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Darling Boy
by Evil Willow
Summary: Fic is set after Angel ep "Dear Boy". Darla wants her Darling Boy back. And what Darla wants, Darla gets.
Author Notes: This is a very dark fic, even for me. So if anyone would like a toned-down PG-13 version of this fic (i.e. no smut, and less violence) Please contact me personally and I will be more than happy to provide it to you.
Story Notes: Did I mention this was a dark fic? Well, I'm not joking. It contains the following: SMUT: Darla/Angelus, Spike/Angelus, Cordelia/Angelus, Darla/Lindsey, Drusilla/Spike, Lindsey/Angelus; violence, bloodplay, torture, non-consensual sex/rape, and a few character deaths. DO NOT read this story if any of the previous items bother you, because chances are you won't like this fic.
Disclaimer: Not mine, all Joss'. but he'd never do THIS with them.

Part One

"Things didn't go the way you planned, did they?" Lindsey asked.

Darla glanced over at him, with thinly veiled contempt. "Everything's going exactly according to schedule. You see, dear Lindsey, someone who plans well, also plans for the possibility of minor difficulties occurring along the way. I encountered one earlier this evening, but I also know how to make this difficulty work for me." She smiled, and walked over to the bar, pouring herself a scotch.

"Care to share your wisdom with a lower being, Darla?" he requested.

She glanced over at him, and said, "You want Angelus, right?"

Lindsey nodded. "Wolfram and Hart want Angelus, and yourself, to come to work with us." He paused, and walked over next to her, to pour himself a drink. "Notice I didn't say 'for us', because I do realize that none of us can even compare to your intellects."

Darla laughed, a deep, throaty laugh that Lindsey suspected had gained her more admirers than anything else in her arsenal. "Oh, you're good, Boy," she said. She walked over to him, and ran her hands up over his chest, pressing herself against him. "Quite the flatterer. You'd make a fine vampire, but I imagine you've heard that before?"

"You're not the first vampire, or in your case ex-vampire, who's mentioned something to that effect," Lindsey replied with a smile. He'd chosen the wrong words, he realized too late. She pulled away from him, her expression darkened. He sighed, "I'm sorry. That bothers you, doesn't it? Not being a vampire anymore, I mean."

"I don't particularly like the concept of growing old," Darla admitted. "But after Angel proved that he had no qualms with sending me to hell, it would have been stupid of you to bring me back again as a vampire again. This condition, though, is only temporary. I know My Boy will remedy it very soon."

"I find it amazing that you're so confident," Lindsey said. "Still, after what happened."

"I know My Darling Boy," Darla said with a smile. "He could have killed me earlier tonight, Lindsey. But he didn't. Do you know why?"

"Because you're human?" Lindsey offered.

"No, silly," Darla rolled her eyes at him. "It wasn't Angel who kidnapped me, it was Angelus. He wanted me, and Angel knew that. But Angel didn't realize why Angelus wanted at me." She smirked with satisfaction. "Oh, but he knows now. And knowing it probably torments him to no end."

Hyperion Hotel

Angel sat alone in the dark, in the room which had been his home almost fifty years earlier. He'd chosen the room for many reasons, one of which being to remind himself of all he had to atone for. His confronatation earlier that night with Darla had thrown him. He'd pretended that it hadn't, but she hadn't been fooled. He knew that. It was always games with them. Always had been, always would be.

Well, at least now I know I'm not losing my mind.... Right? He'd thought that was the reason for the dreams, at first. He'd heard of the madness before, it had overtaken other vampires. It was one thing that kept their population depleted, more so than Slayers. Vampires never changed. They stayed the same, while the world around them changed. Eventually it would drive some mad because they couldn't handle it, they couldn't adapt. You would hear stories about a vampire that had taken a holy water bath, or had decided to watch the sunrise.

So when he'd started dreaming about Darla, he'd come to the conclusion that it was his turn. This was the onset of his madness and it only seemed fitting. After all, he'd committed the ultimate crime in the vampire community. He'd slain his sire and sent her to hell. Now it was time for him to join her.

So as he'd felt himself slowly slipping into the darkness, he'd wondered how much longer he could hold out before he had to end it. When he'd scared Cordelia into thinking he might bite her, he'd known it was time. He'd planned to watch the sun come up the next morning.

That night, as he was walking the streets one last time, he'd seen her. Just a glimpse on a crowded street. But in that moment everything had come crashing into place. She'd been the reason for his dreams. He may be going insane, but she was the cause. And that meant that maybe it could be stopped.

And then, as if he wasn't struggling hard enough to hold onto his sanity, he'd found out Darla was human! "IT'S NOT FAIR, DAMNIT!" he yelled now, hoping the Powers could hear him. "I've fought on the side of good for four years, and FOR WHAT? TO SEE MY BITCH OF A SIRE GET WHAT I WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS EARTH?!" He stood and punched his hand through the wall. "WHY!!!!!" he roared.

As always, he received no answer. As Darla had said, God didn't want him. As if he hadn't known that already. As if it truly mattered to him. What Darla had failed to understand was that his motives weren't as pure as that. No, the real reason he kept fighting, to gain that redemption, was because of the hope that someday he'd finally be free to love Buffy again.

But when he'd found out Darla was now human, it had been a temptation almost too much to resist. He'd seriously considered finding Lindsey, or whoever at Wolfram and Hart was responsible for returning Darla, so he could scare them into making him human also. He'd managed to stop himself from doing that, however. He'd told himself that his search for redemption wouldn't be fulfilled if he cheated his way into humanity. How could he go to Buffy that way? So he'd ignored the urge, and instead concentrated on the problem at hand.

The problem at hand being Darla. He hadn't handled that one too well, though. He'd kidnapped his sire, and dragged her to the basement of the water tower. And he wasn't sure what he had been hoping to accomplish with that move. No, that wasn't quite true. He knew why; he'd planned to let Angelus out to play. He'd been hoping that the demon would kill her, and then they'd both be rid of her. And if he'd been unable to let Angelus actually kill her, he'd hoped that at least he'd scare her into giving him some information as to who at Wolfram and Hart was behind this and what their ultimate plan was.

Unfortunately, he hadn't gotten anything he'd wanted. Instead he had only succeeded in playing into Darla's hand. He hadn't scared her, far from it. Having access to Angelus, that was what she had wanted all along.

And Angel had realized something else, something that he hadn't even contemplated as a possibility. Something that he'd denied adamantly, while fearing she saw the truth behind the lie. The reason Angelus hadn't killed Darla, had been because he loved her.

And that had scared Angel more than anything else had in the past few weeks. He was afraid he wouldn't win this one. He was afraid that with Darla's help, Angelus would break free of the cage he'd locked him in and take over. I can't let that happen.

Which was why he was sitting in his old room, at four a.m., facing the east window with the curtains pulled wide open.

Part Two

"So now what are you going to do?" Lindsey asked Darla.

"Well, Lindsey, I've seen to it that Angel's blood supply has the sleeping powder in it. I imagine he'll be slipping off to dreamland very shortly." She stood, and said, "And I have a surprise or two waiting for him when he gets there."

Her smile chilled Lindsey to the bone. "Can I assume it has something to do with the warlock you had here earlier?" he asked.

"Oh yes," Darla said. "You see, I decided that if I can't fight that stupid cheerleader's hold over Angel, I might as well use it to my advantage." She walked to the door then, "I'll see you very soon, Lindsey. And if all goes well, I'll be introducing you to someone you've wanted to meet for a very long time." She opened the door, and turned to go.

"Darla," Lindsey called.

She turned back at the open door, and replied, "Yes, Dear?"

"I now know where Angel gets his love of being cryptic from," Lindsey said with a smile.

Darla laughed again, and said, "I'm glad that My Boy still has that part of me in him, though he may not even realize it. As vampires, it was one of our favorite games, being mysterious. It drew humans to us like moths to a flame."

As she left, Lindsey couldn't help being grateful that Darla was not yet a vampire. Because he feared he was one of those moths about which she had been speaking.

Hyperion Hotel

Angel sighed, the hunger was almost unbearable. It was obviously Angelus' doing, he'd just fed four hours earlier. He suspected Angelus thought that distracting him with the need to feed would keep him from ending his unlife. "It won't, you know that," he said. He checked his watch. It was just five a.m, sunrise wasn't for another hour at least. "But fine, even a death row inmate gets a last meal."

He walked downstairs to the kitchen, and retrieved a blood bag. He saw that Cordelia had restocked for him. That was a waste, I'll have to remember to leave her money to pay her back. He poured the blood into a mug and warmed it up in the microwave. He felt a pang of regret, thinking of Cordelia. She and Wesley would miss him. He knew that. Maybe even Gunn would. And Buffy.... "I can't think about that. She'll be fine. It's better this way, much better than if Angelus were to pay another visit to Sunnydale. No, Buffy's moved on, she's got someone who can give her the life she deserves."

He downed the blood in one gulp, then returned to his room. He was glad Wesley hadn't arrived early, as he'd been doing lately. Though he suspected that Wesley wouldn't stop him, not if he explained that he thought he couldn't control the demon any longer.

He sat in the recliner, and yawned, feeling suddenly exhausted. The events of the last three days had caught up with him. I suppose it doesn't matter if I sleep, I'll still be dead He allowed his eyes to close, and soon was fast asleep.

6 a.m.

"Angel!"

His eyes flew open at the familiar sound of her voice. "Buffy?" he blinked up at his ex-girlfriend, in shock.

Part Three

Angel looked around, confused. Buffy? When did she get here? Why is she here? Why am I still here? Then the answer to the last question occurred to him. She was standing in front of the window, having closed the curtains. "Damn it, Buffy! Why'd you close them?!" He stood up, with the intention of opening the curtains again.

He'd forgotten how strong she was; she shoved his chest, and he fell back into the chair. "Because I can't talk to you very well if you're DUST!" she yelled back. "I suppose a one-sided conversation could be had, but that doesn't interest me very much!"

Her face softened, then, and she looked at him sadly. "Why, Angel? Why were you going to give up?"

"Buffy, you don't know what's going on--"

"I know about Darla," she said with a frown. "Please tell me she isn't the reason for your suicidal feelings!"

"How do you know about Darla?" Angel asked, dodging her question.

"Cordelia called me," Buffy shrugged. "She was worried about you. So here I am."

"I thought we agreed not to do this anymore, Buffy. We stay out of each other's worlds, wasn't that the plan?"

"Even if we've had our problems, Angel, I couldn't stay away. Not when you need my help."

"I'm--" Angel had been about to say, "handling it fine." He realized the evidence to the contrary was overwhelming.

"Why are you trying to dust yourself? You don't think you can stop Angelus from breaking free, do you?" Buffy said.

Angel looked away, he couldn't face her when he was like this. "You have to stop trying to save me," he said softly.

"I'll stop when you stop," Buffy said, kneeling in front of him. "Angel," she took his hands in hers. "Look at me," she pleaded.

"No. I have to do this. Please go, Buffy," he said, refusing to meet her eyes.

"Not until you hear what I came to say. Look at me," her hands were cradling his face, turning it so that he had no choice but to look into her eyes. "Good," she smiled. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Angel smiled ruefully. "That depends on your definition of the word."

"Angel, I'm not just here because Cordelia called me," she said, not removing her hands from his face, running her thumbs back and forth across his cheekbones lightly.

Angel drew in an unnecessary breath, and tried to find his voice. "Huh?" Good, Angel. Very intelligent reply.

"I left him, Angel," she said.

"Riley?" Angel was confused. He didn't like where this conversation was heading. "Why would you do that?"

"I've had Willow doing research for several weeks. And she finally came up with a way to do it."

"Buffy, I'm supposed to be the cryptic one, remember?" Angel said, with a smirk, glad his wit at least was returning.

She laughed. "I'm sorry. I'll get straight to the point. Willow found a way to remove the happiness clause from your curse, Angel. She did the spell last night."

"It can't be," Angel said, sure he was dreaming now. "I didn't feel anything."

"She said you wouldn't," Buffy replied. She smiled then, a dazzling smile that would have taken Angel's breath away if he had any to lose. "Do you understand what I'm telling you Angel? Your soul, it's not going anywhere. We can be together finally."

"Buffy--" Angel's protest was stifled as she jumped up to straddle him, kissing him passionately. Her forcefulness surprised him, she'd never been like this with him before. He'd forgotten how incredible it felt to kiss her, though. However, at the same time as he felt his arms slip around her waist, he was afraid that doing this wasn't necessarily such a good idea. He finally found the willpower to end the kiss, "Stop."

"Why?" she pouted. "Angel, we've been apart for too long already. Why are you trying to prolong the torment? Don't you want me?"

