Curse

Chapter One: Rekindle

[One Year Later...]

The room was dark all except for one old lamp lighting a corner of the den, illuminating an old, brown couch and the occupant lounging against it. A half empty beer bottle swung from the young man's fingers loosely, a half dozen others sitting empty on a low plastic coffee table from the hours before. Thank God for buddies at work that didn't care if you were under-aged. If it worked, the TV would have been on, and if the people he called friends still cared they would call him on the only piece of electronics that worked in this dank apartment. As it were, Xander hadn't really talked to anyone for at least six months now.

Buffy had dissapeared after Angel was banished, Giles reverted to just being the brooding librarian, continuously jumping state on leads to where he might find his lost slayer, while the others were trying to take her place for the time being. Cordy stopped answering his phone calls long ago, and had beaten him back whenever he'd tried to approach her. Willow didn't even want to look at him anymore, like it was his fault Angel had to be killed and Buffy decided to skip town, and of course Oz did as she did. In all honesty, he hadn't held a conversation with his best friend since that last night in the hospital, the night it all went down just over a year ago.

He'd tried to stay in school, but the looks and the hate he could feel were just too much on top of the hell going on in the place he was supposed to call home. Instead of trying to talk to his parents about transfering or home-schooling, which he knew would have fallen through in a heart beat, Xander had dropped out and started working with the local construction/plumbing company. Hard labor for little pay, plus a shady landlord who was an in-law with the construction company's co-owner and he ended up in this small, nearly run down apartment building on the other side of town. He didn't see much out here, there weren't a lot of people, or atleast people he would willingly want to start a conversation with, and God bless it he'd only seen one vampire in his seven months here, and the thing had been too busy digging itself out of it's grave to see Xander coming at him with a tree branch. A fucking tree branch. Vampires seemed to have the stupidest weaknesses.

Buzzed and lonely, and often angry at himself, Xander spent most of his nights wondering how he let everything around him go to shit with one stupid argument. Why had it been so hard for them to see his point of view, for once? But as it were, he was the errand boy, the 'wimpy' one, the fucking comic relief. If their group had been the real Scooby Gang he would have been Shaggy and everybody else would have agreed. He hated Shaggy. Shrugging sloppily, he finished the rest of his bottle rather quickly and set it with the others before standing on unsteady knees.

"Didn't realise I was sittin' there that long..." He mumbled to no one, and turned to hobble in the general direction of his bathroom.

He knew every time he drank his mind sunk to the past two years, meeting Buffy and watching his reality come apart at the seams, and he hated it. After pissing he changed out of his dirty work shirt and left his apartment with nothing but his keys and the mindset that fresh air would cure his ails for the moment, and resolved himself to walk it off.

~*~

"A fucking bloody tickle."

Driving at speeds clearly illegal in any state in America, a familiar blonde vampire made his way back down an unmarked freeway towards the cheerfully ignorant town of Sunnydale, again. A cigarette hung precariously from tightly drawn lips, hands white-knuckled on the old leather steering wheel of a beaten up, supposedly vintage Ford Mustang.

"I'm driving all this way, back to the literal hell on earth, because of a tickle."

Of course, Sunnydale was better than anywhere in South America, with it's Brazilian Sun-Demons and it's Chaos Hordes. He'd watched Drusilla chase after too many of those filthy, slimy things just to piss him off that he'd very much lost the rest of his rational sanity. He had been licking his wounds and hiding his bruised pride in a dusty tavern when a sharp sensation in the back of his mind started to call to him. It was a voice he had not recognized until he'd gotten in his stolen vehicle and started to drive north.

