Title: Family and Blood (5/?)

Author: Chimera

Warnings: slash, occasional blood, freaky situations

Disclaimer: Buffy nor the WWE belongs to me. Pity. I could do so much – how would you feel about a Shawn Michaels/Chris Jericho hot oil match?

Notes: This flashback will hopefully end in the next chapter. Hopefully. *Hopefully.* And hopefully most questions will be answered by then. And we can move forward in the story.

   Jay opened his eyes, and groaned as the light hit him. "Ah, my 'ead."

   There was a whine at his side, and he looked down. Matt was lying by his side, using his stomach as a pillow. "Hey Matt," he grunted, then his eyes widened as the happenings of the last few hours crashed upon him like a tidal wave. Jay sat up abruptly. He took in the silk-sheeted bed he was lying on, the black, gothic canopy above him…and Matt was still not speaking. "Matt?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly. Matt said nothing, only slapped at him to lie back down. "I need you to talk."

   Matt cocked his head before butting him in the side lightly with his forehead. He nuzzled Jay under the chin, practically in his lap. Almost automatically Jay stroked the brunette's hair, eyes suddenly focusing in on one strange point. "Matt, when did your eyes turn green?"

   Matt simply blinked at him. Jay stared at him for a few more minutes before burying his face in his hands. He keened, low in his throat. Matt whimpered, sensing the new mix of emotions, and tried to pull the blonde from his position. Jay paid no attention but only lost himself further in his guilt and self-hatred.

   Spike had taken him from their cell, leaving the door open. He remembered that clearly; Matt had been easily visible and Jay had tried to send him reassuring thoughts, trying to get him responsive, willing him to be responsive. The blonde vampire…Spike…had pushed him onto the bed and unceremoniously bit him. Jay shuddered as he remembered the feeling…blind, agonizing pain, feeling like his very soul was been taken through his neck…and then shuddered again as the memory of his change came back…the darkness, and the power, and the intensity of the gift he had been cursed with…immortality. Jay had whimpered, but the powerful vampire had paid no heed to the helpless mortal and had continued until Jay had passed out from exhaustion – vain attempts to resist, and the change coursing through his body.

   He let out a half-sob. The feeling of loss was overwhelming, and yet there was something extra inside him…something he knew to be dark. Every text he had ever read on vampires started a whispering inside his head.

   Evil, undilutable and pure evil…

   …the scourge of the underworld…

   The cowardous stalkers of the night…

   "I'm nothing," he whispered to himself. "I'm nothing, I'm not good." The blonde crumpled, hugging his knees to his chest as he turned his face into the thickness of the blankets. The soft material covering his face only served to remind him that he didn't need to breathe anymore, and he sobbed out again, "I'm nothing, I'm not good, I'm nothing…"

   Matt whined, nosing at Jay's back. He was worried. Very worried. Something was wrong with his packmate.

   And that thumping noise hadn't started yet.

   Jeff stared at Shannon. "You trust me?"

   Shannon nodded shortly. "Let's get it done."

   "Hades, the low, and Zeus, the high, we beseech you to assist your sons. The proper passage is not found, the high, the low, so Hades' will is not done. Zeus' ceremony is not complete. High and low, assist your sons. Take away place, and show the physical plane where your lost sons lie. Hades' will is done as we find them."

   One hazel eye opened cautiously before Shannon blinked. He kept his hands hovering over Jeff's, but glanced around. Adam was still watching silently, nervously, and nothing was out of place. The spell hadn't even been all that difficult, just the chant and a bit of concentration.

   Jeff himself blinked awake, the near trance he had been in broken. He stared at Shannon, searching his eyes. "Shanny, I need you to think," he said urgently. "Is there anything you feel? Like a wish to go somewhere?"

   The blonde's expression grew a little puzzled, but he breathed in deeply and concentrated on the bright green of Jeff's eyes. His own grew out of focus and he found himself looking past Jeff. He nearly felt like he was floating…out of the room through a wall, down the streets, passing houses and shops that he knew all too well…and he snapped back into consciousness.

   Jeff smiled at him reassuringly, patting him on the shoulder. "It's alright, Shanny." He looked at Adam. "We'll do it again."

   Shannon shook his head violently. Jeff had mistaken his silence. "I know where they are."

   Jay was quickly running out of tears.

   Matt was running out of sanity.

   And Druscilla skipping into the room didn't make things much better.

