Oncoming Train

Author’s Note: Sorry, Alice, the file was too big, but here is the second part, ahead of schedule, and hopefully, Krimson, you can end the work week with some juicy Angelus.
**

Angel returned within minutes, a piece of dirty fabric peeking from his clenched fist. There was a wildness in his eyes that made Riley tense, and then the vampire was in front of him, hand on his hip holding him there. Slowly, Angel bent, tonguing the already scabbing bites on his neck just above where the column smoothed into his shoulder. Riley’s breath hitched. A few more lazy swipes and then he bit, re-breaking the skin, making his intent plain. Riley gasped and forced his hands from the countertop to Angel’s shoulders, gripping hard enough to bruise. There was no suction and Angel pulled away shortly.

“You’ll only bear my mark.”

“I said I didn’t care.” The words were hard to come as he realized the other’s intent. Surrender didn’t get any more permanent than this.

Angel smiled and reached up to grip one wrist. “Yes, you did.” Holding onto that wrist he pulled Riley in front of him, arm banding low across his front to hold him tight against the vampire’s hard chest and crotch. The offending arm was kept facing outward, elbow locked straight, palm slicking with sweat he could see beading when he glanced down. Angel’s other hand came up, fist opening, fabric falling away to reveal the squarish cross he’d retrieved. It was beautiful, heavily worked in interlocking swirls and angles that unfolded into the intertwined bodies of two beasts. “It belonged to my grandfather, given to me when I was a man of twelve. Can you believe Spike held onto it after I disappeared? Such a sentimental childe.” Angel hugged him tightly, chin dropping to his shoulder. “Do burns scar?”

“They can,” Riley managed to get out.

“This one will. Stay still.” He didn’t wait for Riley’s agreement, letting go of his wrist as he somehow managed to shuffle closer. Riley blinked and almost missed the movement, the cross arcing into the air. The cloth dropped and a musty smelling hand cupped his mouth, tilting his head into Angel’s shoulder. Too fast to count the nanoseconds, to feel his panic. A shift in muscles behind him, hand catching the cross on its descent, palm igniting before the flames were smothered into human flesh.

Agony exploded his head. Riley screamed in his throat, digging fingers keeping his jaws together, a keening noise echoing his torment as fangs sank into their holes, pulling for his life. Tears coursed his face, unheeded for the whiteness that consumed him and ate his senses.

*
The cross plinged when it hit the tiles, dropped from Angel’s spasming hand. His knees buckled, vision greying, but he kept a firm hold of his mate’s insensate body as he slumped to the floor. A layered voice intoned in his head, but he couldn’t hear it, growling as hands gripped him, moving him. His good hand tightened on the flesh it held, resisting the scraping pain that clawed at it. Force rocked his head to the side and his vision partially cleared to reveal his childe crouched over him.

“Dammit, Sire, let up! You’re goin’ ta suffocate the boy!” It was Spike prying at his hand, trying to free it from Riley’s mouth, and with a start, he let go. The blond curled beneath him coughed, but his eyes remained closed. “If I’d known letting you in on me keeping that damn cross here would blink you stupid, I’d have melted the thing.”

“Will,” Angel rasped, dragging himself to sit back against the counter, “get me some ice packs from the freezer, wash cloths, lavender oil or aloe, and the medical kit from up there.” Spike nodded and left his limited sight to do as bid. After a minute to strangle down his own pain, the brunette reached out and pulled the unconscious seer into his lap. Grabbing hold of the injured limb, he studied what he could see of the brand. The skin was blistered and swelling, but he could see the design of the cross clearly enough. Nothing remained of the old vampire marks, the flesh burned through to the second layer. Keeping his mate’s arm elevated to help with the swelling, Angel sat back with a pained smile.

Nothing was said when Spike returned with the requested items, snagging the medical kit on his way to his knees beside his sire. They tended Riley first, Spike’s long slender fingers uncharacteristically gentle as he spread the lavender oil he had found and wrapped the wound in layers of thin sticky gauze. When he saw the matching brand on his sire’s palm he flinched and a tremble took up in his hands as he reached for the oil.

“William.” Angelus whispered, reaching with his good hand for the hair he remembered lovingly as a gentle brown. Spike allowed the touch, the offensive white strands surprisingly soft.

