Title: Decisions For Life
Rating: M/R
Genre: Slash, Supernatural/Romance/Angst/Drama
Warnings: Language, Violence, and Sexual Situations
Summary: Some decisions are harder than others; but when chaos and tragedy are in your midst, most decisions are easier to face. Especially in matters of the heart. That's what Noah realizes when laying on his deathbed, staring at Angel and just wanting the vampire to know the decision he made for his life would never change. Even if after the night he never was to rise again.
A/N: Thank you for the continued support of this story series. This one is going to be multi-chapter. The names used I found on Faerie names site. They mean as follows: Aurelie – Immortal, Euphraxia – The delight of my heart and mind, and Tryphosa – The delicate. Please enjoy this first installment, and let me know what you think!
Chapter 1
Deep from within the bushes of the forest that surrounded the castle, a white light began to glow. It started as a little whisper of a light, no bigger than a firefly.
But then it began to swirl, and grow. Turning from white to blue, before swirling into a multitude of colors and changing form from a simple swirl into a full blown portal. A voice from within the portal said softly, over and over again, "Noam…Noam…Noam…"
It was calling…summoning…begging…
For them to come to the light. And the voice was steadily getting louder and louder, as bolts of electricity came of out of the center of it.
"…Noam…Noam Aurelie Euphraxia Tryphosa. Noam Aurelie Euphraxia Tryphosa…"
~P&A~
Noah felt his ears begin to itch, something was off. He was walking down the sidewalk side-by-side with Xander, listening to him drone on and on about the woes of being the good guy and not getting what he considers proper compensation for it. They had been out with the fourth sector of Slayers, some of their Watchers and Spike, when they intercepted a call over the walkie-talkies about a disturbance in a small neighborhood close by.
As far as baddies go, it certainly wasn't the scariest. In fact, it wasn't really scary at all. It had been a simple forager demon, picking through the trash and digging up front yards. Quick kill, in and out. Noah didn't really know why they had even been called. A simple shot gun or even any kind of loud noise would have done the trick to send it running.
So after that Xander had asked him if he wanted to go for some hot chocolate, and uh, hello. He was the chocolate whore, so of course he wanted hot chocolate! But ever since they left the late night bistro, he had this tingling sensation behind his ears that even when he scratched at it, it wouldn't go away.
"You know, all I'm saying is some people would be grateful to have me be fighting for their life, but no. You have to have people like that family be pissed at me for – "
Noah looked over to the older man with concern, causing him to stop his tirade. "Do you feel that?"
Xander came to a halt and after a quick look around, shook his head. "I don't feel anything," he said, looking at Noah strangely.
Noah looked around and craned his neck, feeling a tension settle in between his shoulders. "I just," he stops and looks behind him, trying to see better in the darkness what was lurking in the black woods. "There's something…following me," he tells his friend and steps closer to the woods.
The confused man looks in the directions the Fae teen does, and furrows his eyebrows. "Okay," he says, in a slightly panicky voice, "I'm no expert, but feeling like someone's following you? Not a reason to go looking for them."
Noah rolls his eyes and continues walking towards the woods.
Groaning, Xander walked forward and grabbed his arm. Spinning the teen around, he said, "We need to get back to the castle. I don't like this."
"Relax," Noah hissed back. "I'm fine. I can take care of myself. If you're so scared, you go back!"
Letting go of his arm, Xander shook his head. "You know, I never thought that I'd say this; but maybe Angel is right."
Face pulling into a sneer, Noah felt that name like a punch to the gut. Since their little patrolling fiasco two weeks ago, they had hardly spoken. Which was only aided by the fact he hadn't had a vision in almost just as long. He was beginning to wonder what exactly it was they were truly at opposite poles about. Was it the almost kiss or was it…something else?
At any, the fae had been keeping his down. Doing his schoolwork with the other kids, training with Spike and Faith, and testing the limits on his powers with Willow. Turns out he can do some pretty cool things, but the witch doesn't think they've even begun to scratch the surface on his abilities. Said something about how he radiates magical energy, and that it grows in strength every day.
But even though he knew the vampire had been informed of his progress, he had been mum on any thoughts regarding. Which, if he was being honest with himself, hurt quit a lot. So to hear Xander say the manpire had some kind of wisdom about him, drove the metaphorical knife that much deeper.
"Oh, really?" Noah scoffed, feeling the fire in the veins of his arm begin a low hum. "What, prey tell, are the bits of wisdom that Angel has enlightened you with about me? Hmm? I mean, since he knows me so well, right?"
