Soul Illusion

Chapter 3

Greg cocked his head to the side and studied Xander a moment, a slow grin split his face as he realised what had just happened in Angel’s office. He was a little off the mark on details but he had the general gist of it. He gave a little nod then pointed at the two books, the manuscript and the laptop that were spread out in front of him in ordered chaos.

“Prophecy! Yadda yadda yadda… Chosen One… yadda yadda.” He mumbled in a bored tone as he bent his head over the manuscript once more. “Same old story… been trying to work this thing out for weeks now.”

“The Chosen One? It’s about the Slayer? Well I guess technically that’s a bit confusing now since the Slayerettes and everything. Y’know, I didn’t think Buffy would get so pissed about not being so special anymore. She always used to complain about the weight of responsibility on her shoulders,and now she has all the others to share it with… you’d think she’d be happy, but no… not she.” Xander went into babble mode as he leaned over to look at the same manuscript, the plug nudged his prostate and he had to suppress a moan, his voice quivered just a little.

Greg was looking at him in stunned silence. He shook his head as if to clear a fog that had settled over it. “Wow, and Angel says I’m bad.”

Xander looked up at him, grinned nervously, and then looked back down.

The ex-CSI cleared his throat then started to talk, “The Chosen One isn’t the Slayer. It’s a misconception that the Watcher’s council have been working under for a long time; there were missing manuscripts, prophecies etc and some that they just couldn’t interpret properly. You know the Slayer?”

“What? Oh yeah… Buffy as oppose to the mini-slayers? Since I was in high school, fought along side her on many an apocalypse. Well, mostly I just went for donuts and provided the comic relief but that’s a fairly important job. How do you know she’s not the Chosen One? I mean Giles was pretty much all about that.”

“Well, most importantly, I think it’s the knowledge that the Chosen One is male.”

“But Slayers are fema…” Xander started to protest and realised that was the point. “Ah.”

Greg nodded, “What’s she like? Angel doesn’t really talk about her much, Spike on the other hand, he’s pretty mean about her. And how weird is it that two vamps both dated a vampire slayer anyway?”

“She’s… an experience. And yeah, lots of conflict and angst in them tales… not a great deal of actual dating, more… soul loss, apocalypse causing, hell sending, soul returning…ness” Xan mused, as he started to decipher a few of the words on the manuscript.

“Huh?” Greg looked puzzled, obviously he hadn’t been treated to the events that had happened in Sunnydale.

“When she and Angel did the horizontal mambo, poof went Angel’s soul. Hello Angelus… ooh looky psycho vampire wants to turn the world into hell… of course the only way to shut the damn hellmouth was with blood of the idiot that opened it. Buffy isn’t the sharpest axe in the armoire and took this to mean she had to shove the whole person in. Thus, Angel – who was Angel at that moment because Willow had returned his soul just seconds before and me being the asshole that never told Buffy that she was even trying too – spent 500 years in hell.”

“And again I say… huh? The explanation was more confusing than the synopsis.”

“I’ll tell you the full story sometime, but…er, not now?” He looked up pleadingly, not wanting to admit what he’d done to Angel… someone he was in love with, to an almost stranger, even if he did like Greg a lot.

Greg nodded.

“So, this prophecy… I get something about the slayer and the Master … but… well, he’s dead already.” Xander diverted the conversation none too subtly.

“Yeah… you can read this? Wow. It’s taken me weeks to get this much translated.” To demonstrate he pushed his laptop around a little so Xander could read it.

There were chunks of writing with gaps between that signified parts not yet translated.

~~And so the Chosen One will dawn a new time, he will bring the balance towards the light and hold the universe in the palm of his hand.~~

“Pretty powerful guy, huh? How do we find out who he is?”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m working on it, Angel wants to find out who he is before the bad guys can get their hands on him and either corrupt or kill him. There’s a massive chunk that I can’t translate though, I have, like, odd words. There’s something about the slayer and the Master like you said, but… it doesn’t make much sense to me at the moment.

~~The Chosen One will……the………………the one…… new……the slayer…….death…………the hands ……the Master…~~

Was what he’d actually managed to decipher so far, and Xander could see how that didn’t make much sense. He sat down and pulled the manuscript in front of him, mumbling that he’d learnt to read this language while at Watcher central, he’d been bored.

“Might want to try the Moresonil book for help with the translating.” Xander offered absently as his eyes moved over the ancient text.

After several long silent moments, where his lips moved while he sounded out words in his mind but the words went unvoiced, he swallowed hard. The words made sense to him.

~~The Chosen One will be born in the form of the one who breathed new life into the slayer following mortal death at the hands of the Master…~~

There was more but it pretty much started to affirm that notion.