"God, Buffy, how could you even ask me such a thing?" he asked. He raised a hand to stroke her cheek gently. "I just don't want to jump into anything without knowing for sure that something bad won't happen. No offense against Willow, but how do we know the spell really worked?" He couldn't have a repeat of what had happened her junior year. He couldn't do that to her again. He'd rather be alone for eternity than risk that.

"Well..." Buffy gave him a mischievous look. "I think there's only one way to test out the effectiveness of the spell," she smirked. She'd unbuttoned his shirt, and now her hands were roaming over his chest. She leaned in, and whispered in his ear, after "Make love to me, Angel."

She started to nibble on his earlobe, and he shuddered at the feelings she was invoking in him. "I want that so much," he groaned, sliding his hands up to squeeze her breasts through her shirt. "But what if--"

Buffy put a finger to his lips to silence him. "Sshh," she whispered. "Take a chance, Angel. If anything happens, I'll chain you up, and call Willow. She'll come, curse you, problem solved. But I know I won't need to call her, Angel. We're going to be together forever, like we were always meant to be."

Angel looked into her eyes, and all of his defenses crumbled. All of his brilliant reasons for not making love to her for hours escaped his mind. "Are you sure?" he asked.

She laughed, knowing she'd won the war of wills. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. Now why are we still dressed?"

Angel chuckled in response. "I don't have a good answer for that," he replied, before lifting her in his arms. He carried her into the room he had claimed as his bedroom, laying her on the bed. He laid down next to her, and kissed her gently. "Have I mentioned yet how much I love you?" he asked, his voice husky with emotion.

"No, but I already knew that, anyway," Buffy replied, smiling at him. "Angel, it's going to be all right," she added, reaching up to stroke his cheek. "You're home now, with me, where you belong."

Part Four

10 a.m.

Angel's eyes flew open as a lightening bolt of pain surged through his body. He wasn't sure what exactly had woken him up, and then he felt it again. "No," he moaned, it was exactly the way he'd felt before he'd lost his soul after making love with Buffy the first time. Buffy! I have to get away from her. It's day. The sun will stop this He tried to get up, but couldn't move. He realized why after a short time, his hands were shackled to the bedposts.

Thank God, Buffy knew what was happening before I woke. He closed his eyes in relief. At least Angelus wouldn't be free to do any more harm this time.

Then he smelled her. "No," he whispered, as he opened his eyes to meet tho se of Darla, who was lying next to him.

"Hello, Darling," she smiled at him, stretching lazily.

"Where's Buffy?!" he yelled, struggling against the chains. "What did you do to her?!"

She laughed in response, "Angel, did you really, truly believe you were making love with that girl?" She smirked. "Oh, Angel! Harder, Angel! Faster, Angel! Angel, I love you!" she mocked him.

"NO!!!!!!!!!!"

"Oh, yes!" she replied, still smiling cruelly at him. "I had this rather powerful warlock perform a little spell last night, Angel. It was me you were making love to this morning, even if your eyes and your heart believed otherwise. I had to get my Angelus back, and you helped me discover how. You made it clear earlier that to you, your cheerleader was the only definition of 'true happiness.' So I gave you that, and in a few minutes my Angelus will be free again."

"Don't do this, Darla. He'll kill you," Angel warned. It was an empty threat; he knew that. But maybe she wouldn't.

She laughed again, and kissed him hard. He tried to tear his lips away, but she grabbed his head and held it still. "You're mine, Boy," she said. "I can almost hear Angelus screaming to get free. He wants me, Angel. Can you feel it?"

Angel shook his head, "NO!" but he could feel it. She was right, Angelus was screaming. He wanted this woman who had been his sire, he wanted to rekindle the bond they'd shared so many years ago.

"Keep yelling, you'll bring room service for Angelus," Darla said with a smile. "I wonder which one he wants to drain first, the Brunette Bimbo, or the Ex-Watcher?"

Angel looked around the room frantically, trying to clear his mind enough to come up with a plan. I'd even jump through the window, if only I could get loose.

"Please, Darla," he wasn't above begging. "Don't do this, you've got to have a soul in there somewhere--"

"Don't bother," she cut him off. "I was no innocent when the Master turned me. I'd known evil, even if I'd done none of it myself. I don't regret anything I did as a vampire, because I was fulfilling my true nature. I don't regret anything I've done since Wolfram and Hart brought me back as a mortal, either. Do you know why?"

He shook his head.

"Because, everything I've done the last few months has been for the love of my Darling Boy," she replied with a smile.

"He doesn't love you, though," Angel forced a laugh. "He's using you. Be smart, Darla. Angelus only loves himself, no one else. Why would you want that back???"

"Oh, but he does love me, Angel," Darla replied. She leaned toward him, and nibbled on his earlobe, adding, "You know that, I know that, and Angelus knows that. He belongs to me. Even if I'm no longer technically his sire, he still feels the bond toward me, as I do toward him. We will be together, and there's nothing you or your socalled friends can do about it."

Angel strained against the chains. "You can't win, Darla."

"I already have, Angel," she smiled at him.

Angel tried to fight it, but he felt the change occurring and knew she was right. "AAAAAAAAAGH!" he yelled, as his entire body convulsed in a series of spasms. When it was over, he lay with his eyes closed, still as death.

Darla curled up against his side, running her hand over his bare chest. "Angelus? Come out and play, Darling." She moved away and sat on the side of the bed, realizing for the first time how vulnerable she truly would be if her Childe were free again.

His eyes opened after several minutes, and he looked at her. He grinned, and slipped into gameface. "Darla, you brought me back, and I am forever grateful to you for that. I was getting so tired of that soul, it has truly cramped my style."

Part Five

10:30 am

Darla studied the face of the vampire who had been her childe. She almost couldn't believe her plan had worked.

"It's me, Darla," he said. "Are you going to unchain me? Or would you rather play for a while, first?" He leered at her, his eyes taking in her nude body.

"Angelus, my dear, I'd like nothing more than to stay here with you all day, and get reacquainted," she replied, touching his face briefly. "But we must be careful. We can't have the soul's friends getting suspicious. I'm sure that they'd go after you with sharp wooden objects immediately, if they found out the soul had made its departure."

"We can't have that, now can we?" Angelus replied with a sigh. He brought his human face back. "So I will play the part of the brooding soul until I can remove them in such a way that will not cause a problem for me."

Darla nodded, "Stay clever and you'll remain free of that curse," she said. She took a deep breath, and stood then, ready to take the risk of freeing him from the chains. She was frightened, and knew from looking into his eyes that he could smell that fear. His barely concealed smirk proved that much.

She walked to the table and retrieved the key to the shackles, ignoring her self-preservation instincts which told her to run instead. She tried to reason with her fear. He appeared to be in a playful mood, and a playful Angelus was far more desirable than an angry Angelus. If she kept him happy, there was a good chance he wouldn't kill her. She stopped to slip her ankle-length red dress back on, not bothering to put on her underwear. She realized that pausing to put on that much clothing was most likely a waste of time, if the way he was looking at her was any clue.

She turned to see that she wasn't mistaken. He was still watching her intently. His expression was curious, probably wondering what her next move would be.

"I will free you, Angelus, because if I don't, my hard work would be in vain. All I ask in return is that you make me what I once was."

He didn't reply, simply smiled at her, enjoying the fact that he was now in control, rather than her. She, on the other hand, hated being the submissive one. She sighed, Better the submissive to my Angelus than to another.

She walked slowly over to him, and leaned over him to unlock his left wrist from the shackle. He let his hand drop to the mattress, and stared up at her, his face filled with an expression of innocence. She took a shaky breath, and tried to control her emotions. He was already feeding off the fear, and she had the mental image of him as a tiger ready to spring. Half-way there, finish what you started she told herself. She moved to unlock the other wrist from its shackle, steeling herself for the attack she knew would come.

He did not disappoint her. Before she knew what was happening, she was pinned underneath him on the bed. "Now that's better," he said, moving his head away as she tried to kiss him, instead nuzzling her neck. He chuckled as she gasped. "Liked that, did you, Darla?" he asked, raising his head to smile at her. She looked into his eyes which now had a hint of yellow in them. "Angelus, please," she whispered.

"Please, what?" Angelus asked. He leaned back down, and nibbled at her earlobe with his still-blunt teeth.

She moaned, which only provoked another laugh from him. "Take me or turn me, but end the torture," Darla begged.

"Definitely," he answered, as he paused to release her wrists and rip the bodice of her dress open. "And probably," he added, as he grazed his teeth lightly over the skin of her neck. She whimpered. He raised his head to look into her eyes. "but no," he replied to the last request, with a grin.

Darla groaned. Unless they were interrupted, this was shaping up to be a very, long day. Not that she was complaining.

Part Six Darla/Angelus smut in this chapter

11 am

"You're mine, now, Darla," Angelus loved the way that sounded, so he said it again. "Mine."

"Yours," Darla agreed, eagerly.

"As long as that's perfectly clear," he shrugged, before kissing her, finally. She whimpered at the forcefulness with which he kissed her, his tongue demanding entrance into her mouth. She parted her lips willingly, and sucked on his tongue as it explored her mouth. All the while, he was grinding his hips against hers, and she felt as if she were in heaven. This was the lover she remembered, and had missed so much.

She tore her mouth away as the need for air presented itself, and he growled.

"You are not in control," Angelus said. "You don't move unless I tell you to, is that clear?"

She shivered at the dark look in his eyes, and nodded. "Yes, Angelus. I'm sorry." She watched as he reached over to the bedside table, and opened the drawer. He drew out a dagger, and she shivered again in anticipation and fear of what he was planning. She closed her eyes and tried to compose herself, she knew he was feeding off the waves of fear emanating from her body.

Darla felt the tip of the dagger against her chest and fought the urge to panic. Then she heard the sound of cloth tearing, and breathed a sigh of relief as she realized that for the moment anyway, he was only using the dagger to cut the rest of her dress off her body. She opened her eyes again and watched him. He pulled the sleeves off her arms, then tore the remainder of the dress out from under her body, leaving her completely naked and exposed.

Angelus sat back at the foot of the bed, letting his eyes roam over her body, with an expression of outright lust on his face. She's fucking beautiful he admitted. Always was. I can't wait to make her my childe. He smiled, But I'm not going to let her know that quite yet. Let her squirm a little first, for more reasons than one. I need to make sure to remove all illusions she has of her own dominance. She's the submissive now. He chuckled. To borrow one of Spike's terms, it's about bloody time.

Darla only dared move enough to breathe, as Angelus moved away to study her body. She took the opportunity to Angelus' beautiful body in turn. His demon-fighting had kept him in excellent shape, every muscle was well-defined. The physical evidence of his desire for her was also very evident as well, she realized. She paused to admire his erection, pleased that this time, it was for her alone, and no other. Making love with him earlier, had been unlike her times with Angelus, he'd been so gentle and careful. It hadn't been what she'd wanted, she had decided she preferred the demon. They knew each other, they belonged together. There was no other man who could make her scream like he could, and she knew how to make him howl as well.

Darla looked back up into Angelus' eyes as she heard his chuckle. He was enjoying having this power over her, that much was evident. Other than that, she didn't have a clue what he was thinking or feeling. Would he want to fuck her hard and fast? Or would he want to prolong it, torture her for hours, before finally allowing her release? She wished he would let his true face show, she would be able to read him so much easier.

Wake up, Lover he thought, as he realized she had become lost in thought. Can't have that, your attention needs to be directed on yours truly, and nobody else. He thought the element of surprise would be best. He dove on top of her again, pinning her wrists to the bed with his hands, and kissing her.

Darla recovered quickly. She kissed him back, plunging her tongue into his mouth, and fighting with his a moment for dominance. She heard him growl, as he ground his hips against hers. She conceded and withdrew her tongue, and he followed it with his own. He ground his hips against hers again, once, twice, and she moaned at the contact of their bodies. She was so wet already, she needed him inside her. She tore her mouth away, "Please," she begged.

"HUSH," Angelus ordered forcefully. What is it with my attraction to willful humans? he wondered. They definitely make challenging childer and fledges. "No more talking, Lover," he said, gazing into her eyes, waiting for her to rebel. To his surprise, though, Darla complied, clamping her mouth shut. He resumed his movement, thrusting his cock up and down along her slit, teasing her clit in the process. He sucked and nibbled at her neck, breathing in her scent, which was intoxicating him.

Darla fought the sounds which struggled to make their way past her throat. She was so close, she didn't want spoil it by angering him. She knew he would deny her from coming if she disobeyed his orders. Angelus was playing her dominant now, and loving it.

Angelus lifted his head again, and looked into Darla's eyes. "Good girl," he said. "If you listen, you get what you want. It's really that simple." He kissed a trail down to Darla's left breast, capturing her nipple and tugging at it with his blunt teeth. He then soothed it with his tongue, before moving to pay the same attention to the other breast. Darla was squirming under him, and her heartbeat had sped up. He'd remembered what his sire enjoyed during sex, she'd spent many years training him after all.