Angelus had not been his direct Sire, but his blood ran through Spike, as did his training. Dru had never been too reliable on dealings like that, but she had been used against him viciously throughout his fledgling years. He had loved her because she had turned him and had coddled him, but he was a toy for her, and it had taken him far too long to realise that, but Angelus had never abandoned him. It had been the souled Angel that had vanished and left him alone in London with Dru. Because of that, his hatred for Angel was potent and violent, and the Angelus he had become post-soul was like a condensed, pure demon version of his merciless Sire from those many, many years ago. However, through history, no matter what had transgressed, Spike would still always recognise a Sire's cry for his Childe, even if that cry had never been as persistent or loud to Spike before. That damnable 'tickle' he felt at the top of his spinal cord was Angelus, it was Angel, and Spike knew it.

He'd tried to reason with himself that Angel had been killed, and that he was following the beacon out of pure curiosity. The world hadn't blown up in a fury of fire and brimstone, so he knew the slayer had won that battle, and in order to win she had to kill the one who'd opened the portal in the first place. The calling just didn't make sense.

A green reflective sign with white letters told him Sunnydale was only another five miles down the road, and with an aggitated, pointless sigh he flicked his cigarette out of the window.

"This had better be good."

~*~

It was another warm summer night, a cool breeze trickling through the trees every once and a while to encircle the small wooden park bench Xander had settled on. His knees had started to knock together and he had begun to lose his footing over the light-headed buzz he sported from the beer. A fleeting thought told him how stupid he was for wandering in the bad part of town mostly drunk with no means to protect himself, but it was gone the next moment to leave him in a calm mood. Being outside, especially at night, was where he had surprisingly come to be the most comfortable, and found it the easiest time to think. There were no small, sometimes malnurished families running around behind him on the jungle-gym, no cars with squeaky brakes and angry drivers speeding past on the damn near up turned road, just silence. Granted, the moon usually bred numbers of demons and man-eaters and the like, but Xander had been getting lucky, and knocked on wood that the luck stayed with him atleast for tonight.

He had slowly started to assume a very careless attitude over the past few months, he'd start to wonder what everyone else would be doing at the time but very quickly shake it off and convince himself he didn't want to know. He could almost invision himself being alone for the rest of his adult life, sitting in a trailer with a beer belly and a permanent five o' clock shadow. He couldn't see himself being able to afford or really have the capacity to even try to get into a college, and for the most part had already settled on his life as a construction worker at bare minimum wages.

The sound of squealing tires echoed off the buildings across the street, and opening his hazy eyes, Xander watched a dirty half red half tan car speed towards the intersection that the park was sitting on. As the vehicle moved closer Xander started to sit up straight. It didn't look like the guy was going to stop. He watched as the car swerved to the right, before banking a hard left, barely letting off on the gas pedal as the car flew by him and continued down the road.

Xander stood carefully, intent on going home before his luck decided to quit on him when he heard the car's break pads lock and attempt to stop. The Mustang swerved, almost spinning a full 180degrees and shattering a 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign before it finally came to a stand still, and just waited.

Xander took in a shuddering breath. Even though it seemed around every corner life had another shovel of shit for him, he did not want to die. Whoever was behind that wheel meant trouble, and although niave about some things Xander knew full and well when his life was at stake.

The car door swung open, the headlights still on and without any street lamps Xander was blinded as to who was getting ready to approach him. His mind was racing in circles, telling him to run, telling him to wait to see what the guy wanted, to grab another tree branch and stake the guy just in case...

"Well, well, well...and you know, I was just thinking about stoppin' for a quick bite to eat." The voice said, and instantly red flags went up in Xander's mind. He knew that voice from somewhere, and knew it wasn't a good thing.

Walking out in front of the car, Spike lit a cigarette while keeping his pace menacing but slow and even. He could smell the alcohol on the boy's breath and clothes from here and he was still almost twenty feet away. He knew Xander wouldn't figure out who he was until he was in the boy's face, and Spike liked it that way. He hadn't eaten since he left that damned bar, and he was starved, he didn't feel much up to a good chase at the moment, just a pick-me-up.

"What the hell do you want?" Xander demanded.

Spike didn't answer to the unusually confident tone until he was exactly a foot infront of his dinner, exhaling the smoke purposely into the other's face.

