Author's Note: I cannot tell you how excited I am to be sharing this story. Of all the stories that I have written this year, this is my absolute favourite! But there are a few things I need to warn you about:

First – If unequal power dynamics squicks you out (as it does my sister), you shouldn't touch this story with a ten foot pole.

Second – This story is Gen, and always will be Gen. There will be no slash and any het pairings will be between minor characters. This also means that there will be absolutely no sex in this story.

Third – This story is AU, which means that some parts of it are different from BTVS canon. The biggest diversion from canon is the vampire culture, but there are others (i.e. Angel is Spike's sire, Angel has three extra childer, etc).

Also, there is a large cover picture that goes with this story. If you would like to see it, it is posted with the story at AO3.

That all said, I hope you enjoy this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it!

1-1-1

Spike leant against the trunk of a tree and lit his third cigarette as he stared at the large building across the street.

Bloody hell, what was he thinking? Did he really want to do this?

It had seemed like such a good idea yesterday. Well, that wasn't exactly true. It had taken him a week to convince himself that it was a good idea. And in the end the only reason he'd decided to come was because he'd been thrashed by a gang of humans.

How embarrassing was that? He, William the Bloody, had been beaten to a pulp by four humans. It was disgraceful! He was disgraceful. He was an embarrassment to all vampires; an embarrassment to the line of Aurelius; and worst of all, an embarrassment to his sire.

He could only imagine what his sire would say about it. Not that he'd have to imagine it for much longer if he managed to convince himself to go ahead with this stupid plan.

Spike turned his attention back to the hotel that his sire had claimed as his own. Why had he thought this was a good idea? It had been less than a year since he'd kidnapped his sire and tortured him for information about that bloody ring. His sire would probably kill him on sight and Spike knew that he deserved it.

Did he really want to do this? Crawl back to his sire, tail between his legs, and ask for mercy? He'd been independent of his sire for one hundred years! Did he really want to submit to sire again?

Spike dropped his cigarette and ground it under his foot, snarling at the pain that the movement caused him. The problem was that the answer was yes. It hadn't been his choice to leave his sire, his sire had left him and – despite Drusilla's best efforts – Spike had spent the last hundred years missing him.

He pushed himself off the tree with a sigh, wincing when the motion sent a shock of pain through his leg. The bloody humans had really done a number on him and, despite the fact that it had happened two days beforehand, he wasn't healing – not like he should have been. He was just too malnourished for his body to heal itself.

Spike took out another cigarette and considered lighting it, before putting it away again. There was no point in postponing the inevitable. He knew that he would end up entering Angelus' bloody hotel – what other choice did he have? He couldn't feed himself, let alone protect himself. He was more helpless than a newborn fledgling – he needed his sire.

The street was quiet as he crossed the road and made his way to the entrance of the bloody hotel. It reminded Spike of his sire's mansion in Sunnydale, Angelus had always liked buildings that were significantly larger and more pretentious than was needed.

"You alright there, man?"

Spike spun around his shock, before taking a step back when he saw a human standing behind him. Not just any human, a tall black man with a battle axe swung over his shoulder. Spike could only imagine the pain the man could cause him if he tried.

And how pathetic was that? A member of the Scourge of Europe being scared of a human being, battle axe or no battle axe.

" 'm fine." Spike told the man who was looking concerned. "I'm looking for Angel."

"You're in the right place then." The man grinned. "He's out at the moment, but he should be back soon. You can wait inside if you like."

There was nothing Spike wanted less than to wait inside Angel's hotel with a bloody human, but he grunted in agreement and followed the other man inside. Maybe if there were witnesses around his sire would be more likely to hear him out before staking him.

"Anyone home?" Gunn called as they made their way across the large entrance hall.

"Gunn! How did it go?" Cordelia asked as she entered the hall through one of the many doors.

Spike winced when he recognised the woman, he was pretty sure that his chance of survival had just dropped considerably.

"We got them." Gunn announced proudly. "There were four of them, but they didn't stand a…"

"Spike!" Cordelia shrieked suddenly.

Gunn looked confused. "What?"

"What the hell is Spike doing here?" Cordelia asked harshly, backing towards the door she had just come through. "Wesley, we need a stake out here."

Spike grimaced and took a step backwards, spreading out his hands to show that they were empty.

"He's a vampire?" Gunn moved so that he was standing beside Cordelia, his axe raised in anticipation.

"He's Spike!" Cordelia sounded exasperated. "We've told you about him. Remember, Angel's kid."

"Oh!" Gunn tightened his grip on the axe.