Darla's breathing was coming in ragged gasps now at the feelings which were washing over her. Angelus released her hands, and said, "Keep your hands there, or I'll chain you." She nodded, and he crawled down her body. She whimpered when she realized what he was planning, and he stilled, regarding her with a raised eyebrow. She bit down on her lower lip, to stifle any further sounds. Don't stop, please don't stop. Angelus growled again, smelling the blood, but knelt between her spread legs and occupied himself with other activities. He regarded her dripping cunt, but decided he wasn't done torturing her yet. He lifted her left foot, trailing his tongue slowly up her leg, stopping just short of where she wanted him. He repeated the action on her right leg, and by this point she was trembling and panting with desire.

He looked up at Darla and chuckled. "I can smell the evidence of your arousal, you realize. I could smell it the moment the spell was broken. That mixed with your fear. You were and still are afraid for your life. But even though you know I could tear your throat out if I wanted to, you still want me."

She just looked at him, unsure if he wanted her to reply.

He chuckled. She was a quick learner. "Speak."

"I ...." she trailed off. She'd been about to say 'I love you', but wasn't sure how he would take that. She suspected he wouldn't appreciate it. "I want you, Angelus. I've wanted you every second since the moment I turned you. I missed you so."

"Did you?" he shrugged. "Well, I'm glad, since it caused you to bring me back."

Darla refused to feel sorry for herself at the coldness of his response. Of course he wouldn't be revealing any emotions to her. She'd taught him too well, it wouldn't have been proper, as he was soon going to become her sire. He'd always seen emotions, especially love, as a sign of weakness anyway. It was why he'd tormented his childe William, the boy had made the mistake of loving Angelus, and being too obvious about it. Darla determined now never to give Angelus that same ammunition to use against her. If he knew how she truly felt about him, he'd never respect her.

She heard Angelus' sigh of exasperation, and looked back into his eyes. "I can't believe you're having so much trouble paying attention," he said, shaking his head. "I guess I'll have to make sure you can't pay attention to anything else." Then, he finally lowered his head to her wet curls, drawing his tongue up along her slit. She hissed as she drew in a deep breath, closing her eyes in pleasure. She also brought her hands down and grabbed the bed sheets, to keep from touching him. She winced as she realized she'd disobeyed both his orders.

Darla opened her eyes, and looked down at him. He was leaning on his elbows between her legs, and he smiled at her. "I didn't give you permission to move your hands, did I?"

She shook her head.

"You'll be punished for that, you realize." This was said as a statement of fact. No room for argument or debate. He grabbed her hands and clamped the shackles around her wrists. He waited to see if she would try to fight him.

Darla swallowed hard. Punishment could be a good thing, in her experience pain and pleasure went together. She remembered Angelus' methods of punishment, she'd watched him with his childer when they were all living together in Dublin. She'd taught him a few of those methods, and wondered if he was looking forward to repaying the favor. Part of her wanted that too, but the other part couldn't help being afraid. She was a human, and feared she wouldn't be as able to withstand pain he was able to inflict as she once had been.

Angelus was impressed. He smelled the fear rise within her, which succeeded in stroking his ego. She didn't beg or plead with him, though. She accepted his right to do whatever he wished to her. The punishment can wait he told himself as he returned to the task at hand.

Darla gasped it became clear that Angelus was postponing her punishment. His face was at her cunt again, his tongue licking along her lips. His right hand had moved as well, his thumb found her clit and tugged at it roughly. As he continued the movement of his tongue and hand, she was soon panting for air. She grasped the chains in her hands tightly, unsure how much longer she could remain silent.

As if reading her mind, Angelus paused his actions to speak. "I want to hear you now, Lover," he said, before plunging his tongue into her opening. She screamed and her hips bucked at the unexpected but welcome invasion. He chuckled, not removing his tongue from inside her, and she shuddered at the vibrations it caused. He began to fuck her slowly with his tongue, she hoped mimicking what he would soon be doing to her with his cock. "Angelus..." Darla hissed as he continued to twist and tug her clit. She wouldn't last long, not with what his skillful tonge and hand were doing to her. She felt it coming, as he started humming against her. She began moaning continually and writhing under him, as the waves of pleasure came closer and closer together. He moved his hand away from her clit, and before she could protest, and his lips moved to where his hand at been. He closed his lips around her clit, sucking it into his mouth. She screamed his name as her orgasm ripped through her body. Before she had time to catch her breath, though, she felt the sharp prick of fangs sinking into the sensitive skin of her thigh. She screeched again as her second orgasm hit.

As Darla's breathing slowed, she became aware of Angelus' tongue licking at the bite marks, closing the wound. She forced her eyes open to meet those of her lover, still in game face. As she met his yellow eyes, she knew without a doubt that she did belong to him. She didn't care how long he waited to turn her, she would stay by his side until that time, and long after. Angelus smiled at Darla and she smiled back, thinking, If this isn't love, it's sure as hell close enough to keep me happy forever.

Part Seven Warning: Darla/Angelus smut. Again.

Angelus smiled at her, "You taste so good." He placed his hands on either side of her shoulders to brace himself, and kissed her passionately. She felt the tip of his cock at her entrance. She raised her knees up further, in anticipation of what was coming.

"Mine," Angelus growled, before entering her swiftly and completely. Darla cried out in pain and bit her lip, drawing blood. She tasted the coppery tang of blood. He growled again, and sucked on her lower lip, pulling it into his mouth to taste her blood.

Darla realized Angelus wasn't moving, and opened her eyes. The expression in them, before he pushed it away, shocked her. Maybe she hadn't been wrong about her Darling Boy, when she'd told Angel that Angelus loved her. She could almost swear the expression on his face a moment ago could have been characterized as loving. If not, he was at least trying to be careful with her, realizing she was a mortal. He was waiting patiently for her to adjust to his length. She forced her muscles to relax, and moaned as she felt his hand reach between their bodies to tease her clit again. She saw the question in his eyes, and nodded. "Fuck me, Angelus" she said, wrapping her legs around his hips.

He chuckled, "Happy to oblige, Darla," as he removed his hand from her clit to brace himself. He pulled his cock almost completely out of her opening, before slamming back into her again. He set a brutal pace, pulling out of her body and then driving back in forcefully. She whimpered, but this time more from pleasure than pain. This was the Angelus she remembered, it was what she wanted, just the right mix of pain to enhance her pleasure. "Angelus," she moaned after a few minutes, as she felt herself drawing closer to yet another orgasm. He tensed, then slammed into her harder than before, and she felt his seed spilling into her body. He roared as he came, then sank his fangs into her left breast, causing her to orgasm as well. She screamed incoherently, and nearly blacked out at the force of her orgasm.

She felt his fangs withdraw from her breast at the same time his cock slipped out of her vaginal walls. She whimpered at the loss, She concentrated on slowing her breathing, and didn't mind in the least when he collapsed on top of her. She enjoyed the feel of his body blanketing hers.

Angelus collapsed on top of his one-time sire, now ....What? Lover? Sex-slave? He smirked. That works. He ignored the nagging voice in his head that told him he was going soft. I'm not. Just because I didn't rip her heart out, doesn't mean I'm in love with her. That's soul-boy's malfunction, not mine. I'll keep her around because she's a good fuck. Besides the fact that she makes a very good vampire. So I'll turn her, eventually. When I'm sure she understands who's in control here. He looked up at her, she seemed content. "Mine," he reminded her, daring her to argue. She didn't, which pleased him, and he rolled off her to her side.

She nodded, suddenly sleepy. "Yours," she agreed. He reached up to unlock the chains, and she rolled onto her right side also, wriggling back against his chest. She sighed contentedly as his hand slung around her waist, pulling her tightly against his body.

Angelus didn't notice until he was almost asleep that he'd started purring, and was too tired to give a damn by then.

Darla smiled as she felt the rumbling of his chest, she'd made her Angelus purr. Yes, things are going exactly as planned, thank you very much.

Cordelia's House 12 pm

"OWWWWW!" Cordelia sat up in agony, holding her head. Her eyes were still shut, she had been hit by a flu bug, and had been trying to sleep in. She'd figured a good twenty-four hours of sleep would be a good thing. Of course The Powers wouldn't see sickness as a valid excuse to not fight on the side of good.

A glass of water appeared in the air in front of her face, along with two migraine pills. She smiled. "Thanks, Dennis. I'm really glad I didn't let Doyle and Angel exorcise you from the house. I like the company, not to mention the quick response to my attacks." There were two knocks on the wall to her right. That was Dennis' way of answering her, two knocks meant either 'you're welcome', or 'me too', or 'I agree'. One knock meant the opposites.

As she remembered the scenes of the vision, she felt nautious again. "Oh eww," she muttered, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Okay, for future reference, Powers, I'd appreciate a lackage of sex dreams. Thank you very much." She'd seen Angel in bed with his sire, something she could've done without. She was about to reach for her phone when it landed in her lap. "Again, Dennis, thanks."

She dialed the number, and surprisingly enough got Wesley's answering machine. "Damn-it Wesley why do I have to do everything lately?" she asked the machine. "I saw a bad vision. Angel and that Darla chick, and let's just say I would've been happier if I'd seen them fighting. I guess you're with that blonde that Angel mentioned, but when you get this please meet me at the office."

She ended the call, and managed to stand. "Okay, Dennis. Out please," she requested. She waited five minutes, then smiled as she heard noises from the kitchen. He was unloading the dishwasher for her. "If only I'd known that poltergeists could be such good roommates," Cordelia said with a smile. He was certainly very kind and accommodating. He seemed to respect her privacy even. She took a quick shower and then changed into blue jeans and a red tank top. "Bye, Dennis," she said as she sniffled. "Kleenex," she muttered, looking around. Dennis handed her a box. "Thanks. Can't be sneezing on the fellow bus-passengers, can I?" she said as she left.

12:15

Angelus' eyes fluttered open, as he felt her looking at him. He opened his eyes, and saw her lying on her left side, looking at him intently. "Why do you insist on doing that?" he questioned, trying at irritated and half-way succeeding. "You should remember that always wakes me."

"What?" she asked, innocently. "You haven't given me permission to touch you yet, so I'm trying to satisfy myself with looking."

"I didn't, did I?" Angelus realized. "Well, you've got permission now, you've earned it."

She got a gleam in her eye that Angelus remembered well, and it still had the same effect on his cock. She reached over to run a hand lightly over his chest. Angelus growled, "Don't tease."

"I wouldn't think of it," Darla replied coyly. She kissed him gently on the lips, then started to kiss her way down his chest.

"Angel, I - OH MY GOD!"

Darla didn't see him move, he was so fast, but he had his brunette secretary pinned to the again-closed door in no time. She settled back against the headboard, anticipating that the following events would be quite enjoyable to watch.

Part Eight

Angelus heard the voice and leaped out of bed to grab her before she could run. Cordelia. He had been hoping she wouldn't show up for a while yet. He clamped a hand around her throat and he slammed her against the door.

She clawed at his hand, her face slowly turning red. He dropped her just as she felt herself losing consciousness, and she fell to the floor gasping for air. "This isn't happening," she whimpered, looking up at him. Okay. He's naked. A naked, vicious vampire. That's a bad thing. She lowered her eyes again, deciding the ground was much more interesting.

Angelus laughed. "Oh, come now, Cordelia. I know you're not half the innocent that Buffy was. You aren't afraid of me, are you? I thought we had a good conversation, last time I was free."

"Um, you insulting me consisted of a good conversation?" she questioned, looking at his face. "Funny, I didn't quite see it that way." Fight him! Throw the bottle of holy water in your purse at him! You've got a stake in there, too, Idiot! She heard everything her mind was suggesting, but it took a huge amount of effort to reach for the purse next to her. She pulled out the stake, and he hauled her to her feet by her other arm.

"What? You wanna stake me?" he taunted. "DO IT!" he yelled.

She slowly pressed the stake to his chest. That didn't work. She frowned.

"You gotta put a little more force behind it than that, Cordy," he smirked at her.

How dare he! He isn't allowed to use that name! It took more than a year to get Angel to call me that! She screamed with rage and raised her arm, but as she went to stake him, the face of Angel re-emerged, and she faltered.

"Angel?" she asked hesitantly.

"Cordy?" he looked at her with a confused expression. "Did I hurt you--"

"No," she assured him. "I'm okay," she said, dropping the stake. "What the hell happened, Angel?"

He turned to walk to the bed. He slipped into his robe, as he did, he winked at Darla. That's my boy. she thought with satisfaction. Play with the stupid girl for a while, I've missed your style.