"Come now, whelp, you can't tell me you don't recognise me?" Spike drawled in an almost sickeningly sweet voice, a vicious grin accompaning the barb.

Xander gasped slightly as Spike's face came into view, taking a weak step back at seeing those ice blue eyes flash that familiar, demented gold. He knew he should have run and not stopped until he made it home, but he had stayed and now he felt frozen in his spot, his head spinning.

"Fuck you." Xander seethed, through his worry and his poison, trembling in both fear and ire. He hadn't forgotten all Spike had done to him, and the people he had cared for. If he could, he would fight as hard as he could muster, Spike wasn't just going to waltz up to him after a year and just eat him. No, he was not dead yet. Spike, however, just continued to smoke his cigarette, observing the boy and seeming quite amused over his brashness. Things had definetly changed for him, and not for the better.

"Lose something, did yah?" Spike asked through a grin and a barely contained chuckle. He hadn't known much about the slayer's entourage, but he did know that the one in front of him had been the lacky, the if-needed-in-emergency back-up boy that no one really had too much faith in. This one would be fun to entice and provoke, especially drunk.

"Like you fucking know what that feels like." Xander replied cooly, keeping his eyes locked on the vampire's shifting gaze. If Spike was going to attempt something, Xander wanted to see it coming. Spike's smirk vanished, and in an instant his cigarette was gone and his game-face was in place as he pinned the smart mouth to the sidewalk.

"You 'ave no idea what I know, you don't know what it's like to be in love with someone for almost a 'undred years and 'ave them leave you for a piece of dirt that looks like a bloody snail, JUST to 'urt you!"

Xander flinched, his head having knocked off the concrete upon impact, but he heard what Spike said, and furrowed his eyebrows but didn't respond. The vampire, who had disspeared the same time Buffy had, was back home for a reason, and from the direction he had been coming from he had jumped off the freeway into the down town area. The only possible place Xander could think he was going on this side of the district was the mansion Angel and he had used.

"Why are you here, Spike? What made you come back to this hellhole I'm stuck in, huh?"

Tension started to build between the two, and almost crested when Spike drew back with fangs barred ready to feast. Xander's heartbeat had increased ten fold and was about to scream when he felt those alabastor canines touch his skin, but before blood was drawn the blonde vampire drew back with a yelp. A hand was woven firmly through his gelled hair and a painful grimace was painted on his refined features, but Xander wasted no time in jumping to his feet and turning to run. He was down again before he knew it, his arms pinned and his legs kicking helplessly.

"Looks like I'm gonna 'afta get this 'appy meal to go then. In the car with you," Spike said, mostly to himself before hefting the human over his shoulder kicking and screaming. Whatever was calling him was pulling on him harder.

"Let me go you blood-sucking asshole!"
"Yeah, I know the damsel-in-distress drill, just shut up and make this easier on yourself."

Xander ignored him as he was pitched into the back seat and locked in before Spike had taken the wheel and burned out of the middle of the street. After another right turn Xander knew they were headed for the abandoned mansion, and started to kick the back of Spike's seat, pulling on the door handles to jump out. Either Spike had no idea how and they were already on or the vampire was quicker then Xander saw because the child-proof locks were on for both of the rear passenger doors.

It was only a quarter past midnight, and after having to reach back and punch Xander in the nose, twice, Spike finally pulled past the gates to the mansion Angelus had commendeered last year and parked in front of the garden entrance. Killing the engine and running a hand through his mused hair he glanced back at his dazed passenger who was still trying to get his broken nose to stop bleeding.

"Now, are you going to cooperate or am I going to 'afta tie you up like a bad lil' pet, hm?"

Xander glared daggers, but didn't answer.

"Alright then," Spike said resolutely, getting out of the car and throwing open the door nearest to Xander. Without temperence he grabbed the boy, who put up as much a fight as he could, and once more tossed him nonchalantely over his shoulder.

