In the distant future

William Bowen stood, disconsolate, in the center of what was once his sitting room. He surveyed the destruction, searching for anything still in one piece. Finally, with a spark of hope lighting his tearstained face, he moved quickly to the pile of stone that had been his hearth. Digging frantically through the rubble, he pulled out an urn. The seal was still intact. With a sigh of relief, he set it down and kept digging.

When he had found all five of the urns, undamaged, he rocked back on his heels and stared at them, tears flowing unrepentantly. He was very glad that he had gone to the expense, some years back, to transfer the remains of his loved ones into urns of Persephone China.

‘Unbreakable stuff, that. Good on me, eh?’ he thought, as he brushed away the tears with dirty hands. Leaving the urns lined up in a neat little row, he stood and went to search the rest of the ruined house.

His bedroom was in shambles. Even his clothes had been shredded. He had nothing, now, except the clothes on his back and what little he kept on his shuttle.

The kitchen was destroyed. Nothing except his Persephone China has survived. He knew this, not because it was there, but because it was not. They had taken it. Every last piece…

‘Soddin’ ungrateful bloody pillocks!’

As his eyes wandered over a pile of twisted metal in the corner of the room, he burst into hysterical laughter.

“They took the china!” he roared. “They took the china and destroyed the box,” he fell to the floor laughing uncontrollably. “They destroyed somethin’ more valuable than their whole fuckin’ planet,” he continued though his laughter, “but they took the soddin’ china!”

When he finally stopped laughing, he rolled to his feet and stared at the remains of the ‘box’. It was - or had been - his second most prized possession. His was the only one he knew of that didn’t belong to a state of the art medical facility or lab.

A tissue replicator.

It kept him alive.

It kept him sane.

“I shoulda bought two,” he murmured, desolately.

Now how would he survive? He couldn’t bear the thought of killing again. Not even the ignorant citizens of the village who had been his neighbors. Neighbors, but not friends. Friends you could trust to not destroy everything you owned while you were in the city on a supply run. Friends didn’t turn on you the moment they found out you were different. Friends stood by you. Friends trusted you.

He knew that. He had had friends once.

Those precious urns in the sitting room stood as testimony to that fact. He wondered, wearily, if he would ever have friends again. He was so alone. So lonely.

He had lived in this village for nearly a decade. Then, not long ago, a young girl had been attacked by a wild animal. He rescued her. He killed the beast. But he had shown his true nature in the act.

And now they feared him.

He should have realized. He should have expected this. But he had given them the benefit of the doubt. He thought they only needed time. He was so sure they would come to realize he was the same man he had always been.

The one who used his personal shuttle to make the monthly supply runs required by the village. The one who always knew just how to treat any injury or illness. The one who told the children stories of long, long ago on balmy evenings by the bonfire.

The one who had never once, in all the years that he had lived among them, ever harmed a living soul.

But they didn’t. They destroyed his home. They destroyed his replicator - his means of survival.

They broke his heart.

He returned to the sitting room to collect the urns. He walked out to the shuttle, holding them carefully in his arms - as if they were the most precious things in the galaxy.

To him, they were.

He placed the urns carefully onto their protected shelf in the shuttle’s main room. Once they were safely in place, he went to the cockpit and started the engines. He lifted off into the night sky. He made certain to buzz the town on his way out. They needed to know they had forfeited this months supplies. He grinned evilly as they ran for cover.

It wasn’t much, as revenge went, but it would have to do. He was tempted to kill them all. So he left, never to return.

Perhaps in the city he could find passage to another world. This one had just lost it’s appeal.

Ten days later

The night was new and the city was bustling with activity. It wasn’t much of a city by Alliance standards. In fact, it was little more than an overgrown village. But it had a small spaceport and half a dozen spacer bars and that was all he really needed.

He didn’t have much time. Soon, the need to feed would overwhelm him. He needed to find passage off-world quickly. The sooner he was in stasis, the better.

He wandered down the street, not really paying attention to where he was going. Eventually he would find his way to his favorite bar - the one where the bartender knew him and the regular clientele knew better than to mess with him. But for now, he walked, trying to get himself under control. His stash had run out six days ago and he was hungry. Very hungry.

