Title: Permutations of Humanity

Authors: Creed Cascade and Echo's Revenge

Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Pairing: Xander/Angel/Spike

Rating: NC-17

Status: new

Archive: If you want it, go ahead. Just knock me upside the head and let me know.

Feedback: creed_cascade@hotmail.com and echosrevenge@hotmail.com

Other websites: http://insaneasylum.slashfanfiction.com and http://www.echosrevenge.com

Disclaimers: We have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. You don't ask where we get these strange plots starring mysteriously familiar characters, and we won't tell you that I make no money, only deliriously happy satisfaction. Very hush-hush.

Notes: Some lines of dialogue adapted from Season One – Episode 8, "I Will Remember You".

Summary: An AU set during and after S1, Ep 8, "I Will Remember You" when Angel briefly becomes human.



Permutations of Humanity
By Creed Cascade and Echo's Revenge


Cordelia and Doyle watched from the doorway while Angel alternated between looking morose and annoyed as he pretended to straighten and re-straighten his desk.

"When did the brooding one get back?" Cordelia finally whispered to Doyle.

"It was really late last night, but he seemed okay when he got in," Doyle answered.

"He saw Buffy. He was in Sunnydale for three days, tracking her and that thingy-a-ma-giggy you saw in your vision. Now we have to put up with him while he gets all brood-boy over her. She owes us you know."

"Maybe he's over her," Doyle said, ignoring Cornelia's snort at that idea. They both started though when Angel took a stake out of his desk and started feeling the tip.

"Don't do it, Angel," Cordy said as she rushed into Angel's office. "You can't let her get to you like this. You'll meet someone else. Just give it some time."

"I need it to level my desk," Angel said as he bent down to put the stake under one leg of the desk. "You two actually thought I was going to kill myself because of Buffy?"

"Doyle did. You know how he jumps to conclusions, - 'cause you saw Buffy," Cordy said, trying to regain her composure.

"It wasn't a social call. I was there to protect her. I stayed out of sight. She didn't even know I was there, and I didn't want her to know either. It would only stir things up so I left as soon as I could. Believe it or not, I am totally over her now," Angel said.

"You don't want to 'stir', but if my Ex came to town and was all stalking me in the shadows and then left and then didn't even say 'hello' I'd be…." Cordy was cut off when a voice overrode hers.

"A little upset. Actually more then a little upset and I was tired of hearing about it so I thought I'd come visit. You don't mind do you Angel?" Xander asked from the doorway to Angel's office.

“Harris,” Angel said, his mouth dropping open.

"Deadboy," Xander said with a friendly smile. "And, Cordy, look at you all Hollywood glamorous and standing next to strange man I don't know."

“Uh huh,” Cordy said, looking over at Doyle who standing closer to her. “Well, this is Doyle. And he gets visions of people in trouble."

"Nice to make your…” Doyle started, but was interrupted when Cordy grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the door.

"And this is us leaving you two alone,” Cordelia said at the doorway. She hadn't could tell that something was going on that she was missing, but as long as it snapped Angel out of his funk she'd get the details later.

"What have you been telling her about me that she thinks we need to be alone?" Xander asked with a raised eyebrow as he slid into the chair across from Angel. "It's good to see you when I'm not sick with curses that cause diseases. I don't think I was at my best when you saw me in Sunnydale."

“You didn’t look that bad,” Angel said and realized that might be taken as an insult. “I mean, you didn’t look as good as you do now, but ahhh, you didn’t look like you were dead at the time and… I’m shutting up now.”

Xander snickered. "You look good too, Angel, but you've obviously been spending too much time with Cordy from the way you're talking. So how are things here in LA?"

“Fighting the good and underpaying fight,” Angel answered. “Will you be staying long?”

"A few days at least, if you don't mind. I needed to get away from Anya, I swear that girl won't take no for an answer. She definitely wants more then just a little fun. Plus, I get really tired of Buffy talking about how the two of you are fated to be together," Xander said.

“She has no idea what fate us in store for us,” Angel sighed. He had loved Buffy and he always would, in a distant sort of way, but she was still very much a child. A girl he feared for as protector, but not as lover. “Women are so unreasonable sometimes.”

"You've told me that before," Xander said with a small grin. "And I'm starting to believe you. Staying away from women in general could be a good idea."

“Sound like a smart idea to me,” Angel added. “Men make better company anyways.”

"Which brings us back to why I'm here, as long as I make sure not to make you too happy. Angel is good company, Angelus just scares me," Xander said. He enjoyed their casual flirting even if it was a little frustrating that they couldn't do anything other then flirt. "Unless you've gotten rid of that clause here in the big city?"

Angel flipped open a file and pretended to check the fine print. “I’m afraid not,” he said with a straight face. “Still locked into perpetual celibacy.” It wasn’t a big joke, but it was a lot for Angel.

"Oh well, I'm sure you can show me a good time in LA regardless," Xander said. "Has Cordy gotten you in the social scene here yet? I can just imagine her wanting to dress you up and parade you around."

“There’s nothing wrong with the way I dress,” Angel protested. He was used to defending himself to Cordelia and automatically took up the defensive.

"Not in the eyes of us mortal men, but Cordy could pick apart any outfit she wanted in seconds. She has done it to you, hasn't she?" Xander said through a chuckle. "That's why you're so defensive about it."

“Maybe,” Angel admitted and casually picked at his black silk shirt. “She says I wear too much black.”

"But you look so good in…." Xander was cut of by the sound of breaking glass as the window to Angel's office burst open and a tall, green demon burst through.

Angel had time reach behind his chair and grabbed a sword. He leapt across the desk to stand between the demon and Xander.

The battle was brief and bloody. Angel got a few hits in, splashing the green slime that seemed to be the demon's blood all over, before he managed to pierce the jewel in the demon's head, killing him. "Welcome to LA," Angel said with a tight grin as he started cleaning his sword and taking in the shambles his office had become.

“Feels like home already,” Xander started to laugh until he saw Angel double in pain. He rushed to Angel’s side instantly. “Angel! What’s wrong?”

"I, something's wrong, I don't feel right," Angel said as he started to straighten up. He wasn't in pain so much as he just felt strange.

“What should I do?” Xander asked desperately. He didn’t want to leave Angel’s side in case something else happened, so he called out, “Cordy!”

"Xander, what are you doing?" Cordy yelled as she came through the door. "He's in the sun are you trying to light him on fire?" She was rushing to pull Angel out of the sun before she realized he was not even smoking.

“This demon came through the window… and when Angel killed it, the slime got all over him,” Xander started to babble.

"I'm fine, really," Angel said. "Just a little short of breath and, well, human I think."

“Human?” Cordy croaked. “This is not good for business!”

"Cordy, worry about getting paid later," Xander snapped. "Right now I'm going to get him downstairs so he can clean off. You and Doyle start trying to find out what type of demon this was. The body's in pretty good shape so it shouldn't be too hard."

"Ow," Angel complained as he poked at the wound on his arm where the demon had managed to get a good blow in. He poked it again. "That hurts."

"So stop poking at it, Angel. It's not deep and I'll bandage it for you after you get all cleaned up," Xander said as he led Angel to the elevator.

“Everything hurts,” Angel complained again and he added. “And I’m so… hungry.”

"You're human. This is what you wanted, so stop complaining and go take a shower," Xander said. "After we get you clean and bandaged up I'll take you out to a expensive lunch and you can eat until you're sick if you want to."