“Um, sorry, not a clue.” He shrugged and pushed the manuscript back towards Greg, “I… should go do some…er…something.” And Xander bolted.

//Shit, shit, shit…this is about me… how can that be? I’m the zeppo, the donut boy, how can I be the damn Chosen One?// His brain screamed at him as he ran up the stairs to Angel’s suite.

“It can’t be me.” Xander said to the room as he paced, he was alone and talking to himself. “I mean, this Chosen One is powerful, right and I’m not, I’m just the comic relief, no power here except the power to get myself in crappy situations and need rescuing. And it’s not like my hands are even big enough to hold the universe in, not even the world in fact.” Talking turned to babbling as he stopped pacing long enough to stare at his hands.

He’d lost track of time since he’d returned to the room. First thing he’d done was strip off his silk outfit. He was in their rooms, which meant he should be naked, but he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to remove the leather jock strap. Then he’d sat on the end of the bed and tried not to hyperventilate. Staring into space hadn’t helped much and as his brain babbled at him, he’d started to pace and let the thoughts run out of his lips in a long, uninterrupted monologue that was for no one else’s benefit, except perhaps a few spiders.

******

“Hey.” Greg looked up as Angel walked towards him, cleaning off his axe.

“Hey, where’s Xan, thought he was going to help you with the research?” Angel raised an eyebrow as he asked.

“He did a bit, but… something spooked him and he did a runner. I think he’s upstairs, that’s the direction he went in anyway.”

“Spooked? Xander?” The broody vampire frowned at that. Xander had matured a lot and was nowhere near as skittish as he was when he was younger, and he wondered what could have caused that.

“Yeah, on the plus side, he did give me a clue where to look for help with translation and I think I have something we can work with.” His face was lit up with excitement and he turned the screen to show Angel the blanks that he’d meticulously filled in.

The dark haired vampire read the words, then read them again, for good measure he read them a third time. Well, that explained a lot.

“You’re sure about your translation?”

“Double checked.” Greg nodded, he looked at the perturbed look on the other man’s face and it caused him to frown. “Does it make sense to you?”

“A great deal.” He never embellished on that, simply straightened up, turned and walked away.

Greg knew better than to push it, he’d be filled in when the time was right.

The calm exterior was deceptive; inside, Angel was a tidal wave of emotions and thoughts. How could this have happened? How could they have missed there being something so special about the boy? Special in his own way as he was, he’d always known that Xander was important to the group back in Sunnydale, that without him they would have fallen apart. He’d watched him, carefully. He’d respected the boy for his honesty, determination and loyalty. He remembered the day in question vividly, when Buffy had drowned and Xander had revived her with the kiss of life. Was that the moment that he became the Chosen One, or was he already that before and it was just an identifying marker? He’d never shown any special power or ability, maybe he just didn’t know he had it. Untapped potential?

He slowly made his way up the stairs trying to compose himself. Stopping outside his suite, he listened to the sound of movement, footsteps even, from inside. The second he pushed the door open the movement stopped. Xander turned to look at him and gave him a bright smile.

“Angel, Master. I missed you.” He started towards him, but Angel’s hand came up and halted him in his tracks.

“Something you want to tell me, pet?” Angel asked as he closed the door and crossed to a chair to sit down.

“I… um… no?” Xander said, half hopeful, that since he didn’t really ‘want’ to tell Angel that would get him out of the actual telling.

A raised eyebrow from the dark haired vampire, told him that it wasn’t a request and telling wasn’t optional. He crossed quietly to him and automatically went down on his knees by his Master’s feet. He held his posture perfect, back straight, thighs parted slightly, hands behind his back, while he collected his thoughts, his head was lowered slightly and his eyes fixed on Angel’s boots.

“Greg translated it, didn’t he?” He asked, quietly.

“He did.”

“I…” Xander brought his eyes up to look into Angel’s. “I don’t think it can be right. I mean, look at me… I’m nothing special, never done anything amazing. I’m just a regular human that sometimes gets lucky and sometimes screws up.”

Angel could smell the fear rolling off his boy, he leaned forward and caressed a smooth cheek; his boy had shaved while he’d been out.

“These things are seldom wrong. Unless they’re fabricated of course… but to be honest, there’s little to no chance of that in this instance. Just because you’ve never done anything amazing, doesn’t mean you aren’t capable. And you most definitely are something special, I’ve always thought you were, this…just confirms it.” The vampire smirked a little.

Xander couldn’t help himself and he nuzzled his cheek against the palm of that hand that was deceptively soft and tender.

“Did…did you tell Greg? I know I have no right to tell you what to do, but I’m not sure I’m ready for everyone knowing this. It’s so huge, beyond huge… this is so past huge its immeasurable.”

