New Order

A/N: Sorry for the delay! Hope you guys enjoy the next part. Don't forget to review and let me know what you think.







Xander felt the smile drop from his face when he saw Angel standing at the door. He and Oz had been laughing and joking about some of their old high school days. Somehow, hearing the stories again from Oz’s point of view made their adventures even funnier.



He froze though when he saw Angel standing at the door. It was so painful just to look at him and know all that he had lost. Xander barely noticed when Oz eased his way off of the bed and headed out the door.



Angel nodded his thanks to Oz before approaching the bed. He didn’t climb in beside Xander like he would have before. Instead, he walked around to the side Xander was laying on and sat on the edge.



He heard Xander’s breath quicken and his heart started to pound. It wasn’t really fear though. If Xander were afraid of him, Angel didn’t think he could stand it. He didn’t touch Xander although the urge was so strong it was hard to resist.



They stared at each other for minutes before Angel finally spoke. “How are you feeling?” It was a lame attempt at conversation but Angel really didn’t know where to start.



Xander grimaced a little before answering. “I’m still so weak.”



Angel nodded and bit into his wrist. He held it out to Xander who accepted it shakily.



He watched Xander feed from him and felt his blood flowing into Xander’s mouth. His lips were warm against his skin and the sensation was powerful. When his blood started to slow, Xander gently licked the wound and pulled his mouth away.



Xander watched Angel for a moment before reaching for the knife on his tray. Before Angel realized his intention, Xander swiped it over the end of his finger and held the bleeding digit out to him.



Angel sucked Xander’s finger into his mouth, savoring the taste of his claimed. He ran his tongue over the wound and eased it closed before slowly pulling the finger from his mouth.



“Thank you.” Angel’s whispered words washed over Xander and he reached out his hand and clasped Angel’s to him. He stared at their joined fingers for a moment before raising his gaze back to Angel’s.



It was a start. They both realized it. Angel didn’t want to push for more so he stayed there, holding Xander’s hand. After a few minutes, Xander started to doze again and Angel released his hand to move the tray from the bed.



Xander reached out and grasped his arm. “Stay.” Angel froze. He placed the tray on the floor beside the bed and stood back up beside Xander.



“Are you sure?” He hated to ask, didn’t want to question this when he needed it so badly.



“Please, Angel. Stay.” Xander tugged gently on Angel’s arm until he moved forward and sat next to Xander. Xander scooted over and pulled the covers back. Angel slipped his shoes off and climbed in beside him.



It was a start.





Oz left the room, knowing that Xander needed some time alone with Angel even if he didn’t think he did. He went into Angel’s bedroom, expecting to find Spike there. The room was empty.



Not knowing what else to do, Oz climbed into the bed and dozed. He figured he would wake up when Angel returned and go back to Xander’s room.



He woke up sometime later to the sound of the door opening. At first he thought it was Angel and panicked when he smelled blood. It wasn’t Angel though. It was Spike.



The vampire entered the room, shirtless, and headed straight for the bathroom. When Spike walked by, Oz could see the bloody stripes marking his back. Spike didn’t speak, didn’t even look at the wolf, he just continued on and moments later Oz heard the shower start.



He also heard Spike’s hiss of pain when he stepped into the shower. Oz sat on the bed, afraid to think of what happened, but knowing somehow that the marks were made by Angel. It didn’t take him long to figure out that Spike had been punished for their earlier fight.



Spike entered the room again minutes later, naked and scowling. He stared at Oz for a moment before climbing onto the bed and collapsing into the mattress. Oz could see the full extent of the damage then.



Spike’s back, ass, and legs were covered in welts, some trickling blood from the water of the shower. Oz stepped off the bed and went into the bathroom for the first aid kit. He crossed to Spike’s side and began rubbing ointment on the wounds.



“It won’t help, pet. Just have to wait for ‘em to heal.” Spike grumbled the words but Oz didn’t stop. He continued to massage the ointment into Spike’s back and over his ass. When all the wounds were covered, he took the first aid kit back to the bathroom and returned to his earlier position on the bed.



“Thanks.” Spike didn’t know what more to say.



Oz looked over at the vampire. “He did it because of me, didn’t he? Because we were fighting. That son of a bitch.” His last words came out as a growl and Spike knew he needed to explain.



Spike raised himself up onto his elbows and looked at Oz. “No, pet. He did it because of me. Because things are different now and I know better.”



Oz shook his head, denying the explanation. “No. If we hadn’t fought, he wouldn’t have done this. He shouldn’t have done this. Or he should have done it to me too. Something.”



Spike reached out and placed his hand on Oz’s thigh. “Oz. We can’t afford to appear weak. Especially here. Everyone here accepts that Angel is in charge after everything that went down. The problem is the way it all went down. Angel has to prove himself and demonstrate his control. They have to know that Angel is in charge and he will handle any problems that arise quickly and with force.”



“Did our fight really make that big of a difference? Big enough for him to do this?”



“It’s all a matter of perspective, pet. What is big? How much does he let go before he acts? I know how it is. He did the right thing. Sire and I are a team these days but he’s still very much in charge of the team. The minions have to know that I’ll be punished just the same as them.” Spike watched Oz, hoping he understood.



For Oz, it did make sense but he didn’t want to accept it. He looked down at Spike’s hand lying on his leg and placed his own on top of it. “I’m sorry, Spike.”



“Not your fault. Now come over here and keep me warm. All you bloody shifters are like heating pads and I’m a bit chilly.” Spike smirked at the shocked look on Oz’s face but, to his surprise, Oz did just that.



Spike rolled gently onto his side and Oz scooted his back to Spike’s chest. As Spike drifted to sleep, he was thankful that Angel sent the minions to get him after a few hours. He’d figured he would be left hanging down there all night.



And then he wouldn’t have gotten to feel the warmth that was Oz curled into him, chasing away his shivers and lulling him to sleep.