Part 6

A young man with brown hair walked up to the door, inhaled deeply and knocked. A beautiful longhaired brunette with sparkling blue eyes and a dazzling smile opened it.

"Hello?" she said

"Hello." He said

"Can I help you?" She smiled again.

"Um...I'm looking for someone..." He stammered.

"Oh, who?" She asked.

"I'm looking for Angel?"

"Angel? "said the girl rather confused.

"Yes I was told I might be able to find him here."

"I'm sorry but you were told wrong. I think he's staying at the mansion on Crawford Street. I'm Dawn by the way." She gives another dazzling smile "A friend of Angels, well sort of he used to date my sister a while back."

"I'm Connor." He smiled shyly, feet shuffling. "I'd better be going, Crawford Street you said?"

"Yes, you know where it is?"

"I'll find it. Thank you." Connor turned and walked down the drive, as he got to the end he stopped, sniffed and turned in the direction of Crawford Street.

Knock...knock...knock...

"All right I'm coming." Spike yelled as he grabbed some clothes. Noting Angel wasn't in bed. "Who the hell comes to see a vampire in the middle of the fucking day? Has to be a bloody Scooby," he grumbled.

Knock...knock...knock...

"All right I'm up. Give it a rest will you." He yanked the front door open, carefully avoiding the sunlight, coming face to face with a young man and yelled "WHAT?!!"

"Vampire." Sneered the young man. "Where is he? I smell him all over you."

"And you would be?" Asked a very pissed off yet bemused Spike.

"Where is he?" The young man asked again as he pushed his way in to the mansion.

"Where is who? And don't they teach you youngsters any manners?" a shocked Spike asked.

"No" came the abrupt reply as the youngster pulled a stake from his pocket. "Now tell me where Angel is before I stake you."

"Great another Buffy wanna be." Spike grumbled. "I have no idea where Angel is and I do not take to threats kindly now, who the fuck are you?" Spike was now very pissed off.

"I am death." The young man said as he flew across the room towards the vampire, stake raised. Spike blocked the blow easily and backhanded the boy across the face, flooring him, and leaving a shallow cut on his cheek. He waited for the chip to fire but it didn't. Spike didn't care why. Only that there wasn't brain numbing pain and then he smiled.

"No, your not, you silly boy. I'm Death." Sneered Spike leaning over him "Now would you be so kind as to give me your name?"

"Connor." He spat blood on to the floor.

Spike chuckled "Well, well, Little Brother welcome to the family."

"I am not your brother." Connor snarled the words with venom as he rose. "And we are not family."

"That's where you're wrong Little Brother. We are family."

"Who are you?" Connor took another swing and once again ended up on the floor.

"I'm Spike, also known as William The Bloody, childe of Angelus, and you me boy have been very bad." Chuckled Spike "I give you ten out of ten for originality I mean locking your old Dar up like that was a stroke of genius. Hats off to you mate."

"You're not like other vampires, you feel...different?" he said puzzled, as he rose and took another swing.

"That's 'cause I ain't like any other vampire." Spike easily dodged the left hook.

"What makes you so different?" Connor lashed out again.

"I have a soul." Spike stated getting a smack in the mouth. "Hey watch it."

"Just like Angel?" taking another swing.

"Stop hitting me" Spike dodged another blow. "We're on the same side and no, I'm nothing like Angel," Connor tried to kick Spike around the head but failed and ended up sitting on the floor again. "Besides Angel's as dull as a table lamp and we have very different colouring." Said a very disgruntled, pouting vampire.

Connor burst out laughing at this strange vampire in font of him. Bemused once again Spike looked on "What's so bloody funny you wanker?"

"You...are..." Connor gasped out between giggles.

"Right, 'cause laugh at the pissed off vampire you're trying to stake. Clever that, really clever just like your old Dar, ain't got the sense god gave a mule." Spike threw his hands in the air and walked off towards the kitchen still muttering "What is it with this fucking family? Fists first, then talk; that is if any of us are sane, sober or conscious enough to talk." reappearing with a first aid box. He passed it to Connor. "Truce?"

"For now. Truce." Conner took the box, stood and went to sit on the sofa. Spike joined him, watching in amusement as the boy tried unsuccessfully to clean the cut on his cheek.

