stepping over to the desk that sat beside the fireplace in the living room, he scribbled a note to Spike, then returned to the kitchen, taping it to the refrigerator door. With a final look down the hall he turned and left the apartment.
 
 

Spike rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling again. He heard the front door close as Angel left and, for once, he was glad to be alone. He had tried to go back to sleep, but that had been impossible. Sighing loudly, he pulled the blankets back and glared at the large bulge presently tenting his sweat pants as if the look of disapproval would make it go away. This having no effect whatsoever, he was forced to take the only other action he could under the circumstances.

Slipping his left hand beneath the waist band of his sweat pants, he let his fingers play over the sensitive flesh. He was incredibly hard already and he moaned as he began to slowly stroke his cock from base to tip, beads of pre cum moistening his hand as it dribbled over his fingers. Parting his leg slightly he reached down, caressing his balls, rolling them gently in his palm as he tugged slightly on them, trembling at the sensation it caused. Then, feeling too restricted, he lifted his hips and slid the sweat pants off, tossing them on the floor beside the bed. His cock lay exposed, pressed against his sculptured abs, and he reached down, taking it in his firm grip once more. Sliding his hand up the long shaft he pulled the foreskin over the reddened head, pinching it slightly. Gasping at the pleasure he felt he continued to stroke more firmly as he took short quivering breaths he didn't need. He swallowed hard as his hand slid up and down over the velvety flesh again and again, setting an easy rhythm, his hips thrusting upwards off the bed. He could feel himself panting with each downward stroke and he hissed as he pulled the foreskin back, rubbing his thumb over the engorged head. His right hand strayed upward, running over his nipples, feeling them harden to small peaks as he pinched them roughly, a moan escaping his lips. It had been quite a while since he had allowed himself this sort of pleasure, and he knew he wouldn't be able to hold out for long. He just needed something to push him over the edge.

Closing his eyes, he tried to picture Buffy there with him. Tried to imagine it was her hand touching him -- but the images just wouldn't come, and neither could he. Spike continued to work the hardened flesh, but soon became frustrated. He was painfully hard now and needed desperately to cum, but just couldn't seem to bring himself off. Pulling his hand away, he rolled over onto his side and growled his frustration into the pillow. Angel's scent overwhelmed him as the image of his sire came unbidden to his mind. He could see the older vampire clearly, hovering over him, his naked body pressed against Spike's, their cocks rubbing together as they moved against one another. He took another deep breath, filling his dead lungs with his sire's scent, then grasped his cock in his fist as his hips thrust forward of their own accord. Throwing the pillow aside he rolled onto his back once more and began to stroke himself furiously. He watched his cock slip into the encircling fist with each upward thrust of his hips, imagining it was his sire's large hands grasping the hardened flesh instead of his own. He groaned aloud at the pleasure this image invoked as he felt his sac tighten. Spike didn't stop to think of the implications of tossing off to thoughts of his sire, or the fact that thoughts of Buffy had done nothing to help him find his release. He just wanted to cum, he needed to cum -- and then, with a terrible shudder, he did cum.
 
 

Giles sat behind the wheel of the hired car, his hands gripping it tightly as he watched the English countryside slip past. Each kilometer brought them closer to their destination and he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief at this as the drive had been long and the silence unbearable. Glancing toward the passenger seat he took in Buffy's still form as she stared vacantly out the window of the car. She had not been pleased about his decision to move them out of London, but it had been a necessary choice and he had tried to make her see that. He knew she was concerned that Spike wouldn't be able to reach her and, even with his assurance that the new number had been left for him, she grumbled about the trip. 

She had been unusually quiet since their arrival in England, and he couldn't help but think that things between them would never be as they once were. There had been a time when she would have talked incessantly, driving him to distraction, but recent events had changed all that. They had made some progress of late, but he still felt that she harbored some lingering resentment toward him for his treatment of Spike. That was of course to be expected -- after all, he had tried to kill Spike, and lied to her about it. She had felt betrayed -- and, he had to admit to himself, she had had good reason to. Even though he had thought he was doing the right thing at the time he could see now that that decision had been made hastily and for the wrong reasons. He had tried to control her and dictate what she should feel toward the vampire, and he was sure she thought this trip was just another attempt to do the same. He sighed deeply, trying to ease his tension and clear his thoughts, as he took the last turn and slowed the car, finally coming to a stop.
 
