Don't own it or them. If I did I'd be too busy playing with them to write. Sorry it took so long to update. Lets just get...

On with the show.

::Stuff and Nonsense- Once Upon a Dream::

Lorne stopped the vampires from dashing into the building once again, by holding up his finger and hissing. "They're what? That's horrible."

Spike was getting anxious. The sun had just gone down and he wanted to get inside, kill the shape shifting spirit thing, and save the kid. "What is the hold up, you silly demon? Get off the bloody phone."

Lorne was nodding and making surprised gasping sounds, when all of the sudden he hung up and smacked Tim in the back of the head, causing the hostage to scream his lament. "Your family incubates demon spawn in the bodies of small girls?!" Lorne smacked the boy again and growled. "You son of a bitch! What have you got to say for yourself?" Lorne ripped the gag off of Tim's mouth and pulled him up out of the car.

Tim's face was tight and pale. "She's still my sister. I couldn't help what they did to her, because I was too young to know the secret. By the time I found out, it was too late."

Tears were starting to spill from the boy's eyes, but Lorne didn't show any sign of sympathy. "So, you did what?"

"I searched out a spirit that was strong enough to take out my... father. He was a powerful mage and my powers were hardly developed." Tim looked down at the ground, when he met eyes with Angel.

Angel wasn't sure what he was hearing, but he wanted to know what he was up against before he entered the house. "Who... or what did you find? What happened?"

Tim gulped and shook his head. "I found 'Michael'. I knew that he had possessed a boy in a nearby school. I had heard snippets of his thoughts and I felt his power. I put myself in the right place at the right time to meet him. I offered him everything he wanted... mostly friendship. I made him like me, love me, and then I used him. When our auras mingled..." Tim sighed and coughed. It was getting harder to speak. It was as if something was preventing him from being able to take in enough oxygen to tell his story.

Lorne squeezed the boy's shoulder and told him to continue. "It's anxiety. Get past it and go on."

Tim nodded. "When our auras mingled I had as much control over him as he could have over me. We were always together and... I decided not to 'control' him physically. I simply asked him to kill my dad."

Angel nodded and crossed his arms across his chest. "Did he?"

Tim nodded, slowly. "He murdered him brutally and then he left the body of that kid at the scene of the crime. The kid went to an asylum and 'Michael' jumped into Kelsey, with the pretense of trying to kill the demon inside."

Angel sniffed the air and looked around. It was unusually still. "Did he kill it?"

Tim shook his head. "He said that he couldn't. I called him some names, telling him how weak he was and he got slightly miffed, to say the least. Then he pretended to leave the body, telling me that he would find a better shell and come back to me so that we could finish our argument and get back to our life. He stayed inside of Kelsey for a month and when he finally told me about it, I blew up. I used the power I had over him and... I hurt him." Tim sighed. "I felt like he had violated my trust and he still insists that he loves me. Severing the connection between us was the worst thing I could do. Now, I can't stop him from killing Kelsey and you are all to blame."

Spike's usually hollow cheeks were even tighter as he bit the insides of his mouth. Up to this point he hadn't said anything, but he felt it was his turn to speak. He stalked up to the boy and grabbed him by the front of the shirt, pulling him away from Lorne's hold. "I think you should have just been a better boyfriend and not manipulated the bloke. He was an 'all-powerful' spirit for how long? You shouldn't have pissed him off. Don't tell 'im how weak he is after he offs your old man for you. Tell 'im he tried and you can figure it out together, right?"

Tim saw the way Spike's eyes shined in the dark and he gulped.

"Hmm... 'ow much do you suppose he really loves you, as of right now? Enough to sense you are in trouble? Would he save you from a vampire who had you at 'is mercy? 'ow loud would I have to make you scream before he came runnin' outta' that house, guns a' blazin'?"

Tim's eyes grew as wide as saucers and he shook his head. "No..." He whimpered.

"Start screamin' pet or I'll make it a whole lot worse." Spike morphed into his demonic form and bent down, licking the hollow of Tim's neck. He silently called the blood, as he sucked on the skin and waved his sire and Lorne away.

