The Gift

Chapter Ten

“Mr. Bradley? Did you need me?” Spike and Xander smiled at the young woman as the rest of the group stared at Angel in shock. Xander ordered food for everyone and Spike asked the waitress to bring in a bottle of scotch and several glasses. She smiled at the group, wondering why they were all so quiet and left the room to fill their order.

Buffy was the first to regain her voice. “What?”

Angel was tired of lying, tired of hiding his true nature, tired of being hungry all the time. He loosened the chains holding Angelus’ cage shut and began to tell the story.

“The night that Spike attacked the school, Xander found me. I was about four blocks away and we raced back to try and help. When we reached the school, I thought that I would be able to get closer to Spike if I pretended to be Angelus.” Spike smirked around the cigarette in his mouth and looked at his boy. Xander’s eyes were glazed oveemememembering and reliving the sensations of that night.

“So, I grabbed Xander around the neck and hauled him down to confront Spike. When I got there, I rememb how how much I loved my childe…” Fiery eyes looked at the people that had once meant so much to the souled vampire. “Do you have any idea what it is like to lose your family? Spike and Dru… they were my everything. When I saw Spike again, the love that I had always felt for him came rushing back. I knew how he loved and what it would mean to him for me to offer him such a beautiful gift, so I gave Xander to Spike. Spike accepted and took Xander as his consort.”

Angel’s exatioation confused the Scoobies.

Willow looked at Xander. “Xander? Do you want to be…” She wasn’t sure what she was asking and stopped.

“Spike is my mate. He gave me a choice and I chose to spend eternity with him. No, he is not planning on turning me.” Xander frowned at Giles, sensing what was going through the watcher’s mind.

“There has never been a human consort in the line of Aurelius…” Giles trailed off, lifting his glass nursing the scotch that had appeared be him him.

“Ta, pet. Food soon?” The waitress nodded at Spike and left the room.

“Nope, there never has. I am the first, and will most likely be the only.” Spike nodded, agreeing with his mate, and pulled Xander to him for a kiss.

Buffy’s face curled in revulsion. “Angel? You told us that you hadn’t seen Xander; you said that he never found you. I don’t understand! You told me…”

Angel interrupted. “I lied. I killed all Spike’s minions, burnt down his factory and hid he and Xander from you until the bonding period was complete and they could leave town.”

Angel’s emotions were churning. He had always thought that he loved Buffy with everything that he had. He thought that the feelings he had for her were real and eternal. Now he realized that he had been mistaken. The lustful love he had felt for a sixteen-year-old girl had never developed into anything more substantial. Instead, it had faded away. He felt nothing but disdain for the woman sitting in front of him, she was nothing like the girl he had fallen in love with. Being exposed to the adult version offy mfy made him realize that his feelings for her had changed.

The waitress reappeared with the food and Spike and Xander began eating quickly, winking at the waitress as she placed platters of food before each of the others. Buffy and Willow finally began to pick at the unfamiliar food, while Giles ignored his plate and put away the better part oe boe bottle that Spike had shoved in front of him.

Buffy was fuming. Angel had lied to her. She had trusted him and he had lied! All that time they had searched for Xander, and Angel had known exactly where he was.

Angel, on the other hand, felt quite happy. He finally felt free. The guilt was gone; he was free of the chains that had bound him to the Slayer, to the killer of his kind. A feral smile flashed across his features. Spike noticed and grinned back.

Giles contemplated the trio before him. Xander was alive and happier than he had ever appeared in Sunnydale. Contrary to what the Council accepted as fact about a demon’s ability to feel, it appeared that Spike was quite enamored of the boy. Angel appeared a bit gaunt and Giles wondered if the vampire had returned to eating rats in alleyways. Somehow he doubted it. All in all, Giles determined that Xander couldn’t possibly be in better hands.

More scotch slid down Giles’ throat. He was tired. He had allowed himself to become emotionally involved with his charge and this was the price. He heard a noise, but ignored it.

