BY: Ann of Midnight
DISCLAIMER: I don’t own any of the shows I borrowed characters from…
SPOILERS: Post Angel season 3, Buffy season 6, and I guess, Highlander, Endgame.
RATING: HARD R
PARINGS: Angel/Methos (That means SLASH, children)
DISTRIBUTION: Let me know.
FEEDBACK: Want it.
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty,” I say, taping the side of the tub with my boot.
“Wake up it’s time to go.” God only knows why he felt the need to sleep in there.
Ah, but he does look young and innocent in his death slumber, totally at peace. One of my wives had this habit of staying awake to watch me sleep; said I looked like an angel. Not something William or I can look like awake, I’m sure.
“Let’s go!” I repeat, denting the cheap bath with my steal toe. He grumbles, half waking, then shoots up. I almost lift my hands in a surrender position, but it would seem condescending. Vampire looks at me, remembering.
“Where’s my food?” He asks petulantly; I hold up the small bag. I know he wants to say it’s not nearly enough, but somehow bites his tongue. He warms the blood under tap water and chugs it down. Barely puts any color in his cheeks. Swings a towel over his shoulders and waltzed into the room, taking clothes out of my travel bag and putting them on. Of course, he’d want to wet my garments, not his.
The harbor patrol was a nuisance the first hour, but anyone can be bought off. We weren’t really doing anything illegal per se; we were just sitting there, waiting.
The small boat rocks quite unpleasantly where we’ve set anchor. William’s been under water for more than three hours with nothing but a powerful flashlight and some tools.
The crew is to stay below deck, where I’ve set them up with their own case of beer. They won’t bother me; the Gods know I’ve paid them enough…
I’m feeling a bit anxious. Still, in my time, you learn anything can and does happen, so I don’t dwell on the surreal-ness of the situation. I just sit there sipping my fifth beer, trying not to think about what’s going on in that cold black water and what may happen later . . .
“It’s time,” I call, attracting the attention of the crew when I see William’s head poke out of the water. I don’t get up from my chair. I watch him get closer and closer, and soon I make out the form he’s hauling. Dear Gods, it looks like he was right.
Two of the burliest men help Will drag the body into the boat. I wave them away and soon enough, the engine can be heard as we slowly head back to shore.
He looks dead. He also looks sort of… ridiculous, the same as when we last met. He’s got a beard and his hair is between lengths, William slicks Angelus’ hair back and that’s when it hits me. He looks like a big wet cat. It also looks like he had the luxury of shutting his body off completely. I’m jealous now, because when I was at the bottom of the sea I had to drown every 20 minutes. Sort of a pleasant death as far as deaths go, but no one wants to die for 15 years. I shake it off and have another sip.
William’s taken to punching his Sire. It doesn’t take too long that a hand shoots out to block the next blow and William gets thrown onto his arse. Angelus turns and spits the water out of his lungs. He stands up and takes his heavy clothes off, accepting the wet towel the Englishman throws his way.
Angelus watches William change into dry clothes as he’s toweling his hair. He coughs some.
“What the hell happened to you?” He croaks.
“Everything,” the younger one replies.
Angelus studies him awhile longer; looking his gaunt body up and down and eventually tilts his head.
A feral growl pierces the air as ridges and fangs appear. Faster than my eye can see William has latched onto his Sire and Angelus’ very life force is being sucked out of him. That’s when his head turns and he sees me, rising to meet him out of the shadows. I’m at a loss for words, so I lift my beer up to him in salute. His eyes bore into me. Gods, but I missed his eyes. His face changes and I get to witness the sheer agony and the ecstasy he’s feeling while his childe sucks him dry.
I haven’t been able to shake this hard on since I first heard his name again and now I’m reminded of why, as I see him in the flesh. Yee Gods, the rippling flesh.
He is far too pale now, as he falls to his knees. He says nothing, just keeps on staring at me. I break my empty bottle on the side of the boat and approach him. When I am close enough, I cut my arm and shove it in his face.
The pleasure I feel when he fastens his mouth over my wrist is inhuman. 'No wonder people don’t struggle for long' I remember thinking all those years ago. I know a lot of victims have a heart attack about three seconds into a feed but I don’t. I want to draw it out. I want to die for him again; I’m going to explode. He’s watching me and I’m flying. I’m so close.
I think I growl at him when he pulls away. I fall back and drift into oblivion while my body repairs itself, unfulfilled.
We’ve stopped, and we’re the only one’s left on the boat. The vampires are standing apart, staring at each other. I start to make out what they’re saying.
“But why did you come here, Spike?”
“To find you, you tosser, why the bloody hell else would I be here?”
“Last time you came to my city it was to torture me.”
“You deserved it. Anyhow, last time I didn’t have this sodding chip in my head.”
“It’s more than that.”
“Don’t you make me say it.”
“You have a soul.”
“Fuck you.”
“Fuck you.”
“No, fuck you!” Screamed the younger one, full game face.
I walk over to my cooler slowly and pull out my last beer. I twist the cap and sit on the floor.
“Like it’s my fault.”
“Everything IS your fault.”
“Whatever Spike.”
“I hate you.”
“I hate you more.”
“Then why? Why did you… all this?”
“Why are you here?”