"Wanna hand?"

"Sure." Shrugged Connor. Spike leaned over and turned the boys face towards his so he could inspect the wound.

"Nothing major, just a scratch." Spike grabbed a plaster and sticks it on. "So you ready to talk and not with your fists this time?"

"Sure" silence descended on the room.

"Okay then not the talkative type, definitely Angel's son." Spike sighed.

"Don't talk about that bastard." Conner said viciously.

"Why not? He's your father?"

"No he killed my father"

"Holtz was not your father, he was a sick twisted fuck."

"No" Shouted Connor "He was my father and Angel murdered him."

"Why would Angel murder him?" Asked Spike quietly, Conner gave him a confused look. "Think about it what would Angel gain by killing Holtz?" Spike paused allowing the words to sink in "Now think about what would he lose if he had killed him?" Spike chuckled "Well guess we already know the answer to that." He sighed and got very serious. "Now think about what Holtz had to gain by killing himself. From what I can gather he was dying anyway, but he wanted to give Angel one last gift before he went. Your hatred. You see Angelus and Darla killed Holtz's entire family and in vengeance Holtz stole you from Angel, took you to a Hell Dimension, raised you to hate all vampires, and then killed himself making it look like Angel had done it." Spike took an unneeded breath.

"What's worse? To lose a child to death, mourn him, lay that soul to rest and slowly move on. Or to lose that child to hatred, to spend the rest of your days knowing your child is out there somewhere hating you, wondering what that child looks like? Whether he's happy? Is he safe? Does he have any children? Am I a granddad? To look at the face of strangers and wonder is that him? Is that my son? To always live in hope that one day that child might forgive?" Spike looked at the young man before him and could see the cogs of his brain turning as he took in what he said.

"You sent one of the most powerful vampires to the bottom of the ocean. Now I've known Angel a hell of a long time and I know there is only one way you could've gotten him in that box. T'was 'cause he gave up hope."

"He deserved worse...he still deserves worse"

"What Angel deserves is open for debate. You understand there's a difference between wishing vengeance on someone and taking it? Now the question is what do you deserve? Forgiveness? Retribution? Vengeance?

"What you did was unbelievable. But you have to understand that nothing in this world is how it ought to be. It's harsh, it's cruel but that's why there are Champions like Angel and the Slayer. Doesn't matter where they come from, whether they make a difference. You're not a part of that yet, but you could be, you have the strength, the power and with a little guidance you could be a champion, help them save the world and all that rot. Believe me when I say Angel isn't the bad guy. He didn't kill Holtz."

"This world is so strange, I don't understand." Conner started crying uncontrollably all the hurt, confusion and anger rushing to the surface. Spike pulled him close and hugged him rubbing his hand in slow comforting circles on his back while babbling nonsense like a mother hen.

As the torrent of tears subsides Connor sniffed "How do I make this right? Will he ever forgive..." The door to the basement crashed open.

"SPIKE where are you? I smell blood..." Angel skidded to a halt as soon as he sees Connor, tears staining his face, being held in Spike's arms.

"Peaches so glad you could make it. Little Brother and I were just having a chat. Oh goodie you got blood I'm starving." Spike extracted himself from Connor giving him a comforting pat on the knee and grabbed the bag from Angel. "Talk to him." He said quietly giving him a reassuring smile before heading towards the kitchen.

"Hi Dad" Connor wipes his tear stained face with the back of his hand.

"Connor...I mean Stephen...I..." Angel stuttered no sure what to say and wondering what Spike had said.

"Connor's good." He smiles

"You're hurt." Angel moves towards him cups his head in his hand and peels the plaster away, to see. Connor fidgets.

"Had a run in with Spike, you know he's better than you." Angels face darkens; gracefully he swings round and stalks towards the kitchen ready to beat his unruly childe to a pulp.

Connor jumps up and puts himself between a rather pissed off Angel and the kitchen door. "It was my fault I hit him first. He was only defending himself."

Angel stops, Looks at the ceiling and takes a deep breath. "Seems every one wants to hit Spike at the moment." He smiles

Connor looks at the ground. "I'm sorry"

"For hitting Spike? Don't be, he usually deserves it."