Spike’s head snapped up and he glanced towards the front room. Something was going on. Xander and Angel looked up seconds later and all three jumped up from the table, looking for an alternate route out of the restaurant.

“Ange…” Buffy was cut off by the arrival of the seating hostess.

“I am sorry, but you cannot just…” The hostess was shoved asideone one of the men entering the room. Buffy and Willow gasped as ten weapons of various sizes were pointed at them.

Angel and Spike were in game face and Spike was standing slightly in front of Xander, protecting his mate. Xander growled, recognizing one of the men in front of them. He spoke quietly, knowing that both Spike and Angel could hear him. “That’s one of the lab coat guys from the place we nabbed Angel.”

Spike hissed and shoved Xander further back. Buffy cried out when she recognized her boyfriend. “Riley! What are you doing?” Riley pushed Buffy to the side, ignoring her comment, intent on recapturing Angel.

“Hostile A1, you are under arres…” A chair hit Riley in the head, dropping him to the floor. The soldiers spun as one and fired.

Giles looked down at the bullet holes littering his chest and looked at Xander. “You’re happy, I can see that.” Xander was amazed at the depth of emotion those few words betrayed. Giles fell to the ground, his blood pooling around his lifeless body.

Buffy looked on in shock. “Giles!” She ran to his sideidiniding in his blood. She shook his shoulders hard, crying out his name. “Giles!” Buffy wailed and threw her head back. Her watcher was dead.

Willow had been backing up all this time, trying not to draw the soldiers’ attention. She scooted towards Spike and Xander reflexively, knowing, even in her shock, she would be safer close to the pair.

Xander saw her movement out of the corner of his eye and made a decision. He looked at Spike and the two men flew into motion. Guns were torn out the hands of their users, leg bones cracked under force. After a few quick moves, they had disarmed the band before them.

Spike shoved Angel towards the door, Xander followed, dragging a shell-shocked Willow behind. Spike stopped behind Buffy, where she lay over the top of Giles’ body. “C’mon, Slayer, we need to go.” He picked her up under the arms, grimacing distastefully. When they reached the sidewalk, Spike saw Xander slapping his cell phone shut.

“Rodchester should be here any minute. Let’s go over there.” Xander pointed towards an alleyway and the bedraggled group hid in the shadows. A black van dragging a small trailer appeared and Xander opened the sliding door, helping Willow climb in. Spike shoved Buffy in the door and he and Angel jumped in last.

As Rodchester slammed the van into gear, Spike allowed his demon free reign. He grabbed Buffy around the neck and threw her against the wall of the van. “What the hell were you thinking leading those men to my mate?” He roared and Buffy flinched back from the sound.

Spike knew he was being irrational, the soldiers had followed the tracer’s signal, but he didn’t care. As far as he was concerned, the Slayer had put his consort in danger and did not deserve to live. Angel growled lowly at his childe, knowing that Spike was teetering on the edge.

Xander looked on, his arm around a trembling Willow. She was obviously deeply in shock. Spike’s possessive and protective nature was flaring and Xander was using the excuse of holding Willow to keep himself from attacking Spike and forcing his mate to fuck him in front of everyone in the van. Spike could feel the lust building in Xander and stepped away from the Slayer.

Spike moved over to Xander, detangling Willow from his mate’s arms and dropping her to the floor. He wrapped those warm arms around his own cool body and began to kiss Xander passionately.

Willow edged closer to Xander’s legs, her eyes wide. Her mind kept replaying the scene in the restaurant. Riley shoving Buffy, Giles hitting him with a chair, Giles dying… She shuddered. She peeked at Spike from underneath her eyelashes as she wrapped a thin arm around Xander’s calf.

Buffy glared at Angel. How could this be happening? He was supposed to love her. He was supposed to protect her! Buffy wasn’t sure who she was thinking about. Angel and Riley had both betrayed her trust today.

Buffy slid one hand down her leg, reaching for a stake. How dare they! Her hand trembled as she fingered the sharp piece of wood. Spike would go first and Xander would be free of him.