Then he smelled it. Terror. It poured out of the alley he was about to pass. Stopping, he turned an looked carefully into the darkness. The girl was young - no more than fourteen - and too frightened to even whimper. The man who held her didn’t seem to notice. He just grinned maniacally as he continued to cut her clothes off with his knife.

Rage swept through William. In a flash of speed, he hurtled into the alley and pulled the man off her. He held knife away from the girl as his grip crushed the man’s wrist.

“Run!” he hissed at her. Her eyes were wide with terror as she darted out of the alley. William shoved the man, face first, against the wall. “I can’t begin to tell you just how bad an idea that was, mate,” he growled into his ear, pushing him so that the man’s face scraped against the rough surface. “But that’s alright,” he soothed. “I was awfully hungry.”

The man never saw the glowing yellow eyes or the fangs that sank into his neck, efficiently piercing the carotid artery. He was dead in seconds.

And William was sated, his conscience clear… Almost.

The sleek shuttle lifted away from the ship as it rose into the atmosphere. Gracefully, it settled back to land as the ship left the planet. The shuttle pilot sighed. Now he had to find another ship to travel with. The Hokniss was headed back into the central Alliance and he needed to stay on the rim. He wouldn’t find what he was looking for if he went back. He stretched his large frame out across the shuttle’s comfortable bed and tried to rest.

When night fell, he secured the shuttle and headed into town. His size tended to be intimidating and the locals gave him a wide berth. He paused, watching a small group of off-worlders conducting business with a local merchant. There were two men and two women. One of the men was as large as he, himself, and the other was smaller, blond and seemed easygoing. One of the women wore a flowing dress. Her dark hair seemed to float around her shoulders. She epitomized grace and beauty. Next to her, the other woman seemed clumsy and inept. And quite plain. Odd, because she was actually a very pretty girl. But anyone looks plain next to a goddess.

He smiled. “Inara?” he called softly.

The goddess turned at the sound of her name. When she saw him, her eyes went wide and she gasped. With a squeal of joy, she ran to him, throwing herself into his arms without fear or hesitation. The big man watching almost growled. He would have to watch that one. The others just looked on in confusion.

Wide, innocent eyes searched his face as Inara drew back. “Are you alright? It’s so good to see you again! What are you doing here? Are you still searching or have you found-”

“Whoa, there,” he laughed. “I’m fine and it’s good to see you, too. And, no I haven’t. I’m still searching. I’m here because the ship I’ve been traveling with decided to head back into the center and I need to stay out here. I’m looking for another ship to hook up with. Know of any?” His eyes twinkled with mirth at her exuberance.

“Inara?” the other woman asked. “Obviously you know this fella. Care to make any introductions?”

The large man’s glower deepened and the blond seemed to find that terribly amusing.

Then a dark-skinned woman, beautiful enough to compete with Inara, walked up and, kissing the blond lightly, said, “Yes, Inara,” she smiled. “Do introduce us to your friend.”

His eyes were wide with shock as he watched her. Inara looked up at him, puzzled. The dark beauty frowned her confusion, a wary look in her eyes at his expression. He shook his head. “I apologize,” he said quickly. “It’s just your resemblance to-” he paused. “Someone I knew a long time ago… It’s astounding.”

“A lover?” the blond asked quickly, wrapping his arm around the woman’s waist.

He chuckled softly. “No. Mortal enemy, actually.” He grimaced. “She’s long dead.”

“Best kind,” the woman nodded to him. She had the stance of a warrior.

He nodded his approval with a smile. “You name isn’t Jasmine, is it?” he grinned.

She grinned back. “Nope. Zoe. This is my husband, Wash.”

Inara blushed. “Please forgive me,” she said turning back to her friends. “Zoe is the first officer of the ship I travel with. Wash is our pilot and navigator. This lovely girl is Kaylee. She is our ship’s engineer. And the big one is Jayne. He’s technically a mercenary, but he is a valued member of the crew.” She paused and took a deep breath. “Everyone? This is Angel. He’s a dear friend of mine. I’ve known him since I was a child.”