 

Buffy stepped from the car, stretching the stiffness from her muscles. The drive to Sheffield had been long and she was not used to such extended periods of inactivity. Closing the door, she took her first look at the estate that housed the Coven and was stunned by the beauty she saw. There were rolling hills covered in a lush carpet of green grass and wildflowers bordered by a small stream to her left. Beyond a small bridge that crossed the stream lay a deeply wooded forest and to the right the Pennine Mountains could be seen rising up against a clear blue sky. She smiled slightly at the overwhelming sense of peace that radiated from the serene setting, then turned her attention to the others as they clamored from the car. 

Giles and Xander retrieved their luggage from the trunk as Dawn made her way around the car and approached her sister. The petite blond smiled at her, then turned toward the imposing building that stood before them.

"It's a castle." The tall brunette said, smiling up at the massive stone structure before turning back to Buffy. The slayer made no response, just smiled back, and then headed toward the large oak doors. Giles and Xander followed, carrying the bags, as Dawn brought up the rear. The slayer reached for the long knotted rope that hung from a large metal bell beside the door. She pulled it several times, listening to the sound echoing in the silence. A moment later a young woman with long, raven black hair opened the heavy door, smiling broadly at them.

"We've been expecting you. Please come in." They followed her through the door to an inner courtyard where another woman came to meet them. 

"Giles, it is good to see you again." She said as she made her way down the pebbled walk to greet them. The leader of the Coven was an elderly woman with stark white hair that hung below her trim waist. She was tall at almost six feet and quite striking in her beauty. Piercing blue eyes looked out at the world with a frightening knowledge and her every movement exuded power. "You have arrived just in time for tea." Giles set the bags on the ground and took the witch's hand as it was offered. 

"Tea would be lovely." He answered, smiling. 

"I see we will have to put on another kettle though. You have brought more guests." She turned toward the other three.

"Yes...ah...well, you see my flat is completely inadequate to house all of us and most of the work will be done here so I thought...well, it's just too long a drive to go back and forth. I hope you don't mind...it just seemed..." He was interrupted by a wave of her hand.

"Oh pish posh. Of course I don't mind. What are three more with all the others you have already brought to me -- besides, I enjoy the sound of young people filling these old halls with life again?" She smiled, reassuring him. 

"Thank you." He said, turning to the others. " Ah....this is Dawn, Xander and Buffy. This is Merissa, leader of the Coven." He introduced them and she nodded to each.

"Welcome. Come, let us go in out of the weather, shall we?" She smiled, turning away. 

"But there's not a cloud in the sky." Dawn said quietly, looking up confused. A moment later thunder rolled in the distance and lightning flashed overhead as the sky turned dark. She hurried after the others as they made their way inside, just escaping the downpour that ensued. 

The sudden storm only lasted an hour, during which time they had had their tea, been shown to their new rooms and were now being escorted to the main meeting hall. They wound their way through the corridors and back down the stairs, passing many other members of the Coven as they went. They were for the most part young women not much older than Buffy herself. She had not known what to expect when she had arrived. Visions of old women stirring cauldrons of noxious potions had flashed through her mind more than once. She was therefore pleased to see that they were just women like herself, powerful to be sure, but just women and, for the first time since Giles' decision to move them all here, she was beginning to relax.
 
 

Charles Gunn strode across the lobby of Wolfram and Hart, making his way to the elevator as he was greeted by literally everyone who saw him. It was a little unsettling to be fawned over by their former enemies but he figured he'd get used to it eventually. It was such a small price to pay for working here. He glanced down at his new Rolex watch, checking the time as the elevator sped to the 24th floor. It was almost eleven o'clock and he was supposed to have met with Angel almost an hour ago. Stepping off the elevator as the doors closed behind him, he hurried over to Angel's office and peered inside. It appeared to be empty but it was clear he had been there as there was a cup of coffee cooling on his desk. Gunn smiled at the gorgeous piece of furniture as he ran his hand over the silky smooth surface, imagining the case of apoplexy it was sure to have given Lilah. 