“Yer not gonna go psycho happy on us, are ya?” Spike asked softly. “Why do this if he can’t make ya happy?”

Angel sighed. “He does make me happy. Immensely so.” He paused for a long minute, considering what he was about to confess. Earlier he had spoken of returning to LA, but he knew that wouldn’t be far enough to protect his mate. To protect any of them and he accepted that he intended to take as many of them as he could. Which meant his childe needed to know the truth even if he never told any of the others. “After the last time, Angelus was insane. When we went to Hell, we were there for centuries. A soul and demon can do a lot of bonding when they’re all the other has. I’m not going to lose my soul because we’re both here.”

The bandage tightened painfully across his palm, Spike snarling as he yanked. “And ya didn’t think the rest of us deserved to know?”

“No, I didn’t. People expect certain behavior from Angelus, from Angel. It was too much effort to explain we’re almost one person now. Angelus thought it a tactical advantage, an ace up the sleeve. I didn’t care. At the time, it was also a concern that Buffy would try to kill me if she knew. After centuries apart, I no longer loved her the way I did, but I didn’t want to fight her. Then, after not saying anything for so long, it just never slipped into conversation. ‘Wow, Cordelia, those cookies were awful! If I was still Angelus, I’d torture you for trying to poison me! But wait! I am Angelus, but he’s too busy trying to figure out a way to use those atrocious biscuits to take over the world, so don’t worry.’”

Spike snorted. “Shoulda told me,” he mumbled, smoothing the edge of the gauze over the back of his sire’s hand.

“After you tried to kill me?” Angel dryly replied, but softened his tone at his childe’s look of hurt. “I’m not sorry I didn’t tell you, but I am sorry if I hurt your feelings. This soul-demon thing, it’s a work in progress. There’s not much we agree on; we bitch at each constantly on a level I’m not even aware of half the time.” His eyes went to the head pillowed on his lap. “We do agree on Riley, however. We both want him. He will be the mate to both of us.”

“That’s one kinky threesome, mate.” Spike smirked.

The older vampire pinned him with a glare. “You’ll respect Riley as my mate, or I’ll re-teach you your manners.” Seeing his old sire in the flash of gold in the hooded eyes, the blond quickly nodded. “Now pick him up. I want him in my bed tonight, but come dawn, take him to his own.” Quickly cleaning up, Spike left the ice packs in the sink to gather the seer into his arms. Angel followed behind and Spike hugged Riley tightly, pleased to finally know his sire was truly returned.

Once Spike left his room, Angel carefully striped out of his clothes, eyes enrapt by the figure gracing his bed. He left Riley’s sweat pants on, slipping beneath the sheets and pulling the pliant body into his arms. His mate murmured and snuggled closer, chilled nose rubbing into his collarbone. Angel breathed in his scent and fell asleep.


Saturday. Early Morning.

“Yhmm,” Xander mumbled in protest, reaching blindly for the pale body that gently eased away. Spike smiled, softly stroking his mate back to sleep before he climbed from the bed. “Just hittin’ the toilet, nummy. Back to sleep.”

He could feel dawn approaching beneath his skin, but shrugged it off, being in no imminent danger. Padding naked into the hall he slipped into his sire’s room, the snick of the door opening the only warning he gave. A low growl emanated from the rumpled bed. Spike grinned, moving closer.

The growl had nearly subsided by the time he stopped at the side of the bed. Angel glared up at him, half coving the hayseed’s body with his own. The air smelled oddly of cum, antiseptic and burnt flesh, and Spike wrinkled his nose in distaste. “Oi, sire, what reeks?”

The older vampire ignored him, lifting himself up to stare down at the face tucked in close to his shoulder. Riley looked pale, but his breathing was deep and even. Bending his head, Angel licked then kissed his mouth, almost chastely before dipping further. With one hand he tilted and turned the dark blonde head away, exposing the scabbed wounds at the base of his throat. The markings of a vampire’s chosen mate. Angel’s face shifted and he bit, reopening the marks, eliciting a moan and a small shudder.