"No I'm sorry for what...I did to you." Connor shuffles from foot to foot, "Forgive me?" he pleads

Angel pulls him into a hug, "Nothing to forgive." Tears threaten to fall. "Your home now, that's all that matters."

Spike comes back into the room carrying a cup of blood "Oi, poof, you forgot the bloody marshmallows. Now what am I gonna dunk in me blood."

Angel and Connor separate. "He's a strange vampire." Connor chuckled.

"You have no idea." Angel smiled. He had his family back.

Angel had spent a long, emotional exhausting evening with Spike and Connor. They had discussed a lot of issues with his son, brought up old wounds, and now hoped that they had finally reached a point where they could start to rebuild some kind of a relationship.

"I'm exhausted." Angel said rising.

"Yea me too, I'll show Little Brother to his room. Dru's?" he questioned

"Sure" Angel replied. He was dreading the moment when he had to tell Spike that he had to sleep in his own room. He didn't want to scare Connor off but he didn't want a pissed off Spike either.

Spike led Connor to Dru's room and wished him goodnight, before returning to the sitting room and Angel.

"I'll sleep in my room." He stated with a knowing smile

Angel heaved a sigh of relief and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you. Not just for understanding but for everything."

Spike snuggled close into the embrace. "Sure no problem. Night then." He tried to extract himself from the powerful arms surrounding him, but Angel wouldn't let him go. Spike looked up, Angel's lips descend and brush his. Memories of times past fill the air. Spike tilted his head and nuzzled Angel's neck, while running his hands through thick brown hair. Angel groaned as arousal filled the air. They stood there for what seemed like an age just enjoying the closeness. Eventually they broke apart.

"So how's the bank balance looking?"

Angel groaned in exasperation and asked suspiciously "Why?"

"'Cause we need to go shopping tomorrow." Getting a confused look from Angel he continued, "Just what do you expect the boy to eat? And besides I know I could do with some new clothes and seeing as Connor ain't got no bags I'm guessing he needs some to." Spike grinned cheekily and gave Angel a peck on the cheek.

"You know there is nothing I want more than to crawl into bed with you each night and wake with you in my arms?" Angel said seriously running his thumb across Spike's lower lip.

"I know luv, but I think Little Brother has enough to deal with right now." Heading towards his room. "Besides we have all the time in the world and we're going shopping tomorrow." With that Spike closed the door softly.

Angel woke in the middle of the night not sure what had woken him, then he heard it a blood-chilling scream. Angel dove out of bed and ran to Spikes room. What he saw sent shivers down his spine. Spike was laying in a mass of covers covered in blood trying to claw himself open with his nails, muttering "Got to get it out...Got to get it out...got to make it stop..."

Angel ran to the bed and pulled Spike into his arms shaking him. "Wake up childe, it's a dream, Time to wake now."

Spike looked at Angel with glazed eyes "Don't you think I'm trying? I'm not fast. I'm not a quick study. I dropped my board in the water and the chalk all ran. Sure to be caned. Should've seen that coming."

Connor appeared at the doorway, sleepily rubbing his eyes. Angel whimpered, pulling Spike closer to him rocking him gently.

"Have to keep still. If I don't move, if I don't think, if I don't listen to the voices, then I won't hurt...much" Spike chuckled.

"What's wrong with him?" Connor asked a distraught Angel.

"He's...I don't know what's wrong I thought he was fine. He's not had a bout of insanity for a couple of days, I thought maybe they had passed."

"Is this what it was like for you when you got your soul?"

"No I never went insane," Angel said thoughtfully "I did spend eighty years living in the gutter living off rats. Not sure which is worse."

"William is a baaad man. I hurt the girl." Spike started punching himself violently in the face. Angel straddled his hips and grabbed his wrists.

"William, wake up now." Angel used his sire tone "Druscilla and Darla are waiting and you know how upset Darla gets when you keep her waiting. Do you want her to punish you?" Angel looked at Connor before continuing, "You know how she loves to make you bleed, to hear your screams sing so sweetly. Now wake up."

Spikes eyes fluttered and a look of confusion crossed his face "Sire?"

"I'm here Little One." Angel said heaving a sigh of relief and pulls him into a hug.

"Don't leave me sire not again, please. I can't keep them out."

"I'm not leaving you Will." Connor slunk away silently leaving the vampires entwined in each other's arms.