Angel ended up spending so long in the shower that he used up all of the hot water. When he came out of the bathroom, his skin was red and still damp. “I think I might have burned myself.”

Xander couldn't think of anything to say for a minute as he took in the sight of Angel flushed, dripping wet, and just wearing a towel. "Not burned," he finally grasped out. "You're just fine. Now sit down and let me wrap your arm."

“It still hurts,” Angel complained like a little child. “I don’t remember it hurting this much and I feel so… weak.”

"Angel, the whining, not so attractive," Xander said as he got some disinfectant and gauze. "Now sit still while I clean this."

"I'm not whining… OW!" he hissed when Xander started to clean the wound.

"There, all done," Xander said a few minutes later after ignoring Angel's complaints. “Now get dressed and I'll take you out to eat. If we're going somewhere nice I should change too. Mind if I bring my clothes down here for now?"

“You should fit into my things if you don’t mind designer clothing,” Angel noted.

"You want to dress me up?" Xander said with a grin. "Sure, do your worst. We all know I have no shame when it comes to my clothes."

Angel looked at Xander faded t-shirt that was still an obnoxious print. “Yes, that shirt proves that you have no shame. I only own designer clothes, so you’ll you have to suffer.”

Xander couldn't stop laughing when Angel picked out leather pants and a silk shirt for him, but he dutifully took the clothes and headed to the bathroom. "I'll change in here, let me know when it's safe to come out," he said to Angel.

“You could… change in here,” Angel tried to say casually. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

"We're not watching each other change. You haven't eaten in over two-hundred years, and, if I get to see you naked now, you won't get to eat for a while longer," Xander teased as he shut the door behind himself.

Angel felt something he hadn’t felt in over two hundred years. His erection was warm as it started to grow under his towel. He touched himself and groaned at the unfamiliar warmth. He started to stroke himself slowly to the mental image of a naked Xander.

For his part, Xander was leaning his head against the wall in the bathroom and taking deep breaths. He and Angel had started flirting after he got back from hell. As scary as Angelus had been, a few of his comments had opened Xander's eyes. He still had some weird combination of a nightmare and a wet dream about the time Angelus had cornered him and made it clear he wanted Xander. Buffy had shown up in real life, but in the dreams she didn't and Angelus had finished what he started.

With a shuddering breath, Xander straightened up and tried to will his erection away while he changed. He really wanted to get a chance to know the human Angel and see where things went, and he wasn't sure Angel had everything together yet so he'd have to be careful not to scare him.

After waiting ten minutes and calling Angel's name twice, Xander came out of the bathroom. Angel was still sitting in his towel, which had settled into place to barely cover him and he was starring at his hand as if he didn't really register that he should be embarrassed to be sitting there in a towel with cum on his hand. "It was warm…" he whispered in answer to Xander's unasked question.

"Clean up and get dressed. I'll meet you upstairs when you're ready," Xander said as he tried to control himself. "Even if you wanted to do anything, you don't have vampire stamina now so lunch it is."

“I bet he’s warm,” Angel muttered to himself as Xander left the room.

"So how is he?" Cordy asked as soon as Xander was up the stairs. "The demons blood should have made him human with no side effects, but we're not totally sure. On another topic, why are you all Angely protectery?"

“He’s fine,” Xander answered. “He’s a little weird, but I guess he’s always been weird. And I don’t know what you’re talking about. He hasn’t been human for two hundred years, so he's going to need some one to watch over him for awhile.”

"So, you're volunteering to vamp, well ex-vamp, sit all the sudden?" Cordy asked with a raised eyebrow. "Something's going on here that you're not telling me, and it's weird enough that you happened to be here when he got humanized."

“Call it karma,” Xander shrugged. “What’s the problem with it?”

"There's no problem with it," Angel said smoothly as he came up the stairs. He was dressed in an outfit that almost matched Xander's. "Xander and I are going to lunch. I have my cell phone if you need me."

“Have fun on your date!” Cordy called out just before they walked out of the door. “And don’t forget to wear sunscreen.”

Xander flipped Cordy off behind Angel's back as they walked out, not even pausing in his attempt to find out what type of food Angel wanted.

*

Angel touched his own skin, running his fingers softly up his own arm at the table during lunch. He didn’t remember his own skin being this sensitive and warm when he was human. Even the sensation of his tongue running over his lips was sensual, but he almost missed the feeling of his tongue playing over his fangs. He knew he was tormenting both himself and Xander, but that was part of the new found fun of being human.

"So, you’re feeling more normal now?" Xander finally asked as lunch was wrapping up.

“Define normal,” Angel stated. He still had to resist the urge to avoid the sun, even knowing it was safe and his eyes missed the dark beauty of nighttime shadows.

"Not totally caught up in being human again and actually paying attention to everyone, as something other then a warm body," Xander answered.

“It’s all just so new,” Angel told the truth and smiled at Xander. “And you’re not just another warm body to me.”

"Good, so what are you going to do now? You're human with no superpowers or anything. Are you staying in LA? Come back to Sunnyhell? Hunt Buffy down now that it could work?" Xander asked. After all he and Angel hadn't started flirting until after Angel couldn't have anyone. It might have just been a way to pass the time for Angel.

“I’ll keep doing what I’m doing now,” Angel told him. “Just because I’m human now doesn’t redeem all of my past atrocities.”

"Angel, you might want to think about that. You were the super powered guy on your team which is now super powerless, so you might have to change some things," Xander said. "So, no plans to go back to Sunnydale?"

“No, I won’t be going back there,” Angel answered. “Some things… and people are best left in the past.”

"Now the next question would be if you meant what you were doing when you were flirting with me," Xander said nervously.

“I meant it,” Angel said, making an attempt to be overtly friendly and not so obsessed with his new humanity. “I might not have been very good at it, but I meant it.”

"Okay, good, this is good. Not what I expected, but I'm adaptable guy and if newly human Angel wants to flirt with me there won't be a compliant here," Xander said. He'd finished eating a few minutes ago and was watching as Angel finished off his meal. "So what other new, human things do you want to do today?"

“Sex,” Angel answered bluntly, waiting for Xander’s reaction.

"Look, I'm your friend and all, and we've had fun flirting, but I don't want to be your first experiment with human sex just because I'm here," Xander said without blushing too much.

Angel actually blushed and looked down because they were still in public. “You’ve always… intrigued me. This isn’t something new.”

"Well, I did want to get away from Sunnydale for a while. Maybe I can stay here a few weeks, maybe longer?" Xander asked. He thought about pointing out how cute Angel looked when he blushed, but decided he wasn't quite that cruel.

“That would be… nice,” Angel said. “I can think of just the place for you to stay… if you wanted to that is…”

"Okay," Xander said. He was pretty sure he knew where Angel meant, but he wasn't going to pursue it yet. "Was there anywhere else you wanted to go? We could see the beach or something. I'm not sure what human things a vampire dreams about."

“Warmth,” Angel admitted softly. “From the sun… from your own body… from another body.”

"So, a walk on the beach, in the sun, then back to your place," Xander said. He waived the waiter over and paid the bill for the food while he was talking.

*

“I figure that we’re just about the same age,” Angel said as they made conversation on the couch of his place. “I mean, not chronologically, but as far as my human body will age.”

