"His touch can literally burn the humanity out of you. A true creature of evil can survive the process. No human ever has."

―Rupert Giles

Chapter 14

He felt like the biggest kind of asshole.

It didn't much matter that it was for her own good, or that he hated what he was doing. The fact of the matter was Spike would, sooner or later, kill her and he, Angel, could not allow that to happen. He loved her too much. She would hate him, rail at him, shun him but one day she would understand why he had done it. Why he had followed Drusilla out into the darkness, why he had taken Spike away. Someday she'd listen to his explanation, see how right he'd been and she'd thank him for this. They could be together after this.

Curse or no curse they were meant to be together. Even if she was too young, too hung up on Spike, to realize that. He had acted hastily, had lost his patience, and now he would suffer for it. The least he could do was keep her safe, keep Dru from causing too much harm. Which therein lay another problem; Dru. He couldn't kill her. Period. He should, he should have put her out of her misery the moment he had gotten his soul. He hadn't because she was still so innocent. Even at her worst, her most vile, he had seen shades of her sanctity. That purity had drawn Angelus to her again and again, and it kept Angel from destroying her. If Spike had left, as Angel had always imagined he had, Dru would've died all on her own. She would've killed the wrong person, stayed out in the sun for tea time... She wouldn't have lasted a decade.

Spike hadn't left, he had taken care of the crazy vampiress. Angel wasn't sure why he was surprised, Spike had always been uncharacteristically loyal to her. If the blond wasn't a soulless monster Angel might have been able to believe Spike stayed with Dru out of love. He knew better though. Spike stayed with Dru for the same reason Dru had always attached herself to Angelus and Darla had attached herself to the Master. The bond between sires was strong, especially in the line of Aurelius. Even Angelus had felt it, a sort of compulsion that made him treat his fellows kinder than he did anything or anyone else (which, really, wasn't saying much). This had saved Williams's unlife more than anything else, sired by Dru the blond vampire had been borne into the line and, so, no matter how much Angelus had detested the younger vamp he never would have killed him, as evidence by Angels inability to do so now.

"Daddy sees the changing stars? So beautiful, like dirt." Angel heard a heavy thud and pulled himself out of his thoughts. Frowning he looked to Dru, who was reaching upwards as if she could capture the stars in her hands. Spike lay at her feet, still unconscious. Sighing softly he pulled him up onto his shoulder with a quick jerk. His free hand reaching out and grasping Drusillas frail arm. She instantly melted into his side, her cold body pressing against the length of his side. Angel felt the breath whoosh out of him, tried not to rip himself away from her; Angelus's pride and joy. His masterpiece.

"Let's go home Dru." She giggled at that, taking his arm in both of hers and, half-skipping, led the way.

"Buffy what's wrong? Where's William?" Her mother's voice was full of concern, but thankfully devoid of fear. There was a tightness around her eyes that betrayed her apprehension at the situation but Buffy couldn't bring herself to care. She was having flashbacks of Spike, of a life that was much different than this one would be. She kept seeing him smile, a hundred smiles, a thousand. All for her. The idea that she might never get to experience that for herself, terrified her. Come on Summers, get it together. Buffy forced herself to take a deep breath, there was nothing in her journals about this. There would be no guidance, she was on her own. Sorta.

"Angel took him. He's a vampire, with a soul, but he's got it in his head that he needs to watch out for me, take care of me."

"And that's...bad?"

"It is when taking care of me means leaving me in the dark about various threats, or making me fight on my own because it's my destiny while harping at me to try to live a normal life."

"Ah." Her mother sounded as if she was considering those words. On one hand she could see how her mother might appreciate having someone to watch over her, on the other hand Buffy already had a Watcher. She so didn't need another one. She needed a partner. She needed Spike.

"Is your friend in danger?"

Buffy faltered, she wasn't sure if Spike was in danger or not. Dru wouldn't hurt him physically but with Angel there he would experience a different kind of pain. The biggest issue was that she still didn't know what had happened to him there at the school. She had seen that kind of pain once before, in her 'dream', but he didn't have a chip in his head this time. So the question was what was wrong with him?