Angel was relieved to finally be settled. He shuttle was safely ensconced on the Serenity, a Firefly class trading vessel. He had been welcomed aboard when his ability to pay for the privilege became clear. That and the captain seemed to take Inara’s recommendations seriously. Not surprising, really. Her presence made his life and travels much easier.

He hadn’t had the opportunity to meet everyone yet. That would come soon enough. If things went as expected, they planned to depart this world come morning, three days hence, so he planned to use these last few nights to his advantage.

His search would continue.

And that was the whole point…

“So, let me get this straight,” Captain Mal Reynolds said, frowning across the table. It was very late and the saloon was almost empty. His voice sounded loud in the unusual quiet. “You’ll pay premium for transport until you find a world you want to settle on,” William nodded silently, “but you want to stay in cryo-stasis unless we are on a planet.”

“Or in the event of contact with a large Alliance facility. I need to make a purchase only they can facilitate. Also, I can be useful in a fight, so if it ever looks like you will be boarded, wake me immediately.”

Jayne shook his head doubtfully. He couldn’t see how this guy could be anything but trouble. ’Specially if he was friends with the Alliance. Mal shot him a look that clearly said, ‘Keep your fool mouth shut! He’s a paying customer!’ before he turned back to William.

“Fine. We wake you planetside, if we run into an Alliance Cruiser, or if we are boarded by enemies.”

“Sad…” The girl walked slowly around William, stroking her hand along his shoulders. “Alone…”

Jayne smirked at the girl, disdainfully. William couldn’t help but think he good give the man a few lessons on using smirking to one’s advantage. He smiled at the thought.

“River! Come back here,” her brother called, walking quickly over to pull her away.

“S’alright,” William assured him quietly. “Don’t bother me. Feels nice, actually. Familar-like.” Simon and Mal looked at him in confusion and Jayne snorted. “Really,” he assured them, calmly. “I have a lot of experience with this sort of thing.”

River smiled. “Not long, now.” Her voice turned fierce. “The dark champion is coming. So close. The seeker will find you. Soon. Soon - are you ready?” She paused for a long moment, grasping his shoulder, firmly. “Will you know?”

William looked up sharply. The girl had an almost vacant look in her eyes. Like she wasn’t really there. “How soon?” he asked, his tone conversational, soothing.

“Almost here,” she smiled, satisfied.

“That made sense to you?” Jayne demanded, incredulous.

“Of course,” William said, not looking away from the girl. With a soft smile, he gently brushed her hair away from her face. “You just have to know how to listen.”

River giggled and hugged William impulsively, then darted away. quickly. She didn’t stay away, though. She moved quickly back to his side. “Need you. Awake. Keep safe,” she insisted.

“No, child,” William said wearily. “I mustn’t be awake. I must sleep unless absolutely necessary. Otherwise, no one will be safe.”

“What does that mean?” Mal demanded. Jayne just frowned, confused.

William sighed. “You needn’t worry. I’m not a danger to you or yours. Just keep me in cryo until I’m needed.”

“It can take a while to come out from under,” Simon observed. “I’m a doctor. If you’re in cryo-stasis and we’re boarded, you won’t recover fast enough to be of any help.”

“Yes, I will,” William corrected easily. “I have an unusual cryo-resiliency. I can be awake and functional inside three minutes.”

“Really? That is unusual,” Simon observed quietly.

William chuckled softly. “That your way of sayin’ ‘impossible’?” he grinned. Simon looked up, blushing. “Thought so. Maybe this’ll convince you.” He offered Simon his hand.

Simon reached out and took it hesitantly. He looked up, startled by that first touch. Confused and shocked he resumed his inspection. The man’s hand was cool. He wasn’t sure how anyone could survive with a body temperature that low. Normal human body temperature was 37ºC and this man’s body temperature couldn’t be much above 15º C. Simon felt for his pulse. He was puzzled when he couldn’t locate it. He looked up into clear blue eyes, confused.

“You won’t find what you’re lookin’ for, Doc. It ain’t there.”