"You're always going to be the older one in this relationship," Xander said with a grin. "I promise you don't look anywhere near your 200 plus years though. You think Cordy and Doyle have left yet?"

“I would have been able to tell you that by simply listening for them last week,” Angel said, leaning closer to Xander. “Now, I can only guess that they’ve left. Neither is overly happy to work without overtime pay.”

"They don't come down here without knocking do they?" Xander asked as he scooted closer to Angel on the couch.

“Not if they don’t want an eyeful,” Angel answered. He did the patented yawn and stretch move, placing his arm along the back of the couch.

Somehow, that little move made Xander feel more comfortable. After everything that had happened they were not really that different now. Deciding he needed to take some initiative too, Xander twisted so he was half in Angel's lap and gave him a tentative kiss.

Angel kissed him back, just as tentatively in an almost sweet way. “You’re sure I’m not just another warm body?” Angel teased when they pulled away.

"Yeah, you're the one who's way out of my league and I kept flirting with anyway." Xander looked away and mumbled quickly, "Do you know what to do? From what Angelus said I'd think so, but I don't really know what I'm doing."

“Yeah, I know what I’m doing,” Angel responded. His hands hand worked their way under Xander’s shirt to caress his back.

"Good. I like what we're doing so far, just take things slow," Xander said as he started mirroring Angel's actions.

“Slow is good,” Angel agreed, leaning over to nuzzle Xander’s neck. “I like slow.”

"So, I get to stay for a week or two at least?" Xander asked. Unsaid was the fact that he wanted this to be more then a one-night thing, and he still wasn't totally sure Angel wanted him around.

“As long as you want,” Angel told him. “Longer then just weeks if you want…”

"Cool, maybe we should move this to the bed where it's more comfortable?" Xander asked as he relaxed against Angel.

Angel nodded and shifted his hands so Xander could move off of his lap. They moved slowly to the bedroom, undressing each other along the way.

Xander was fine until Angel reached for his boxers. Once Angel's hands got to there, he pushed them away and asked if they could turn the lights off.

Something finally fell into place in Angel’s mind. “When you said you really didn’t know what you were doing…”

"I meant it," Xander said, blushing fiercely. "I was thinking, in the dark, under the covers would be a good start or I'll just be worried about being naked in front of you the whole time."

“Would it help if you saw me naked?” Angel offered.

"So I can know just how far out of my league you are?" Xander asked. "Probably not really of the good."

Angel flicked the lights off, but was glad there was still a soft glow coming in from the bathroom light. “Under the covers works for me, but you’re not out of my league. I think you’re handsome.” It was a compliment that was common when he was a young man.

"I'm okay maybe, but nothing like you, and don't even try to tell me different. In fact, lets stop talking and get back to the kissing," Xander said.

Angel decided he would have to work on Xander’s self esteem later as their relationship grew. He moved forward to the right side of the bed and slipped under the covers. After two hundred years as a vampire, sex in the dark and under the covers was vanilla, but novel.

Xander enjoyed just kissing Angel for a few minutes and slowly moving against him until they were wrapped around each other. He realized that Angel was going to wait for him to move things along, so he finally rolled on his back, pulling Angel on top of him.

Angel started to rub their erections together, leaning into whisper. “This is slow. Something just like this, is okay?”

"More then okay. It's very good, but we can do more if you want," Xander answered. He was licking and sucking whatever parts of Angel's body came into range and rocking up against Angel.

“Not yet,” Angel told him. Xander wanted to take this slow and he would. Anything else might scare him off and Xander belonged only in his arms at this exact moment.

"As long as you're okay with this. I know you're probably used to more from people in your bed. I'm really liking this though," Xander said. He was starting to pant as the feel of Angel sliding against him increased.

“You’re assuming I haven’t been more than just a bit celibate since I got a soul,” Angel laughed and worked his hand onto Xander’s hip. The grip allowed him better leverage as they continued to rock together.

Angel's comment and the intensity of the situation had Xander trying to smother giggles all the sudden. He could practically feel Angel's questioning look even if he couldn't see it. "It's just I realized that since I had sex once in the last year I've gotten more in the last year then you," he hastened to explain.

“Brat,” Angel laughed back. To be able to have joy mixed with passion was something he only would have been able to dream of years ago. With laughter, came hope.

Getting a little more confident, Xander rolled them again so he was on top and could control the speed of their thrusting against each other. He could feel himself getting close fast and started moaning Angel's name over and over.

Xander came first, followed shortly afterwards by Angel. It wasn’t earth shattering, but it was nice. Nice was something Angel craved. Sex without pain or angst was almost a first for him.

Angel reached around on the floor until he found a t-shirt, then wiped them both off. "Sleep now and shower later?" he asked Xander after a kiss. "That was so good that I just want to curl up with you and go to sleep."

“Sleep is a good,” Xander agreed, pulling Angel in close to his body.

*

A few nights later Angel and Xander were heading back to the hotel after a date when Xander reached for the stake in his waistband. "Is it just me, or do you get the feeling we're being watched too?" he whispered to Angel

Even though he had become a human, he still had a sort of six sense developed when fighting evil. “Something definitely feels weird,” Angel whispered back.

"Could say that, peaches," Spike said as he dropped from a nearby building. "Look at this, two human poofs out wandering around like good little happy meals on legs."

“It’s good to know you’re just as ugly now that I only have human senses,” Angel snapped back the insult.

"This is going to be even more fun then I thought," Spike said with a smirk as he watched two of his minions grab the humans while they were distracted. "One of you yells or makes a fuss and I’ll kill the other one." Spike turned on his heel and headed back to his lair.

“Let us go now, Spike!” Angel growled, as he was chained to the wall. He used the tone he used as a Sire, even though he only had regular human strength now.

"Don't think so, mate," Spike said as he licked a trickle of blood off Angel's face. "You're a human now so I'm going to treat you and your little toy like I treat any other humans."

Angel wanted nothing more than to snap the chains and show Spike his place. But he couldn’t stop the small shiver when he felt Spike’s tongue on his flesh and watch those blood covered lips.

"Yeah you're going to be fun," Spike said as he pulled back. "Now let’s see how much fun your toy's gonna be. Remember those times when we'd torture and kill someone's lover in front of them Angelus? This can be like old times."

“He’s not my lover!” Angel denied. He just needed to keep Spike’s attention focused on him and not Xander. “He means nothing to me.”

"Pathetic, that's what you are. Like I can't smell you all over each other. As much fun as killing him would be though, you've messed up my plans. Didn't expect you to be human now." Spike walked over to Xander and looked him over. "What do you say, boy? I could turn him, let him eat you, and then kill him."

“You can have me,” Xander offered, rattling his chains. “Just let Angel go.”

"No, this is all about Angel. You're just a nice little side treat. I'm going to turn him and watch him eat you. Humans are just too bloody fragile to really torture proper like. Maybe I'll find a way to give him his soul back for a while after he eats you."

“Fucking bastard!” Xander snapped and tried to lunge Spike.

Spike casually backhanded Xander, knocking him unconscious. "Don't worry, Angelus, I'm make sure he's awake when you eat him. I wonder if you're going to be a good little Childe until I kill you?" Spike mused. I think I'm going to wait until after the turning to start the torture. I want to make sure you can spend your last few human moments knowing you'll be killing the boy."

