Disclaimer: see prologue

Author's notes: Originally, I was going to tie things up here. A brief, in- canon chapter, charting the failure of the spell and Luc's departure for Australia, or somewhere. And then I realised it'd be a lot more fun, and probably more in keeping with Luc's story, to go completely AU from here. Consider season 2 cancelled, folks. This chapter contains character death. Be warned. (If anyone wants a canon chapter, contradicting this, let me know and I'll write one. I might write one anyway, actually.)

The Breton: chapter 13 - Beginnings and Ends

In the darkness, Luc felt for the orb and picked it up, holding it out. The sphere was now dark and quiet, and he put it down again as he waited for his night-vision to reassert itself after the brightness of the candles.

Gradually, two quivering lumps distinguished themselves from the night: one Angelus and one the other vampire. It was he Luc went to first, grabbing the vampire's arm and hauling him to his feet.

"Not me, not me, not me," the other vampire was muttering, in a low voice. "It wasn't me."

Luc felt a wave of euphoria flow through him, and he grinned. "Merci, mon ami," he said to the other vampire. "Good job."

The vampire looked up at him with fear-crazed eyes. "It wasn't me!" he said, desperately.

"Adieu," Luc said, pulling a stake from his coat pocket and ramming it into the other's heart.

He brushed the dust off and with trepidation, anticipation, and a mixture of fear and joy, turned to the other bundle on the ground. Angelus' body was still shaking from the aftermath of the spell, and instead of helping him up too Luc stood back and waited.

After a few minutes, the shaking stopped, and his sire rolled to all fours, head down; and then after another moment he stood up.

"Dru?" he said, glancing around, and clearly not seeing Luc. "The vortex worked? - where's that Slayer?" He paused, and closed his eyes. "Oh, damn."

Luc slid his stake back into his pocket.

Angelus opened his eyes and turned to face Luc. "Well then," he said, head on one side, a grin stretching his lips, "comment vas-tu, mon Luc? Quite the little magician, aren't you? Where's my soul?"

"Scattered to the four corners of the earth," Luc said. "I dusted it. It's gone."

"You freed me."

"I freed you, sire."

"Bloody nerve!" Angelus said, and hit Luc, hard. "Tricked me into it. No warning. Freezing cold park and not a bite to eat. Idiot."

"You wouldn't have said yes if I'd asked," Luc pointed out, putting one hand to the trickle of blood from where Angelus' blow had broken the skin of his cheek. His sire stared at him for a second, and then laughed.

"I guess not." He came up to Luc, and bent to lick away the blood running down his face. "I missed you." He stood back, and held Luc at arm's length to examine him. "The perfect modern vampire, aren't you? How you've grown. You've done well, I hear. Chicago . Tokyo ."

"You researched me?" Luc asked.

"No, *he* researched you," Angelus snapped. "That . thing I've been. And Wes, and Cordy, and Gunn." He smiled, luxuriously. "Wes . Cordy . Gunn . oh, I'm going to enjoy this, Luc. We are going to have such a good time."

"Where shall we start?" Luc said.

"The Hyperion. They're expecting their pet hero back."

They chose to leave Luc's hired car abandoned where he had parked it, and they took Angelus' black convertible. Luc sat sideways in his seat and drank in the sight of his sire as he pushed the car fast through the night time streets. This time he knew it was for real, this time he knew Angelus was back to stay - with him, forever.

At the Hyperion Angelus drove into the underground car park and showed Luc the way up into the hotel itself.

"Stay in the basement, my boy, until I call you. Don't want to give the game away too fast."

Luc nodded, and sat down on the third step leading up to the lobby, and listened.

"Hey, Angel!" the girl said, cheery and bright, from a distance. "Did'ya stake him?"

"Yes, he's gone."

"Great. Wes and Gunn went off to fight a demon."

"So . you're all alone, Cordy?" Angelus said, his voice low and just audible to Luc in the basement. There was a pause, and then a squeak from Cordelia.

"Personal bubble!" she said. "Angel! Is there something wrong with my hair?"

"Absolutely nothing," Angelus returned. "It smells wonderful."

"Is this to do with that French guy? Or those dreams you've been having?" the girl demanded. "Waking up your inner vampire, or something?"

"Cordelia, my inner vampire's always awake," Angelus said, laughing.

For a moment Luc heard nothing, and then a scrape as a chair was pushed back, and a hollow scrabble followed by the crash of a drawer thudding to the floor.

"Stay back!" the girl said. "I'm warning you . any closer and it's a Holy Water shower followed by a nice stake through the heart. My Angel doesn't laugh, not like that."

"I'm just happy, after staking Luc," Angelus said, his voice full of contrition. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"What did he do?" she asked, her voice cracking just a little. "What did he do, Angel?"

"Cordy, put the stake down," Angelus said. "I'm not going to hurt you. You know I'd never hurt you. That's right."

Luc heard the sound of sobbing, the girl's, and a muffled, "oh, Angel, I thought he'd try and do something to you, or kill you."