"Here!" Wesley arrived at the door with a crossbow and passed Cordelia a stake.

"Oi, no need for that." Spike took another step backwards. "I come in peace."

Cordelia scoffed. "And you'll be leaving in pieces, lots of dusty pieces."

Spike took another step backwards, but it was slow going. His leg was bloody painful. "I just want to talk to Angel."

"Angel's not here." Wesley said coldly.

"So he said." Spike gestured to Gunn with his head. "I'll wait."

"I say we kill him." Gunn announced.

"Easier said than done." Cordelia said. "Buffy's been trying to kill him for years."

"He can't hurt us." Wesley told them. "According to Giles he has a chip in his brain that makes it impossible for him to hurt anyone."

Spike felt his stomach drop. Angelus had known that he was helpless and hadn't done anything to help. He knew he should have expected it, and part of him had, but at the same time he'd been hopeful – hopeful that when his sire heard about the chip he'd want to help him, protect him, feed him.

"Really?" Cordelia smirked.

"Are you sure?" Gunn asked at the same time.

Spike took another step backwards and wished that the door wasn't so bloody far away.

"So we can kill him and he won't be able to fight back?" Gunn asked, eyeing Spike dangerously.

"I suspect that Angel would rather we waited until he returned before making any decisions." Wesley commented.

"He's a vampire." Cordelia pointed out. "A vampire who had tortured Angel multiple times – I doubt Angel would mind."

Gunn nodded in agreement.

"We can chain him up." Wesley suggested. "We've still got those chains up from last week."

"You mean that ones that Gunn still hasn't taken down?" Cordelia asked sharply.

"See?" Gunn grinned. "If I'd taken them down we wouldn't have been able to use them now."

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Spike looked over his shoulder quickly and saw that the door was still at least ten steps away, he took another step backwards and then another.

"Hey!" Cordelia stalked towards him. "You aren't going anywhere!"

Gunn jogged towards him and positioned himself between Spike and the door. Spike swore under his breath, the last time he had been surrounded by humans like this he'd been beaten bloody. At least they seemed to be willing to wait until Angelus arrived before attacking him.

Wesley stepped closer and pointed the crossbow at Spike before gestured towards the wall on his left. "Over there!"

Spike limped towards the wall where the chains hung and, when instructed to, locked the cuffs around his wrists.

"You look awful." Cordelia told him flatly. "What happened? Did you get hit by a bus?"

Spike grimaced, but didn't reply.

Cordelia stared at him for a moment and then disappeared through a nearby door, only to return a few seconds later carrying a chair.

"What are you doing?" Wesley asked, his crossbow now leaning against his leg.

"There's no point me standing around uncomfortably when I could be sitting down." Cordelia told him as she positioned the chair in front of Spike and sat on it. "Now, Spike, spill! What's the latest Sunnydale gossip?"

Spike stared at her in disbelief, and noticed that Wesley and Gunn were doing the same.

"Cordelia!" Wesley protested.

"What?" Cordelia rolled her eyes. "It's not like we've got anything better to do."

Wesley sighed.

Cordelia looked smug as she turned her attention back to Spike. "So, how is everyone?"

"Fine."

"Come on!" Cordelia narrowed her eyes. "I want all the gossip! How's Buffy?"

Spike couldn't believe he was in this situation. What kind of vampire was he? He'd actually locked himself up for them and now they wanted to gossip with them? He wondered what his sire would do to him. Would Angelus kill him for all the times he had disrespected and tortured him? Or would he simply send him away, not even caring enough to stake him? Spike's 'good idea' didn't seem so good anymore.

"Well?" Cordelia asked impatiently.

Spike sighed. "She's good. Dating some bloody soldier – one of the idiots who put this chip in my head."

"Of course she is." Cordelia rolled her eyes. "And Willow?"

"Gay." Spike answered.

"No way!" Cordelia gasped, leaning forward in her chair.

"She's dating a witch she met at college." Spike told her with a smirk.

"Huh." Cordelia laughed. "I never would have guessed. What happened to Oz?"

"He ran off." Spike shrugged. "'bout six months ago."

"And how's Xander?"

"Living in his parent's basement." Spike answered.

"Why?" Cordelia frowned.

"Whelp can barely hold down a job for three weeks."

"And again I ask, why?" Cordelia asked. "I mean, sure he's a loser, but he's not that much of a loser."

"He's human, isn't he?" Spike told her. "And trying to keep up with a slayer, two witches and an army boy on steroids – all of whom are college students."

Cordelia sneered. "And I suppose Buffy doesn't even notice what she's doing to him."