"Cordelia, if there's anything you should have learned in the past year," Angel said, turning back to her. "It should have been never," he stepped toward her slowly, "ever, lower your guard when you know that Angelus has been freed." He pinned her against the door again, hands on her wrists, body pressed to hers. She let out a whimpered "No," and he laughed. "Because I don't give up without a little more fight than that," he said with a smile. He released one hand and grabbed her by the hair, slamming her head against the door, knocking her unconscious.

He stepped away and let her slide to the floor. Then he turned back to Darla. "Keep an eye on her, but I don't think she's going to go anywhere," he said. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

He slipped out of the room, and Darla waited, curious to see what he had planned. Obviously he isn't going to kill the girl right away. I wonder what he's going to do with her? Torture her? Turn her?

He returned with a length of rope, and dropped Cordelia into a nearby chair. He tied her securely to the chair, then turned to face Darla. He slipped the robe off his body and said, "Now where were we when we were so rudely interrupted?"

Darla smiled, holding a hand out to him. "I think I was about to remind you how useful I can be... how well I know how to pleasure you. Like nobody else can."

He walked over to the bed, and crawled up along her body to kiss her forcefully. "I think that sounds promising," he said with a grin, turning over onto his back. "If you prove yourself really useful, I might decide to keep you around for a while."

Darla smiled mischievously. Play time. Until he gets irritated with me, at least. She kissed him, darting her tongue out to run it along his lower lip. He parted his lips, granting her access. Oh good, he's playing along. Darla thought with delight. She plunged her tongue into his mouth, running it along the edges of his blunt teeth.

Her hands roamed along his chest, stopping at his nipples, pinching and twisting them. He groaned, and she smiled against his mouth. "Like that, do you?" she asked, before kissing her way down to his neck, sucking on the spot where his jugular vein was. He growled, and his hands were at her shoulders suddenly, pushing her down.

She raised her head to look him in the eyes. "I'm getting there. Good things come to those who wait," she teased. She got another growl in response. She giggled, rolling her eyes. "Message received, Master." That got the demon's attention, she noticed his eyes were now yellow instead of brown. She returned to his neck, nipping at it, and that got a warning. "Darla."

"Hmm?" she kissed down to his collarbone, and then down his chest, settling on his right nipple. Her hands moved further down, and her right hand found his already-erect cock. She stroked it lightly as she licked and bit his nipple. She received a muttered curse in response to that. She kissed across his chest to his other nipple. He was thrusting up into her hand now, and she moved the hand away suddenly.

"Darla," he growled again, and this time it was more perturbed than before.

She raised her head, and looked at him curiously. "You think I'd really leave you like this?" He cocked an eyebrow at her, and she laughed. "Fine, so I've been known to do so in the past, but the tables are turned now, Angelus. You've made that perfectly clear."

She backed down the bed, trailing kisses down his stomach, and settled on her knees between his parted legs. She looked up at him. He was watching her intently, still in his human face, with the yellow eyes peering out at her. She smiled at him, then swiftly took his cock into her mouth, as far as she could. His hands were at her head, not forcing her, just making sure she didn't go anywhere. She pulled up, until just the tip of his cock was in her mouth, and then descended again. The only hint that he was enjoying what she was doing to him was the fact that his hands tightened their grip on his hair. He wasn't making a sound.

Darla knew that game well. Funny, but everything came down to a control issue with Angelus, it always had. In bed, he would feign boredom, to get her to work all the harder at making him scream when he came. Oh, but I always win this game, My Boy Darla thought as she set up a slow, steady pace, bobbing her head up and down over his cock. Her hands fondled his balls, as she sucked him. When she knew by his gasps for breath that he was close, she pulled away, letting his cock slide out of her mouth.

He looked at her furiously, and attempted to push her head back down, but she ducked further down and sucked one of his balls into her mouth. Then she repeated the action on the other one. He growled loudly, and she looked up at him in mock surprise. "Temper, temper," she teased, but decided it wasn't wise to tease him any further. She took a deep breath and then deep-throated him. He howled as he climaxed, spurting his seed into her mouth. She pulled back slightly and swallowed it all, then licked her lips. She let his cock slide from her mouth with a smile. "Delicious," she said, as she climbed up along his body to rest her head on his chest.

Part Nine Warning - rape in this part

The first thing Cordelia was aware of was an overwhelming headache. And it wasn't from her vision. The vision. Angel. Angelus! She opened her eyes, and was faced with the reality that she was tied to a chair. She pulled at the ropes around her wrists, and those holding her upper torso to the chair, but they were tight enough to be cutting off her circulation. Same for those holding her legs to the legs of the chair. She noticed that Angel... no, Angelus, and Darla were in bed, sleeping like the dead. Which would make sense since they are dead. Oh great, Cordelia. You fell for what is probably one of his oldest tricks. He shows that innocent Angel-face, and all thoughts of staking him go out the window. So now you've gone and screwed this one up. Your only chance is Wesley; you did leave him that message. Where is he, anyway??

As if in answer to her question, she heard her cellphone ringing. Angelus heard it too. He got out of bed and walked where her purse lay on the floor. He pulled out the cell phone. "Wesley?" he asked her.

"Maybe," she said flippantly.

He sighed, then without warning, backhanded her so hard she was surprised her neck didn't break. She felt the tears spring to her eyes, but fought them back. "Tell him you're on your way here, and you'll meet him in the lobby," he ordered her.

"No," she said, and waited for the next blow. It didn't happen, and she looked up to meet his eyes. They were cold, no traces existed of the souled vampire she knew.

"Cordelia, I would advise you NOT to upset me," he said quietly. He walked to his bedside table and picked up a dagger with an ornately-carved handle. He looked at her with a chilling gleam in his eye, and added, "It's quite simple, really, our little arrangement here. If you do what I say, I won't hurt you...much."

He walked toward her, and she felt a wave of panic. He smiled, she knew he'd picked up on the emotion. "If you choose to defy me, however, I promise you that I will teach you new meanings of pain." He stopped in front of her, and pressed the tip of the dagger to her neck, just breaking the skin and drawing the slightest bit of blood. He dropped to his knees and licked up the blood. He raised his head and said, "Tell him to get over here, now." He pressed a button on her cellphone, and held it to her ear.

She heard the sound of ringback, and Wesley's out-of-breath, "Hello?"

"Wes, it's me," she said, and wondered if he heard the shakiness in her voice.

"Cordelia. You haven't gone over there yet, have you?" Wesley asked.

"No," she said, "Meet me there." Then she looked up at Angelus' face, and knew that she couldn't let Wesley walk into the same trap she'd ended up in. "Wait," she cut off Wesley's ramblings of possible plans to deal with Angel's Darla obsession. "It's Angelus. Get help!"

Angelus roared in fury and threw her cellphone, smashing it against the wall. He turned back to her, in gameface, and backhanded her again. He then cut her bonds with the dagger, laughing as she cried out in pain when he drew blood in doing so.

He grabbed her by the arms, and pulled her up to face him. "YOU WILL NOT TRY TO PLAY ME FOR A FOOL, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!" he yelled. "YOU ARE NOT SMARTER THAN ME! YOU ARE NOT IN CONTROL OF THIS SITUATION! YOU CAN NOT WIN!"

He threw her on the bed, and was on top of her before she could react.

"NOOOOO!" she screamed. She tried to get free, but he was too strong for her. She attempted to scratch his face; but he grabbed her hands and pulled her up along the bed. She saw the shackles and tried to kick out. His legs pinned hers down. "GET OFF ME!" she yelled, struggling as hard as she could.

Angelus laughed cruelly, "I gave you a chance to play nice, but you didn't take it, Cordelia. You have to be taught the hard way, apparently." He pulled her jeans and panties down with one hand and forced a knee between her legs. "Don't kid yourself that I mind doing this, either," he added.

He forced her wrists into the shackles and pulled her legs apart. He thrust into her and began pounding into her viciously. Cordelia bit her lip to keep from screaming in response to the pain.

Darla had moved to the side of the bed, when Angelus threw the girl onto the bed. As he raped Cordelia, Darla felt sick. She moved to get up, when his hand gripped her thigh. She swallowed hard and looked into his yellow eyes.

"Going somewhere?" he questioned, still slamming into Cordelia.

"To take a shower?" Darla whispered. She didn't want to anger him, it was better Cordelia was getting this treatment, rather than herself.

"Stay," he ordered her, then thrust a few more times into Cordelia, before climaxing with a grunt and rolling off of her.

Cordelia tried to remain silent as Angelus rolled off of her finally. If she was quiet, maybe he'd forget about her for a while. It wouldn't do any good to try to fight him anymore. Hopefully he'd kill her soon, and it would all be over.

As if reading Cordelia's mind, he glanced at her and said, "As much as I'd like you dead and buried, Cordy, you're more useful to me alive. I don't much fancy the red-head witch coming at me with her curse, and I know you two have gotten friendly. You're much too annoying in your present incarnation, though, so I'm thinking you might be easier to control as a vampire.

Oh, God, no was her last lucid thought before she passed out.

Angelus laughed. "I think that she'll be out for a while," he said to Darla. "Something wrong?" he asked when he noticed her pale face.

"Of course not," Darla said, forcing herself to sound calm. She knew he could sense the fear in her, and tried to force it away. She ran her hand over the ridges in his forehead and wondered if he'd gotten the rage out of his system. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure you aren't afraid of me?" Angelus asked. He rolled over onto his side facing her, looking at her intently.

Honesty or lies? Which is safer? "I am," she admitted, meeting his eyes unflinchingly. "I can't help that. I'm human now, you're a vampire. You frighten me."

"You used to enjoy pain," Angelus said, sitting up and straddling her legs, pushing her back onto the bed. "I remember," he said. He leaned down to kiss her and added, "You liked it when I made you scream."

Darla shuddered. Oh God, what have I gotten myself into? Angelus loves fear. He feeds off it. "I was a vampire then. Demons enjoy pain," Darla replied.

"Humans don't?" Angelus asked, with a raised eybrow. "I know what you're capable of, Angelus. I trained you, after all. But this human body can't withstand what you can do to it, if you wish." There, she'd said it. She'd admitted that she was completely at his mercy. Now she'd find out just what he felt for her. If anything.

Angelus smiled, and rolled onto his side again, next to her. His hand began roaming her body, over her breasts, teasing her nipples. She gasped and felt herself relaxing to his touch. "I'm impressed, Darla," he said. "You could have lied, but you knew I smelled the fear on you. So you made the wise choice by being honest with me."

He withdrew his hand, and she whimpered. He laughed. "Question number two: do you trust me?"

Darla looked at him in surprise. Just a slightly less dangerous question than the last. But she knew the answer, immediately. As insane as it was, she did trust him. She loved him, after all, and trust went right along with that. But she knew where the question was leading them, and that was where she faltered. His bloodlust had been awakened by his stupid secretary and he wanted to continue the bondage games with Darla, his prospective new childe. Part of her was excited by that idea, but the other part of her was deathly afraid.

If I say no, he'll be furious with me, whether he believes me or not. And I will be punished. And if I say yes, I get to find out just how able I am now to deal with pain Angelus-style. Two choices with the same result.

"Darlin'?" And as he brought out the Irish lilt that he so often masked, suddenly she saw the boy she had sired over two hundred years ago.

As Angelus burst out laughing, Darla reminded herself that gaping at him open-mouthed was not an acceptable reaction. She'd been caught off-guard, she'd almost forgotten that he once used to call her that. He'd always used the endearment sparingly. It was only when they were alone, only on the rare occasions he was feeling affectionate. She wondered if he was doing it now to torment her and make her over-analyze the situation. Was it just another way to exert his control over her? She knew the motives didn't really matter, though. She knew the answer to his question and he was waiting for it.

"Yes," she said, almost a whisper.

"Yes what?"

"I trust you," she said, meeting his eyes.

He smiled and descended on her, capturing her lips brutally. When he pulled away, she was gasping for air. "I need to go downstairs to deal with Wesley. I'll be back." He stopped to let his eyes roam over Darla's body. They definitely had not had enough time alone together. Too many distractions. She was proving to be such a willing submissive, too, much to his delight. "Don't go anywhere."

"I wouldn't even think of it," Darla replied with a smile. She looked at the girl lying on the bed next to her. "Are you really going to turn her?" she asked, trying to keep the jealousy out of her voice. Cordelia was beautiful, Darla had to admit. Precisely why she didn't much want the girl around forever. She'd been looking forward to having Angelus all to herself. She knew he would eventually gather the rest of his family together, but as far as Spike and Drusilla were concerned, Darla wasn't too threatened by them. She knew them, at least she knew what to expect from them. Cordelia, though, was going to be a mystery.

"Do you have a problem with that?" he challenged her. His expression dared her to try to pull her controlling attitude with him. He'd sensed her jealousy earlier, not that he had any real interest in Cordelia. She was annoying, even the soul had had that opinion. He'd never passed up the opportunity to provoke Darla's jealousy when he was her childe, though. It was far more enjoyable now to do, when he was to be her sire.