“Shh.” Angel pulled him easily up and into his lap, holding his human against his chest, hands wandering over naked flesh. “I didn’t tell him, but I can’t keep it from him. He might be able to help work it all out. We’ll work it out together. You’re still mine, I don’t care if the universe is in your hand… you’ll still be mine” He smiled, warmly.

Xander leaned his cheek against the vampire’s shoulder and closed his eyes, feeling himself relax under the touch. He couldn’t really put into words how freaked out this prophecy stuff had made him, but he somehow suspected that he didn’t really need too. Strong hands stroked and rubbed at his warm flesh idly as they sat together comfortably. The pad of one thumb ghosted over his nipple and the sensation reverberated through his body, his erection that had receded during his rising panic and anguish started to reassert itself.

Angel grinned at the lessening of the fear scent and increase in arousal. He rested one hand firmly over the leather-covered crotch a moment. He felt his own cock responding to the smell of his boy’s arousal and nuzzled at Xander’s neck while his hand blindly unsnapped the front. His fingers sought out warm hairless balls and rolled them gently before tugging experimentally. There was a gasp from the young man in his arms, followed by a deep groan of frustrated pleasure. Fangs extended, he grazed the sharp points over the tender flesh and felt Xan buck in his arms. He pricked the flesh and lapped at the small amount of blood that pooled in the twin wounds, just a taste, just enough.

“Suck me, pet.” He murmured into the ear of a lust-hazed Xander.

The human was responding on automatic, sliding off the lap and between spread thighs. His hands were on their way up to unzip Angel’s pants before he was even fully aware that he was no longer sat on that comfortable lap. He blinked a few times, chocolate brown eyes so dilated they were mostly black pupils, large and strangely innocent looking, framed as they were by long lashes as the boy looked up at his Master.

He allowed a small smile to grace his lips as his hands found Angel’s fly, unbuttoned and unzipped him. He slipped fingers inside and gently teased the erection out the opening. Leaning forward, he took a long slow lick from base to tip before swiping the tip of his tongue sensuously over the slit. His teeth nibbled at the foreskin and he moaned quietly at the first tastes of his Master’s cock. He worked his tongue under the not so loose skin and tormented the half hidden head, rubbing his tongue firmly. Xander’s hand gripped the shaft and pulled backwards, with it the foreskin revealed his target. He lathed it with licks and kisses before taking just the head between his lips and suckling lightly. Another happy moan as Angel’s hands found their way into his hair and tangled tightly in it, anchoring him in place, not that he planned on going anywhere.

A rumbling sound from above signalled to Xan that he was doing something right and that his Master was enjoying his ministrations. Slowly, he slid his lips down the shaft, taking a little at a time, pausing to suckle and rub his tongue against the underside. His Master’s cock was so perfectly sculpted, it was better than anything he could imagine. And he wanted to do this right, wanted to show Angel that he was worthy of being his pet. He took in as much as he could without gagging and sucked hard and swallowed around the hard, thick shaft. Then he slowly pulled back, keeping the suction strong as he did. A loud moan of appreciative pleasure sounded from the vampire and it swelled Xander with pride that he was the one to cause it.

When he reached the head, he no longer needed to hold the hard flesh to keep the foreskin pulled back, the angry weeping tip was fully exposed. He flickered his tongue in the slit and collected the clear fluid, savouring the taste before swallowing it. Angel’s hips bucked up as he slowly and deliberately liked over the head repeatedly.

There was a growl and something that resembled “Enough.” Followed by a tug at his hair, he looked up at his Master and they had matching lust-hazed looks. “So damn hot and sweet, my boy.”

Angel pulled Xander onto his lap so that he straddled his thighs. His strong hands massaged and kneaded the muscular globes of his boy’s ass before pulling the plug out with no verbal warning. The human gasped, his eyes fluttered closed, and he had to fight back his arousal from the edge. He knew what was expected of him with the plug gone, but just in case, those big hands gripped his hips and pulled him forward. He felt the enormous erection rubbing up and down his crack, the weeping head leaving a slick trail.

He gripped Angel’s bulging biceps and held on, vaguely aware of one hand leaving his hip to guide the cock to his still slick hole. He moaned as he felt the head pop through the opening and he hoped it was going to be like this everyday, this was the third time he’d been fucked in the one day and even though he hadn’t yet been allowed to come he was bizarrely satisfied and a little sore but in a good way.

His Master shook his head and forced his demon features away. Leaning forward to kiss Xander gently, then using his tongue to push his way into the hot human mouth, deepening the kiss. The passion mounted and the kiss was so distracting that his pet didn’t even realise that he was fully seated on the erection until their lips separated.

