Title: His Boy

Author: Caliadragon

Cartegory: AU/Pre-Slash

Pairing: None

Fandom: Buffy

Spoilers: Season 3

Warnings: Angst and swearing

Rating R?

Archive: Any list I send it to, those with prior permission and BC

AN: Told from Angel's point of view. This just struck me out of the blue.

Summary: Angel muses on his missing boy. And worries about Spike being in Sunnydale.

Thanks to Edi for the beta.


His Boy
by Caliadragon

He was beauty. He was the light that shone through the darkness that they fought constantly. He was the heart and the soul of a group that had long since forgot. Now he was gone and that heart was broken. Angel stood leaning against the wall of the library. His demon was trying desperately to get to the forefront. His boy was gone and none of these foolish children seemed to notice or care.

Buffy, the girl he had fooled himself into loving. She didn't seem to notice anything around her. She was lost in a haze. Caught up in the dark and the seductive power of Faith. Not the faith one needed to combat the darkness, but the woman-child that had come to the Scoobies and slowly began to tear them apart from the inside.

Faith was the forbidden apple, dark seduction and the jagged edge of temptation. She was pulling Buffy away from her calling. Not that it was really such a hard thing to do.

Then there was Willow. The sweet, innocent charm she showed to the world hid the dark thirst for power. Angel could sense the change in her. From the moment she began to use magic he could smell the taint. He knew that she had been using spells on the boy, his boy.

Oz, the stoic werewolf; he watched the others the way that Angel did. He knew that the cub would not remain with the witch or with the group much longer. The boy could sense something wrong about his shining, innocent girl.

Wesley was a new quality. The boy tried so hard to help. Angel could sense his desperation to fit in and to do good. It was simply too bad that the man had been assigned to two of the most self absorbed bitches on the hellmouth.

Cordelia saw things the way Angel himself did. He had always liked the girl. She was a cold hearted bitch and was proud of it. She was blunt, tactless and sometimes cruel. You had to love someone who could be themselves and not give a damn what others thought of them. Yeah, he had a soft spot for Cordelia.

Then there was Giles. Angel had to suppress a growl. The older man was partially to blame for his boy not being there. The older man had his head so far up Buffy's ass that he didn't bother to pay attention to what the witch was doing. He offered training to all but the one who needed it so desperately. For a Watcher he seemed extraordinarily blind to what was going on around him.

Angel knew he was also to blame for the loss of his boy. For the loss of Xander. If the boy ever even thought that Angel had designs on his delicious body he would do everything in his power to stake him.

That made Angel smirk. His demon growled in his head. *The little upstart.* Angelus growled affectionately.

This band of so called good guys never bothered to see past the end of their noses. None of them bothered to question why Angelus never went after Xander. They never bothered to ask how Buffy stayed safe at the hospital. They were fools.

Xander scared Angelus. He was strength, dark and light all wrapped in one. He was a healer and a destroyer. Angel knew very well that the boy had lied to Buffy about the spell. He knew that and approved. Even Angelus approved, though neither of them had enjoyed their time in hell.

Just the opposite in fact. The only thing that got them through the harshness of those centuries was the memories of his time in Sunnydale. Memories of the children and of how he helped. He also began to see what it was about him that Xander had so disliked.

He could have done things differently. He should never have offered Xander to Spike. He should have come immediately with Xander to the Master's lair. Should haves didn't change anything.

When he was returned he thought that it would change things. He had found things changed alright, but not for the better. Xander was an outsider among the group. Buffy had run away and had turned her back on her duty for a while. Willow stank of magic and corruption and Giles was still focused on the wrong person.

Now they were in a battle with the Mayor and Xander was missing. This was the second meeting the boy had missed. Spike was in town again, Angel could feel him. This worried Angel. He knew that Spike had been as taken with the boy as he himself was.

Angel's attention was drawn back to the group by Willow. "So we do the spell and use Xander to draw the demon out. We'll need Xander. I'll call him tomorrow and tell him when to be here."

"Don't you think you should ask Alexander first whether he wishes to be the bait for a Trumiar demon?" Wesley asked, his voice was soft with horror and censor.

"Nah, he'll do it once I tell him," Willow said, off hand. This made Wesley's face tighten and Angel growled softly. He couldn't believe they were acting this way.

"Have you even talked to Alexander in the last few days? I haven't seen him at any of the meetings now for a while," Wesley said again. Angel frowned. He had missed all but the last few meetings himself. He had not wanted to upset Giles or the other children.

