Title: The Babysitter

Author: Azure K Mello

Part: 22?

Pairing: Angel/Spike

Rated: R

Type: AU

Summery: Will talks to his dad's disciple. Angel meets Kate. And Xander strikes up a conversation with an arsehole.

Thank you to snowpuppies for the plot bunny inspired by On the Other Side. Wes needs to tell Xan what's going on

Disclaimer: I don't own BtVS.

Find the rest at: FU, you're an awesome girl.

Will was lying, fast asleep on Angel's chest. Angel watched him while the boy sucked his thumb. Pulling him close Angel breathed in the clean scent of shampoo clinging to Will's still wet hair. He loved showering with the boy. It felt so. . . clean. And he could stay there in bed forever. A soft knock at the door pulled him out of his daydream, "Angel?" called Joyce softly, "Are you staying for dinner?"

Unsure of his place Angel said, "That would be great- if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not!" He heard her bare feet padding away.

"Will? Wake up. Your mom's making dinner. We should help."

"No," Will said resolutely and cuddled into Angel's shoulder, "You smell so good."

"Uh-huh, it's time to get up."

By the time they got dressed and downstairs Joyce was cutting up vegetables. "How does a big salad and grilled chicken sound?" She smiled at the boys.

"Great!" Angel said enthusiastically, "Can we help?"

Spike groaned, "Why did you volunteer us both?"

Joyce ignored her son's words, "Thank you, Angel, but no. It's all in control."

"Are you sure?"

"Well. . . could you maybe put Xand to bed? I mean, I don't want to put you to work. . ."

"Sure, no it's fine."

"I wan' Will 'da come too!" whined the boy.

"Ok, bud, let's go," Will said as he picked the boy up from where he was sitting at the counter.

"Nigh-night, Mummy," Xander kissed his mum and gave her a tight hug while Will still held him. The college boy assured himself that he wasn't jealous. Confusion, that's what he felt, he was confused as he wasn't used to watching young children with their parents. And if he was jealous it wasn't for himself. . . but it wasn't jealousy. It wasn't. Really. He couldn't be envious of his lover's family. That would be warped.

Drinking in the sight of Will picking pj's for the boy Angel wanted to drag him out and make all the weird thoughts leave his head. While brushing Xander's teeth the dark boy smiled at Will. Once they had gotten the boy settled, Angel pulled the slighter man out of the room. "What was that look for in the bathroom?" asked Will.

"Want you," Angel said simply as though it should have been obvious.

Smiling, Will moved them both into the bathroom. He pushed Angel up against the sink counter for a long kiss, "Dinner is in less than fifteen minutes. But, afterwards I'll come home with you, ok? Because you look desperate like a bleeding bunny."

"You'll come home with me?" Angel asked in a shocked tone as Will stroked his back.

"Yeah. I'll have to come back here though. I need to sleep at home on school nights. My parents think I'm back on smack if I stay out." Angel said nothing but nuzzled into his lover's neck. "C'mon, let's go down."

Angel smirked, "Not the thing to say when I want you so bad."

"Badly," corrected Will, always grammatically minded. As soon as it was out of his mouth Will flinched. Damn his father, the man had passed his compulsive urge for precise language down to his son, "Sorry."

"Write me a poem," begged Angel, clearly thinking about the boy's linguistic prowess.

"What?"

"A poem." Angel smiled as he rubbed little circles into Will's hips with his fingers.

"About what?"

"Anything you like."

"I can't write."

Shaking his head Angel said, "Just write one. I don't care if it's not publishable."

"Why?"

"You saw my drawings; I want to see your art."

"But yours is good. You'll laugh."

"Dinner, boys," Joyce called.

"Write me a poem. I promise I won't laugh." Angel pushed him towards the stairs.

Down in the kitchen Giles had just walked in. He was hugging his daughter and talking animatedly to his new charge. Will could never understand why young girls were so easily excited about bed sheets. But as Faith told his father about her new "Teki Hour" sheets Will saw that even slayers were little girls when it came to bedding.

The dinner was uneventful as Will's parents told them about their trip. Over coffee and before dessert Faith told them about being called, "I actually didn't know. And I was dancing in this club and this old guy comes up to me and asks to buy me a drink and I'm thinking he's a perv. So I'm dancing with a brunette guy: real cute and this perv grabs me and pulls me into a back hall. So now I'm thinking sexual predator and I'm ready to pull pepper spray on him. And he says that I'm the slayer. It's a line, right? Like, I'm the slayer of his heart or whatever. So I reach for my mace but he pushes me out the backdoor and there's this guy biting a woman's neck -in a none fun way- so without even thinking I break Mr. Bite-y's neck and he turns to dust. So then the perv tells me that he's Quentin Travers and I've been called. I go home and tell my dad. And he freaks. He's this bible beating, catholic bastard and it was bad enough having a kid who liked to party, having one who believed she could fight demons was even worse. So he kicked me out. Which leads us to LA and to here."

Looking over the brim of his cup Will said, "Wow, that's way better than most of the callings I've heard about. It was free of mass murder, car accidents, rape, or satanic sacrifices." Faith smiled at him as his father cleared his throat.

"Angel is a demon hunter. He might be able to show you the ropes."

Will felt himself blanch but then the older boy said, "No, I'm not."

Giles obviously thought the boy was being modest. "No, you are. You're very good."

"I quit. Now I'm just a babysitter, coffee boy, and student." Turning to Faith he said, "If you need help getting your bearings, or with researching, or if you need a hand averting an apocalypse I'm your man. But I'm done with hunting."

Joyce was looking at her son but he was steadfastly ignoring her. Angel slid his hand under the table and squeezed Will's thigh. "Angel? Would you mind helping me with the cake?" With a nod he followed her into the kitchen. "You quit?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"We both know why."

"He told you then?"

"About Dru, yes."

"Good."

"And about the heroin. I don't care. I already told you wouldn't hurt him."

Joyce's eyes went hard as she said, "Be sure you don't." Her mood then brightened and she said cheerfully, "I know you have to work tomorrow at the Espresso Pump. But do you think you might be able to sit? Rupert and I want to take Faith out to dinner and walk the graveyards. I'll pay you time and a half."

"So that brings my fee up to. . . nothing. Yeah, I'll do it," he said getting plates out of the cupboard.

"Are you sure? Because you've already done more than enough," she cut the cake as she spoke.

"Yeah, I don't mind."

"Will can give you a hand."

"I figured as much."