Muttering to himself about false signals and stupid ancient whispers, Spike made his way through the familiar staircase and concrete maze, stepping through a broken doorway to find the place empty and dead silent. Attempting to control his growing, wildly impatient anger he dropped Xander to the tile flooring and paced a few steps into the foyuer, searching for anything. He could smell Angelus, not Angel, but the Sire he once knew as strongly as if he were standing right underneath his nose. The nagging at the back of his mind was tugging harder, like someone was pulling on his hair, but the place was fucking empty!

"Damnit!" He hollered, punching the wall next to him to relenquish some of his rage, but it only served to further fuel the flame.

Xander was trying to scramble to his senses and get to his feet, grasping for a wall or a chair or anything to gain leverage. Spike was unconcerned, the boy wasn't going anywhere soon, or very fast for that matter, he posed no threat. Crossing his arms over his chest Spike walked inwards a little more, the marble fireplace that was never touched looming into the high, dark ceiling stood before him. It smelled of ash and some kind of rot and was absolutely putrid to his vampiric sense of smell, but the scent of his Sire was still stronger. The closer he walked to that fireplace the more that calling throbbed inside of his head, until it was all he could concentrate on. He thought he heard Xander say something, but a glimmer on the dusty floor caught his eye and Spike chose to ignore the human.

It was a ring, a small silver band not unlike the ring he'd seen Angel wearing since he'd come to Sunnydale. Frowning, he leaned down to pick it up. It was relatively clean, meaning it hadn't been here long, and glancing around Spike half expected the slayer to come flying out of the corner having divised this ambush somehow. Very unlikely, but paranoia can get to a person, dead or otherwise sometimes.

"SPIKE!"

At the whelp's scream Spike spun around, "WHAT?!"

When he noticed that Xander's eyes weren't focused on him, but at a place above him, Spike immediately stepped back and directed his attention up. It wasn't too big, but a small oval of light was filtering out in a swirl in the air about six feet above his head. Something, some 'feeling' was pouring from the pocket that was ever so slowly growing in size, and Spike hooked around to grab Xander and drag him closer to the vortex.

"What are you doing, let me go!"
"Shut up!"

A flash, very much like a silent bolt of lightening with reddish hues emminating an incredible blast of heat forced the two to step back again, before the portal expanded quickly to drop something from it's grasp. The smell of charred skin and hair, of sweat and blood immediately filled the mansion, causing Spike's nostrils to flare and the voice in his head to scream. His demon came forthright, not being able to understand the signals his senses were recieving, they felt familiar but terrifingly foreign and his mind began to overprocess.

Xander started to reel from the stench and the cold fingers cutting into his bicep, feeling as if they were going to snap his arm if just an ounce more pressure was applied. If he hadn't sobered up after the attack, the bouncing his skull on concrete and the backwards punching he had recieved on the ride over he was sure as shit sober now enough to know he needed to get out of this place right now. He couldn't explain it, the place just screamed death and with how Spike was acting he began to panic uncontrollably.

In another heartbeat, the portal was gone, and all that remained was a simmering cloud of soot and smoke that shrouded a large object. As the wind blew through the broken windows and open doors the smoke began to disperse, and to both Spike and Xander's shock a low growl of pain rumbled from the dark mass on the floor. Within seconds a fully nude male body was clearly visible as it stretched tenderly and moved to stand. The man seemed to be getting stronger as he finally righted himself, and Spike almost caught the demon inside him swooning at the raw smell of dominance and power as it quickly flooded back to absorb into the body that stood with it's back to him. That aching nag that told him he knew this thing was wringing out every level of emotion he had left, boiling it to the surface as if this thing was feeding off of his energy. He sensed that Xander was given the same treatment, but because of his human soul Xander was feeling everything.

Xander started to laugh at first, and then immediately felt tears come to his eyes as an immense sadness overtook him, but yet a milisecond later he couldn't believe how angry he was. The tidel waves just kept crashing into him, and Xander for the life of him couldn't find the strength to get himself under control. He did, however feel Spike let go and his body crumbled to the ground.