Darla glared at the infuriating vampire standing in front of her with a cocky smirk on his face. Then, she made herself calm down, once she realized the game he was playing. Funny, I should be better at reading him. After all, I made him. He's trying to bait me, and succeeding.

She forced herself to smile, sweetly. "I have no say whatsoever in who you choose to turn, Angelus," she admitted. "It's up to you."

"That it is, Darla," he nodded. Then he pulled his robe back on and exited the room.

Part 10 Warning: Character death in this chapter.

Angelus paced the lobby of the hotel, waiting for Wesley. Turn him? - torture him? - kill him? - torture and then turn him? - turn and then torture him? - torture and then kill him? - torture, turn, then kill him? This was the debate raging in his mind. After a few minutes he settled on the least time-consuming, a quick kill. Turning Wesley wasn't something that would go well. A vampire Wesley, he feared, would be far too much of a prude for his tastes. There was only so much the demon could do to improve on the man or woman it took over, after all. Besides the fact that nobody would miss Wesley Wyndam-Price if he were dead. He'd cut all ties with any of his socalled friends many months earlier. Now, except for the occasional whore, his entire life was Angel Investigations.

Angelus chuckled. "Idiot."

Wesley walked in, and literally skidded to a halt when he saw Angelus. "Angel... I.... Um. Where's Cordelia?" he said in typical bumbling Wesley fashion. He was eyeing Angel suspiciously, but obviously not ready to accept that he had lost his soul as Cordelia had warned him.

"Not here yet," Angelus shrugged, hiding the smirk as he noticed Wesley notice he was still in his robe. It was loosely tied at the waist, showing much of his well-defined chest. As if the soul never realized you wanted this body he thought with a sigh. Unfortunately, so much to do and so little time.

"It's early, why are you awake? Dreams, still?" Wesley asked.

"No, I was hungry," Angelus said nonchalantly, leaning against the counter. "What brings you here so early?"

"Cordelia was... Um.... Concerned? Yes. Concerned."

Angelus continued to gaze at Wesley, enjoying the fact that it was severely disconcerting the Ex-Watcher.

Wesley was utterly baffled by Angel's odd behavior. Did I hear Cordelia right on the phone? Is it? Or was she just talking about her vision? "Well. I should call Cordelia. She called me, apparently she had a rather disturbing vision."

He started to walk toward where Angelus was standing, and reach over the counter for the phone.

He squeaked as Angelus grabbed him on his way by, pulling him back against his body, pinning his arms to his sides. "Angel?" he squeaked again. "What are you doing?"

"Relax, Wes. There's nothing to worry about," Angelus cooed in the man's ear. "Cordelia is fashionably late, as always. Since you're here though, we could play for a while, before she gets here."

"Absolutely not!" Wesley said resolutely, and Angelus let him struggle out of his grasp. He didn't turn, but continued away from Angelus and into the office.

Angelus chuckled. It was so much fun playing with his prey. He wondered how long it would be before Wesley finally figured out what was going on. He followed Wesley into the office, and shut the door behind him, locking it.

Wesley jumped at the sound. "I need to call--" All intelligent thought was halted as he turned and looked behind him. Angel had slipped into game face.

"Angel? Your face."

"What about it, Wes? I happen to like it," Angelus smiled. "Oh, I know, Cordelia preferred this one," he reverted to his human face briefly, before returning to his true face, "but I taught her that the demon's there just the same."

"What do you ..." realization hit Wesley then, as did the fear. "Angelus?"

"Ding-ding-ding-ding! The light went on, ladies and gentlemen," Angelus replied with a chuckle. "Now, I'd like to chat but I'm rather hungry." He lunged at Wesley, who darted behind the desk. Angelus rolled his eyes, and leaped over the desk, then pinned Wesley to the wall. "Any last words?" he asked, with a smirk.

"You won't get away with this," Wesley said.

Angelus groaned and said, "Oh, dear. Can't you humans come up with something a little more original? Do you KNOW how many times I've heard that right before I drain someone? Oh, and by the way, you won't be seeing Cordy anytime soon. She's going to join the family." He reveled in the look of anger in Wesley's face, before sinking his teeth into his neck. The man struggled, but didn't cry out. Angelus drank the blood which gushed out of the wound, and Wesley eventually stilled. When he heard Wesley's heart beat slowing, he dropped him to the floor. "One down," he said with satisfaction. "And I've only just begun to enjoy myself!"

Part Eleven

"You're insane, you do know that don't you?" Cordelia asked Darla without looking at her.

"You wouldn't understand," Darla replied with a sigh.

"That you're warped? Oh, no I think I do understand that."

"You don't know the Angelus that I know," Darla protested.

Cordelia giggled, near-hysterically, "No kidding. There's more to him than a soulless demon who enjoys torturing, raping and killing? Do tell."

"I don't need to explain myself to you," Darla replied shortly. "I wish you were dead already. You think I'm thrilled he's turning you rather than ridding our lives of you immediately? If I was still his sire, I wouldn't allow it. You're a silly, vain girl, who thought you could have your own little pet vampire. Well, welcome to the real world, Cordelia. He IS a demon, you're right about that. But he always was, and you tried to pretend otherwise. He was never meant to have a soul. I now know what pain Angelus felt when he was trapped with it. That curse was a horrible thing, and if you truly knew what Angelus had suffered, you wouldn't have ever wished it on him."

Darla decided she was wasting her time arguing with Cordelia, and got up to get dressed. Then she remembered Angelus had ripped her dress in two. I wonder if Cordelia keeps any spare clothes in the hotel. Well, she wouldn't tell me if she did. She found Angelus' black silk shirt in the meantime, and put it on. Then she wandered down the hall. After searching three rooms, she found Cordelia's extra clothes in the fourth room's closet. She found a black tank top and pants, and carried them back into Angelus' bedroom.

She realized then that what she really wanted before getting dressed was a shower. She decided to risk it, even though she technically hadn't been given permission by Angelus. She went into the bathroom, and turned on the water. She stepped under the spray when the temperature was to her liking, and stood under the scalding hot water, warming herself and washing away the tension of the past two days.

Angelus walked into the bedroom, and was angry when she was not where he'd left her. Then he heard the sound of running water and smiled. He wasn't averse to a shower himself. He did need to wash off the blood. He walked into the bathroom, and stood by the shower curtain, watching her. She had always had the perfect body. There was no hint of imperfection, and still wasn't. It was probably part of why, when she'd been his sire, he'd thought of her as his goddess. She had been his life, and they had made the perfect pair. He wondered if they'd be able to get that back again. He stepped into the shower behind her, and moved closer.

As she finished washing her hair, she moved to turn off the faucets, when she felt hands at her waist. She gasped and jumped in surprise, she hadn't even heard him come in. He pulled her back against him and she sighed contentedly, relaxing against his chest. Apparently the kill had sated his need for violence, for the moment anyway.

Angelus ran his hands up her body to her breasts, and squeezed them, and she moaned in response. He chuckled. "So is this why you brought me back, Darla?"

"This is just an added perk," Darla replied tilting her head to look up at him with a grin. "I brought you back because I needed you back. I turned you because you had such potential to make our family great, Angelus. You still do. You can help restore our family to the place it deserves in the vampire community. It's such a joke now. I couldn't keep your childer under control after the curse--"

"And whose fault was that?" he questioned. It was the oldest fight in their arsenal, the debate over his childer's 'willfulness'. Darla had been jealous of them, and had never wanted any additions to their little family. Angelus had ignored her orders to the contrary, and sired three childer anyway. The real problem was in the fact that his childer recognized Darla's jealousy early on. That hadn't helped the situation. Of course it had only made them more rebellious and disrespectful to her. He'd tried his damndest to make them act properly. He'd screamed, and hit and whipped, but mostly to no use. They'd only learned to pretend to behave when he was around, and he'd known that.

Penn had been the most difficult to deal with where Darla was concerned, though. Angelus hadn't known the extent of the problem until one night when he'd returned from being gone a week. He'd smelled Penn's scent on Darla when he'd returned, and vice versa, and at first he'd been furious with her. He'd thought for a brief moment that she'd decided Penn would take Angelus' place in her bed. But he hadn't said anything, had instead pretended ignorance. He'd noticed how jumpy she was when he'd touched her, and he realized what had happened. Penn had obviously managed somehow to overpower her and rape her. Angelus had never known a rage like that before that moment, or after.

He'd excused himself from her presence and found his wretched childe. He'd chained the boy up and beaten him mercilessly. After only fifteen minutes there wasn't an inch of skin on Penn that wasn't bruised or bleeding. And if Drusilla hadn't stepped in, Angelus would have ended it by staking the boy.

But Dru had stepped in, or more precisely jumped him to protect her brother. Angelus had thrown her off, but her interference had succeeded in lessening his rage the slightest bit. "Get him out of our house, and out of my sight," he'd said to her. Then he'd turned and walked back upstairs to tend to his sire.

"Angelus?"

He shook his head slightly, and looked down at her.

"I said, they never respected me," she said again. "But that's not because of you," she added quickly misunderstanding his growl as anger toward her. "They were and are still very willful. After you left, they eventually wandered off. And I didn't stop them."

"You went back to him, instead," Angelus said with a scowl. "That shriveled up, superstitious thing who preferred to rule from the sewers. He was no 'Master.'"

"I'm sorry if you expected me to do something else," Darla replied. "I didn't know what to do. I tracked down the Gypsy, and tried to make him reverse the curse. Did you know that?" Angelus shook his head and she continued. "I tried to bargain with the man, and tell him that I would spare his family if he returned you to us. But no, your 'favorite boy' ruined that plan! He drained the man's family, and it was all over. There was nothing more I could do to bring you back. So yes, Angelus, I returned to the Master, because I knew he would look after me."

"Once a whore, always a whore," Angelus said with a smirk.

"How dare you!" Darla screamed, raising her hand to slap him in the face. He grabbed her wrist before she could though and slammed her against the wall, pinning her there. She winced in pain as her head hit the wall.

"I dare, because I have every right to say and do whatever I damn well please," Angelus said coldly. "And until you stop challenging that fact, you will remain a human." he added.

Brilliant, Darla. Just brilliant. She berated herself as she looked into his eyes. He was furious with her, and that did not mean good things. "I'm sorry, Angelus. I wasn't thinking. I--"

"Hush," Angelus cut her off, placing a finger to her lips. "Apologies tire me. You obvoiusly haven't quite processed the fact that you are no longer my sire. We'll have to remedy that situation. Go back to the bedroom, lie down and wait for me."

Darla fought the urge to argue, and nodded slowly. Angelus stepped away, and she left the shower. She grabbed a towel and dried off quickly, then walked back into the bedroom.

Part Twelve

When Darla exited the bathroom, Cordelia was no longer on the bed. Angelus moved her, Darla realized. She's locked in one of the other rooms, I imagine She ignored the voice in her head telling her to run. She had to prove to Angelus that she could accept him as her sire before he would turn her back to a vampire. If convincing him meant letting him inflict a little bit of pain, she could handle it.

She laid on the bed on her back, and closed her eyes, trying to relax. He won't kill me she tried to convince herself. Well, hopefully he will, but he will also turn me. She heard the running water stop, and felt her heart speed up as the true fear set in. Knowing what he could do was one cause for her fear. Not knowing which of those things he had planned for her, that was the other cause.

She felt him sit on the bed next to her, and she opened her eyes. He wasn't angry, that was a relief. He just wanted to play, and that she told herself she really could handle. He smiled at her, and leaned down to kiss her. Deceptive gentleness was in the kiss, betrayed by the fact that he swiftly moved her hands up above her head, locking her wrists again in the shackles. He finally ended the kiss, letting her take in a much-needed breath.

"Angelus--"

"Ssh," he shook his head. "No talking, unless you're spoken to." He moved away and stood, walking out of the room.

Now what? she wondered, keeping her eyes on the open doorway.

He returned, dragging a chest behind him. Darla's eyes widened in surprise, she knew that chest well. She couldn't believe that Angel had kept it, though. All of his favorite toys were in there. The ones he'd used to discipline Drusilla, and on rare occasions, Spike. The ones he'd used on the occasional unsuspecting human, when one caught his fancy enough to want to torture before the kill.

I can't do this She thought frantically, as she panicked, pulling on the chains. "Angelus--"

Angelus looked up at her with a scowl. The look silenced her instantly. He sighed, in irritation, shaking his head. "I told you to keep quiet. But if you can't do that on your own, you give me no choice." He walked over to her, standing next to the bed. He opened a drawer of the bedside table, and pulled out two red silk scarfs. He lifted her head with one hand, and gagged her with one scarf. It wasn't too tight, just tight enough to remind her of the rules. "This one will be removed if you behave," he said. He blindfolded her with the other one. "This one stays on."