“That’s impossible,” Simon gasped.

“No. Just unusual. Like me,” William nodded. “Needn’t fear. I don’t bite.” He smiled. “Least, not often - and never friends.”

River danced around him again. “Don’t fear the monsters. The monsters fear him. Protects. Always protects.”

William shook his head slowly and smirked at her.

Jayne raised his eyebrows. He recognized a master when he saw one. Maybe he had underestimated this one. He wouldn’t do so again.

Mal rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll leave you under unless we’re planetside, attacked or meet an Alliance Cruiser. Then I’ll wake you. ’Less, it’s Reavers. Then I’ll leave ya under. Better to sleep through it.”

“NO!” William leaned toward Mal, eyes hard and determined. “If you are approached by Reavers, the very first thing you do is wake me! The second thing you do is gather your people and go to a defensible position. You barricade yourselves in and wait. I’ll deal with the Reavers and I’ll tell you when it’s safe to come out.”

Jayne, already forgetting his promise to himself, snorted in disbelief. “There is no way you would survive!”

“Didn’t you hear the gel? I’m the thing Reavers are afraid of!” He nodded firmly. “I’ll scare ’em off. Done it before; can do it again…”

Jayne swallowed hard. He believed him.

“That’s-” Mal looked from River to Simon in confusion. River was grinning broadly. She giggled. Simon frowned. Mal turned back to William and asked, “If Reavers are afraid of you, why should I trust you?”

“’Cause, unlike the Reavers, I’m not insane.” He smirked playfully at the captain. “I haven’t killed without cause in positively centuries.” He turned serious again, “Just keep me under until - unless - you need me, and everything will be just fine.”

“I’ll think on it,” Mal nodded. “I’ll have an answer for you tomorrow night.”

“Fair enough. I’ll meet you here, then.”

Mal nodded as he stood. He stretched out a hand to shake. William hesitated for a moment, then took it. A cold shiver went down Mal’s spine at the coolness of his skin. He didn’t let go. “What are you?” he demanded. “Are you an android?”

“I can’t really explain what I am, Captain. Just suffice it to say that I’m not an android - not in any way mechanical - and I won’t harm you or any of your people. Unless someone tries to harm me.” He shot a quick glance at Jayne. “I will defend m’self. Beyond that, is it really important?”

The tension in Mal’s shoulders melted away. He was fairly certain he could trust this - man - whatever he might be. He nodded once more. “Tomorrow night, then,” he said, withdrawing his hand.

“Tomorrow night.”

Once they were safely ensconced on Angel’s shuttle, in the Serenity’s shuttle bay, Angel locked it down. Will wandered around the shuttle taking in the plush accommodations. “I like your shuttle better than mine,” he muttered playfully. Angel grinned at him. Then Will’s eyes lit on something that astounded him. He rushed over to be sure. It was! Angel had a Box. A tissue replicator.

“Hungry, boy?”

A shiver ran down Will’s spine at the words. “Yes, Sire. My Box got smashed to bits when they trashed my home.”

Angel frowned. “Who trashed your home?”

And William told him.

By the time he was finished, Angel was ready to go kick some ignorant settler ass. Will was gratified by the intensity of his reaction. It proved to him that he really was loved.

“They took my china, though,” he muttered wistfully.

Angel’s eyes went wide. “They took the china?” he stammered in amazement.

“Yeah.”

“But they smashed the Box?” he asked, just for confirmation.

William nodded, fighting back a grin.

Angel howled with laughter. He actually fell down. Will sank down into a plush chair and laughed. “I rolled around on the floor a bit, m’self. Right stupid of ’em, eh?”

That just started him up again. When he finally regained his senses, Angel struggled to his feet and pulled Will into his arms and kissed him hard.

Releasing him, he turned to the Box and asked with a concerned smile, “How long since you fed, boy?”

“Three nights ago,” William muttered. “I killed.”

Angel snatched him by the arms and looked at him. His piercing eyes were inescapable. “Tell me!” he demanded.