Without another word, Spike changed into game face and grabbed Angel’s hair to force his head back. He wondered if Angel’s blood would taste the same as Angelus. Dru might have been the one to drain him of his life’s blood, but Angelus had been his teacher and Sire by the blood as he fed Spike when he was a fledgling vampire.

Spike made sure Angel could see Xander as he drained him. Once Angel was almost gone, Spike tore his wrist open and let Angel drink enough that he'd be more then a mindless minion. He was trying to guess how much to give him so it would still be Angel he was torturing, but not so much that Angel would be a threat. Satisfied he'd gotten it right, Spike pulled his wrist away a short time later and left Angel to wake up, still hanging from the wall.

Angel was awoken by a hunger he had not felt since he was a brand new fledge. He snapped awake with a growl and changed into game face. He tasted a little of Spike’s blood on his lips and licked it away. “More!” he demanded.

"Spike, you bastard," Xander yelled as he struggled against the chains holding him. When Spike didn't answer, Xander looked at Angel. "If you can hear me, Angel, it's alright. I'm not mad at you. I know it's all Spike's fault."

“He can’t hear you, human,” Spike laughed and reached out to caress Angel’s face. When Angel snapped at him with his fangs and tried to bite him, Spike laughed again. “He’s been taken over by the blood lust. The once powerful Angelus is now his Childe’s Childe.”

"I hope you have as much luck with him as his first Sire," Xander said as he watched Spike start to unchain Angel. He couldn't believe things had gone wrong so fast, but he knew he wouldn't give up his time with Angel for anything.

“It’ll be a joy to watch you die,” Spike spat back, then he leaned in close and whispered to Angel. “Can you hear his heart beating, pet?”

"Yes, Sire," Angel rumbled. "Is he mine?"

Spike had every intention of paying Angel back for humiliation and bit of pain he had felt before he killed him, but for now he couldn’t resist a deep rumbling purr of praise. “Yes, he’s yours, pet.”

"Thank you, Sire," Angel said, baring his throat for Spike even though he was visibly resisting the pull of Xander's blood.

“You need to eat,” Spike said, caressing Angel’s neck. “I want you to kill the boy.”

"Mine," Angel growled as he bounded over to Xander. "Mine," he whispered again before he sank his teeth into Xander's neck. He was confused but he knew the human was his and his Sire had agreed. He wanted to keep the human that smelled so familiar, so as he stopped drinking when his heart started to slow, and tore his wrist open. He ignored Spike's shout as he felt the human start to drink from him.

Angel was knocked away from Xander by Spike’s fist. “What the fuck are ya doing?”

"Mine," Angel protested, trying to get back to Xander. "You said he was mine, Sire, and I want him."

Even as his Childe, Angel was trying to destroy his plans. It was a risk to turn Xander now, but Spike’s mind raced to turn this situation to his advantage. With Xander as his Childe, he could use the two fledges against each other to control them.

Holding Angel back with one hand, Spike ripped his other wrist open and gave it to Xander. He had to take a wild guess on how much to feed the boy. He wasn't sure how much Angel had already given him, but it didn't look like much.

By the time Spike was finished, he felt more than a little weak. He had just turned two vampires into his Childer. He would have to keep them chained up until he had time to feed.

*

Xander slowly drifted toward consciousness. He knew something was wrong, but at the same time he knew it was Angel wrapped around him so it couldn't be too bad. He blinked his eyes open and saw Spike watching the two of them with a pissed off expression. The fact that he was a vampire and Spike was his Sire flashed through his mind, but there was some connection to Angel that let him ignore Spike. He growled softly and nuzzled into Angel's neck, whispering, "Sire."

“He’s not you’re fucking Sire,” Spike snapped. “I am.”

Xander ignored Spike's comment when Angel arched his neck for him. He bit deeply and twisted his head to offer his neck to Angel.

“Bloody hell,” Spike growled and reached over to separate the two by pulling them apart by their hair. “You’ll obey me, or…”

"Yes, Sire," Angel said. He offered his neck to Spike even while pulling Xander away from Spike and behind himself.

“You both belong to me,” Spike hissed. “Why ya hiding what belongs to me?”

"You said he was mine," Angel protested. "He belongs to me like I belong to you." He hoped accepting his place below Spike without a fight would placate him.

“He was yours to kill, not yours to turn,” Spike said. He was still livid, but he had to admit that Angel’s submissive act was having a very seductive effect on him.

"Please, Sire," Angel whispered as he gracefully sank to his knees in front of Spike and started undoing his pants.

Angel might be his Childe now, but he still looked like Angelus. It looked like his Sire who was kneeling before him and starting to stroke his cock. He always been on the receiving of his Sire’s wrath and anger when it came to sex, but never had Angelus dropped to his knees for him.

Angel was freeing Spike's cock when Xander started to growl angrily from where he was also kneeling. Angel's spun around and he growled back at Xander with no sign of the submissiveness he'd been showing Spike. Once he was sure Xander was going to be quiet, Angel turned back around to focus on Spike.

“This won’t make me forget…” Spike warned him, even as his cupped the back of Angel’s head.

"No," Angel agreed with his lips hovering over Spike's cock and his voice pitched so low that only Spike could hear him. He ran his tongue around the head of Spike's cock. "But you always wanted to do this willingly didn't you, William? You know this is the only way you'll have me willing."

Spike shivered when Angel called him William. He pushed Angel’s head onto his cock, “I’m your Sire,” he repeated. He wanted them both to remember that.

Angel nodded his head while deep throating Spike, but his eyes made it clear that he was only going to acknowledge Spike as long as Spike recognized that Xander belonged to Angel.

When Spike came, his fists were tight in Angel’s hair. He had to stop himself from caressing Angel’s cheek, remembering he couldn’t let Angel get control of the situation. “That was passable,” he said.

"Thank you, Sire," Angel said as he cleaned Spike off and refastened his pants. "May I take my boy out to get some blood?"

“We hunt together now,” Spike answered, shaking his head. He didn’t trust either of them to alone yet. He was sure they would try to run.

"We're just finding a butcher, Sire. I can call and have the blood delivered for Xander and I if you prefer," Angel said quietly.

“You still have your bloody soul, don’t ya?” Spike demanded with a deep growl.

"Yes, Sire," Angel said, almost apologetically. "And I don't believe there is a curse this time."

“Fuck,” Spike hissed and then turned to Xander. “What about you? Any dirty lil’ souls running around in you?”

"I'm not sure, Grand-Sire," Xander said slowly. His voice was respectful, yet cold at the same time. "I don't want to kill innocent humans though. That's not the kind of thing I do. If we find some that deserve to die I'd kill them if Angel allowed it."

Spike felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and he resisted the urge to twitch. “I’m your fucking Sire, Harris. My blood turned you, not his!”

"I belong to him," Xander said with a hint of a growl, turning glowing, green eyes on Spike. "You're the pack leader and I'll obey you as long as you are, but I belong to him."

“Pack leader…” Spike repeated back slowly, then started to rant. “Great, not only do I have a Childe who used to be my Sire, who just so happens to have soul, but I also have a Childe who denies I’m his Sire with weird green glowing eyes!”

Xander moved up next to Spike and bent his head, offering his neck without saying a word. He knew he had to keep Spike either off-balance or marginally happy with the situation.

Spike pushed Xander away sharply at what he thought was a hollow display of submissiveness. “Fuck you both!” he growled. “You go find yourself some pansy ass butcher to get blood from, while I go out to feed. If you try to run, I’ll kill you both and don’t forget I can track you now!”