The fear welled up in her more strongly than before, and she tried to fight it. She couldn't, though, as memories returned of another night with another vampire. He had chained her up, blindfolded and gagged her as well. Then he had raped her repeatedly. She'd wished for death by the time he was finished with her, but of course he hadn't been that kind. This isn't the same, she told herself. This is Angelus, you're safe with him. You know that, or you wouldn't have brought him back.

She heard footsteps leaving the room. Another game, keeping up the suspense. Darla listened, intently, and she eventually heard movement again. Her first feeling was terror, until she reminded herself who it was. She took a deep breath and heard a chuckle.

"I can hear your heart beating, you know. Like a scared, little rabbit," Angelus said with a smile as he looked at her. He hadn't bothered to get dressed, as sex was high on his list of activities for the day. The sight of Darla lying on his bed chained up, blindfolded and gagged was an overwhelming turn-on. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside her body and fuck her senseless. But he resisted, he had other more interesting ideas for her, before that happened. It was easier to ignore the urge to fuck her, as he caught no scent of arousal on her. I'll just have to see if I can't change that.

He sat down next to her, and she gasped when his mouth latched onto one of her breasts, sucking at it, while one hand moved to the other one, kneading it. Then he moved his head over to the other breast, and his hand traveled slowly downward, smiling as he heard her whimper of anticipation. He moved to her clit, twisting it roughly, and she moaned and bucked her hips upward, seeking release. He sat up and moved his hand and mouth away, not intending to let her control the situation. He let his eyes roam over her body, enjoying the sight of her, flushed and ready for him. He could smell her arousal now, he definitely knew how to get to her. He frowned deciding, She's not quite vulnerable enough for my liking.

He walked over to the chair where he'd tied up Cordelia earlier, and retrieved two lengths of rope. He walked back over to Darla, and grabbed her right foot, tying the rope around the ankle, then the other end to the foot of the bed. He did the same thing with the other foot. He stood back to look at her, spread eagled on the bed. He frowned, though, as he heard her breathing quicken, and her heart rate do the same. Before he'd spread her legs, she'd been ready for him to fuck her. Now, he smelled nothing but uncontrollable panic. Why the hell is she so afraid all the sudden? he wondered. She knows I--

She tried to yell, but she couldn't with the gag in her mouth. She knew what was coming. HE'd spread her legs apart and tied them to the bedposts, just before he'd entered her brutally, tearing her and making her bleed. Then he raped her over and over again, not stopping long enough for her to adjust. Not caring that she was crying and begging him to stop.

She cursed herself internally as she felt the tears coming. She tried to quell them. She struggled against her restraints again, wishing she could speak so she could reason with him, make him stop.

Angelus stared at her as she struggled futilely, she was terrified. He decided the games were over for now. What the fuck got into her? he thought as he moved to remove the gag and ask her just that.

He didn't get the chance, though, the minute she felt the gag removed from her mouth, she yelled, "STOP!" She heard his growl, but continued, "Penn--" She gasped when she realized what she had just said and remembered where she was. She froze, and bit her lip. She waited for the punishment which was sure to follow. The only way Angelus could take her outburst was that she had been remembering an earlier affair with Penn. That hadn't been the case at all, but she'd never told Angelus the truth two hundred twenty years ago. How would he believe her now?

Angelus stood rooted to the spot, looking at her in shock. She'd said PENN's name, which meant she had flashed back to the night he had raped her. That's how he did it he realized. He tied her up, probably when she was sleeping, the little bastard. Angelus felt physically ill at the thought, and thought that the torments of hell probably weren't enough punishement for the boy.

He walked over to where Darla was lying still as death, except for the slight trembling of her body. He untied her feet, and then moved to the head of the bed, unlocking the shackles. She rolled onto her side, facing away from him, and curled into a fetal position. Angelus heard soft sounds, and realized she was crying. He couldn't believe his ears. I only ever heard her cry once. That night, when I returned. She never knew I heard. It was after she thought I was asleep. He felt regret for not the first time, that he hadn't been able to protect her better. He'd promised her so long ago that he would give her everything she wanted. But his own childe had brutally raped her. He'd always feel responsible for that. He laid down on the bed, and tugged on her shoulder. She didn't resist him, but let him turn her onto her other side. He pulled the blindfold off her, and pulled her to his chest, holding her with both arms around her waist.

Darla struggled, but he wouldn't let go. She sobbed loudly, and gave in, slumping against him. She continued to cry as he held her, one arm around her shoulders, the other hand moving to stroke her hair gently. He didn't utter a word, as there was nothing he could think of to say. He just held her, trying his best to comfort her.

Part 13

Darla opened her eyes, her head was still resting on Angelus' chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her. I must have drifted off She tried to raise her head, but his hand on the back of her head kept her where she was.

Angelus felt her stirring, she was awake. She'd cried for an hour straight, then fallen into a fitful sleep for another hour. He'd stayed with her the whole time, wanting to be there when she awoke. They had to talk about it. Two hundred twenty years of silence was long enough, especially when the silence obviously hadn't helped her get over it. "You really thought I didn't know?" he asked.

"I was afraid," she admitted softly.

"Afraid of what?" Angelus replied.

"I didn't want you to think of me as weak," Darla replied. Too late for that. You just made a fool out of yourself.

"I never thought of you that way," Angelus said. "I still don't. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"Not strong enough," Darla said. "I couldn't stop him."

"Tell me how it happened," Angelus requested. He felt her tense up underneath his arms, and said, "You told me you trusted me. I need to know. Hasn't he been between us long enough?"

Darla sighed, he was right. Besides, he'd known all this time, and it hadn't affected the way he'd treated her. "You'd gone to Romania, to meet with the Master," she said. "You'd been gone for four days, Penn was being impossible. I tried to avoid him, but he'd pick arguments with me whenever he could. Drusilla thought it was funny. She never saw his faults... she never saw anyone's faults, come to think of it. The day you returned, he was worse than usual. In the early morning, he came home drunk, and he barged into our room. He told me I was a selfish whore who was keeping his sire away from him. I literally threw him out, and ordered him to sober up. I didn't think any more of it, and I went to bed.

When I woke--" She shivered and took a deep breath. The memories were so vivid, she felt the pain like it was just yesterday. She felt Angelus' hand rubbing her back comfortingly, and took a deep breath. "My arms were chained to the bedposts, and I was blindfolded. I guess he thought that I wouldn't know it was him. But I smelled him. I screamed at him, I was furious. I ordered him to release me. I told him I would tear him apart piece by piece.

I'll never forget the way he laughed in reply.

But I wasn't afraid. I didn't believe he'd actually do anything to me. I assumed he was just trying to make me leave. I told him that I wasn't going anywhere, and that I'd enjoy watching you punish him later. I heard him leave, and it felt like hours before he returned. But I was still more angry than anything. Especially when I felt his hands on me. He ripped my nightgown off, and then he ..." she trailed off, and tried to compose herself as she felt the tears threatening to fall again.

She felt Angelus' arms around her tighten, and she continued. "He chained my legs to the posts at the foot of the bed, and I was frightened then. I knew what he was planning, and I couldn't believe he was so bold. He forced himself on me then, for what felt like hours. He told me he'd stop if I begged him, but I refused. I cursed him, and screamed obscenities at him, but I never begged."

"That's my girl," Angelus said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and she knew she should have trusted him enough to tell him back then.

"He left, eventually, when he discovered he couldn't break me. Drusilla showed up, and released me. She didn't say a word, but I knew she understood what had happened. When she'd left, I moved a dresser in front of the door, and cleaned up the mess. When I heard you returning, I moved the dresser away again."

"And I knew something was off the moment I got home," Angelus said. "I caught his scent on you. At first I was angry, I assumed the worst of you. But then, I also smelled your fear when I touched you, and I realized what he'd done. Fury doesn't begin to describe what I felt at that moment. I excused myself from your presence, and I went to find him. He was so arrogant when I confronted him, he didn't even bother to deny it. I dragged him down to our basement, and chained him up. I put all of my talents for torture into that bastard childe. I beat him, and bled him, and he screamed for mercy. When he realized I wasn't going to give it, he begged for death. I almost obliged, but Drusilla stopped me. She was smarter than she pretended, my crazy childe. She told me, 'They'll all want to know why, Daddy. Do you want them to know?' So I told her to unchain him, but get him out of our house. I told him he was no longer my childe, and if I ever saw him again I'd stake him myself."

"I always assumed he just left because he was afraid you'd find out," Darla replied. "I can't believe you did that."

"You were my sire," Angelus replied. "How many times did you tell me that our responsibilities to each other were to protect each other from others who would try to destroy us? I failed YOU. I brought Penn into our family. I knew he was stubborn, and disrespectful, but I never thought-"

"How could you have?" Darla asked. "It wasn't your fault, Angelus. I didn't even see it coming."

"It doesn't matter," Angelus said. "He was my responsibility, and he deserved worse than he got for daring to do what he did to you. Well, at least he's gone now." At her questioning expression, he shook his head. "No, I didn't do it. But I saw it happen, and no part of me shed a tear for him."

He put his hand under her chin, and nudged it up, so she would look at him. She did so reluctantly, but was surprised by the emotion she saw in his eyes. "Nobody will EVER hurt you again, Darla. You are MINE, and I protect what's mine," he growled.

"I know," she said with a smile, kissing him then. "I remember well," she added, settling back in the safety of his arms.

Part 14

Darla frowned as she heard her cell phone ringing. "I really don't feel like dealing with those stupid Wolfram and Hart humans."

"I would be interested to know what they think they'll get out of helping you bring me back," Angelus said. "Besides a horrible, painful death."

Darla shrugged, "Well that shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Why do any humans try to make alliances with vampires, Angelus? They want power, and they're just idiotic enough to think they can control you." She jumped in surprise at the unexpected growling of her stomach then. Angelus chuckled, and she huffed in irritation. "I'd like to see YOU try to get used to this... this... life!" she spat the last word out.

"Get dressed," Angelus said, standing, and walking toward the door. "I'll meet you downstairs, I imagine Cordelia has left some food in the refridgerator. I need to do some things, anyway."

After he'd gone, Darla pulled on the black pants and tank top she'd 'borrowed'. She grabbed her purse and cell phone and made her way downstairs, locating the kitchen.

When Angelus walked in, she was standing at the open refridgerator, staring at it morosely. Her back was to him, so he stood and silently watched her.

"Your cologne gives you away," she said without turning. "And this is just depressing," she sighed. She turned around and said, "Ang..." her voice trailed off as she looked at him, and unconsciously licked her lips at the sight. He'd changed into some skin-tight black leather pants, and a midnight-blue long-sleeved silk shirt. She'd been mourning the lack of food, but he looked good enough to eat.

She caught his amused smirk, and tried to pretend he hadn't caught her staring at him lustfully. "All you have in there are three bags of blood," she pouted. "And I'm afraid those won't do me any good." She walked over to him, and pressed her body to his, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Unless," she said with a smile, "you want to do something to make that blood more nourishing for me."

"Not yet," he replied with a grin, and reached up to pull his arms from around his neck. "Nice try, though. I'll order delivery. I could use a snack, anyway," he added with a grin as he walked to the phone. He raised his eyebrow at her pouting look at him. "You can pout all you want. While incredibly sexy, it won't make me give in," he turned away and spoke into the phone.

Darla sighed loudly and grabbed her purse, walking into the lobby. She looked toward the door as Lindsey walked in, looking quite panicked. "Darla." He noticeably relaxed as he saw her. "Why haven't you been answering your phone?!" he demanded.

Darla regarded him in mild irritation. "I don't answer to you, Holland, or any of the other stupid men in your law firm. I've been busy," she added with a smile. She walked over to the couch, and sat down. "What do you want?" she asked, as she looked up again and realized he wasn't going away.

"Darla, you don't answer to us, but don't you at least think you owe us some common courtesy?" Lindsey asked, coming to stand two feet in front of her.

Darla laughed. "Oh, Lindsey. That's really amusing, when we BOTH know that you brought me back from hell to try to ... hm.... that's what I'm still trying to figure out, exactly." She looked at him curiously. "Destroy Angelus? Add him to your list of demon employees? That's it, isn't it!" she laughed as Lindsey's surprised reaction gave him away. "Oh, Lindsey, Dear Lindsey. I've tried to explain to you and Holland, so many times, there's no way you will be able to coerce Angelus into working for you. NO ONE owns or controls Angelus, he does nothing that he doesn't want to. And there's absolutely nothing you can do to change that. So I would advise you to leave, because he was mentioning to me just a few minutes ago he was hungry. He won't think twice about draining you dry, and I wouldn't stop him."

"He won't hurt me," Lindsey replied, giving her a smug smile.