“There was a girl… Chit couldna been more’n fourteen. Terror was pourin’ off her. Smelt it half a block away, I did! …He was about to rape her. Had her shoved against a wall and was cuttin’ her clothes off, Sire.” His voice was filled with indignation. “Had to stop him, didn’t I? And I was so hungry. It had been nearly a week since my supply ran out. I just-” He couldn’t continue. It hurt.

Angel crushed his boy against him and soothed him, purring. “You did right, Will. You had to stop him. The girl got away?” He nodded, miserably. “ Did she see you change?” Will’s head shook ‘no’ against Angel’s broad chest. “Good. And you disposed of the body?” Another nod. “Then there’s nothing to worry about. You did the right thing, boy. You did good.”

William looked up at Angel in astonishment. He approved? “Sire?”

“Men like that are no better than Reavers. They aren’t human anymore. They may as well be the worst sort of demons - they’re just as bad - evil. You did the right thing, Will.” Angel’s voice was firm and soothing. He was not just saying it. He meant it. Will could feel his sincerity. He smiled, hesitantly. Angel grinned at him. “Let’s get you fed, boy!” When Will’s face lit up, Angel couldn’t resist. He kissed him.

Angel replicated some dinner for them and they shared it, lovingly. It bordered on foreplay.

“I want you,” Angel said as they finished. “Now.”

William’s eyes filled with warmth. They flashed golden before bleeding back to blue as he began to strip. Angel’s eyes were wide with unrepentant lust by the time William was naked. When he began to lovingly strip his sire, Angel moaned in ecstasy. He sighed as Will pushed him gently into the chair so he could remove his boots. That left him wearing only his belt and tight leather pants. When William reached to unfasten his belt, Angel grinned. He tugged his boy down into his arms like a rag doll and kissed him deeply. He let him remove the belt, but when he reached to unfasten his pants, Angel’s hand closed over his and, at the shake of his sire’s head, Will stopped. He simply gave himself over to the kiss. He wanted to melt into him.

Finally, Angel rose to his feet, easily carrying Will over to the bed. Laying him down onto the soft coverlet, he followed, covering him with his larger frame. His lips sought Will’s anxiously. He was met with enthusiasm. Everything he gave, William returned in equal measure. They were truly well matched.

His hands stroked along Will’s body in a proprietary manner. Will didn’t seem to mind. “Yours,” he whispered nibbling at Angel’s neck. That pushed Angel over the edge into sheer dominance. He pushed Will’s legs up to his chest, roughly, and shoved a couple of pillows underneath his slim hips. Will sighed happily as Angel drew his legs back down to relax on the bed.

Angel grinned. “I want to be buried deep inside you when I make you mine.” Will groaned helplessly. He was hard as a rock and Angel had yet to even touch his cock. Angel looked at him, pleased. “I have all sorts of toys to play with, but we’ll save them for other occasions.” Angel slowly stripped out of his pants. He loved the feel of leather against his skin, so he wore nothing beneath them.

Will’s eyes widened at the sight of his sire’s erection. Over the course of nearly five decades, he had forgotten how large he was. Angel was perfectly proportioned, but, then, he was a very large man. In every respect. But it was only seconds before the surprise melted away as he remembered the feel of his sire’s long, thick cock inside him. He wanted to feel that again. He needed to feel it.

“This is a sacred moment,” Angel reminded him reverently. “Nothing but you and me. I can’t use lube, this time, lover. You know that, right? It’ll have to be spit and blood.”

“I know! I don’t care! It’s been so long, Angel. And I need you so! I don’t care how much it hurts! I’ll heal!”

Angel gave him a sharp look. “I care how much it hurts! I don’t want our Mating to start with pain. I want it to start with pure love and pleasure. I want you to love this, Will! I need you to love this!”

“Oh, Annnggel! Just DO it! I need you inside me! I need to feel you - to know you’re-” He gasped as Angel slipped a spit-slicked finger inside him. Angel’s long finger unerringly found his prostate and began to torture him with wave after wave of intense pleasure.