Xander whined and moved back in front of Spike, ignoring Angel and still offering his neck. "Pack?" he asked. Now he was the one who was confused.

Spike couldn’t deal with this right now. He needed blood and time to think. “Just fuck off,” he said and turned on his heels to leave.

"Sire," Angel said sharply. "If you don't recognize him as a pack member I doubt he'll come back no matter what I say." Angel left it unsaid that he wouldn't be coming back either of that happened.

“Fine, he’s part of my bloody pack,” Spike answered, not bothering to turn around. “Happy?”

"No," Angel yelled, at Xander not Spike. He watched his boy leap through the air and onto Spike, snarling and trying to get to Spike's throat.

But Spike was quick and whirled around to catch Xander mid air with a punch into the chest. When Xander hit the floor, Spike was on top of him in full game face.

Xander gave a satisfied growl and twisted his head to the side again. He was sure that Spike was either going to bite him or he was going to bite Spike. He didn't feel he was ready to take Spike's place though, yet.

Spike bit into Xander’s neck, more to prove that he was in charge rather than to take blood. When he had pulled away, Xander’s blood was dripping from his mouth. “I’m in charge!” he hissed and slapped Xander across the face.

"Yes, Sire. I belong to Angel, but we both belong to you," Xander said with a grin as he waited calmly for Spike to get up.

Spike huffed and got off of Xander. “Control him, Angel. If he so much as looks at me funny, I’ll beat him bloody.”

"I won't need to control him. He needed to know we were both part of your pack, or he had to make you part of his pack," Angel said. "Now that you've claimed him he won't do that again as long as you're a good leader, right Xander?"

Xander had moved off of the floor and started to rub against Angel. “Of course not,” he said innocently.

"Just go get your blood," Spike snarled. "Be back here in two hours and no talking to your old friends." He staked out the door to find something to eat and get some time to think about things. He wasn't sure when he'd lost control, but he'd defiantly lost it.

*

When Spike came back into the room he’d left Angel and Xander in, he found them fucking. Angel had Xander laid out over a table and was fucking him viciously. Bite marks scattered over Xander’s shoulders and they were both in game face.

"Bloody hell, you two did eat before you started fucking didn't you?" Spike yelled from the doorway.

“Yeah, yeah…” Xander yelled back. “Eat, fuck, eat, then fuck some more.”

"Manners," Angel said, cuffing Xander's head without stopping his movements.

Xander’s reply was to shove his hips back and purr, “Anything for you, Sire.”

"Yes, we ate and we got enough for a few days in case you want us to stay in or we travel," Angel grunted out. "You know if we stay here the others will find us eventually and you won't be able to trust us in a fight against our old friends."

“Angel…” Xander whined, not happy that he wasn’t the center of attention anymore.

Angel bit into Xander's shoulder and took a few deep pulls of blood while he increased his already frantic pace. He knew he needed to keep Xander quiet and finish so they, or at least he, could focus on Spike.

When they finished and collapsed in a heap, Spike was watching them with a cold gaze and smoking a cigarette. “Almost better then telly,” he commented.

Angel grinned back at Spike, the situation may have been different, but it brought back what could be called good times. He pulled Xander into his lap and petted him while watching Spike. "What would you like for me to do, Sire?" he asked.

“Quite coddling the boy for starters,” Spike said, flicking his cigarette onto the floor and stubbing it out with his boot.

"Every fledge deserves to be coddled," Angel said. "Don't you remember, William. I know Angelus was an asshole later, but for those first few weeks he coddled you. No matter what happened I tried to take care of you, or at least make sure you were alive."

“Was that between the whippings and beatings?” Spike sneered at Angel. “Oh wait, I remember now, you always told me I was a good boy if I didn’t scream too much, that the coddling you were referring to?”

"Yeah there was a lot of that, but not at first. Even after Angelus started to play it wasn't the same as it is now. We were both soulless then and if I'd never gotten a soul and left you wouldn't have cared about all that," Angel said. He moved Xander off his lap and walked to Spike. "I'm not really him, but I'm as close as you're going to get take your revenge on. I won't fight you, Sire."

“Ah, fuck,” Spike sighed. “That just proves you’re nothing like Angelus. Guess you’re just my Poof now.”

Angel nodded his agreement and stood calmly, waiting for orders. He could smell Spike's arousal, but he knew better then to initiate anything. It wasn't his place any more.

"Right then, take your boy to the bedroom, and both of you get your gear off," Spike said. "I'll be in shortly and no playing between the two of you while you wait for me."

“Are we going somewhere, Sire?” Angel asked. He was still a mish-mash of feelings and contradictions. He remembered being Spike’s Sire and enemy, but now he had to deal with the reality of being Spike’s Childe. As Angel he had responsibilities to the Powers That Be, but now he had to worry about Xander.

"Don't worry about that, poof. Right now I'm planning on giving you a good coring," Spike said. "Seeing you and the boy reminded me that I haven't been paying you enough attention."

“Oh, really?” Angel asked. “There really hasn’t been any time to pay attention to us.”

"Got time now. Get in there, and get ready. Make sure your boy knows how to behave for me," Spike said as he whirled around to give his few minions a some new orders.

“Come on, Xander,” Angel coaxed when Xander hesitated.

Xander wanted to protest, but he'd seen Spike spin around as soon as Angel had said anything. He knew Spike was glaring at them both, and, if he made a stink, Angel would be the one to suffer. Swallowing his desire to tell Spike to fuck off, he stood up and said, "Yes, Sire."

When they were alone in the room, Xander turned to Angel to tell him. “I don’t like him touching you.” He started to run his hands over Angel’s chest.

"It's not your choice, and you know it," Angel said. He couldn't bring himself to say he didn't want it. Angel loved Xander, but Angelus lusted for Spike, even more now that Spike was his Sire. "You piss him off and he'll fuck you, too. Neither of us wants that. You do as you're told and keep your growls to yourself, understand, Childe?"

“I will not always be under his thumb,” Xander growled. “One day I will challenge him for the pack…”

"I don't mind," Angel said trying to explain. "It's his place, but I don't want you forcing him to do more with you then biting you."

“He isn’t my real Sire,” Xander whispered, starting to nuzzle Angel’s neck. “I remember you biting me.”

"And that's why he'll leave you alone if you don't piss him off. That includes starting something he told us not to," Angel said. "Now strip down and get in bed." This time Angel used a growl to re-enforce his command.

Xander whined softly when he drew away from Angel, but he started to strip. It was pretty damn clear now that he would be forced to watch Spike fuck Angel.

"That's a good boy," Angel said when they were both naked. "Just remember, Spike could be making this a lot worse."

Spike sauntered in completely naked, finding Angel and Xander wrapped around each other and already hard. “Guess that’s one way to greet your Sire.”

Angel deftly ended the kiss and pushed Xander to the side of the bed against the wall. Once Xander was as out of the way as he could get him, Angel got off the bed and knelt at the edge of it. He remembered making Spike take the same position many years ago.

“Now that’s a sight,” Spike purred, reaching out and stroking his cock. “And without prompting…”

Angel waited until Spike had moved closer, then reached out, not quite touching. "May I, Sire?" he asked softly, licking his lips for emphasis.

“Yeah,” Spike agreed. “Use your mouth to start with.”