"Oh? And why is that?" she asked, only mildly interested in his answer.

"I have the Orb of Thessula," Lindsey said.

"You don't," she hissed angrily, jumping to her feet. "It's with the stupid cheerleader on the Hellmouth."

"Wolfram and Hart have an amazing talent for getting things we need," Lindsey replied, still with that damn smile on his face.

Darla glared at the boy, barely managing to keep herself from lunging at his face and scratching his eyes out. And that was just the beginning of the "killing Lindsey slowly" fantasies running through her mind. But she realized that although those activities would prove incredibly fulfilling, it wouldn't get the orb out of the hands of the law firm. And that's what she had to concentrate on at the moment. How to get it.... that was the real challenge. She got a sudden idea, and changed tactics.

"Lindsey," she pouted, and walking up to him slowly, running her hands up his chest and locking them behind his neck. "You don't want to upset me, do you?" she asked, pressing her body full against his. I thought we were friends," she added, trying to hide a smile at the obvious physical response she was getting.

Lindsey wasn't hard on the eyes, though he didn't come close to Angelus in sex appeal. She'd known Lindsey was attracted to her from the moment she met him. So she had no qualms whatsoever in playing dirty to get what she wanted from Lindsey, and at the moment, what she wanted was the Orb of Thessula in her hands. She thought she knew exactly how to get that, too, as she felt Lindsey's hardness straining through the fabric of his pants. She smiled, and thrust her hips against his once. She wondered idly where Angelus was, and how much he'd kill Lindsey if he walked in on them. Oh well. Hopefully I can convince him of the usefulness of not killing Lindsey. At least until after we've got the Orb. "Now that we're understanding each other," she said to Lindsey, "surely there's SOME way to convince you of my point of view," she said, and before Lindsey knew what was happening, she'd turned him around and pushed him to sit on the couch.

Lindsey swallowed hard, and looked around nervously. While he didn't actually mind where this appeared to be going, he knew the vampire was somewhere around. He doubted Angelus would be thrilled seeing Darla and himself like this. He stifled a groan as Darla straddled him and ground her hips against his. He put his hands on her hips, holding her still, and said, "I do ...admire you Darla, the way you go after what you want so... persistently..." He tried to find his train of thought again as he felt her teeth nipping at his neck. "But I can't help you, if I do, they'll kill me."

Angelus had heard Darla's tinkling laughter from the lobby, and had been curious. He'd been quite unamused when he saw Darla coming on to Lindsey, straddling his lap and nibbling at his neck. He'd been about to go over to them and end whatever game it was that Darla was playing, when he saw her hand go into her purse. Out came a dagger, the blade of which she quickly pressed to Lindsey's throat. He smiled and leaned back against the wall, deciding to let Darla have her fun for the moment.

He'd made the mistake of his eyes, enjoying the feel of her lips, tongue and teeth on his skin too much to be cautious around Darla. He opened them again suddenly as he felt the sharp blade of a knife pressed to his throat. "What?" Lindsey squeaked in surprise. Stupid, stupid, stupid he berated himself. I should have known she had no intention of fucking me. Not when she's got her precious Angelus around here somewhere. He met her cold eyes, and knew she was not playing games anymore.

"Listen to me, Lindsey, and pay close attention," she said with deceptive sweetness. "I think you need to understand that Wolfram and Hart are not who you should be most afraid of. You obviously haven't done enough reading up on who exactly you're dealing with. So let me explain. I'm Darla, oldest childe of The Master, who was once the most powerful vampire in all the world. I've killed more people than you could ever dream of, and I don't regret a single one of them. You are NOTHING, but an obstacle standing in the way of my getting what I want. I could cut your throat easily, and not lose a single minute of sleep about it tonight. "

She pressed the blade harder against the skin, drawing a trickle of blood, imagining she could smell his fear. "Am I making myself clear?" she asked, looking at him questioningly.

"Yes," Lindsey gritted out, furious with himself that he'd allowed this woman to get the better of him. At the same time, though, he was entranced by the pure evil evident in her.

"Good," she replied, easing up the pressure of the blade, and Lindsey sighed in relief. "I won't kill you NOW," she said with a resigned shrug. "Let's make a little deal, Lindsey. I want the Orb, and you have it. Bring it to me, and I will make sure that no one harms you. I'm sure that Angelus will be very grateful, as well. If you do not bring me the Orb, though, and bring it quickly, I will hunt you down and find you," she promised darkly. "And this dagger is just a little hint of the things I can and will do to you before you beg for death."

"All this for him?" Lindsey wondered. "I don't understand, Darla. He's a soulless demon, would he do the same for you?"

"You don't understand because you don't know what it is to search for hundreds of years until you find the one to spend eternity with, Lindsey. Angelus was ... IS... my childe, my lover, my mate. I realize the significance of these words is lost on a mere human, you have nothing in your small sphere of existence to help you understand them fully. The bond between Angelus and I is stronger than anything you and another human woman could ever attain. I love him more than anything else on this earth, and I will do anything necessary to keep him free of the damn curse. If that means killing you and everyone else in Wolfram and Hart, don't think I won't do it," she finished with a growl.

Lindsey saw it in her eyes, and believed she was strong enough to do just that. "I believe you," he said.

"Good," she said with a small smile. "So does that mean you will do what I ask?"

He considered for a moment before answering, "I think taking my chances with Wolfram and Hart wanting me dead are better than with you wanting me dead." She laughed in delight and backed off his lap, gesturing to the door. "Go on then. Don't keep me waiting."

He nodded quickly, and it was then that he noticed Angelus. The vampire nodded to the door, with a toothy grin. Lindsey felt his heart skip a beat and got to his feet in a hurry, rushing out the door before Angelus could change his mind. Angelus chuckled, and clapped. "Brava, Lover," he said, walking over to her. "You haven't lost your touch, Darlin'. I'm impressed, the boy didn't have a chance.

Darla started, in surprise, hearing him behind her. She tried to remember if she'd said anything about her feelings for Angelus. She'd been caught up in the moment, besides the fact she'd forgotten that Angelus was so nearby. She remembered then, and wished she could crawl into a hole and die. But maybe there was a chance he hadn't heard. "How much did you hear?" she asked as she felt his arms slip around her waist.

Angelus smiled, not answering though. He'd heard everything, of course, and knew what she was hoping he didn't know. She loved him, the fact didn't bother him as much as he'd have thought it would. He'd always known it anyway. It was obvious, as she'd treated him more like a mate than a childe.

He caught the scent of her arousal, it hung heavy in the air, and chuckled again. "You enjoyed that little game, didn't you, Darla?" he asked. He slipped a hand down under her waistband, sliding it under the fabric of her panties, and found he was right, she was already wet. He nuzzled her neck, "You still get off on violence, don't you?" he said as he slipped a finger easily inside her. With his other hand, he pulled her body flush against his, letting her feel his erection pressing against her through their clothing.

She whimpered, and rubbed her ass against his groin, eliciting a growl from him. "Please," she said, and moaned as he pressed a second finger inside her, and began thrusting them slowly into her. She thrust her hips against his fingers, while at the same time rubbing against his groin, creating just enough friction to give him pleasure.

He pulled his fingers out of her body then, suddenly, and she whimpered, "Angelus," turning to see him grinning at her. "Didn't answer my question," he said with a smug look on his face.

She sighed in irritation and said, "Yes, I enjoyed putting that boy in his place. He thought - they thought - they could own you, Angelus." She frowned, "I couldn't have him thinking that now, could I?"

"It was more to it than that, wasn't it?" Angelus asked. "You got very turned on," he grabbed her by the hips and pulled her body against his. "I smelled it the moment I walked in the room."

She shrugged, and replied, "I remembered how it used to feel, having power over life and death. I miss that." While she was speaking, she began unbuttoning his shirt, and pulled it out of the waistband of his pants, pushing it off his shoulders. She took his hand, and pulled him back to the couch, with a gentle shove pushing him to sit.

She looked up as a boy walked in with a plastic bag. "Dinner's served," Angelus explained with a grin.

Part 15 7 pm

Darla watched Angelus as he drained the delivery boy quickly, then dropped the body on the floor and looked over at her. She'd started in on her Sesame Chicken, she had noticed that food had improved some in the past few centuries. Not enough for her to be thrilled about still being human, though. Hopefully Lindsey would get his ass back here, and Angelus would be VERY grateful to her for securing the only thing likely to cut his fun short. And she had a way he could repay her of course: he could turn her.

"I should have had Lindsey dispose of Wesley's body for me," Angelus said, kicking the body aside. "I now remember why I don't like eating in. I like leaving bodies OUTSIDE to torment the law enforcement idiots, not in my own home." He looked behind him, the sun was finally almost set. "At least darkness finally descends on the city," he added. "I can get rid of the bodies, and then take Cordelia on her first hunt."

"Take...." Darla trailed off and stared at him, open-mouthed. "You turned her already?" she asked, feeling a pang of jealousy. That stupid girl would be hunting with her Darling Boy tonight, and it should have been HER!

"I did," he replied with a shrug. "Because The Witch will be calling very soon, and I need Cordelia on our side, to keep the Slayer and her Slayer-Wannabes out of our hair as long as possible."

Darla just nodded, swallowing the bitter reply that was ready. It wasn't as if she was in any position to argue with him, after all. "My - our - food delivery was interrupted, just as you were about to answer my question," She said, choosing to change the subject.

"I was? What question was that?" Angelus asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"How much did you hear of my ... persuasion ... of Lindsey?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Enough," he replied with a grin. He walked over to sit next to her and nibble at her neck with his blunt teeth, while his hand slipped up under her tank top to squeeze and knead a breast.

"Um...." she tried to remember what she'd been saying earlier, but it was difficult. He was being so damn distracting. Oh yeah. Her persuasion of Lindsey. "Angelus."

"Hm?" he mumbled, looking up at her questioningly. Why is she still talking, trying to distract me from a much more interesting past-time. "Angelus?"

They both looked up at the stairs, where Cordelia was standing about halfway down, a grin on her face. "I'm hungry," she said with a pout. She'd found some suitable clothing to wear, before joining them, a very short red leather skirt, and a tube top of matching fabric and color. Darla growled at the sight of her. If that bitch thinks she's going anywhere alone with my mate, looking like that, she's got another thing coming!

Angelus laughed at Darla's jealous growl. "Now, now, Lover. Cordelia's family now. Let's try to get along." Darla simply scowled at him in reply. "Good. Glad that's settled," Angelus added with an infuriating grin.

"Ready to go hunting, then, Cordelia?" Angelus said, standing and turning to face his newest childe. He knew why Darla was jealous, Cordelia made an incredibly sexy vampire. He feared, though, that she would be incredibly difficult to control. She'd been quite the bitch in high school before she reformed and started helping his souled side. He realized that Queen Cordy was back now, in a more dangerous way than before. She had no soul or conscience to hold back any selfish, demanding impulses. And he'd made the brilliant decision to sire her, so any future grief on his part was all his own damn fault.

While he was contemplating these things, Cordelia had made her way down the stairs, and said, "Oh, yeah. I can't wait for a little killing," with a grin.

"All right; let's go," Angelus said. He turned to Darla, standing now, with every intention of arguing her way into going along with them. "No," he cut her off firmly. He put his arms around her waist, pulling her to him, and added, "It's too dangerous. She needs my full attention on her first hunt."

Darla frowned and looked away. She was angry with herself for being jealous; but also angry with him for treating her as not being important.

Angelus sighed. "Darla, if you came along with us, I'd be too distracted. Worried about protecting you." He put his hand under her chin forcing her to meet his eyes. "You taught me to protect my family. I can't do that if my attentions are divided between the two of you."

Darla frowned, but this time because he was making sense. As a human, she couldn't protect herself, and would only cause him to be in unnecessary danger. "Fine. Just come home soon?" she asked.

"Of course I will," Angelus replied with a smile. "When I've got you to come home to--" He kissed her passionately, then added "--why would I stay out all night?" He released her then and walked to the door with Cordelia at his side.

"Angelus!"

"Yeah, Lover?" he turned back at the door to look at her.

"Just... be careful," she said softly. She couldn't stand the thought of losing him again.

"Don't worry, Darla," he replied with a smile. "I'll be back before you can miss me." And with that, Cordelia and Angelus were off on the hunt, leaving Darla alone in the hotel.

Part 16 8 pm

"Rule number one," Angelus said to his new childe. "ALWAYS obey me without question. I may need you to make the Scoobies less irritating; but if you prove too much of a pain in my ass, I'll stake you and figure out another way to deal with them."

"Fine, I get it," Cordelia said with a sigh. "I knew all about the stupid Sire/Childe thing when I was human. You made me, I respect you, I obey you, blah blah blah. Whatever. Can I feed now?"