Angel was watching Spike and Xander. He had feared for them while in the restaurant, not Giles, not Buffy, but for Spike and Xander. They were his family and he had to protect his family. He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Buffy had a stake and was glaring holes into Spike’s head. She wasn’t going to touch his family.

Buffy saw Angel look at her and trembled under his gaze. She felt the anger she had been clinging to begin to fade away. She still loved him. He had disappeared without a trace and she had mourned for ages. Now he was looking at her seductively, his tongue swept over his lips and he smiled. Tentatively, she smiled back, her doubts and fears retreating under his heated gaze. God he was gorgeous.

Angel reached for Buffy and she sighed, leaning into his familiar touch. His hands roamed her body and she trembled underneath them, desperately wanting more. As Angel threw away the last of her stakes and clasped the manacles around her wrists, she realized that she had made a horrible mistake. “Angel?”

Angel moved across the van to where Willow was huddled next to Xander’s feet. He brushed his hands over her silky hair and settled himself down on the seat next to his childe. Spike released Xander’s lips and looked at his sire. He glanced to the back of the van and saw Buffy hanging by the manacles he had placed there years ago.

Buffy screamed and pulled at the chains. Spike, Xander and Angel didn’t appear to even hear her. Willow flinched, but made no move to help her friend.

Spike leaned in and kissed Angel briefly before pulling Xander up into his lap. Willow whined at the loss of contact and Xander reached down a hand to touch her. Spike pulled her up on the seat next to Xander, allowing the frightened girl to hold his lover’s hand.

“Rodchester. Head back to Sunnydale.”

*****

At the outskirts of the Southern Californian town, Spike called out to Rodchester and the black van slid to a stop just in front of the Welcome to Sunnydale sign. Spike nudged Xander awake and the two looked out across the town that Spike had promised Xander would never have to return to.

“I’m sorry, love.”

Xander leaned in and kissed Spike. “It’s ok, Spike. I know you didn’t want to come here. We have to figure out how to get rid of that tracer, though.” Spike nodded and drew Xander back to him. He nodded at Rodchester and the minion drove to the house they had left just days before.

They pulled up underneath the attached carport and Rodchester ran for the door, preparing the way for his masters. Angel pulled Buffy free from her manacles and carried her in. Her wrists were raw from hanging for over twelve hours and she was weak and dehydrated. She had lost her voice several hundred miles back and her throat felt as though she had been gargling with tacks.

Xander helped Willow into the house, supporting the redhead under her arms. He laid her out in the guest room closest to the master bedroom and covered her snugly.

“Rodchester.” Xander spoke quietly. When the minion arrived he continued, “Make sure that she gets what she needs, but don’t let her leave the house.” The minion nodded Xander walked from the room and went to the room where Spike was waiting.

“You ok, love?” Spike reached out and Xander fell into his arms.

“Yeah. I just never expected…” Xander trailed off as he tried to collect his thoughts.

“I know, Xan. We’ll get that tracer out of him and then we can hit the road. We won’t ever come back. Maybe if we burn this place, it will keep us from returning to it. I do like the memories it brings back, though.” Xander grinned and snuggled deeper into Spike’s embrace.

“I like the memories, too, but can we burn it?” Spike answered with a kiss. He slid his tongue deftly into his lover’s mouth, drawing Xander into the kiss. Xander could feel the tension slowly bleeding out of his body.

Spike sucked at his mate’s tongue, enjoying the taste of pure Xander. Finally releasing his mouth, Spike began to peel Xander’s clothes off. He drew his fingers over the tattoo on his consort’s shoulder.

*****

Three years earlier Spike and Xander were in a shopping center shortly after they had discovered that sunlight no longer burned Spike. They were looking for something interesting to do to pass the time when a little girl had tripped and fallen into Spike’s arms. He had snarled and shoved her away, but her necklace had caught on his belt buckle.