Angel snuck a quick glare at Xander when he heard a tiny growl, then focused on the task at hand. He swallowed Spike's cock smoothly and started pistoning his mouth up and down over it. He'd known exactly what Spike liked for over a hundred years, even if Angelus would seldom indulge Spike. Now he didn't have to worry about status and focused on making Spike enjoy this more then any blowjob he'd ever had before.

The lovely things about being a vampire was that he could cum and not have to worry about recovering time. Spike came deep inside of Angel’s mouth and was able to stay hard.

It was good, really good, and for a minute Spike didn't even realize Angel was going for round two without ever changing position. It had some appeal, but Spike had other ideas for the rest of the night and tugged at Angel's head. "Enough of that. Get up on the bed on all fours," Spike said with a slow smirk. He knew he had to be careful in his handling of Xander if he wanted to control them both, but he had to display his control at the same time. "Have your boy use his tongue to get you ready for me, and both your cocks better remain untouched."

Xander was torn momentarily between wanting to touch Angel and deep-seated need to disobey Spike on any order. But then he looked at Angel who was in the middle of the bed with his legs spread. Angel was far too tempting and with a soft growl, Xander obeyed Spike’s order.

"That's it, boy," Spike purred. He knew he was pushing Xander to the brink of rebelling, but he was going to make sure he just pushed to the brink. He didn't want to actually mess this little scene up.

Xander prepared Angel with his tongue until Spike told him to stop. But his little rebellion was to bite Angel’s cheek with is fangs, marking Angel before Spike could take him.

Spike growled and cuffed Xander's head hard enough to toss him against the wall. "You'd best teach him to behave himself soon," he hissed to Angel as he shoved into him one movement.

“He’s just a fledge,” Angel tried to justify Xander rash behaviour.

"Focus on me, not him," Spike said as he picked up the pace. He was leaning over Angel's back, biting at his neck. He could feel Xander's mix between lust and anger which made taking Angel that much sweeter. He kept his pace rough, a mirror of Angelus from hundreds of years ago. They were both pushing toward the brink together, but Spike didn't plan to stop after the first time. He didn't plan to stop until Angel begged.

There was a point when pain and pleasure merged. Every time Spike’s cock brushed against his prostate Angel wanted to wail, but he kept his mouth shut. Even now he had some pride… that was until he reached the point he didn’t care about his pride anymore. He only wanted to cum. “Sire, please…” he begged quietly.

Spike waited another minute to make his point before he came and ordered Angel to come as well.

When they were both collapsed on the bed, Spike lying on Angel’s back, Angel looked over to see Xander watching them. Xander was in game face with his eyes glowing green. He was also hard and growling continuously, but he hadn’t interfered.

Angel shook his head minutely when Xander started to move. He knew that Spike would be sound asleep soon. He always fell asleep after sex like that. Once Angel was sure he was out, he slid out from under Spike and moved over to pull Xander into his arms. "Quietly," Angel whispered, then pulled Xander's head to his neck and started stroking him with one hand.

Xander whimpered quietly and ran his fangs along Angel’s throat, but didn’t dare bit him without permission. He wanted and needed to taste Angel’s blood again. It called to him just as deeply as Angel’s touch did.

With a quick push of one hand, Angel forced Xander's fangs into his neck. The boy had been good and he wanted to be stay quiet and keep Spike from waking up. He let Xander take several mouthfuls of blood while he came. After that he wrapped himself totally around Xander, with Xander and Spike on opposite sides of the bed.

When Spike woke up, he didn’t have the sweet form of Angel under him like he had expected. Instead he looked over to see Angel wrapped around Xander. He could smell that Xander had cum and also taken blood from Angel.

Angel woke up as soon as Spike had, and carefully shook Xander awake before rolling over to face Spike. "Good evening, Sire," he said carefully. He could tell Spike was upset, but he was not sure why.

“Yeah, whatever,” Spike said. He was already rolled off of the bed and searching for his cigarettes.

Angel nudged Xander with an elbow and Xander got the hint. "Good evening, Master Spike." Xander's greeting was polite enough, but lacked the warmth of Angel's greeting.

“Enjoyed yourself, I see,” Spike said. He finally found his cigarettes and lit one up.

"Do you have any plans we're involved in?" Angel asked as he extracted himself from Xander and sat up. He wasn't sure if Spike wanted him coming any closer while he was pissed off, but Angel figured he could at least show Spike he was ready.

Spike recognized that he was pissed off and it pissed him off even more when he realized why. He had woken up alone, with his Childer wrapped around each other. They should be devoted to him, not each other. Instead of devotion, he got cold politeness at best. But he was the Big Bad and didn’t beg for something like cuddling.

“If I leave ya here, you’ll just shag, won’t ya?” Spike growled.

Angel grinned for a fleeting second as he felt Xander's reaction to the idea. He smoothed his expression quickly, but not fast enough from the way Spike's growl increased. "You could stay," Angel offered hesitantly.

“You stay put, fuck each others brains out,” Spike snapped and stomped out the room.

"We have to obey him right?" Xander asked as he moved around to offer his neck to Angel. As far as he could tell Spike was just being as annoying as usual and he wasn't going to worry about him.

“I think that we have to understand him now more than obey him,” Angel answered. Something was bothering Spike, but, despite all of his threats, he hadn’t done anything to really harmed either of them.

*

"Angel?" Xander called out from the bathroom where he was taking a shower. Spike had left as soon as the sun went down, as he had been for the last two days, and Angel had gone out for blood. Xander hadn't expected him back this quick and something felt off. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist before darting out of the bathroom. "Master, I'm sorry," Xander said and dropped to his knees when he ran into the vampire.

“Oh, bloody hell. Get up,” Spike spat in disgust. “It’s not like ya mean it anyways.”

"Why the hell wouldn't… I mean, may I speak, Master?" Xander said as he got to his feet, but held his ground.

“It’s more of an insult when you pretend to respect me,” Spike said.

“I respect you. That's why I don't pretend to like you, but I do what you tell me too. If I didn't respect you I'd either be trying to disobey you, or pretending I did like you," Xander answered. He was still holding his ground, but he wasn't sure he'd survive Spike's reaction to his honestly. Angel had even been worried about how Spike had been acting since they'd been turned.

Spike’s reaction wasn’t to hit Xander, but started to laugh. “At least you’re an honest lil’ shit!”

Emboldened by Spike's response, Xander risked another question. "Are you mad because I don't like you? Angel says something's bugging you but he doesn't know what."

“Nothing's bothering me,” Spike snapped. “Don’t have normal Childer, so shouldn’t expect a normal relationship.”

"Other then the capturing and the threatened torture and the turning, which are not so bad now that I'm all turned, you've been pretty decent. Am I doing something wrong?"

“Just not acting like a normal Childe,” Spike answered and the realized this could be taken as a possible weakness. “But it don’t matter.”

"Angel was right," Xander said quietly, almost to himself. "It's because I haven't been doing that stuff with you." With a look that was a combination of determination and fear, he sank to his knees in front of Spike.

“Angel’s a dense prick sometimes,” Spike snapped. “I told ya, if ya don’t meant it, I don’t want it. Just do what you’re told. You’ll never be some adoring, obedient Childe.”

"You claimed me fairly. If this is what you want then I want you to have it," Xander said as he started to lower the zipper on Spike's jeans.