   She stopped short at the sight of the two men, one curled up on the bed and the other silently guarding.

   "My angel," she murmured softly. "And my wolf…"

   She ambled over to the bed, but stopped in her tracks once Matt started a low growl, ceaseless, his green gaze locked onto her. Dru frowned prettily, but lifting her hand slightly her frown turned into a smile as Matt's eyes followed the limb. "My wolf." She sat down softly on the corner of the bed, well away from Matt and Jay. The crumpled figure still wasn't moving.

   Matt raised himself on hands and knees, and crawled his way over to Druscilla. His growls were still audible, but were slightly quieter than before.

   "Yes, puppy," she cooed, "come to mummy."

   The brunette sniffed once more at Jay and whined. He looked pitifully at Jay, then back at Dru. She understood immediately. "He sick?"

   A growl almost unintentionally slipped from Matt as Dru leaned over to check on Jay. His blue eyes blinked as a pale woman swam into view.

   She tsked unappreciatively. "Are you sick, my angel?" she asked, frowning when she placed her hand on his forehead. "You don't feel sick…but the stars say you hurt. Where do you hurt, angel?"

   Jay just stared silently. "They say you hurt…here." She placed her hand on her own chest, before looking confused. "Why do you hurt?"

   "I'm bad," he whimpered.

   Dru still looked confused. "You can be anything you want to be," she frowned. Her gaze slid to Matt again. "Your puppy," she murmured.

   "He's not a puppy."

   The mad vampire pointed upwards, staring at the roof like it held the secret of life. "The clouds say so."

   Jay still looked confused.

   Matt unexpectedly nuzzled Dru's side. She smiled sweetly and patted his head, one hand disappearing into his wild mane of hair.

   The brunette yelped as one of Dru's long fingernails dug into his neck. "Sorry puppy," she crooned, getting off the bed and leaning over him. "But even angels need food." She bounced out of the room, a little girl heading no where in particular.

   Matt whined pitifully. He stumbled slightly as he made his way up the bed…that one nail had done a lot of damage, Jay noted in concern. He was drawn out of his reverie by that concern, and quickly rolled to help his friend.

   "Matty?" he asked fearfully.

   He rolled the brunette onto his back, and drew in a sharp breath.

   The damage had been done…Matt's clothes were now stained with his life blood, and by the amount he was losing Jay figured he had three more minutes with his friend. He covered the deep cut with his hand, but knew it wouldn't do anything.

   And at the back of his mind was hunger and instinct.

   …drink…

   …drain and kill…

   …the blood is yours now…

   With an anguished moan he stared at Matt. The brunette's eyes were closed, and he was breathing harshly. His lips were slowly taking on a different colour, and the beat below his hand was slowing…

   Please God, forgive me.

   He bent over his friend and drank.

   Shannon glanced at the buildings around him. He knew this place. The boys at school had talked about this place – before he pulled himself out, that is. This was the bad section of town – where the boys went to 'turn into men'. He shuddered as dirty faces turned his way, a few going so far as to lecherously grin at him showing a handful of dirty teeth.

   He indicated up ahead, to one of the last buildings in the city proper. "They're in there."

   Jeff came up to him, his face newly streaked with dirt after the worst leg of their 'trip'. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, and Shannon winced as a clean line was revealed on his face – obviously Jeff had succumbed to his grief at some point in the trip.

   The blue haired man noticed Shannon's pity, and quickly wiped the tear track away. "Alright," he said gruffly. "Remember, whatever's in there isn't Jay or Matt anymore."

   Adam swallowed, staring up at the building. It was bad enough losing two of your best friends…worse losing them twice. "We can fall apart after this," the blonde added softly, almost to himself.

   The other two men with him nodded. Shannon cleared his throat. "Let's get moving."

   "Matty, please wake up," Jay said softly, petting his dark curls continuously. He untangled every last lock he could get to, laying it out artfully on the pillow. He whimpered as his hand came across flaking blood entangling Matt's hair, reminding him of what he'd just done.

   The blonde glanced down at his wrist, the deep cut from only a moment ago fully healed. He rubbed lightly at Matt's neck, scraping off the drying blood to find no evidence of the laceration that had forced him to do what he never thought he could.

   A low, unearthly whine came from deep within Matt's throat. Jay sat up fearfully, staring at his friend…childe, now.

   His nose wrinkled slightly, and he opened his eyes.

   They were still green.

   And that's when Jeff, Adam and Shannon burst into the room.