"Hey now, I came back," Angelus said. "Shhh, Cordelia, don't cry." The girl's sobs subsided a little, and now Angelus' voice came again, with a note of laughter in it. "And don't scream either. Trust your instincts, never words. Luc!"

Luc stood up and pushed open the basement door, coming out into the lobby lit from on high. Angelus had the girl in a hold that was half an embrace, but she was struggling as hard as she could.

"There should be ropes or chains in one of her desk drawers," Angelus said through gritted teeth. Find them. Bind her."

Luc nodded, and digging through the drawers soon discovered a pair of handcuffs with a key, and a length of rope. He did Cordelia's legs first, and then caught her hands and swiftly cuffed them together. Angelus laid her on the sofa, taking his hand off her mouth.

"Bastard!" Cordelia said, viciously. "Both of you. I knew something was up, I knew it!"

"You underestimated my Luc," Angelus said, perching on the coffee table. "Compared him to Penn, or Spike - the hothead. Luc's a lot cleverer than they. I don't think I ever properly introduced him, did I? Luc Tarpeau, Cordelia Chase."

"Enchanté," said Luc, gravely.

"I'm not," Cordelia snapped back. "Wes and Gunn'll be back any minute, and they'll have both of you dust in no time."

"Thanks for reminding me," Angelus said, and went across to the phone. Cordelia sagged, and closed her eyes. Luc watched her as his sire dialled and then spoke. "Hi, Wesley? Yeah, it's Angel. Look, don't worry about coming back tonight, we can debrief in the morning. Get some sleep. See you. Bye." He came back to the sofa and settled down on the floor near Cordelia's head. "What should I do to them, do you think, Cordy? Turn them? Kill them? Torture them?" Angelus turned to Luc. "Luc - any ideas?"

"I'm sure we can think of something," Luc said, enjoying himself hugely. "Something appropriate." He returned his sire's grin. "But what about her?"

Angelus reached out, and caressed Cordelia's cheek. "Ah, the fair Cordelia. I missed you out, back in Sunnydale, didn't I? Jenny for Giles . Willow's fish . but no presents for the May Queen."

"Didn't bother me," Cordelia spat out.

"So ." Angelus said, "what shall we do with you?"

Luc came and joined him on the floor, leaning against the coffee table. "I think we should turn her."

"Preserve her beauty forever?" said Angelus. "Yes, perhaps we should. But then remember she's a Seer. I've already got one childe with visions."

"She's much saner than Drusilla," Luc pointed out. "I think she won't go mad."

"Damn right I won't go mad!" Cordelia said. "Not going to drink either. I remember you saying that it had to be your own choice, once, Angel."

"Angelus, please!" Angelus said. "Don't go thinking some of him is left inside, because, honey, it ain't. This time, no little Wiccan is bringing me back."

"Wes might," Cordelia suggested. "He's a Watcher. He knows stuff. He can call Giles. I bet he'd be interested in this. So would Buffy. I'm sure she'd love to come and kill you even deader than you are."

Angelus snarled. "Buffy, Buffy, Buffy. The Slayer with friends. You know what I do to Slayers' friends, Cordy."

"Bore them to death," she said. "It's all me, me, me, with you, isn't it? You're right. There isn't any of Angel in you. He cared. He helped. All you care about is you."

Angelus looked at her for a moment, his head on the side. "I guess." He leant in close to her. "And you know what, Cordy? At the moment, I'm hungry. I'm not going to turn you. We are going to drain you, slowly, carefully, drop by precious drop."

Luc, gazing at Cordelia's neck, licked his lips in anticipation.

Her eyes went wide. "No . oh, God, no ." And then there was an ear- splitting scream, and she writhed on the sofa.

Angelus rolled his eyes. "A vision? Now?" He looked up at the ceiling. "Hey, guys, bit late!"

"It's Wes . and Gunn," Cordelia stammered out, between screams. "God, they're so scared . so angry . Caritas, broken . the Host . it hurts, it hurts so much . Wes, no!" She screamed again, and then the scream died into whimpers, and finally she lay still. After a moment the eyes in the pallid face opened, and fixed themselves on Angelus. "Do it, then. And I hope someone slays you, one day, and makes it slow and painful. To punish you for that."

"You'll never know," Angelus said cuttingly, and letting his features shift, he bent over Cordelia's neck, and bit. After a moment, Luc unlocked the handcuffs and followed his sire's example, taking the girl's wrist and biting down, letting the warm liquid trickle slowly down his throat, feeling as her heart struggled, slowed, and, finally, minutes after they had begun, stop. As one, Angelus and Luc stood back and with the delicious warmth of a meal, let their faces change back to human. They contemplated the body in front of them, the eyes closed as if sleeping, head turned slightly to one side. Her hair was spread on the red of the sofa, dark against alabaster skin.

For a moment, there was silence, and then Angelus turned away. "Bitch," he said briefly. "Who's next?"