Xander sighs, "You are so defensive. You take everything personally all the time, and it's not healthy. It's almost like you have this idea that you have to prove something. And – "
"And what?" The Fae replies while crossing his arms. "You telling me, I'm wrong? Cause here I am with all these fancy powers that none of you know anything about; and every time I try and figure it out by using them, I get told I'm trying too hard. Or that I'm not ready. That I need more training. That I blah, blah, blah. Meanwhile, all of you guys are prancing around with your super strength and whatever, being all kinds of badass. You think I don't feel left out?"
Holding up a hand in defense, the older man says, "Hey, now you're being unfair. Do you see me prancing around with the uber slayer strength? No. Never have. And if you remember, I'm the one who told Willow to start teaching you basic level magic."
Deflating, Noah kicks a small stone on the pavement. "I know that." He sighs and rubs his forehead, "I'm just…I'm very thankful, Xan. You know how much. I just want…I just want…"
"Dude, I get it," Xander cuts off. "You want to be somebody. To show everyone how good you are at something. But running off into the woods all willy nilly isn't going to show anyone squat."
Knowing the Watcher was right, Noah hung his head in defeat.
"Let's go to the castle, alright?" The man suggested with a smile. "We'll tell the others about – "
From out of seemingly nowhere, a black feathered arrow flies and embeds itself in Noah's shoulder. He screams, and Xander shouts his name as he hurries to catch him before he hits the ground.
Trying his best not to cry from the pain, Noah looks up at the man that caught him and gasps out, "Xander."
Feeling tears flood his own eyes, he very soothingly replies, "Shh. Shh. It's okay." He grabs his walkie and says over the line, "Vamp line 2. Vamp line 2. This is Watcher line 3. Come in. Over."
"Watcher line 3 this is Vamp line 2…oh, bollocks. What is it Xander?"
Feeling the tears threatening to fall, Xander says hurriedly, "Spike. Spike, it's Noah. He's been shot with an arrow. We need medical and we need it fast."
"Xander," Noah says weakly, trying to get the man's attention.
"Shite. Where are you?"
Stroking the boy's head, he shushes him again. "Hold on, Noah," he says and then speaks into his walkie, "Approximately 5 streets west of base. On-on, uh," he looks for street signs, "Portree. Hurry."
"On our way, pet."
Trying not to jostle the shoulder that was badly injured, Xander still tried his best to take a closer look. It was bleeding pretty bad, and seemed embedded fairly deep. It was going to need surgery, no doubt. But even for how grisly it was, the arrow had pierced Noah cleanly. Whoever hit him was an excellent shot. However, since the object was rooted in the wound, he couldn't apply pressure without causing more damage. So basically all he could cradle the teen's head in his lap and pray that Spike would hurry. "Christ," the man said.
Wincing from the gentle prodding, Noah says, "Xan-Xander, we-we need to – need to get off…the street." Noah could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness. He was fighting to stay awake. "Not safe," he insists. "You're not safe." His shoulder burned with pain, which seemed so odd. Searing pain, sure. A razor sharp object was lodged in him; but burning? He had to tell Xander. So they could look closer at it.
Touched by the kid's concern for him despite the situation, he gave up on any pretense of not crying. "I know kiddo. But I can't move you. Spike is getting the medics to hurry. You worry about you. I'm fine, okay?"
"It burns," he wheezes. "I can't – I can't…aaahhh," he screams as the pain spreads across his back and down his arms.
Trying to hold the fae steady, Xander did his best to get him to calm down. He was crying along with the teen, not from pain but from fear. It had been a long time since the Watcher had feared something. But Noah just seemed to ignite this protective, brotherly love that Xander hadn't felt since Dawn had been his age.
"Shh," he soothed. "Calm down, they're coming," he says and looks up, relieved to see the Hum V turning the corner.
Noah's vision was going in and out, and he was trying not to panic any more than he already was; but something was seriously wrong. This wasn't a normal arrow. He screamed again, not hearing Xander's pleas to calm down.
Was this what dying felt like? How come he got the painful-my-dear-god-my-skin-feels-like-it's-being- peeled-back-layer-by-layer kind of death. What about the "It's like falling asleep," kind. His life has to be a bitch even in death. How did that happen?
The last thing he heard before slipping into blackness is a male voice whispering a name what felt like directly in his ear.
"Noam…Noam Aurelie Euphraxia Tryphosa."
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