Spike had grabbed the necklace by the charm and had glanced at it before throwing it at the child. Xander had gasped. The charm was a cross. He had grabbed Spike’s hand and examined it fearfully. There were no signs of any damage. Xander had immediately dragged Spike into a ceramic store and Spike had touched every religious icon that he could find.

Xander had been thrilled. His mate was impervious to the sun and to crosses and Xander had suspicions that holy water wouldn’t affect Spike either. Too excited to be still, the pair had run howling down the street.

They passed a tattoo parlor and Xander pulled Spike to a stop. “I want to celebrate.” Spike hadn’t been able to resist Xander’s excitement and followed his mate inside, watching Xander’s face as the cross was permanently etched into his consort’s skin.

*****

Spike purred as Xander arched into his touch, grinning at the memory that Spike had brought to the forefront. Spike smiled back and continued to pull off Xander’s clothes. Xander reached out and stroked a single finger over Spike’s jean clad cock.

“I love you, Spike.”

“I know, love.” Spike unbuttoned his own pants before tearing off his shirt. When he was somewhat undressed, his black jeans caught at his ankles, stopped by his Docs, Spike pounced.

Xander rolled them so that he could lick his way down Spike’s body to capture his straining cock. Spike’s purr grew louder and he twined his fingers into the sable locks of his mate. Spike grunted as he heard a knock on the door.

Xander never stopped in his rhythm, bobbing his head up and down Spike’s length as he struggled to untie the vampire’s Docs. He released Spike and began licking at his ball sac, dragging the heavy boots off of Spike’s feet and freeing his legs from the jeans.

Another knock and Spike growled. “Fuck ofAngeAngel took that as an invitation and walked into the room.

Xander’s ass was facing him as he kneeled in between Spike’s legs. Angel growled low, reaching out to touch the beauty before him. Spike hissed and pulled Xander up the bed, roaring at Angel and thrusting his mate behind him.

Xander panted, confused at having been pulled away from Spike’s cock. His lust-addled brain evaluated the situation and he grinned. He began to kiss and bite Spike’s neck, wrapping his arms around the pale form in front of him. Xander pinched pink nipples as Angel fell to the floor before Spike.

“I’m sorry, Spike, he’s just so…” Spike pulled away from Xander, reaching out to drag Angel onto the bed. He kissed his sire deeply.

“You can play, but do not touch what is mine. Is that understood?” Angel nodded, his eyes wide in anticipation. Spike moved back to his mate and began to lave the boy’s neck. Xander groaned and then howled when Spike’s fangs tore into his neck, once again laying claim to his body.

Angel looked on in abject lust, unsure of just what to do. He couldn’t touch Xander, could he touch Spike? He reached out an arm and stroked one lean leg. Spike never released his hold on his mate’s throat, but reached out to lay a hand on Angel’s, offering his approval without words.

Angel jumped off the bed and quickly tore his clothes off. Spike took advantage of his absence to lay his consort out on the bed. Xander rolled them, covering Spike’s smaller form with his own. He kissed Spike and moved his lips down to his lover’s neck. He bit hard, drawing a small amount of blood, earning a pleased growl from his mate.

Angel climbed back onto the bed, running his hands up and down Spike’s side, careful not to touch the warm skin that beckoned him. He knew that if he touched Xander, he wouldn’t leave the room in one piece.

Spike shoved Xander off of his body, giving his sire a larger expanse of skin to touch. Xander leaned over Spike, biting his nipples, drawing them into tight nubs. Angel kissed down Spike’s torso, licking the area of skin between thigh and stomach.

Spike grabbed a fistful of dark hair and guided Angel to his erection. Angel shuddered. He hadn’t taken a lover in over a hundred years. In fact, the last person he had bedded was currently combing his fingers through Angel’s hair, tugging and stroking the fine strands.

Angel wrapped his lips around Spike’s cock, working the member in the way that once drove the younger vampire mad with desire. Spike smiled up at Xander, who was kneeling beside him. “Want to see what it’s like to be inside someone?” Xander’s eyes lit up and he scrambled down to the end of the bed, positioning himself behind Angel.