Angel knew what Spike was up to and even though he didn't like it he went along with the unspoken plan and pulled Lorne toward the house.

Lorne was worriedly looking over his shoulder, when Angel pulled him out of his thoughts.

"He's using Tim as bait. He's bringing Michael to him, so we can go get the child." Angel pulled Lorne back into the shadows of the house, when he heard a scream of pure fear and smelled blood. Angel looked at his childe and gasped, silently. Spike no longer resembled his childe William, or his souled counterpart; he looked like any demon that you would find in a graveyard... ready to be slain and reveling in his evil.

Lorne shivered and looked up at Angel. "He terrifying, Angel."

Angel nodded and whispered back. "That's why I made him. I knew he would be perfect, if he was unleashed."

They stood in communicable silence for a moment, when a sonic boom of emotion was projected at them. Lorne crouched down and grabbed at his gut, gasping in his pain. "I think Michael knows that Tim is in trouble." He gasped, once more and convulsed.

Angel nodded and gripped his stomach, as well. He was bent in half by the pain, but he had to fight it and go save the kid. "Stay here and make sure that Spike doesn't get hurt... if you can." Angel ran around to the back door and broke in, quite easily. It wasn't locked.

Lorne looked up from the ground and saw the form of a child walking toward Spike and Tim.

Spike looked up from Tim's limp form and spotted the little girl. Tim hadn't been drained, by any means, he had just passed out from the fear of being fed on. Spike had only taken one good swallow when he stopped feeding. "Hello, little one."

"You're hurting my Tim." The little girl frowned and shook her head, her eyes glowing in the darkness.

"I didn't mean anything personal. I was hungry." Spike smirked, cheekily.

The girl growled and shook her head, more adamantly. "You aren't a random demon, vampire. I've seen you before."

"Have you, now?" Spike decided to keep the conversation up as long as he could, because that meant less fighting between him and the shape shifter. "Where have you seen me?"

"I saw you like Sleeping Beauty." The little girl stated cryptically. "I know you. I walked with you once upon a dream..." She started to sing, quietly, and smiled.

Spike barely heard the little girl, but he recognized the song. Drusilla used to sing it back when she went through her Disney stage. "I know you. The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam..." He sang back to the child.

"You have a pretty voice." The child stated, with a sigh. "It won't stop me from killing you, though. You hurt Tim."

Spike looked at the boy in his arms and at the insane child-like form. "He's not dead. He's just scared." Spike laid the boy down at the girl's feet and stepped back. He made it look like a peace offering, but it was really freeing up his hands in case of a fight.

"We aren't going to fight. You're too big. I'm going to kill you with my mind." The girl's eyes glowed brighter. "Tim takes care of me and I take care of him. It's how it has always been and how it will always be."

"Look, you are off your rocker. Tim was an asshole to you and you still feel like taking up for him? You have been treated unfairly. You were left alone with your love and he didn't want you near. He told us himself."

The girl looked down at Tim's form and shook her head. "He wouldn't say that! He wouldn't!" The girl's voice deepened and grew sinister. "He loves me and I love him! That's how it has always been and that's how it will always be!"

Spike looked past the child and saw that Lorne had passed out, beside the house.

"Don't worry about him." The child growled. "He'll die later, when I'm through with you. Then, I'll kill the dark vampire who is trying to save Michael."

Spike's eyes widened. "What was that?" He asked, a little more than confused.

"Michael!" The child howled like an animal. "That pretentious little shit that I attacked earlier. He's weak enough for me to kill now, but I want to take my time with him. He should suffer for his crimes against Tim and myself." The child pushed up her frilly sleeves and stared at Spike. "I despise your kind, vampire. You have to jump from human to human to live, instead of living off of one until you are strong enough to live on your own. You show weakness every time you pick a different human to drain."