They had all indulged themselves a bit after agreeing to work for Wolfram and Hart. Moving into the apartments on the upper floors made more sense. It was convenient and why not take advantage of the perks the job offered? Only a fool would say no, and Charles Gunn was no fool. The Armani suit he was wearing cost more then he had made in two months working at Angel Investigations and his new car was something he had only dreamed about having. He smiled again at the sudden reversal of fortune they had all experienced and wondered how they had ever gotten so lucky. 

"Looking for me?" Gunn jumped at Angel's sudden appearance behind him and glared at the vampire as he turned to look at the smiling face of his boss. At least he guessed he was still his boss. Wolfram and Hart paid his salary but -- as far as he knew -- he still took orders from Angel. 

"Did anybody ever tell you that's a real nasty habit you got there, man?" 

"What's that?" Angel asked as he sat down behind his desk, taking a sip of his cold coffee and grimacing at the taste. 

"Sneaking up on folks." Gunn replied, as he eased himself into the chair opposite Angel.

"Trick of the trade, my friend."

"Yeah, well -- use it on the clients, not on me, ok?" 

"Sorry." The dark haired vampire said as he rose and headed toward the small bar that sat against the wall. He poured himself a fresh cup of coffee and offered some to Gunn. "I thought we were going to meet at ten?" he asked, returning to his desk with two mugs.

"Yeah...sorry, I got hung up with a client. Mrs. Russell, you remember her?" 

"Taracatia demon, right?" Angel answered, referring to the problem the client had, not the client herself. He watched Gunn playing with his new watch and noted the new suit as well, but made no further comment. 

"Yeah, she wants us to take care of it for her, tonight if possible. From the damage it did, I'd say it was a big sucker too -- or there could be a nest of them. We better take Wes along." 

"Sure, I'll let him know. Meet there after sunset?" 

"Cool. So what did you want to see me about, anyway?" Gunn asked, sipping the piping hot liquid. 

"I wanted to go over some of these old case files with you. I'm not sure how busy we're going to get here and I really want to make sure we don't leave any of our former clients high and dry."

Gunn smiled at this, having been worried about the same thing himself. "Sure, but what about Wes -- I'd have thought you'd be going over all this with him?" 

"He's looking into Spike's situation for me. Look, I know you don't usually do the paperwork side of things but..."

"Hey, no problem, boss, I'm learning to be flexible." He answered, grinning. "How is he, anyway?" 

Angel looked up from the stack of files, a perplexed expression on his face. "Wes?" 

"No." Gunn laughed. "Your kid."

"What?" Angel asked, panicked as thoughts of Conner flashed through his mind.

"Your kid... Spike. Oh, sorry, I guess the word is Childe." Gunn replied as he took half the stack of folders Angel had divided. Angel didn't answer immediately and Gunn stared across at him. He was about to ask if he was alright when Angel's voice cut through the silence stopping him.

"He's fine. He...ah...he's still adjusting to things." 

"Hell of an adjustment too, mate." They both looked up to see Spike standing in the doorway. Angel eyed his childe, noting with some satisfaction that he was wearing the dark blue cashmere sweater he had bought for him the day before. He had chosen to wear it with a pair of tight black jeans and his new boots -- but Angel couldn't expect miracles. He smiled faintly as Spike entered the room.

"I see you found my note." 

Spike glanced around the room, feeling a bit self conscious. Memories of his early morning activity flashed through his mind, and he tried to brush them away by looking anywhere but at Angel. He hadn't thought of his sire in a sexual way for decades, and he was trying hard to convince himself that it was just the dreams that had stirred all those old feelings up, and not any real attraction for the man standing in front of him. 

"Yeah, thought I'd take you up on your offer and come check the place out." He answered quietly.

"Good. Ah... Spike, this is Charles Gunn, a friend of mine. He works with me." Gunn stood, not sure what to make of Angel's childe. Spike reached out a hand, trying to be polite although he was sure this human would treat him like most did and ignore the gesture. Gunn stared at the hand for a moment then shook it, noting the look of surprise on the younger vampire's face as he did. Angel had told them Spike had a soul, but Gunn needed more than that to make him trust the blond vampire. He'd known plenty of folks with souls that wouldn't think twice about slitting a brother's throat, so he would wait to see what Spike's game was before passing judgment. In the meantime, he would be polite for Angel's sake.