Spike had his principles, but he wasn’t about to turn down a blowjob, especially when he hadn’t even tried out Xander yet. “If you even think about biting my cock…”

"Wouldn't do that," Xander said quietly. "Angel wouldn't like it if I did that." Before Spike could answer, he swallowed Spike down to the root, using every trick Angel had taught him in the last few days.

Angel walked into the room to see Spike fucking Xander’s mouth. He might have intervened, if Xander wasn’t in control. Anyone else taking in the scene would have though Xander’s position on his knees was naturally submissive, but the dazed look on Spike’s face was enough to know that Xander had obviously been the aggressor.

Spike managed to open his eyes enough to glare at Angel and motion him over. "Get on the bed and get ready," he said to Angel. "Soon as I'm done here it's your turn."

“Yes, Sire,” Angel answered and started to strip off his clothes. Part of his consolation and torment was that Xander was obviously enjoying himself.

Xander had to stifle a growl when Spike pulled out before he was done to go over to Angel. He knew he'd done a good job and Spike wasn't even going to finish. Xander wanted to push Spike back down, even if he couldn't.

Spike pointed at Angel and started to move towards the bed. “You’ll take his mouth, while I fuck him,” Spike instructed.

"Shouldn't it be me in the middle?" Xander asked hesitantly. It didn't feel right for him to be taking Angel like that and especially not in front of someone else.

“It’s time you remember that you’re both equal in my eyes,” Spike told him, glaring at Xander directly in the eye.

"Do what he says," Angel said from the bed. "It's his right and you know it."

Spike reached out and traced his thumb along Xander’s lips. “Don’t you want to feel his pretty mouth on your cock?”

"Yes, Master," Xander said as he got in position. He was back to being polite but unenthusiastic.

Spike grabbed the back of Angel’s head and pulled him back using his hair. “Make it good for him, Peaches.”

"Always," Angel murmured, looking at Xander not Spike.

Spike entered Angel without any preparation. He smiled when Angel howled, both out of pain and pleasure. He also smack Angel’s ass to get his attention. “Don’t forget your boy. If you make it good, he might want to play again.”

Angel started working on Xander's cock, trying to get him to at least relax some. At the same time he had to keep paying attention to Spike enough to keep him happy too. What finally seemed make Xander stop glaring at Spike was one simple finger worked into his ass. Despite the tension, Angel had to admit the entire situation was rather hot.

Xander made sure to control himself as he started to get close. He was pretty sure that Spike should be the one the come first so he had to focus. From the look Spike gave him, Spike knew how close he was and was planning on drawing things out.

Angel wasn’t sure how long everything lasted, but by the time they were finished, they had each cum at least three times. Xander had cum in his mouth and then ended up in the middle of the same position.

As soon as Spike pulled out of Xander and flopped onto his back, Xander rolled over Angel so he and Spike were on opposite sides. When he didn't hear a complaint, he snuggled up against Angel, pressing kisses along his neck.

“He’s like a goddamn puppy,” Spike mumbled, fighting back the urge to sleep. “All drool.”

"I'll make sure he doesn't drool on you," Angel said as he rolled the two of them to the far side of the bed and started thrusting languidly against Xander. Even after the previous rounds of sex they were slowly hardening again.

Spike had the urge to growl and pull his Childer to his side where they belonged. It was like he was the only one who felt the pull of the Sire-Childe bond. He didn’t want to have to snip at them all the time. He wanted to touch them and not be spurned. Overall, it just pissed him off even more.

“Get out of my bed!” he growled. “You can both sleep on the goddamn floor.”

Xander looked like he wanted to protest for a minute. After all he'd just let Spike do pretty much whatever he wanted with him and now he was getting kicked out of bed for it. His demon seemed to be providing some sense of self-preservation though so he kept his mouth shut as he grabbed a pillow and moved to the floor with Angel. "Why's he still mad?" he asked so quietly he mistakenly assumed Spike couldn't hear him.

“You know what? You two take the fucking bed, I’m outta here,” Spike growled, storming out of the bed. He couldn’t take it. They were making him mad. They didn’t even know how proper fledges were supposed to act or that he wanted them to do.

Angel waited until Spike had left before answering Xander's question. "I really don't know why he's mad. We haven't done anything we're not supposed to and we've obeyed him. It's even more confusing being his Childe then it was being his Sire."

“Did you two act like this when you where his Sire?” Xander asked.

"Kind of, he was always clingy which is why I'd push him away, but we haven't done that to him. I'll try to talk to him tomorrow," Angel said as he pulled Xander back up onto the bed.

“Do you like it when I cling to you?” Xander asked. He thought he might have a reason in mind why Spike was agitated.

"Of course I do," Angel said, nuzzling at Xander's neck. "But I have a soul."

“Spike’s always been pretty girly for a vampire. Dru used to be all over him and he loved it. Maybe he wants his Childer to act like fledges?” Xander reasoned. “He kept saying we didn’t act like regular fledges.”

"He wants me to act like some newly turned fledge?" Angel asked in amazement.

“Duh, aren’t you a newly turned fledge?” Xander pointed out.

"As are you," Angel growled. "Just because I have a soul doesn't mean you don't need to address me properly." It wasn't what he meant to say, but he needed a minute to think about the fact that their problems could be that simple.

“Sorry, Sire,” Xander answered. “But do we even really need him?”

"He's my Sire, and my Childe at the same time. I don't want to leave him after he's been almost nice to us," Angel said. "We're meant to be with him, I think."

“Then we should make him treat us better,” Xander said, jumping to a simple logic in his head.

"He is treating us fine. We, or at least I, just need to act more like a fledge with him," Angel said with a small smile.

“You mean, all needy and dependent?” Xander asked with a disgusted look on his face.

"Just acting like I want too, the same way you should be acting with me. I was trying not to pressure him, but he is my Sire. I want to be pampered some. I'm sure he won't expect you to act the same way if you don't want to."

“Problem solved then,” Xander said, cuddling even closer to Angel. “Spike’s a wuss and we have to be even bigger wusses.”

Angel sighed softly as he pulled Xander even closer. The boy was going to get himself in trouble soon, but Angel didn't see anyway to explain things so he'd understand without Spike possibly beating it into him.

*

“Have a comfy sleep?” Spike asked sarcastically as he came in shortly after dawn. He reeked of cheap whiskey and blood.

"Yes, Sire," Angel said as he got out of bed to start undressing Spike. "Would you like a bath?" He was stroking Spike's body as he removed his clothes. It was surprising how easy it was to fall into the roll when he just let himself do as he wanted.

“What do ya want?” Spike asked suspiciously.

"I just want to please you, Sire," Angel answered. He knew Spike was going to be suspicious, but was sure that he'd get used to things pretty quickly.

“Did he bump his head?” Spike asked Xander, who was quietly watching from the bed.

"No, he's just being himself, Master," Xander said. He still wasn't sure Angel had the right idea, but it was what Angel wanted and it seemed to be keeping Spike off balance so it couldn't be to bad.

“I think you’re trying to play me,” Spike mumbled, but he was already starting to caress Angel’s face.

Angel didn't bother to answer. Spike would not believe any protestations. Instead he started leading Spike into the bathroom. Once the water was on, he tugged Spike into the shower and started washing him off.

Angel to admit it was nice that Spike was touching him. The touches started out as if Spike was just using Angel so he wouldn’t fall down on the slippery tile, but then the touches became more personal and possessive.