Xan groaned in pleasure and squeezed his muscles down. He loved the feel of Angel filling him up. He knew that what had been said to him a few hours earlier was true, he was going to be a whore for his Master’s cock, he would be begging to be fucked all the time and he didn’t care because it felt so damn good and Angel wanted him. Muscles bunched under his hands as the vampire started to lift him slowly off the invading cock, before releasing the hold and letting him slide back down again.

After only a few repeats, Xander was more confident and was using his own thighs to raise himself up off the hardness and thrust himself back down on it. Moans of pleasure and need fell continuously from his lips as his hands held on. He seated himself fully then rocked his hips back and forth, it was a different motion and the cock inside him flexed and jerked, pressing off and on against his sweet spot. He felt a bead of sweat trickle down his face and he increased his pace. Panting fiercely as he fought to fill his burning lungs with air.

“Oh god… yeah… like that, boy… fuck yourself just like that.” Angel moaned.

He lost control of his features and his demon visage was back. His hips worked in time with Xan’s, desperate to carry himself to completion again. He threw his head back and howled, releasing cool cum into his boy’s tight, hot, channel.

“Master… please… please… Master?” Xander begged, as he rocked his hips and gasped for air.

Angel growled, using his strong grip he stilled the motion and his boy whimpered. Xan leaned in and rested his forehead on the vampire’s pale shoulder, gasping to get his breath back. Those sexy, big hands caressed his back and soothed him as he got to grips with yet another orgasmless sex session. Xander moaned and whimpered in frustration, tears prickled at his eyes from his need, but if he were honest, he would do this all day without release if it meant he got to be in the arms of the man he loved.

Xander’s resting turned into nuzzling at the vampire’s neck, licking and teasing the skin with his tongue and then kissing it tenderly, conveying all he felt with his actions. He nipped lightly at the flesh and smiled. The whimpers died away and he sighed as that strange sense of satisfaction swept over him again.

He felt like he was being lifted, and he realised through the fogginess that was currently his mind that he was. Instinctively, he wrapped his legs around Angel’s waist, the cock still buried deep inside him, as he was carried across the room and lowered onto the bed. His erection was pulsing and throbbing demandingly, pressed between them; he could feel it leaking as it tried to get itself taken notice of, but it wasn’t his decision anymore and that thought somehow turned him on even more.

Curling up together, Angel petted and stroked his boy’s hair, but didn’t pull out of his ass. He could happily stay seated in there all day.

“We’ll figure it out, pet, don’t worry.” He soothed and cuddled.

Xander felt sleep creeping up on him and before long he was dozing pleasantly.

******

Downstairs in the lobby, Greg had been hunched over the prophecy, while the others had been sat cleaning weapons and chatting. Angel’s howl of completion echoed all the way through the hotel. Spike smirked & chuckled, and Greg had sent him a knowing look and wink. Illyria looked like she was analysing something.

Chase had stood up clutching a heavy sword, “What the hell was that? Sounded like a wounded wild animal.”

“Wild animal, possibly… but I’m pretty sure there was no wounding involved.” Greg smirked.

Spike started laughing, a dirty kind of laugh that spoke of carnal knowledge. He stalked across to Greg and whispered something in his ear. The “not-human, but not-demon” flushed and giggled quietly.

It wasn’t really possible to say which infuriated Chase more but he made to move towards the stairs. He was nowhere near when suddenly Spike was in front of him.

“Where d’ya think you’re goin’?” The bleached blond tilted his head slightly, bouncing slightly with a barely contained energy that signalled he was ready for anything.

“To investigate, since no one else seems to care that there could be something up there ready to attack us.” Chase replied, accusingly.

Spike lifted his scarred eyebrow, “you really need to get a life if you think that sound meant danger, pet.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The young man’s brow creased, as he tried to look menacing but failed, considering who he was trying to intimidate it was no surprise.

“Don’t y’ know the difference between a howl of pain and a howl of pleasure?” The trademark Spike smirk was firmly in place.

Greg watched with amused interest, this was what he liked about the blond vampire, he was so playful but in a scary way.

“P…pleasure? Meaning…? With who?”

If humans could turn green, there was little doubt in Greg’s mind that it was the colour that Chase would now be.

The Brit looked pointedly round the room as if to draw attention to who was there and who was not. “Gee, I’m not so sure. Perhaps it’s self-lovin’.” He teased, smirked even more and walked back to Greg.

“You’re bad, you know that?”

“Oh yeah, I’m the big bad, luv, thought y’ knew that already.” The smirk turned into an affectionate smile.

“Yeah,” Greg grinned, “If you say so.”