"I've heard a lot about you." Gunn said as he stared at Spike, releasing his hand. 

"All bad, I'm sure." Spike replied casually, feeling the other man's eyes on him as he strode toward the couch and took a seat. He was going for Big Bad but he really didn't feel the part. It was hard to seem tough in a cashmere sweater and he cursed himself for wearing it, but he had known it would please Angel and, for some reason he couldn't quite fathom, that had seemed important. But now, sitting there with this human staring at him, he felt exposed. He needed his duster. He felt naked without it. 

Gunn watched Spike intently, the swagger and stance something he recognized. He could tell Spike was nervous and there was a touch of vulnerability there which surprised him.

"Not all bad. Some of it was good." He replied. 

Spike looked up at the tall, bald, black man and grinned. "Don't believe everything you hear, mate."

Gunn grinned back and then turned, retrieving the case files from the desk. "Angel, I'll go over these in my office. I'm sure you two have things to talk about." He headed for the door then stopped, turning back. "Oh, Angel -- don't forget, Mrs. Russell's at sunset." 

"Sure, sunset." 

"Was nice to meet you, man." Spike watched as Gunn disappeared through the open door, leaving him alone with his sire.
 
 

Angel sat in his chair observing his childe. He could see that the blond was doing everything he could not to look in his direction, but he wasn't sure why. Spike's emotional breakdown the previous night was a good possibility, he thought, as he watched Spike pulling at the edge of the sweater nervously. The younger vampire had spent a great deal of time building his reputation as the Big Bad, never wanting to appear weak, and Angel was fairly certain that crying in his sire's arms had not been a part of that persona. The other possibility, of course, was that Angel's lack of control that morning was the reason for his childe's discomfort now. Waking up to find that his sire had a raging hard on was probably not what Spike had expected. Angel frowned, chiding himself for allowing his need for Spike to cause a new rift between them, and stood, turning toward the window, taking in the view. Then, sighing heavily, he resigned himself to the fact that he couldn't change either of the previous events and, turning back to Spike, decided that they would just have to move forward.

"So...how are you feeling?" Angel asked as he sat down behind his desk once more.

"What's happening at Mrs. Russell's at sunset?" His childe asked, changing the subject.

The older vampire sipped his coffee, wanting an answer to his question, but accepting that Spike obviously didn't want to talk, so he let it go.

"There's a Taracatia Demon that's been causing some trouble for a client and we're gonna try and clear out its nest tonight." 

"Sounds like fun. Think I'll come along." Angel stared at Spike, not sure how to respond without getting punched in the face. 

"Spike... I think maybe it would be a good idea if you took it easy for a while. You're still weak from..." That was apparently not the right response. Spike was off the sofa and in his face a second later. 

"Look, I don't need you looking after me. I can take care of myself and regardless of how I acted last night I am not a little fledgling who needs to be mollycoddled by you. I've done pretty well on my own so far and..." 

"I just meant that you haven't been feeding regularly so you're not up to full strength, that's all. I know you can take care of yourself." Angel said, trying to smooth things over. Spike stared at his sire, trying to judge the sincerity of his words. He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment and then moved away.

"Yeah I can." He said, as he glanced out the window, his slight anger dissipating quickly.

"I know you can." Angel said reaffirming the younger vampire's assertions.

"Yeah -- and, even at half strength, I'm still stronger than your pet humans. And more skilled, I'd wager." He said as he looked back at his sire, who sat in his chair studying him.

"Right." Angel agreed with a nod of his head.

"Right. I can take care of myself." Spike repeated his earlier words, trying to convince himself more than Angel as he turned away, resuming his seat on the sofa. It was clear to the older vampire that his childe needed to prove he was still capable. 

"Yes, you can take care of yourself." Angel said smiling, but it only lasted a minute.

"Glad we're both agreed then, because I am going." Spike stated again, daring Angel to argue with him. 

Angel knew there was no point in saying no as Spike would just follow them anyway -- besides, with Wes and Gunn there, there was little chance Spike would even get a swing at the demon, let alone have to fight it himself. So, instead of arguing, he stood up and walked toward the door. "Come on. I'll give you the grand tour." Spike stared back at Angel, deciding that his sire was in fact giving in, then smiling to himself at his small victory he followed Angel out into the hall.