Angel slowed but did not stop, as he draped his long body along Will’s and nuzzled at his neck. Will just kept whimpering helplessly. “Oh, gods, Will! Do you know what that does to me?” Angel groaned against him. “All those little noises you make… Drives me wild, boy. Want you so much. Need you, Will. Not ever lettin’ ya go, boy. You’re MINE!”

Will wrapped his arms around Angel and drew their lips together in a passionate kiss. “Always yours, Sire. Always yours,” he murmured against Angel’s lips as he bucked up, riding his hand. He sobbed out, “Too much! Too close, Love! Please!”

Angel shifted back a little, watching as Will’s eyes closed and his face clenched with the effort to hold back. Will sobbed again when he gently pulled his finger out. “Angel! Oh, god!”

“Hush, now, m’boy. Need a moment, here,” Angel whispered to him, “and those precious noises drive me wild. Need-” Will whimpered again, unable to help himself. Angel groaned against his ear and came. “Ah, Will… What you do to me!”

William felt the wetness spread out over his hip and side where Angel pressed against him. His moan was filled with frustration and a little fear. Angel scented it and stroked his skin comfortingly. The purr started deep in his chest and Will slowly quieted, secure in his Sire’s embrace.

“Ah, my lovely boy…” Angel soothed. “Now we have a third choice, then, don’t we?”

William chuckled low in his throat. “S’pose so.” Need was still tormenting him. He was hard and wanting and Angel just held him, caressing his skin possessively - not seducing, but still the most erotic feeling. “Please, Sire,” he begged quietly. “Please…”

Angel sighed contentedly, sitting up as his hand drifted down William’s body to firmly grasp his erection. Will moaned as his thumb brushed, hard, across the leaking tip. Tightening his grip until his boy gasped in sweet pain, he pulled back on the foreskin and moved to take the head into his mouth. Will cried out, wordlessly, in abandonment as Angel sucked hard and he came, shooting helplessly into his sire’s waiting mouth.

But Angel didn’t swallow. He caught every drop and held it in his mouth until Will collapsed bonelessly against the bed. He moved, purposefully, to a position between Will’s legs. He carefully rearranged his position on the pillows, pushing his legs against his chest and tilting his ass upward, allowing his cock to rest flat against his well-muscled belly. Will wrapped his arms around his legs, holding them up and apart, giving Angel clear access to his entrance.

Being careful not to spill, Angel slipped two fingers into his mouth, lubricating them with Will’s cum. Then, he stretched his cheeks apart with his other hand and quickly pressed the two fingers deep inside his lover. Will howled as they pressed against his prostate. Angel was relentless, brushing and pressing and tapping against that small spot, as he carefully stretched Will’s hole. He watched in satisfaction as Will hardened. Intent on his task and the lovely sounds his boy was giving him, he almost went too far. Utilizing all his speed, he reached up and grabbed Will’s cock, hard, bringing him quickly back from the edge. Will sighed in both relief and frustration.

Then, deliberately, Angel lowered his mouth to Will’s hole, quickly removing his fingers. Using both hands to hold Will open, he pressed his pursed lips to him and, with muscles preternaturally designed for the suction of feeding, he pushed the remaining cum into Will’s body. When he was sure Will was well-lubricated, he slid his hand along his hip, scooping up enough of his own cum to slick his penis.

By this time, Will was shaking. His eyes were clenched shut and his face was drawn with the agony of waiting. Angel looked down at him, pleased. His heart swelled with love. He didn’t have the words to describe how much he adored this man. And to see him, spread out beneath him, waiting, aching to be taken - claimed - loved, was almost more than he could bear.

“Will,” he said softly. There was no response. “Boy!” he said, louder, more harshly. Will’s eyes shot open to meet his. Angel’s expression was filled with love as it softened into an adoring smile. “Look at me, Will. I want to see your eyes as I enter you.”

Will sighed raggedly. The raw need on Angel’s face, the desire, tore at him - made him whimper and blink. “Love you, Angel.” He smiled a harsh little smile as he concentrated on locking eyes with his lover. Soon they would be Mates. “Forever.”

Angel groaned and pressed slowly into Will’s body. Will continued to make his soft little noises as Angel pressed forward. It seemed to last forever, their eyes locked together in love.