Willow just shrugged it off, while Wesley and Oz frowned in reaction. Angel turned and left the alley. Now that he knew that Xander hadn't been at any of the meetings he was worried.
_____________________________________________________

When he reached the Harris house he had to take several deep breaths. Angelus was becoming agitated and wouldn't tell Angel why.

Knocking on the door he could hear movement and a single heart beat from inside the house. He could also smell the unpleasant odor of unwashed bodies, booze and the tang of hopelessness.

The door was pulled open jerkily by a underweight woman with scraggly black hair and a lined, world weary face. He eyes were a deep chocolate brown and bloodshot. Her breath smelled of mints and tobacco. "What?" she snapped.

"I'm looking for Xander." Angel said calmly.

"He's in the hospital. You one of his good for nothing friends?" she growled as tears welled up in her eyes. "Not one of you have bothered to call and check on my boy. Not even Willow or Jesse. You want to see him? Go to the fourth floor of Sunnydale General, room 403." Then she slammed the door in his face.
_____________________________________________________

Angel walked down the corridor of the hospital and up to room 403. He could smell blood and illness through the door and under the overwhelming stench of disinfectant.

Opening the door he walked quietly into the room What he saw froze him in place and shattered the heart he thought he no longer had. Walking to the bedside he placed a hand on the boy's brow and hissed at the heat he could feel. If it was hot to him the boy must be burning with fever.

He left the boy's side and went back to the library. When he walked inside he could still hear them making plans for the battle with the demon. Wesley had gone quiet and was no longer trying to make them see sense.

Wes was thinking it was time to tell his father to reinstate Giles and take his leave of the hellmouth and Sunnydale altogether. He wondered if the vampire could use a researcher? He knew that Angel was leaving Sunnydale after the battle with the Mayor.

"Your going to have to change your plans, you selfish lot of bloody bastards," Angel snarled as he stalked into the room. They all went quiet and Angel could smell their fear. "Xander is in the hospital and has been for the last three weeks. He's extremely ill. From what I could smell it's Relian venom," Angel bit out.

Wesley started in alarm, then looked over at the three girls who all looked guilty. "You used the boy as bait after you were forbidden to do so?" Wesley growled. They all gaped at the young Watcher in shock. Rage filled his eyes and he threw a look at Angel. "Take me to the boy. Thankfully I have an antivenom already made. I had mixed it as a precaution. We'll need to stop by my apartment and pick it up."

Angel nodded and, ignoring everyone else, the pair left the library. Angel knew, no matter what it took, as soon as the fight with the Mayor was over with he was leaving Sunnydale and he was taking his boy with him.
_____________________________________________________

By the time they reached the hospital Wesley had already asked to accompany Angel to Los Angeles and they were talking about his mission for the Powers and the half-demon that had approached him the night before.

Angel was extremly impressed with the young Watcher and was looking forward to working with him. For now, though, they were focused on Xander and curing him.

When they reached the boy's hospital room Angel growled softly again. Inside the room was his Childe and the half demon that had been assigned as his seer. Angel wondered why they were there.

When they walked through the door Spike was leaning against the wall on one side of the room and Doyle, the seer, was sitting at the boy's bed side. They both had serious expressions on their faces and looked expectantly at Wesley.

"What are you two doing here?" Angel snapped as Wesley went to the bed and began to inject the antivenom into Xander's IV.

"The bloody fucking Powers sent us here. I work for you now, Peaches, just like the bloody half-breed," Spike spat out.

Wesley turned and looked at the vampire; that could only be William the Bloody. "How did you manage to be working for me?" Angel asked, shocked.

"I made a fool's wish and they granted it," Spike said bitterly.

"And what exactly was the wish?" Angel asked.

"I wished that I could get me Sire back without him being the bloody insane heartless git that he was after you shagged Slutty the Vampire Layer. They granted my bloody wish. Now your soul's permanant and I work for the Powers as payment. I can't have any bloody happy meals anymore," Spike snarled at him and turned back to the boy on the bed.

The venom was having an obvious effect. The blisters that covered the boy's body were disappearing and the flush on his skin was slowly fading away. He was going into a more natural sleep instead of the fever induced one that he had been in before.

"What does Alexander have to do with your new work?" Wesley asked.

"He's our first mission," Doyle answered quietly. "The Powers want him away from the hellmouth and they want him with us. They showed me you as well, Wesley. It seems we're all on the same path."

Wesley and Angel looked at him in shocked silence. It looked like they all were leaving together. Now all that was left was to convince Xander. No problem. "Oh, that'll go over well with the whelp," Spike drawled sardonically.



The End For Now