A/N: As I suspected, my muse would not shut up! So, here's another chapter for you! RnR if ya please! A lot of things will be explained in this chappy and be forewarned, there will be mentioning of abuse, Zephyr is NOT a good person, okay?
Angel shoved the bag into the backseat, "Look, I'll only be gone for a short while, I hope, I have to speak to Buffy and the others about this."
"Alright, we'll hold down the fort until you get back." Wesley smiled encouragingly.
Cordelia adjusted Will's coat while the little boy pouted miserably at the pavement, "Don't worry, I'll look after him, no problemo!"
Angel nodded and looked down at the small vampire, who snuffled hugely and wouldn't meet Angel's eyes, the dark-haired vampire sighed and knelt down, "Hey, it'll be okay. I'll only be gone a few days, alright? You need to look after Wesley and Cordy, can you do that?"
Will wouldn't look at him, Angel smiled, poking him in the tummy, "Come on, Willy, doesn't Daddy get a hug good-bye?"
Will bit his lip and nodded, putting his small arms around Angel's neck, "You'll come back, roight?"
"Yep, just have to go talk to my friends about all this." Angel nodded and stood up.
"I could go with ya!" Will said desperately, his eyes shining as he grasped at Angel's hand, "I could 'elp with wotever it is you need ta do! Really!"
Angel sighed, "No, you stay here where it's relatively safe. I'll call when I get there."
Will stuck out his lower lip, "But, but- No, Daddy!"
The car door closed and Angel waved out the window as he pulled away, Will stood still for maybe three seconds before he started snuffling and whimpering. Cordelia reached down and lifted him up, hugging him tight, "Don't worry, your Daddy is the toughest vamp out there, no one can hurt him!"
Will nodded and closed his eyes, nuzzling into Cordelia's neck, "I'm hungry."
Cordelia immediately held him out at arm's length, "Right, we'll get you something besides me to munch on."
Will sat at Angel's desk and doodled away, wincing at his still-bandaged fingers, he bit his lip and sighed, letting his head thump on the desk. Cordelia didn't look up as she smiled,
"If someone's bored maybe they could help me out."
Will lifted his head and scurried into the room, "I . . . I could 'elp."
"Oh you could?" Cordelia acted surprised, "Well, why don't'cha come on up here and maybe we can find this demon that Wesley's trying to find.
Will sat up on her lap and looked at the screen, "Wot 'bout that one?"
"Hm, not ugly enough, ours has three horns and tentacles." Cordelia pouted her lips in thought, "Hmm."
"Umms . . . wot 'bout that one?" Will pointed at another picture as it popped up.
"Nope, scaly skin, not furry."
The game went on for nearly half an hour, a lot longer than Cordelia normally took but it kept Will occupied and that was when she noticed something.
"Hey, Willy, how old would you be? Six? Seven? It's just . . . I thought you were littler than this." She ran a hand over his back gently, thinking hard about something.
"I dunno . . . can I call Daddy?" He asked, hopping off her lap.
"Sure, go right ahead." Cordelia puzzled this then shrugged and pushed the phone toward Will.
Will quickly dialed and waited, then,
"Hello?"
"Hullo Daddy!" Will's face lit up, "Wot'cha doin'?"
"Well at the moment I was in a meeting. Are you doing okay? Cordelia being nice?"
"Oh yeh, I go to her place an' play checkers with Phantom Dennis an' we watch the telly. She won't let me stay up though . . . Umms, Daddy?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you comin' home soon? I miss you." Will bit his lip and twirled the phone cord around his fingers.
"Pretty quick here, sport, don't worry. I may have to bring you here though, my friends want to get a look at you."
"Wh-hy?" Will asked, furrowing his brow.
"Just because maybe they can . . . nevermind, okay? I'll talk to you later, Will."
"Okay, I love you Daddy! Be safe!" Will waited for Angel to reply.
" . . . Erm, same to you kiddo." Angel mumbled awkwardly and hung up.
Will bit his lip and hung up the phone, he looked at Cordelia, "Can I go outside?"
"If you promise to stay near the building, yes." Cordelia nodded and watched Tiny Spike walk to the door, grabbing his coat and closing the door behind him.
Will walked slowly along the alley, he was still on the block that Angel's building was on so it seemed near to the building, he kicked a can along the pavement, mulling over what was going on, until he bumped into someone, he looked up slowly,
"Oh, s-sorry, mist-" He froze and stared at the demon, three horns, tentacles, and scaly skin, "Eep!"
The demon snickered and leaned down, grinning widely and showing off massive fang-age, "Well what have we here? Far from home are you?"
Will backed up slowly, "N-No, my Daddy's building is roight 'round 'ere!" He gestured behind him frantically.
"Oh, is that right?" It chuckled and moved closer, its tentacles reaching toward Will, "And what are you doing out alone at night? Aren't you afraid of the dark?"
Will pursed his lips and glared at the demon, "No, I am not afraid, I'm a vampire loike my daddy!" He morphed into his demon face and snarled at his attacker, only to squeal loudly as a tentacle wrapped around his ankle and lifted him into the air, "P-Put me down!"