Spike sneered in agreement, he had a bit of a soft spot for the human. Sure the boy could be a bit annoying, but he had a good heart and whenever he had spare cash he would buy some extra blood for Spike.

He stiffened suddenly as he felt his sire's presence. "Angelus is here."

"What?" Cordelia leaped from her chair and spun around quickly, the stake that Wesley had passed her in her hand. "Where?"

Gunn and Wesley had also spun around, their weapons raised at the ready.

Spike stared at them in confusion for a moment, before realising the reason for the fear. "I meant Angel's coming – he's still got that bloody soul if that's what you're worried about."

"You called him Angelus!" Cordelia accused.

"That's his name." Spike rolled his eyes.

The front door opened suddenly and a furious looking Angelus stalked through. "Spike!"

Spike flinched at his sire's obvious anger and bared his neck in submission.

"He's over here." Gunn called out pointlessly as Angelus had already begun making his way towards the group.

Angelus stood next to Cordelia and stared at Spike, his eyebrows raised. "What happened?"

"He said he was looking for you." Wesley answered.

"How did you chain him up?" Angelus asked, his eyes still fixed on Spike who neck was still bared.

"He chained himself up." Gunn told him. "We just told him to."

Angelus snorted. "Really? And he just obeyed?"

"It's not like he had any other choice." Cordelia told him. "We had him surrounded."

"Is that true, Spike?" Angelus looked amused. "Did they scare you into chaining yourself up?"

Spike winced at his sire's mocking tone. "Yeah."

"Really?" Angelus looked taken aback.

"It's not like he could fight us." Cordelia said. "What with the chip and all that."

"The chip?" Angel's confused tone made Spike's spirit soar. Maybe his sire hadn't known about the chip after all.

"You know," Cordelia started. "The chip in his head the stops him from hurting people."

Angel's eyes narrowed. "No, I didn't know."

"Oh," Cordelia looked slightly embarrassed as she glanced at Wesley.

Wesley cleared his throat. "I received a phone call from Giles about six months ago. Apparently Spike was captured by some commandos who implanted a chip into his brain. The chip causes him significant pain if he even considers hurting a human."

"I see." Angel's tone was dangerous. "And you didn't think to tell me?"

"I didn't think you'd care." Wesley replied defensively.

Angelus growled quietly and Spike looked at his sire in surprise. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you sure you want us to leave you alone with him?" Cordelia asked.

Angelus chuckled darkly. "Spike won't hurt me."

"Okaaay then." Cordelia looked at Angelus strangely. "Night."

Once the three humans had gone Angelus sprawled himself out on the chair Cordelia had vacated.

"Why are you here, Spike?"

Spike shifted uncomfortably under his sire's stare, before wincing at the pain it caused. "I wanted to see you."

"Last time you saw me you tried to torture me." Angelus commented flatly.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." Spike grimaced and bared his neck even more.

"Why are you here?" Angelus asked again.

Spike knew what he wanted to ask, but he couldn't get the words out. "I…uh…"

Angelus frowned in obvious impatience before standing up and moving so he was standing directly in front of Spike. He grabbed Spike's chin and then sank his teeth into his bared neck.

Spike felt his legs buckled beneath him and cried out in pain at the agony in his leg, but Angelus didn't stop. His sire swallowed a few more mouthfuls of his blood before pulling back, but he still kept hold of Spike's chin.

"You're a fledgling!" Angelus told him, his tone a combination of surprise and anger. "My fledgling! And you dare…!"

Spike trembled with fear as he pressed himself against the wall, trying to escape from Angel's obvious fury.

"Sire, I…"

"Quiet!" Angelus snapped and Spike obeyed instantly. Angelus returned to his chair and stared silently at Spike for a few minutes. "How did you do it?"

Spike didn't dare pretend that he didn't understand. "Dru cast a spell. Made me seem all master like."

Angelus growled dangerously. "You will show respect for your betters, William!"

"Yes, sire." Spike pressed himself against the wall again. It had been so long since anyone had treated him like a fledgling, so long since he'd been expected to behave like one. So long since he'd been at the mercy of an angry sire.

"Why did Drusilla help you?" Angelus asked.

"It wasn't my idea, sire. It was Dru's," Spike flinched when he heard Angelus growl again. "Mistress Drusilla's, I mean. She didn't want to travel with Mistress Darla, but knew that Master Elliot would never have let her travel alone."

"So she took you with her." Angelus considered. "And taught you how to protect her."

"Yeah."