Spike watched his sire feed, unashamedly aroused, knowing the bliss of the taste of one’s mate. His Xanpet bore similar marks. It was a shock to see Angel had claimed the hayseed so quickly and Spike wondered if The Powers That Be had played a hand in escalating the courtship. From his brief run-ins with the pompous asses, this would be their style.

Not quite a minute passed before Angel lifted his head. “Take him,” his sire rasped, shifting away. Keeping his gaze submissively averted, the slender blond did as ordered. Riley’s weight was a familiar burden, easily juggled as he slipped from one room to another. He couldn’t smell his sire’s ejaculate on the mortal, but he hadn’t expected to. Angelus always enjoyed taking his time on a hunt, drawing out and savoring each conquest and subsequent surrender. That he was hunting his mate only compounded the pleasure. Evident truths Spike had known, had dragged him from the comfort of his Xanpet to insure Angel, the great poof, didn’t spoil the fun. His doll wasn’t ready to wake up next to a corpse. Not yet.

He tucked Riley into his own bed. Blood smeared the tanned flesh and Spike fastidiously wiped it away with his fingers. Remembered the boy’s unique flavor and wasn’t so obedient a childe to resist licking them clean. The bandage was still wrapped about his elbow joint, but Spike resisted the urge to peel it off and suckle the cracked flesh beneath. Rocking gently on his heels the vampire debated what to do next. He wasn’t tired, but that didn’t exclude Xander cuddling. Or he could go downstairs and dispose of that nosy commando. It was early enough yet that he doubted he would disturb anyone with a spot of fun. All of Angelus’ old paraphernalia was still down there so he wouldn’t even have to get that creative. Of course, everyone would know who’d indulged himself, but could they really leave the buff soldier alive? On the other side, the Initiative knew where they all lived anyway; retaliation could be inadvertently provoked if the soldier disappeared. Debating with himself, Spike missed the sound of someone stepping into the room.

“Should I be jealous?” Xander asked quietly behind him.

Spike eeped! in surprise. “Xan! What you doing up, pet?”

His mortal lover moved around him, settling onto the edge of the bed. “Missed you.” Suntanned fingers lightly touched the bruised bite marks on Riley’s throat. “Tell me again Riley and Deadboy make a great couple.” His touch went to the bandage and his chocolate eyes darkened.

“The best, pet,” Spike assured, not lying. “Soldier boy needs someone to tell him what to do and the poof needs someone to look after and shag. Hell, the Powers endorsed ém.”

Xander gave a good pout, carding Riley’s hair from his face. “Yeah, but I’m going to lose one of my blond boys. Doesn’t Deadboy have to take some kind of written examine before he can have custody of our boy? An eye test? Something? It just doesn’t feel right. ‘Here ya go, Xander and Spike’s bestest bud, don’t forget to fuck him at least once a day!’”

“I’m sure Peaches won’t have a problem with that.” Reaching down, Spike pulled his worrying lover to his feet and started backing out to the door they’d left ajar. “Of course, if it bothers you that much, we could keep a closer eye on the hayseed.”

“Huh?” Then Xander’s eyes lit up. “You mean to-?”

“Why the hell not? Not into the hotel proper, but somewhere close.”

Xander closed the door behind them, bottom lip thoughtfully gnawed upon as he followed his lover back into their own room. Only once their own door was safely locked and they were comfortably ensconced beneath the covers did he speak. “That’d be good. Angel has all but said he plans to take Dawn with him back to LA and she was the big reason we stayed. For all I care, the Initiative can have the Hellmouth. We’ve served out our time.” Spike mumbled an agreement into his chest. “And really, I can get a job anywhere. The great universal truth about minimum wage crap jobs: they’re everywhere.”

“Don’t need to work, pet,” Spike said clearly enough, turning his head to dart his tongue at a brown nipple. Beneath him, Xander shifted the vampire’s weight to a more comfortable position against his anatomy.

“While I freely admit to only loving you for your seven figure bank account, some of us can’t while away our days watching soaps. Working is good. It gives me away from Spike time. Which makes me horny, thinking of you all day. Which means sex. Work equals sex.” The teenager sighed gustily. “What a sad world we live in.”

“Ehmm,” Spike hummed, lifting up to latch onto his mate’s mouth. “Bloody fucking tragic.”
***

TBC.