"Ahhh..."The figure sighed, stretching long, strong arms above his head. "It smells like you brought me a gift, William."

The deep voice almost sounded like a purr, and Spike froze as the face that turned to look upon him, in all it's majestic, demonic glory was Angelus. Angelus as he had been, the Sire that he had lost to a band of infuriating gypsies and little blonde slayers and their witches. If Spike's heart could beat, it would have stopped.

"Wait...no, your dead! Buffy killed you! You c-can't be here!"

Angelus chuckled, and cracked his neck as he surveyed his Childe first.

"Silence, human."

Xander was positively shaking, his body felt so weak, so drained with dried tears on his cheeks and ragged breathing as if he'd just run a mile in a minute. He felt so, helpless. He knew this was not the Angelus that they had fought so recently and banished, this being radiated more power, more wisdom and malice than anything he as a former 'scoobie' had ever encountered. The stories he'd read from Giles' books could never have described what it felt like to be in this master vampire's presence.

"You let her hurt you, again." Angelus drawled with a grin, moving around Spike. The blonde couldn't answer.

When the older vampire drew in a deep breath through his nose, scenting his Childe, his mouth dangerously close to the vein in Spike's neck Xander could see the need written on the younger vampire's expression. Every muscle in Spike's arms tensed, and his eyes closed, but his face never relaxed out of demon form. The atmosphere of the large room grew suddenly primal, and as best he could Xander started to slowly push away from the two, crawling backwards with his feet and hands. He needed to get gone before he was devoured, but he just couldn't move fast enough.

Spike had become oblivious, the only thing he could feel was his Sire, standing a hair's length from him with those dangerous teeth hovering over his shoulder from behind. He'd never been this captivated before, never felt this controlled, but the demon in him who recognized and submitted to Angelus was fully willing to anything the other wanted for now. Admitting it silently to himself, Spike had never realised until this moment how much he had actually missed this. Subconsciously, the blonde tilted his head to give better access, showing that he lay down his pride and his ego and that he remembered the man that taught him his confidence and power. Angelus smiled a venomous little smile as he enjoyed the display. It had been a long time since he'd been with his Childe in such a manner.

Reaching up slowly, Angelus took Spike's arms in his large hands and pulled the younger vampire back into his chest. In one quick movement he sunk his teeth into the offered vein and drank deeply. Spike's eyes flew open, flaring a brilliant gold as the bond between Sire and Childe was reopened, refreshed. But, Angelus did not offer his own to Spike, not yet, right now he wanted to taste the blonde again, to ingest that familiar warmth that only his Childe could give him. He could smell that sweet aroma of arousal permeating from the cold body in his grasp, and growled low in his chest.

Temporarily forgotten in the background, Xander caught himself before he could whimper. He was horrified, but the feelings were surprisingly directed in on himself. The visual he was being allowed to see was something more intimate than a boyfriend kissing his girlfriend, it was something so much more intense than two humans making love, it was too complicated to even compare it to anything he could ever know. He could feel the deep rooted passion and the lust coming from the two as if it were a fog surrounding him, and guiltily it felt good. He felt all of it release, the tension still there, as Angelus withdrew his fangs and licked the last droplets of dark blood from the wound. It was in that moment when Xander wondered why the fuck he didn't run when he'd had that chance.

Angelus purred, and the sound sent a shiver through Xander's body, goose bumps rising on his skin. Those haunting yellow eyes turned on him, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end, even as his entire body flooded with a warmth that he didn't recognize.

"I can smell it, you know?"

Xander frowned and began to scoot backwards again as the older vampire left Spike's side to stalk towards him.

"S-smell what?" He dared to ask, his voice failing him, and Angelus grinned barring his fangs.

"Everything you feel, everything you desire."