"And so you, a fledgling of barely twenty years, decided to go along with her idiotic plan?" Angelus asked coldly. "And decided to keep up the ruse for a century, even going so far as to attack me? Your sire?"

Spike bared his neck so sharply that it hurt.

Angelus stood up again and undid the chains that were holding Spike to the wall. "Follow me."

Spike limped across the hall after his sire, before following him through a door into a kitchen.

"There's blood in the fridge." Angelus told him as he sat down on one of the bar stools. "Warm me up a mug."

Spike lowered his head in submission before limping across the kitchen to the fridge. There was more blood in the fridge than Spike usually drank in two weeks and he could feel his mouth watering hungrily. He hadn't had any blood in twenty four hours and even then it had only been one bag of pig's blood.

"Mugs are in the cupboard to your left." Angelus instructed and Spike retrieved a mug obediently.

Spike used his teeth to tear the bag open and then stopped with a gasp when he smelt human blood. It had been months since he had last smelt human blood like this, months since he had drunken anything other than pig's blood. Spike bit his tongue to try and distract himself from the twisting hunger pains in his stomach before pouring half of the blood into a mug. Then he limped to the microwave and set it to heat up.

"Tell me about this chip." Angelus instructed him as the microwave began to hum.

"I was captured 'bout six months ago." Spike replied, his tone respectful. "By some soldier's playing at being slayers. They put the chip in my head, I didn't even know it was there until I escaped."

Angelus sneered. "You allowed yourself to be captured by humans?"

Spike grimaced in shame. "Yes, sire."

"And what does this chip do?"

"It bloody hurts!" Spike exclaimed. "If I hurt a human, or even think 'bout hurting one, my brain feels like it's on fire."

The microwave beeped and Spike retrieved the mug from it, testing the temperature of the blood with his finger. The blood smelt amazing and it took all the willpower he had not to lick his finger clean, but he wasn't going to risk it – not in front of his angry sire.

Spike limped to Angelus and passed him the mug, his eyes carefully lowered in deference as he tried to remember all the etiquette lessons Angelus had drilled into him a century before.

Angelus took the mug and drank from it, before turning his attention back to Spike. "So you are incapable of hunting?"

"Yes, sire." Spike stared at the floor, trying not to focus on the warm blood his sire was casually drinking.

"And yet you have clearly been feeding." Angelus commented before taking another sip of blood. "You are not emaciated enough to have gone without for six months."

"Yes, sire." Spike confirmed. "The watcher has been providing me with pig's blood."

"I see." Angelus said neutrally before handing his empty mug back to Spike. "Another one."

"Yes, sire." Spike's stomach twisted and returned to the bench that was holding the blood bag. He poured the remainder of the blood into the mug and placed it in the microwave again.

"How often did Giles' provide the blood?" Angelus asked.

"Every week, sire." Spike answered and tried not to stare at the empty bag of blood on the bench. Maybe Angelus would let him lick out the dregs at the bottom.

"And how much blood did he provide for you?"

"Three bags a week." Spike replied and his stomach twisted again in shame and desperation. Would his sire feed him now that he knew how little Spike had been drinking?

"I see." Angelus' tone gave nothing away and Spike bit his lip in disappointment.

The microwaved beeped again and Spike passed his sire the newly warmed blood.

"Sit." Angelus ordered as he set the mug in front of him.

Spike sat obediently on the barstool beside Angelus and waited for his sire's next instruction.

"Why are you here?" Angelus asked, before taking another mouthful of blood.

"I…" Spike grimaced, why was it so hard to say? "I thought maybe you'd take me in."

Angelus' eyebrows rose in surprise. "You realise that if I was to take you in, it would be as fledgling? There would be none of this 'master' nonsense."

"Yes, Angelus." Spike looked at the bench in front of him.

"My name is Angel." His sire said firmly. "That is the name I choose for myself and you will respect it."

"Yes, sire." Spike nodded.

"I do not have a traditional court." Angelus warned. "Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn are all the equivalent of masters here. You would be expected to treat them accordingly."

"What?" Spike look up at his sire in shock. "You're bloody bonkers. They're human!"

It was only seconds later, from his crumbled position on the floor, that Spike's brain caught up with his mouth and he realised he probably shouldn't have insulted his sire. He groaned quietly at the pain emanating from his jaw, where the back of Angel's hand had hit him, and from his already injured leg that he had landed heavily on.

"I have been lenient with you." Angel's voice sounded angrily from the barstool a few feet away. "I was lenient because I thought you were a master, but I will not allow you to disrespect me any longer."