“’Cause I need you,” the young one whispered.
“I know.” Angelus says.
For a minute I think they’re going to hug each other. William looks like a teenager, has his fists balled up and is looking at the floor, and Angelus… I don’t remember seeing him like this. He has a soul now, and it shines through. I wonder if this means he’s a completely different person, or if like me, he had just evolved into something else. William looks like he hasn’t changed a bit from the vampire I encountered years ago, I can’t detect a trace of the mama’s boy I once knew...
I am lost in thought for a moment until I realize nothing happens. No one says anything. It’s three in the morning, and I am knackered. I decide it’s up to me to break the awkward silence.
“I hate to interrupt this father/son reunion but I for one would like to get the hell off this boat. I’m paying by the hour you know,” I tell them as I finish my beer.
William follows a boxer-clad Angelus off the small boat and I do the same. We walk in silence, a million questions going through my head. William is the first to speak up. He stops, swings Angelus to face him and asks:
“How in the bloody hell did you end up in a metal coffin at the bottom of the Pacific? ‘Cause I know you’re daft, but for Satan’s sake mate, there’s no way you’d just let that happen.”
“I did,” replies the brunette, shrugging off his Childe’s arm and continuing his walk.
“Are you out of your bloody mind, Angelus? Have you finally gone ‘round the bend?”
“No.”
“Then what the fuck?”
“Spike, I’m not in the mood.”
“Ah, I see. You want to make whoopee with the doctor here, dontcha? You’re going to forget all about old Spike again because your loins-“
“Spike!” The vampire roars. “Not now. I need to get home.”
“Touchy much?”
“Ahh! Why did I make you again?”
“’Cause you thought I had a sweet arse?”
“There’s got to have been more to it than that.” Angelus asked himself.
“Dru asked you to, it pissed Darla off *and* you thought I had a sweet arse.”
“Right.” Angelus replies, nodding his head.
“Children.” I interrupt. “I understand it will take weeks to get everything straightened out, but can we please get somewhere safe before the sun comes up?”
This seems to get their attention. Of course, the sun won’t be up for a few hours, but if it gets us off the street faster, I won’t tell.
I’ve got the bike, and two vampires to transport. I’m about to say something when Angelus reaches into my pocket. He finds my money clip and hands it to Spike.
“Get us some food and meet us at the Hyperion Hotel. That’s where I live now,” he explains. I don’t ask any questions, I just hand him my coat, though he doesn’t technically need it.
“The old Hyperion?”
“It’s not operational. It’s our headquarters.”
“Right then. But don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.” Will interjects while I start up the engine. “You want me out of the way so you can declare your love for one and other and all that rot.”
“Yes William. You’re right.” I deadpan, driving away.
We hear the vampire shouting in the wind: “You make me sick!”
We ride in silence. He directs me silently to turn where he needs me to and the feel of him next to me after all these years is electrifying. His cool body pressed hard against my back reminds me of days and nights spent in his bed, and I still haven’t taken care of that hard-on. It’s going to be a problem if this new souled Angelus doesn’t feel the same way I do.
Just as I think that, I feel him nuzzle my neck, inhaling my scent. Oh, yes. Guess the old man’s still got it.
The hotel is totally deserted when we get there. Dust is piling up, there is no room for new messages on the answering machines and all the bookcases are bare. I can tell by the way Angelus looks that this is not a good sign. He calls someone and hangs up angrily. He makes a page, grabs the portable phone and goes up the stairs. I follow.
We get to a simple room and he closes the door. I sit on the bed and he takes a chair, way on the other side of the room. He *has* changed.
He’s looking at everything but my eyes, and when he finally makes a move, it’s to change underwear and pull on some pants. Leather, I see.
He sits back down and after a few minutes I decide to make a strategic exit. He falls for it.
“Don’t go.”
“Why should I stay? You obviously have more things going on than I can comprehend at the moment. Don’t worry; now that I know where you are, I’ll be keeping tabs. I’ll come visit sometime.” I say, reaching for the door.
I get more of a reaction than I expected. A cold, hard body swings me around and pushes me up against the door. “Methos,” he breathes into my ear. “Methos,” he repeats, rubbing his body against mine. I might pass out.
We kiss. Take a moment to ponder this: we kiss. Angelus, parted wet mouth, closed eyes and moaning low in his throat. Ah.
My hands move around his neck pushing the hair back, guiding him. It’s been far too long. Although I haven’t exactly been celibate, I haven’t exactly been with Angelus either. The boy was made for kissing and other far more sinful things.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers to me.
“I’m not,” I tell him, not quite knowing what he’s apologizing for.
He walks away from me. He looks like it pains him physically and I understand.
“I’m not him,” he shakes his head.
“Who are you then? Is it Liam again?”
“No. It’s Angel.”
“Angel. Right. Vampire with a soul.”
“Yes.”
“Tell me you don’t love me.”
“It doesn’t matter what I feel.”
“So what? Do we start over?” I ask. Wow. I had never seen Angelus, I mean *Angel* brood before. He looks destroyed.
We stare at each other for a while, and then someone crashes through the window. I open the door only to find more men with weapons. Angelus and I are surrounded. I pull out my sword and we get into position, back to back. Twelve to two. I think we can take them.