"I don't know Mom. My gut says he's in trouble. I don't know what's wrong with him and I have a feeling that Angel isn't going to be the nicest of caretakers."

Her mother sighed softly before reaching forward and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Then we trust your gut. Tell me what you need me to do."

Buffy smiled gently even as her eyes hardened, "Call Giles, tell him I need everyone here ASAP. I need to do some research."

Spike hadn't moved since they'd gotten here. Here being one of a dozen abandoned warehouses. Windows boarded up, thick curtains blocking any possibility of the sun. Angel had admitted, to himself at least, that he was worried about the younger vamp. Spike had always been active, a fireball of energy and to see him like this was such an antithesis to his normal self that Angel, despite his jealousy and anger, had started to fret. Dru had been the one to finally drag him away, explaining in her own special way that Spike needed rest. So Angel had made him as comfortable as he could on the battered couch that had been pushed to one side of the room.

After which he had gone to sleep.

Hands pressing against his chest. Soft, feather light, something trailing down his body. Angel felt his body move, adjust. A weight settled over him, stretched over him, pressing into him. He felt pressure against his lips, felt his own lips respond. Tongues battled for dominance. His hands raised of their own accord, ran down a lithe back until they captured the twin mounds of buttocks, ground himself against the willing body. Shouldn't do this. Dru. His mind struggled to bring sense to what was going on even as he felt Dru, because it was Dru no matter how much he wished it was Buffy on top of him right now, raise up. Pulling his hands away from her ass to cup full breasts. It had been so long, at least a hundred years, since he'd touched a woman like this. His eyes popped open as he raised his upper body up, lips taking a pale nipple into his mouth. Suckling, scrapping, his other hand kneading. She shuddered on top of him. He felt himself harden, cock straining against the constraints of his slacks.

Dru ripped his shirt off, pushed away from him to kiss and nuzzle his chest, his neck. Trailing down his chest, his navel, her hands already moving to rip his pants off. He should stop it, he had to stop it, her hand found his cock and he hissed at the contact. Fingers wrapping around his length, stroking up then down in slow languid motions. Fangs biting deep into his hip. He had a split second to realize that this was wrong, very wrong, but the pleasure of the bite overruled his mind. So what if he did this, just once, it had been so long and Dru was so willing. She took him into her mouth, he almost shouted with the exquisite pleasure tearing through him. His hips bucked against his will as her tongue swirled around his cock, one of his hands traveling to the apex of her thighs, finding her wet and willing.

A hundred years of celibacy offered him no protection from this. In a swift, animalistic, twist he pulled her forward and beneath him. Spearing into in one fluid movement. Tight, wet, and god she felt so good against him. He moved, thrusting hard and deep and she whimpered and squirmed beneath him. He felt himself, for just a moment, forgetting the years of torture and pain. Forgot his guilt. Consumed in this feeling, her thighs pressing against him, feet digging into his back as she bit into his neck. Pure pleasure arched through him, without thought he responded in kind. Her taking his blood, him taking it back as he pounded into her. Harder than any human could handle, and god it felt so good.

Her nails left bloody scratches down his back, felt her spasm beneath him as she came, and felt his body respond. A single moment of bliss before he collapsed on top of the dark-haired woman.

Short chapter, I know, but it was time to be unapolegetically evil to Buffy and co. No worries from here on out things are, finally, going to get interesting. Mwuhahahaha

Magnusrae-No worries everyone tends to forget Jesse. He was only in like two episodes but, I always thought, that he was the one that put that wedge between Xander and everything that goes bump in the night. Which in turn affected everyone else.

MoonPrincess623- I agree and, yet, disagree. I thought Angel was a ridiculously complex character. Always striving to be good, Angelus his total opposite and yet both so much alike. I think his biggest issue, and Angelus biggest issue, was never accepting that they were one and the same person. With or without the soul.

Valerie Strong- Angelus didn't take love well. Rejection...well things will be getting interesting.