Spike groaned as he pulled himself onto his knees, trying to keep the weight off his sore leg. He didn't know when he had last been so confused. This was not the Angel who had lived in Sunnydale the year before.

" 'm sorry, sire."

Angel growled unforgivingly and was silent for a few minutes. Eventually he spoke. "Do you have something to ask me, childe?"

Spike considered it. Did he really want to be part of his sire's court? To submit himself to being ordered around and beaten by his sire, to submit himself to humans?! On the other hand, Angel would probably feed him more than the watcher had, and he'd protect Spike from random humans who wanted to hurt him.

"Yes, sire." Spike glanced up at Angel and, seeing his angry expression, crawled submissively across the floor until he was kneeling at his sire's feet. "Sire, as a fledgling of your line, I beg to be readmitted to your court."

Angel was silent and Spike could feel his heart sinking as he realised that his sire had in no way promised to accept him. He wouldn't blame his sire for rejecting him, after all, who wanted a childe who couldn't even feed himself?

After a minute of silence, one of Angel's hands gripped Spike by his hair and pulled him up before sinking his fangs into his neck.

Spike shut his eyes in defeat. This was it then, his sire had decided to kill him. It wasn't all bad though, his sire could have just sent him away or killed him with a stake. At least his sire had deemed him worthy of being killed in such a personal way.

But, just as Spike's vision was beginning go fuzzy from blood loss, Angel released his neck and dropped him. Spike bit his tongue to prevent himself from screaming at the pain as he landed on his leg again, and absently pondered at the lack of blood that flowed from his tongue. It had been a long time since he had been so low on blood, in fact the last time he had been this low on blood had probably been back when he was still Angelus' fledgling. His sire had always enjoyed seeing him helpless, too weak to even stand.

Angel stood up and Spike closed his eyes to try and fight through the pain. He wasn't sure how much time passed, before Angel pulled him into a sitting position and set the rim of a mug to his lips. Spike inhaled the smell of warm human blood and grimaced when his stomach cramped, but he didn't make a move to drink. Waiting for permission to drink had been one of the first lessons his sire had taught him.

"Drink, William." Angel's voice murmured gently and Spike shuddered in enjoyment when he tasted the first drop. Human blood tasted heavenly.

All too soon the mug was empty and Spike stuck out his tongue, desperately trying to lick any remaining blood off the sides.

"Enough." Angel ordered before disappearing with the mug and Spike closed his eyes again, this time to try and relive the taste.

Angel appeared with another mug of blood a few minutes later and once again he held it to Spike's lips. Spike savoured the blood as much as he could, but he was too hungry, and too worried that Angel might take it away, to make it last long.

Three mugs of blood later and Spike was feeling fuller than he could remember feeling in months. He was still weak, he knew from experience that the blood would take a while to be properly processed by his body, but for the first time since he'd had the chip he didn't feel hungry.

When Spike had finished the last mug of blood, Angel placed the mug on the bench and gripped Spike's chin – forcing him to look at his sire's face.

"Welcome back to my court, William." Angel told him seriously.

Spike felt his breath hitch in relief and he flushed in shame – vampires didn't even need to breathe.

Angel released him. "Come with me."

"Yes, sire." Spike pulled himself to his feet and followed Angel out of the kitchen and then up a flight of stairs.

Angel led him into a bedroom and instructed him to stay put before leaving again. Spike looked around the room. It was obviously Angel's, the strength of his sire's scent alone told him that – let alone the blacked out windows. The room was large and had a huge bed set against one wall.

Angel returned a few minutes later, carrying a small mattress and some blankets which he placed in the corner of the room.

"That's your bed." Angel told him before passing Spike a pair of sweat pants. "Put these on, and then get on the mattress."

"Yes, sire." Spike shrugged off his jacket obediently and then looked for a place to put it. Angelus had always been a stickler for neatness.

"Give it to me." Angel ordered, holding out an arm to take it.

Spike passed him the jacket and then his shirt and jeans that followed. The sweat pants were much more comfortable than anything he'd worn in years, but Spike knew he looked much more vulnerable than he normally did. It was a lot easier to pass himself off as a master when his clothes were intimidating. Not that he needed to pass himself off as a master anymore, Angel had been very clear about that.

Spike sat down on the mattress, careful to keep all his limbs within the mattress' boundary – another thing Angelus had been a stickler for.

"Go to sleep, William." Angel ordered as he left the room, Spike's clothes in his arms.

Spike spread the blankets over himself and then lay down, trying to go through all of his sire's rules in his head. He needed to remember them all, he doubted Angel would be merciful if he forgot one.