The creature laughed maliciously, "Looks like someone wet himself. I think I'll just eat you now, children are so tender and delicious, even the little demon ones."
Will squealed in distress when the demon's jaw unhinged and revealed a maw of salivating fangs and a long slimy tongue, It was just about to lower a struggling Will into his mouth when a stake embedded in its arms, it shrieked and dropped Will, turning murderous eyes on its attacker.
"Will, come here by me please!" Wesley shouted, loading his crossbow and firing at the demon's eyes while the blonde boy rushed up to hide behind him.
The thing reared and was just rushing forward when Wesley finally got a bolt into its eye, making it shriek and writhe as it died. Wesley nodded in satisfaction then knelt down next to Will who was shaking and covering his head with his hands,
"There now, it's gone, nothing to be afraid of." Wesley patted Will's head and sighed, "Come on, we'll get you home and everything will be alright."
Will stood up slowly, "I w-want D-Daddy."
"I'll give him a call and maybe he'll be able to get here sooner." Wesley assured, putting a hand on the vampire child's back, "In the meantime, you need to get cleaned up."
Will sat in the bathtub fifteen minutes later at Cordelia's place, he could hear Cordelia and Wesley talking in the living room about him and the demon. Then Will's ducky started to float in front of his face, he smiled when it touched its beak to his nose,
"Hi Dennis . . . I roightly screwed up t'day . . . " He mumbled, taking the ducky and holding it, "Daddy wouldn' 'ave gotten scared . . . 'e's the toughest bloke out there . . . and I'm-"
The bathwater splashed Will in the face, making him sputter and wipe at his eyes.
"Hey! No fair Dennis, I can' see you!" Will growled, but then he sighed, "You're roight, I'm just a liddle kid . . . and that's that."
The water started to swirl around and the bubbles flew up in the air, Will grinned and started trying to pop them. Cordelia stepped into the bathroom,
"No making a mess of my bathroom, boys!"
"Sorry, Cordy." Will smiled up at her, "Umms, is Daddy comin' home?"
"Yes, he's coming home, on his way now in fact." Cordelia reached down and picked out a fluffy towel from the cupboard and held it out for Will, "Okay, out you get."
Will curled up under the quilt that Cordelia tucked around him, and closed his large blue eyes, "Will Daddy be home soon?"
"Yep, he'll be by later, I'll wake you up when he gets here, how's that sound?" She looked down at the small vampire.
"Good . . . " Will yawned hugely, "G'night Cordy . . . g'night Dennis . . . "
Four hours later Angel knocked on Cordelia's door, she opened it quickly, looking a tad unkempt in sweats and a tanktop,
"Hey, how is he?"
"Oh, besides the terror of getting a heart attack every two hours because of a screaming little boy with nightmares, I'm fine! Thanks for asking!" Cordelia moved aside and let Angel in, "He's a little traumatized, Angel."
Angel stepped into the living area, the lights were on dim but the curtains were closed, and there was Will fast asleep on the couch, his blonde hair sticking in every direction and his hands were clutching tightly onto the blanket that was tangled around him. The dark-haired vampire slowly moved into the room, sighing heavily at the long day he'd had, he reached out a hand and stroked Will's head only for the child to jolt awake,
"Hey, sport, how you been?"
Will's eyes flew open and he immediately grasped at Angel, "Daddy!"
"Heard you took on a Demon? Now what'd I tell you about picking on guys your own size, champ?" Angel sighed and ran a hand over Will's back, "You can't go walking around on your own, Will."
"I-I'm sorry, Daddy . . . he was so scary!" Will mumbled, "Wesley got him but he was gonna make a snack outta me!"
"Heh, good ol' Wes, well, don't you worry kiddo we'll-" Angel stopped and stared at Will, the pajamas were too small . . .
Cordelia cleared her throat from the doorway and nodded toward the kitchen, Angel tucked Will back in and went after her,
"I was going to tell you about that, ever since you left, he grew a few inches." She said softly, "Now, I don't know if that means the spell is wearing off or what."
"Well, there's one way of finding out, I could go talk to Cyprus." Angel murmured, "Of course that would mean finding him and that-"
Angel's cellphone started to ring, he warily answered it when the little screen said 'unknown caller',
"Hello?"
"Angel."
Angel growled, "Cyprus, are your ears burning? We were just talking about you."
"I know, you don't seem to realize how close I keep my progeny." Cyprus sighed on the other end, "I'm more than willing to answer your questions, would you care to meet? I'd tell you everything now but these infernal contraptions are beyond me I fear."
"How does right now at my office sound?" Angel offered, feeling his gums itch with anticipation.
"Of course, will you bring William along or are you coming alone?"
"Kid's bushed, besides, I don't much like the idea of him 'playing' with Zephyr again while we talk."
There was silence on the other end for a moment then the tight reply, "I understand. I will see you there." Then Cyprus hung up.
"I don't get it, Zephyr plays with people? What like torture?" Cordelia asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Try molestation. Zephyr isn't like Cyprus, he's evil and malicious and he loves little boys." Angel snarled, "And sounds to me like he made Will play one of his little 'games'."