Xander felt like he couldn't breath when Angelus grabbed him by his shoulders and pulled him off his feet, holding him hovering above the ground so that the two were eye to eye. He could smell the blood and taste the smoke that surrounded him once more, even though the hands that held him effortlessly were cold as ice Xander felt himself heat further. He was shell-shocked into silence, and could do nothing but look into those captivating eyes. Was this what Giles referred to as 'lure'? He didn't think so, it didn't feel that real, he was purely, honestly hypnotized by the beast himself and nothing else.

"I would love to discuss this more," Angelus spoke, his voice low, his face very close. "But I'm starved."

And with a ferocious growl, a split second for Xander to comprehend this was actually happening and those sharp fangs were in his neck, drawing warm blood from the still throbbing veins. Everything in the room expanded, and a weightless sensation flooded through him starting from his toes and slowly moved upwards with each mouthful Angelus pulled, low moans escaping him unbound. Angelus moved his hold lower to wrap under Xander's arms once he felt all possible resistence escape the boy, and divulged himself in the fresh heart beat at his lips after so long of surviving on bagged blood and animals. Xander's eyes slid shut, his body hardening under the torment and his hands moving up to touch lightly on those bare shoulders, livid muscles rippling under his fingers. His head filled with feelings that were not his own, he could hear, he could sense Angelus completely, and even an undertone of Spike's essence. It was intoxicating, and Xander felt no more pain as the numbness reached his shoulders and his collarbone.

Spike swayed slightly on his feet, his shirt hanging off his left shoulder, and simply watched his Sire feed. He could almost feel what Xander was going through, the rush of energy even as your own was being drawn from your body. It was different as a human, it was like diving into a new reality, a new expanse of emotions and physical pleasure. The pain became nonexistent after the first drop of blood seeped out from around those toxic fangs. Spike felt his Sire's connection with the mortal's blood through the gateway that had been opened not moments before, could smell Xander's unbidden lust and suddenly wanted to see it. A random thought, but he wanted it, and the images his mind conjured drew a reaction from his body. It had been a long time for him, it had been his fault to wait for Dru, but his celibacy was breaking and demanded release. Angelus felt his aura shift, and groaned quietly.

Leaving the boy on the razor's edge of sweet death, Angelus drew back, not letting a drop of precious blood escape his tongue. Turning to glance over his shoulder he caught Spike's glowing eyes.

"Would you like a brother, William?" He drawled huskily.

Spike had no words, his very essence was in complete bliss and the only thing he wanted at the moment was what his Sire asked for. The older vampire knew his question would go unanswered, but watched the blonde's hips sway lazily as he moved closer and knew what his Childe wanted to see.

Xander was drifting between consciousness, he felt so empty without Angelus drinking from him, it was painful and he found himself wishing the vampire would just finish it. Instead, he distantly felt his feet touch the floor, and then the rest of him was laid carefully to the ground. He wanted to speak, he wanted to beg, pride be damned at this point, the first true passion he'd felt in more than a year and God help him if he still craved it, even from a master vampire whom he was merely food to.

In his darkened confusion, he felt a hand behind his head lifting him up slightly, something soft and cold press against his dry lips, something wet dripping onto his tongue. Without the ability to comprehend what it could be he drank to get rid of the extremely dry sensation inside his mouth. He was starting to feel the discomfort of his broken nose and the knot on the back of his head, and when they intensified for just a second he whimpered and grabbed onto the neck pressed against him with the little strength he was slowly regaining. The thick liquid he consumed seemed to coat his throat and warm him completely, a light sweat beading on his forehead as all his aches and pains dissapeared. The tendons flexed around his lips and his teeth as he fought to keep the flesh pressed to him.

When that was pulled from him a pitiful, needy whine escaped him, and he heard a deep voice in the distance laughing softly, his hearing fuzzy as if he were wearing earplugs, and the unconsciousness finally overwhelmed him, the blood-loss winning his body over and he blinked away what he would later remember as his last few seconds of human life.

~*~

TBC...

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