They were both hard by the time they were clean, but Spike didn't hint that he wanted Angel to do anything. He wanted to see what his Childe had planned. He let Angel dry him off then led him back to the bedroom. "So, pet, what would you like to do?" Spike asked when they were standing next to the bed.

“Would you like to taste my blood, Sire?” Angel asked, tilting back his head. It was the ultimate form of submission for any vampire.

Xander watched as the two of them fed from each other then fucked. He didn't mind really. It wasn't bad entertainment, but, throughout it and afterwards, neither of them paid any attention to him. Finally, Xander started scooting across the bed to where Spike was wrapped around Angel. As soon as he got close, Spike started glaring at him, and Xander stopped, curling up on himself just inches from the two of them.

*

The next few days slowly drove Angel to the brink. Xander and Spike seemed addicted to him and he could only keep one of them happy at a time. He was getting frustrated trying to balance the two of them. He wasn't sure if it was his distraction or just bad luck that caused him to get skewered, repeatedly, by a Fr'th'd demon they were fighting. He was vaguely aware he'd collapsed to the ground as his Sire and his Childe tore apart the demon that had hurt him.

Spike carried Angel back to the lair, following closely by Xander. When he laid him down on the bed, Spike started to caress his hair. “Don’t know what’s wrong with him,” he said.

"You're wearing him out," Xander snapped. He'd been genuinely much politer with Spike, just disagreeing over Angel, but he seemed to think that let him speak his mind when he felt like he needed to.

“This is all your fucking fault!” Spike snapped. “I’m his Sire, he’s supposed to spend time with me, not waste his energy with you.”

Xander tried to push Spike away from Angel as he slipped into game face. "I'm his Childe. You just turned him for revenge. You didn't even want him so what does it matter?"

“This is why he’s torn apart,” Spike growled back. “His loyalty should be focused on just me, not some wanna-be Childe.”

"You already tried to take him from me once," Xander snarled. "Try it again and I'll kill you myself."

“Kill me and ya kill Angel too, dumbass,” Spike said. “He needs me.”

Xander leapt on Spike, using surprise to knock him to the floor. His demon rebelled at attack Spike, but the hyena wanted him dead. He was threatening their mate. "Mine, not yours," Xander growled again as he tried to sink his fangs into Spike's throat.

Spike grabbed Xander by the back of the head and restrained him. He had come to accept that he would have to tolerate Xander somewhat if he wanted Angel, so it was damn time the boy accepted that fact as well. “He belongs to both of us!”

"You know he's mine," Xander gloated, as he tried to break free of Spike's grasp. "If he wasn't you'd have dusted me already, but you know you'd lose him forever then."

“And you know he can’t leave me,” Spike responded, tightening his grip. “If he could, he would have already.”

Xander didn't have and answer for that, he just struggled harder. Spike let him wear himself out then flipped over, pinning Xander to the floor. "Only problem I see here is not treating you like my Childe from the start. I'm going to fuck you, just you and me, and you're gonna like it," Spike said almost calmly.

“Fuck off!” Xander spat, his eyes glowing as green as they ever had. “I won’t submit!”

Spike bent down and bit into Xander's neck, taking several deep pulls of blood. He ignored Xander's complaints and managed to tear one wrist open. There was no way a fledge could resist the scent of his Sire's blood, and Spike was glad to see that the same held true for a Xander too. "That's it. That's the same blood that created you," Spike said softly, taking advantage of Xander's relative calmness while focused on the blood.

Xander grabbed Spike’s wrist and started to suck the blood into his mouth, growling the entire time. Even pinned under Spike and drinking his Sire’s blood, he looked at Spike with defiant eyes.

"Enough," Spike said as he pulled his wrist away. "You're my Childe just like him. Your blood knows it." Spike stood up and watched Xander. "Take off your clothes and then mine, Childe."

Xander hissed at Spike, snapping at him with his fangs and trying to grab back Spike’s wrist. “More!”

"I told you to take off your clothes," Spike growled, advancing on Xander.

Part of Xander was telling him that now that Spike was finally asserting his authority, it would be so easy to obey him. Things would be so easy… but the other part of his brain was telling him to fight.

"You know you need to do this. I've shown you can trust me," Spike said. He knew things would be easier if Xander gave in but he was going to be ready either way.

“You’ll try and take him away from me,” Xander said. Those both knew who he was talking about.

"This isn't about him, boy." Spike reached down and ripped Xander's shirt off. "This is about you knowing that you both belong to me which means you'll stay together, but at my side."

“Pack?” Xander asked Spike uncertainly. He wanted to hear Spike finally say that they were a pack. A pack didn’t always get along, but they always stayed together.

"My bloody pack, my bloody Childer," Spike growled, frustrated that the boy was still talking. At least he wasn't protesting as Spike pulled off the rest of his clothes. He undid his pants and let them pool around his ankles. "Now get me wet, boy. Screw this up and I'm fucking you dry."

Something seemed to click inside of Xander. He wasn’t suddenly in love with Spike, but he had a new respect for him as Sire and leader of the pack. He took Spike’s cock into his mouth and started to purr.

"That's it," Spike encouraged. He started running his hands through Xander's hair and over his face. "Getting me nice and wet, just like I asked. You can be a good Childe, can't you?"

Xander hated that he craved Spike’s praise, and that a part of him recognized Spike as his Sire. He sucked harder and purposely nicked the head of Spike’s cock with his fangs.

Spike let Xander get a few drops of blood then pulled him off. "Now, take the rest of my clothes off and get on all fours," Spike said.

Xander listened to Spike this time. The demon in him wanted to taste Spike’s blood again. As he positioned himself on all fours, he looked up at Spike over his shoulder, his eyes still challenging.

Spike chuckled at the look in Xander's eyes. "Don't worry, boy. I like you with a bit of backbone, as long as you don't fight me too much we'll be fine," he said to Xander as he pushed in fast enough to make him feel it.

As a slight protest, Xander reached down and started to caress his own cock. Spike hadn’t told him he couldn’t, so he wasn’t exactly disobeying him.

Spike took advantage of Xander's distraction to slam into him hard enough to shatter his balance. "You'll enjoy it more if you let me take of that," Spike purred as he kept pressing Xander hard enough to make him work to get back on all fours.

Spike worked Xander’s body like the Master vampire he was. By the time he was finished with Xander, the fledging was covered in bite marks, had cum three times and was collapsed on the floor.

As soon as Spike pulled out, Xander rolled onto his back. His stare wordlessly asked Spike for the blood he craved.

“If you’re a good boy, it good be like this all the time,” Spike said, offering his wrist to Xander. “Angel wouldn’t be so torn apart…”

Nothing was said as Xander fed from Spike, but he thought about it. Spike was right. Angel would be happier if he and Spike were not fighting over his attention all the time. There was no way he was going to tell Spike that though. Instead, when they were done and getting in bed he showed it by curling up against Spike with Angel on the other side.

Hours later, when Angel woke up from his healing sleep, he looked across Spike into Xander's eyes. Angel wasn't sure what had gone on while he was asleep, but, as Xander leaned over to start kissing him over Spike's body while Spike ran his hands over both of them, he knew something had changed for the better. He smiled at Xander as they kept staring at each other while nuzzling Spike's chest. For the first time since Spike had shown up he didn't feel pulled between the two of them.



The End