Cordelia blanched, "Oh dear God . . . that's disgusting!"
"Ye-ah, keep Will safe, okay? I'll be back before the sun sets." Angel turned and left.
Zephyr snickered when he saw Angel coming out of the lift, he was tall, slim, with wavy blonde hair that was cut short and bright gray eyes, he sat up more on Angel's desk,
"Ach, you didn't bring my liddle playmate!" He huffed, hopping down and sauntering over to Angel, leaning close and tilting his head up to look at the dark-haired vampire through lowered lids, "He squealed when we played my game, begged me to stop . . . it was adorable, yanno? I wanted him to scream but didn't have time t-"
"Get out of my face before I break yours." Angel snarled, feeling his fangs lengthen, "You ever go near Will again, and I'll tear you to pieces!"
"Oh, you hear that Sire, he said he'd-"
"Enough," Cyprus hissed from the other office, Angel could see him standing off to the side, "I warned you, Zephyr, I've punished you once . . . don't make me kill you."
Zephyr blinked and then growled, skulking to the couch against the wall and muttering darkly in German. Angel watched as Cyprus moved slowly into the office, Angel lowered his eyes for a moment before taking a breath and looking up at Cyprus. The ArchVampyre was tall and well-muscled, his pale skin stretched over his flesh in exquisite detail, blood-red eyes gleamed at him and the creature's thick dark hair was pulled into a neat ponytail. To top it off he didn't look a day over thirty-five.
"Cyprus, if you ever let that beast near Will, I'll-"
Cyprus held up his hand, "I assure you, had I known that Zephyr would give in to his more disgusting habits, I would not have let William leave with him. If he does attempt such a thing again, I will show him the light."
Angel was stunned, he blinked, "I thought Zeph in there was your Favored Childe?"
"He is, but for his power, not his personality. I detest his . . . desires . . . and the insult that he would commit such a thing on one of my lineage is beyond reproach. Don't worry, Angel, he was severely dealt with, he only just regained consciousness in time to accompany me." Cyprus's eyes gleamed dangerously and he crossed his arms.
"Okay, why are you doing this?" Angel asked, leaning on his desk.
"You know why. On to less obvious questions." Cyprus waved his hand.
"What's happening to Spike?" Angel tried.
"Ah, yes, well, I'm a firm believer in rewarding good behavior. You see, you and William both have something to learn, Angel, and by working together you both will be released from this little lesson. William has isolated himself from you, his GrandSire and you have successfully ignored his existence when you should be guiding him, since Druisilla is no longer, shall we say, available? So, to alleviate such grievances, I've had Zephyr put this spell on William, it is very specific and cannot be broken by normal means."
"Okay . . . so what? I have to learn to be a good Sire and Spike has to learn to trust again? Is that it?" Angel threw his hands up in exasperation, "That'll take years!"
"No, you've already seen the effects of one simple step in the right direction." Cyprus shook his head, "The more you learn, the more I reward. You would note that I was generous with giving William back some control to tell you something he's been dying, almost literally, to tell you? And he's aged quite a bit since being left on your doorstep."
Angel blinked, "That's the reward . . . ? What about me?"
"Well, William can't do it on his own, he needs you. And that is your reward."
"What? To be annoyed to a second death with his constant whining and complaining and crying and . . . " Angel looked at him, "What is my reward in all this?"
"I've given you someone you can love and hold and take care of without the fear of your former self breaking loose. You've longed for companionship and William will love you unconditionally and without thought. I didn't put any ideas into his head about who you were. I had intended to introduce you to him as his Sire and leave it grow from there but," Cyprus smiled, "He surprised me by asking for his 'Daddy'. He wanted you, Angel, he knew who you were to him and that's your reward."
Angel stared at him in shock, "Why are you . . . ?"
"Because unlike other vampires, I care very deeply for those in my blood line, you, Zephyr, William . . . you're all I have left and I'm too old to start again." Cyprus sighed and reached out a hand, putting it on Angel's cheek.
Angel surprised himself by leaning into the slightly colder hand, he'd met Cyprus many times, he'd known that the ArchVampyre was different, at one time he thought him old and foolish, an idealistic moron . . . but now that Angel had a soul, he understood.
Angel closed his eyes, "Thank you, Cyprus."
Cyprus nodded, "You're welcome," He pulled back, lifting his head, "Now, don't go to thinking that you can finish the lessons as quickly as you did this first turn! I merely wanted you to understand how this would work, he won't jump in age that rapidly again, this will take time."
"I understand. Well, you have my number and address, I'm sure we'll be in touch." Angel nodded and turned to go downstairs.
"Oh and don't worry, Angel, Zephyr will behave." Cyprus's eyes glowed dangerously and Angel shuddered when he felt the power radiate off the Demon, he nodded and quickly closed the door behind him.
A/N: Yup, I wanted to foodle with the storyplot a bit. I hated to do that to Tiny Spike, but bear in mind we're dealing with Demons and evil vampires here! Not everyone is a good person! Thus, Zephyr's habit (for lack of a word to better describe how sickening it is) and never fear, I'll take care of it.