“What do I do, Spike?”

Spike moaned and wrapped his fingers tighter through his sire’s hair. Xander waited patiently as Spike struggled for control. “Lube, pet. Get the lube.”

Xander crawled back up the bed to dig through the bedside table. Liberating the tube from the overfull drawer, he returned to his position behind the older vampire.

“Ok, love. Now pour some over that great expanse of ass and start rubbing it in with your fingers.”

Angel jumped slightly when the cold lube hit his skin. Angelus almost never bottomed. He had screwed young William in every position imaginable, but had only allowed Spike inside seven spectacular times. Angelus had liked it too much to allow it to happen more often. He would have submitted to Spike in a second, thereby destroying the entire sire/childe relationship. He always suspected that Spike knew it, too.

Xander slipped two fingers into Angel, not feeling the need to be gentle. After insuring that the opening was thoroughly coated with slick, Xander smeared some on his cock and lined himself up. He looked over at Spike who was watching him intently.

“Go ahead, Xan. I want to see.” Spike’s fingers remained tangled, Angel began to suck furiously at Spike’s twitching cock and Xander pushed into the cool depths, never taking his eyes off of his love.

“Oh, Spike! So tight!” Xander thrust harder into Angel’s unresisting ass. Spike grinned at the look of pleasure on his consort’s face. Xander’s first time. Spike was thrilled that Xander was experiencing the exact same sensations that he himself had felt all those years ago when Angelus had first allowed him in.

Angel bit down gently on Spike’s dick, causing the blond to jump and thrash. Angel allowed his fangs to drop slightly and he scraped the skin around the base of Spike’s cock as he deep throated him, drawing the scent of blood in through his mouth.

Spike groaned and shot his cool seed into his sire’s waiting mouth. Angel released him with a gasp, panting as Xander continued to thrust into him. Spike wriggled out from under Angel and pushed Xander away from the older vampire.

“Spike!” Xander threw his best pout at his mate and Spike rolled his eyes.

“Patience, pet.” He tossed Angel onto his back and maneuvered Xander so that he was lying atop the other brunette. Legs were adjusted and Xander happily slipped back inside Angel as Spike knelt next to Angel’s head, watching as his lover fucked the older vampire.

It was so fucking erotic.

Spike leaned over Angel and pulled Xander to him. Xander reached out and sliced open Spike’s neck with his ring, quickly dropping his hand back down for support. Never losing his rhythm, Xander cocked his head to the side. Spike plunged his fangs back into his mark and Xander latched onto the wound he had made.

Angel watched the two in silence. The feelings that were filling him were so primal and familiar; he wanted nothing more than to let go. Angelus roared and freed himself from the cage he had struggled against for so long.

Blood dripped carelessly from two necks and ran across cool skin.

A final thrust and cool semen spurted across Angelus’ chest, mixing with the blood. Xander released Spike’s neck and howled, filling Angelus with his heat. Spike immediately pulled Xander from Angelus’ depths and slammed his consort down on his reinvigorated cock.

Xander rode Spike with abandon. Angelus watched jealously, but contained himself, choosing to respect his childe’s wishes. Spike came with a roar and golden eyes suddenly drove into Angelus’ brown ones.

“Sire?” Xander turned at Spike’s whispered comment, staring at Angelus. He scrambled off of Spike’s lap and sat beside his mate, watching the older vampire warily.

“Childe.” Angelus reached out a hand and stroked Spike’s sharp cheekbone. He smiled at Xander, the desire to touch the younger brunette burning in his eyes. “Thank you for freeing me.” Angelus rose from the bed and strode from the room, leaving his clothes lying where they had fallen. Xander heard a door open and shut and knew that the vampire had retired to the room that Rodchester had prepared for him.

Spike looked at Xander in wonder. “That was Angelus!” Xander smiled and the two lovers moved down in the bed, drawing the covers over their bodies before falling into the arms of sleep, eager to seek each other out in their dreams.

TBC