Alliteration

Title: Confusion

Author: Stolen Childe

Warnings: slight language, slight slash hints, TWT, slight fluff, and most likely OOC, un-betaed

Pairings: Drifting towards A/S

Rating: PG

Spoilers: a little

Disclaimer: Don't own the boys, they belong to people with names and all that.

Author's Notes: This has most likely been done a million times this story idea that is. I'm more of an Angel fan than Buffy but this begins in her town. So enough of my rambling, you can flame me if you like, or you can shower me with compliments. My plan is that this will be a trilogy and the title will make sense at the end of said trilogy. First written AtS fic.

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It was just the two of them for the meantime. The ladies had run off to do whatever it was they did and they were left, alone, together, staring at each other with nothing to say. They had fed, they had played, they had even gone to a performance at the local amateur theatre. Now they were left with nothing to do for once in their long existence.

"You're a good lad Will." Angelus said suddenly, he was sitting in a high backed arm chair, swirling a glass of brandy slowly, the reddish-brown liquid shimmering in the firelight. William was startled to say the least, he hadn't expected any word of praise from his sire, hadn't for a long time.

"What's that then?" he asked.

Angelus' look turned dark, "Are yeh up and makin' me repeat mi'self boy?" his dark eyes flashed and William quickly shook his head.

"No! No! 'M sorry, really." William knew he was panicking, but couldn't help it, when Angelus got in a mood, it was best to keep lips tight.

"All I say Will is yer a good lad." Angelus repeated, regardless of his earlier comment, "Now go ta bed. It's gettin' late." Angelus waved him off taking a small sip of brandy and turning his gaze back to the fire. With no further comment William did as he was told.

xx

If one were to ask why that particular memory surfaced to the forefront of his mind, Angel wouldn't be able to say. He stood, in the basement of the rebuilt Sunnydale high, looking at a dark steel door and it just appeared. He had felt a pull, more like a sharp tug that had beckoned him to the town of the Slayer and his initial thought was to ignore it, thinking perhaps it was just Dru. Then he concentrated a bit more and realized it was Spike, his childe had not called him for decades and for him to do it now, something must have been terribly wrong and Angel's soul prevented him from turning his back on his family.

He had followed the tug, Spike's signature leading him to the spot in which he currently stood, he had turned away Cordy, offered no explanation to Wes and didn't bother with Fred or Gunn, they were both too wrapped up in each other. Lorne had stopped him briefly, sensing something off in his aura, but quickly stopped pestering, the green demon sensing this wasn't a normal brood. Connor still wasn't talking to him.

With his preternatural hearing, Angel picked up the faint sound of a pain filled moan and the sound tugged on his undead heart. Gathering his courage and stealing a little from Angelus he opened the door to see someone he barely recognized lying huddled on the packed dirt floor, nude back pressed to the cold stone of the walls, Will.

"Spike?" Angel asked hesitantly, taking the slightest of steps into the room, "Spike?" it came a little louder.

"G...go 'way. I ain't... right... go 'way, 'way, 'way." that broken word repeated over and over before turning into an unintelligible moaning.

"Will." Angel gasped, a slight Irish lilt he had forgotten sneaking into the single word, "What happened to you?" he rushed to his childe's side, brushing matted, unkempt hair out of sky blue eyes, and looking into those eyes he gasped, they were truly the windows poets claimed them to be, for within them Angel saw a soul in turmoil. He saw a soul.

"Spike-" at the blonde's wince he tried again, "Will, how, tell me how this happened, when?"

The slightest of smiles, "Angel. I won it mate, I got it back." That was all the smaller creature managed before succumbing once more to the throes of his guilt, "I killed them all. Oh Lord, all dead. I sucked 'em dry. I played with 'em. Meh God, all of 'em, dead. Dead. Dead!" he moaned again, "Dead, I need to be dead."

"Will!" Angel grabbed his childe's arms, "William! Look at me Boy!" That got the other's attention, his head snapped up and seemingly foreign panic crept into those eyes Angelus had loved, such pretty eyes, "I don' want yeh talkin' like that, ya hear? This is a good thing Will!" Angel insisted, "You're better again, you're good again."

"Ain't no good demons Pet. Just bad all bad. The Big Bad." Spike clutched his head and doubled over, "Big Bad Spikey. Like the wolf, don' wanna be the wolf. Wanna be the lamb, the lamb. Sweet, sweet lamb."

"Will." Angel's voice was gentle, the tone he had used on Drusilla, "Will, you can be the lamb. You don't have to be the wolf anymore, or the Big Bad. Listen to me Will. I've never lied to you, hmm? But you have to help me, help me to help you."

To Angel's surprise, Spike snorted, "Always helpin' the helpless, just like you . Just like Angel. I ain't helpless. Just dirty, tainted. All wrong."

"Not all wrong. Never all wrong." Angel said, he gathered the smaller vampire up in his arms, resting his chin on the wavy hair, "You're my boy Will. Following in Da's footsteps, eh? Soon you'll be a fluffy poof too. It'll just take a little work." Angel knew he was talking nonsense, but he also knew that is exactly what Spike needed to hear, little nonsense words.

"Oi, never a fluffy poof like you." Spike's voice was muffled against his chest, his slightly smaller hands grasping fistfuls of Angel's blue satin shirt. Angel could feel his childe beginning to calm, his unnecessary breaths slowing to a more sedate pace. Listening to the faint stirrings of the building above them, Angel was satisfied that they would be able to leave undetected. The day for the school children would not start for a while and avoiding a few principles and early teachers would be no problem for the century old vampire. He assisted Spike to his feet, putting a strong arm securely around a slim waist. By the time they arrived back in LA it would be full light, but Angel didn't think of that right now, he was more concerned with getting his childe away from here.

"Where we goin' Sire?" Spikes voice was quiet as he asked the question, and he would hold himself together for awhile. Angel had been there, touch and go all the time, but hopefully Spike wouldn't have to face this alone, if he stayed that was.

"Home." Angel answered simply, "You and I Wills."

End