Spike took a step back and looked over the child once more. He tried to clear his mind, as he saw his sire stalking up behind the girl. It was impossible, so he decided to think of something that could override his thoughts. He remembered the way he felt about Drusilla the moment he saw her child-like eyes and her long, beautiful hair. He thought about the way that Angel held him to his chest, his first night as a fledgling. He remembered Buffy and the way she chewed her lip and turned her ring on her finger, when she was nervous. He remembered the times his mother had hugged him and told him how much she loved him and his stupid poetry.

"What's wrong vampire? Afraid that in your last moment, you won't have enough time for your long life to pass before your eyes?" Kelsey took a breath and focused on Spike's unbeating heart. "You seem a little cold, love. Let's see if I can warm you up."

Spike gripped his chest and howled in pain. He felt like he literally had a case of heartburn, when it suddenly stopped. Spike looked up, with tears in his eyes, and smiled. "It's 'bout time."

Angel smiled at his childe, as he held the girl up by the back of her neck. "I know what you are, Schneilnofg demon. If I say your name, you die."

"There are hundreds of us. You will never be able to guess who I am." The demon growled. "Plus, you don't wield enough power!"

Angel chuckled and shook his head. "I got a call from a friend, while I was inside. He has connections and he told me what your name is and... you have no idea how much power I have on my side. Expel yourself from the child or I'll say it."

"No!" Tim shook and spluttered, spitting up blood. "It'll kill her! Nliegnog... Nliegnog!"

Kelsey thrashed and howled, shaking herself from Angel's grasp. "You traitor! You traitor! I'll kill you!"

Tim screamed and cried, while grabbing his chest and shaking. "It hurts... Oh, Christ, it hurts!"

"Stop!" The voice reached across the yard and stopped the movement of all who occupied it. "Let him go, Nliegnog!"

Kelsey turned toward the voice and shook her head. Michael stood their staring at her, impassively. "You can't... You..." Her voice was small and she seemed to become frailer, by the second. "How could you... be alive?" Kelsey fell to her knees and fell forward, until she lay on her stomach on the sodden ground.

Michael looked at Tim and sighed. "I loved you and you treated me like... a human." He said it with derision. "I've saved your sister, or what's left of her, and you look at me like I'm a monster." Michael shook his head and looked toward Angel. "He's a bad man and he shouldn't be allowed to take care of children. That family in there is made of good, decent people." Michael bent down and picked up the child, laying her head against his chest and hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry for hurting you, little one." He whispered in her ear.

Angel looked over at his childe, assessing the damage. When he was sure that he was unharmed he focused on Tim and then on Kelsey and Michael. "What are you planning?"

Michael hugged the little girl and shrugged. "I'm going to go put her to bed and... maybe I'll see you guys around?"

Angel nodded. "I'm not sure how I feel about you, but you are welcome to come by Angel Investigations if you ever feel... hopeless."

Michael smiled and looked between Angel and Spike. "I'll remember that. Don't forget to get your green demon, before you go. He's a good one to have around."

Spike took in a deep breath and looked down at the man laying at his feet. "What do we do about him?"

Michael shrugged and looked at Tim, sadly. "I don't want him dead, but I don't want him near me either. I'm not taking care of him and as far as the government is concerned he's a good citizen. Do what you will with him. I just want to start over somewhere... maybe find someone. Perhaps, I'll just be alone and travel for a while. Maybe I'll revisit Ireland and the old stomping grounds."

Angel smiled and nodded. "You should."

Michael turned and carried the little girl back in the house.

Angel looked at his childe and smirked. "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone wrapped a hot piece of metal around my heart." Spike rubbed his chest and groaned. "How about you?"

Angel nodded, with a smile. "I'm good."

Spike rolled his eyes and sighed. "Let's just go home, please."

Angel helped his childe over to the car and into the seat. "As long as you're being all polite, I don't see how I could say no."

"If you did I'd break your balls off and feed 'em to Tim." Spike growled, half-heartedly.

Angel grinned, because he knew Spike was all right. "I'll get Lorne. You figure out what we'll do with Tim."

Spike plotted, as his sire hurriedly made his way to aid their friend.

TBC

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