Title: Dear Boy

Writer: Azure K Mello

Part: (7/?)

Rest can be found here:

Thanks for all the feedback!!

Challenge/plot bunny by Angela (who bears with me), who wanted chipped Spike interacting with human Darla and for Angel to swoop in playing our golden boy's brooding knight!

Not Beta-ed

Setting: After Angel's Untouched and set during Buffy's Crush which has been moved up in the time line as Dru went straight to Sunnydale and was never in LA.

Rated R

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Ten Minutes Later*

How did he always manage to end up there? It was like a huge and filthy magnet, he didn't want to go the Alibi Room but he would always find himself there. With a heavy sigh he walked into the bar. The plain fact was that he needed blood and Willy had the best blood around. He heard the heartbeat speed up the instant he saw the barman.

"Can I place an order?"

"Hey! Angel! How you doin?"

"I asked you a question." He had no interest in small talk.

"I'm outta that business."

"I need four gallons of blood, three human, one not."

"Angel. . ."

"This isn't a sting." Angel rolled his eyes.

"I have some in the back," Willy said dropping his claim to innocence. He headed into the back office, "You're back on the good stuff?"

Angel examined his nails he loathed the little man, "No the human isn't for me."

A soft thud sounded behind him and as he turned he was confronted with a sorry sight, "You're evil."

"I'm not evil, Xander!" Vampires don't whine, they just get sick of the same accusations being used repeatedly. "I'm only here to see Spike."

"He doesn't want to see you! You hit Giles, Giles wasn't telling you because *Spike* didn't want you to know."

"We talked, he's ok with me being here."

"Spike?" asked Willy immerging from the back room. "A woman was here few days ago lookin' for him. What was her name. . . Darling?"

"Darla," corrected Angel. "I should have known it was you that directed the loose cannon." He turned to Xander, "It proves how *not* evil I am that I'm letting this bastard live. I have to go." Picking up the four gallon, plastic, milk containers he asked, "Which one isn't human?"

"The one in the whole milk bottle. See? It has a red top unlike the others."

Turning to leave he nearly laughed when Xander tried to block him. "What are you doing, boy?"

"What have you done to him? Why does he need that much blood?" When Xander got angry he had the nasty habit of being antagonistic with the wrong people.

Angel almost pitied the boy, he saw true worry in brown eyes. "Here," he handed the man his cell phone, "call him and see if I'm being a bother." Xander was flicking through screens and Angel sighed, "He won't be in the address book, I don't know how to work it and I didn't know where he was until tonight."

Warily Xander dialed keeping his eyes trained on the vampire, "Spike?" he said and paused, "I'm at Willy's and you'll never guess who's here." His tone was sarcastic as he raked Angel's figure over. He listened for a moment, "You knew. . . are you ok?. . . I'm coming with Captain Broody. . . No one's seen you in days." His tone was pleading and he waited for the verdict from on high. "No, I'm coming."

He handed Angel the phone with a resolute look, "Sorry," apologized Angel.

"I don't want him to come. Please. . . sire." The word was stilted as it fell from the young vampire's mouth.

Angel smiled despite himself, "Ok, childe, I'll take care of it." After hanging up he looked up at Xander with a pained look, "He doesn't want you there."

"Probably because you beat him up and he fears what you'll do if I see!"

Rolling his eyes Angel pinched just above his nose and then nodded to the bar, "Sit down." Xander watched him for a moment before sitting down. "Spike doesn't want to see you. Be a good boy and don't follow me."

Xander rose to protest but as he stood quickly he felt his arm jerk back and he realized with horror that Willy had handcuffed him to the bar.

"Stay," commanded Angel as he turned and left.