Angelus sighed, trying to keep the smile off his face at her insolence. What is it with my insane urge to create these monsters? First Penn: I miscalculated with him. He was pure evil as a human, turning him into a vampire unleashed a deeper evil I couldn't even attempt to control. Then Drusilla: I broke her, all right. Turned her into a psychotic vampire, not realizing until later what a horrible mistake that was. She has never been unable to understand the finer points of the necessity of subtlety; and has caused more problems sometimes than her gift as a seer is worth to me. Then William.... Angelus smiled at the memory of his favorite childe. Yes, he is a stubborn, rebellious brat, a thorn in my side. Almost impossible to control. But I still put up with him, for knowing that deep down William adored me made the headache that was him worth it.

So now there is Cordelia...

"HELLO!" Cordelia waved her hand in front of his face. "Stop brooding, you've most definitely been souled too long if that's rubbing off on you. I'm HUNGRY, SIRE!"

Angelus clamped a hand over her mouth and sighed in irritation. "Rule number two," he said. "Subtlety is crucial to being able to live above ground among our prey. Anyone who discovers what we are dies, no exceptions. I've been chased into the sewers far too many times due to my childer disobeying this rule. I advise you not to join them in this disobedience; you don't want to learn my skills at discipline."

He was surprised as he caught no scent of fear. She wasn't afraid of him? He cocked his eyebrow at her; this was an interesting development. One to deal wth later, though. Right now all he wanted was to get her fed and get them back home. He and Darla had started something earlier that evening and he desperately wanted to finish it.

"Come. I'm sure we can find a pair of lovers stupid enough to be in the park after sundown," he said to Cordelia as he led her across the street.

10 pm

Darla was growing impatient. Angelus had been gone for two hours, long enough for her to explor the entire hotel. She was back downstairs, pacing the lobby, when Lindsey stumbled in, breathing laboriously. She noted the fact that he was bleeding from the chest, and he gasped, "Help ... me."

She sighed and walked over to him; and as she did, he took out the item he'd been hiding inside his suit jacket: The Orb of Thessula.

Part 17 10 pm

"Lindsey," Darla stared at him a moment in shock. "You got the Orb for me!" She took the orb from his hands, and laid it on a table next to her. She then turned back to him, noting he was in very bad shape. The blood was soaking his shirt and jacket. He hadn't said a word since his initial gasp for help, just staring at her pleadingly.

"Let's get this jacket off you, and see what we can do to patch you up," she said then, reaching for him.

"No," he said then, pushing her hands away. "They don't miss. I'm dead," he winced as the pain made speaking too difficult. He had to say this, though, she'd promised to protect him if he helped. "Please... I don't want to die."

Darla caught him as he lost his balance, and eased him to the floor. She let him lean against her and thought about what he'd said. She knew what he wanted without asking him to explain. I did promise to protect him if he helped me, but I never imagined he'd want this. To be one of us? Even if Angelus agrees....

Lindsey cried out, obviously the pain was becoming harder to bear; and Darla sighed. She always had felt an odd fondness for him since the firm brought her back. He had never seemed to want to control her, unlike the others. He had always treated her with respect and they'd understood each other's motivations in bringing Angelus back. They'd become partners, in a way. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Positive," Lindsey met her eyes, hoping she'd see he was completely certain about this. He wasn't ready to die, he was too young. She was the only one who could help him and he prayed she would.

"All right," she nodded, brushing the hair back from his face. "I can't promise you anything, Lindsey. This is Angelus' decision, ultimately. But I'll--"

"DARLA!" Angelus was at her side instantly and she jumped with surprise. She hadn't heard the two vampires walk in. She saw the outright fear in his eyes, as his eyes roamed her body, obviously looking for the source of the blood.

"Darling, I'm fine," she said reassuringly, putting her hand to his face gently. "The blood's not mine, Angelus. Lindsey's been shot. It happened when he got us this," she picked up the orb, handing it to him.

Angelus was stared from her face to the orb, then back again. He couldn't move. He couldn't believe that was what she'd wanted so badly from Lindsey. If he could have moved, he would have pulled her into his arms with the overwhelming relief he felt. When he'd walked in and seen her and Lindsey, both covered in blood.... He was still breathing heavily from the horror he'd felt at that moment. If she'd been hurt again while he was gone, he'd never have been able to forgive himself.

"Angelus," she said, pulling him out of his reverie.

He nodded, getting himself back under control. He took the orb and looked up at Cordelia, who was standing watching them with mild interest. "Put this in the safe, 'Delia," he said.

She shrugged, but took it and walked into the office, following his orders.

Lindsey moaned, and Darla looked down at him for a moment. He wasn't going to last longer than a few more minutes, she could tell. She looked over at Angelus who was also watching Lindsey, though somewhat impassively.

She moved to lean Lindsey up against the back of a chair and he looked at her disappointedly. She was going to let him die. As if reading his thoughts, she smiled and shook her head at him. "I gave you my word," she reminded him.

Turning back to Angelus, she took him by the hand as they both stood. "I need to talk to you in private for a moment," she said softly. He nodded and they walked into the hallway. "Angelus, can I ask you a favor?" she asked.

"Darla, after what you've done for me... for us, you can ask me anything," Angelus said with a smile, pulling her into his arms then.

"Good," she replied, with a sigh of relief. He wasn't going to like this, but he'd already pretty much agreed to it, so.... "I want you to turn Lindsey." She knew he'd be angry that she'd trapped him into agreeing before knowing what he was agreeing to.

And that was not what he'd expected her to say. He growled, "Why?" Why would she have asked for that? Is it possible that her relationship with Lindsey was more than I first assumed?

"No," she said. She realized, as he tensed in her arms, that he was assuming the wrong motivations for her request. "Since I turned you, Angelus, it's only been you." She felt him relax and looked up at him then. She was relieved that he didn't appear to be angry with her. "I told him I would protect him, Angelus. He wants it, he asked me for this."

Angelus sighed, but nodded. "All right, I'll do it."

She smiled and ground her hips against his, reaching up to pull his head down for a passionate, hungry kiss. When she broke away, he growled in disappointment. "You do this for me, Lover; I'll be VERY grateful."

"How grateful?" Angelus asked curiously, as he bent to nip at her neck.

She laughed, a low, sensuous sound that made him harder than he'd been when he left her. "You'll just have to find that out for yourself, now, won't you?" she teased, then pulled out of his grasp and ran upstairs.

Angelus watched her until she was out of sight, then walked over to where Lindsey was still sitting. He knelt in front of the other man, regarding him silently. Lindsey looked back at him unflinchingly and Angelus was impressed. Nice cover, though he could smell the fear on him. "You want this?" Angelus asked.

"Yes," Lindsey said.

"Very well, then. But I'm only doing this for Darla," Angelus said as he slipped into gameface. "If it was up to me, I'd simply rip your throat out and drink you dry. Yours would just be one more body to add to the growing pile. He chuckled as he caught scent of a fresh wave of fear. It was intoxicating. "As long as you keep fearing me, Lindsey, we'll get along wonderfully," he said, as he bent down and sank his fangs into Lindsey's neck.

Part 18

Darla woke and looked over at the clock. It was just after two p.m. She propped herself up on one elbow and gazed at her lover, sleeping next to her. He was worn out, probably, she smiled at the thought. She was amazed she was awake so early herself. They'd made love for hours. She'd proven her gratitude to him, multiple times. And he hadn't left her wanting, either. He'd made her come so many times, she'd had trouble catching her breath in between.

They'd finally fallen asleep around eight, her head resting on his chest, one leg draped over his, his arms around her waist.

"I love you, Angelus," she whispered then, stroking his cheek gently. "I wonder, do you know already? You once considered that emotion to be for weaklings, do you still feel that way? Or could you..." she trailed off, and rolled over onto her back. "If you know, then you're tolerating it. If you don't know, I could lose the closeness we have by my telling you. I won't take that chance. I won't lose you again."

Angelus heard every word and it didn't upset him. He'd suspected his sire's feelings for a century and had never been irritated by them. He had enjoyed the closeness they'd had, more equals than Sire/Childe. He hadn't minded her affections for him, partially because he'd worshiped her from the moment she'd turned him. Though he'd never thought of his feelings for her as love. Perhaps it was.

He'd been relieved when he'd heard her reveal her feelings the previous night to Lindsey. He'd been worried that deep down she'd be holding a grudge against him. After all, his souled self had destroyed her. Knowing that her feelings for him hadn't changed though, that meant they had a chance for regaining what they'd once had. What they should have had, if he'd not been torn from her side by the gypsy curse.

He would turn her eventually and they would be mates again, this time officially. If she'd ever thought of making it official a century ago, her sire, The Master, would never have allowed it. He'd not been impressed with Angelus, and the feeling had been mutual. But as Angelus was now the oldest surviving member of their clan, there would be no one to oppose their mating.

He smiled and made a show of stretching, so she'd think he was just now awakening. He opened his eyes, and looked over at her. "Good morning, Darlin'," he drawled, reaching over to pull her to him. "Have you recovered?" he teased her. He knew he'd overwhelmed her with his sexual appetite earlier that morning. Once he'd pulled her into his arms, though, the reality that the blood on her could well have been hers had hit him like a brick. He'd been overpowered by the urge to get lost inside her, to own her, to make her his and only his. He hoped now that he hadn't been too reckless with her. Sometimes he forgot she was a human now and couldn't take his rougher nature.

Darla grinned and rolled over on top of him, sitting up and straddling his hips. "I think I have," she said, hissing in pleasure as she rubbed his quickly hardening cock against her cunt. Angelus growled and ran his hands up her body to her breasts, kneading them roughly. She moaned and leaned over, still grinding herself against his cock. He pulled one breast into his mouth, alternately biting the nipple then laving it with his tongue.

He groaned as she thrust harder against his cock, hearing her whimper as she found the perfect pressure on her clit. She was so ready for him, he could feel her moisture leaking out. But he fought the urge to grab her and slam her down on his cock. He enjoyed letting her have control occasionally. He felt her trembling, and knew she was close. He was so close to climax himself, with her grinding on his cock. But he wanted to be inside her.

"Darla," he growled as he vamped out. Her eyes met his and she understood what he was asking. Without warning, she raised her hips off his, then slammed herself down on his cock. She came with a scream, "ANGELUS!" and he followed after a few quick thrusts, growling and biting her breast, sending her into an even more powerful orgasm than the first.

She collapsed onto his chest, gasping for breath. "That was quite an interesting way to wake up," she said, looking up at him with a grin.

Angelus chuckled. "I can't think of a better way to start the day," he said, letting his hands roam over her sides and back.

"Mmm," she smiled. "I think I need a shower though." She rolled off him, curling up next to him and kissing him. He was pleased that she didn't move off the bed, waiting for him to reply.

"Only if I can join you," he said with a grin.

She laughed, "Neither of us are likely to stay clean that way." She stood though and held out her hand to him. He took it and they had walked into the bathroom when they heard Cordelia's scream.

"What the fuck?" Angelus frowned.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLP!"

"Stay here," he said to Darla, raising his hand when he saw her open her mouth to protest. "Darla, don't argue with me. Stay HERE," he ordered. He then ran out, pulling on a pair of jeans as he did so.

Darla sighed, assuming, Cordelia is just being melodramatic. Probably a broken nail or ripped pantyhose She took a quick shower, wondering what was keeping Angelus. As she dried off, she was growing quite aggravated. Certain there was nothing to worry about, she threw on her red dress, ready to find out what the hold-up was, and walked back into the bedroom. Then she heard the sounds of yelling, accomanied by gunshots.

Part 19

Darla stood frozen staring at the door. "No..." She ran to the door, but the knob wouldn't turn. Angelus had locked her in. "NOOOOOO!" She yelled, pulling on the door futilely. She wanted to help him! She pounded on the door, frantically. "Damn it, Angelus!" she screamed. "Don't do this to me! I can't just sit in here and wait for them to kill you!" She stifled a sob, knowing going into hysterics would solve nothing.

She didn't even know who it was that had invaded their home. She realized though, as she paced in front of the door, that it was most likely Wolfram and Hart. But she didn't know how many of their Special Forces had shown up.

Not having many choices of what to do, she sat on the bed waiting for someone to come to the door. She shuddered at the thought of someone other than Angelus coming in. Nothing will happen to Angelus. I'll die if I lose him again.

She looked at the door fearfully as she heard footsteps running upstairs. There was a soft knock, then "Darla, it's me."

She held back a sob of relief at the sound of Angelus' voice and ran to the door as he unlocked it. The door opened and he walked in. Darla waited just long enough to be sure there were no obviously serious injuries, before she dove at him, the force of it sending him back against the wall with a grunt. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him desperately. "You're okay," she sobbed.

Angelus was surprised by her panicked reaction. He hadn't thought about how frightened she would be locked in the room. He'd only been concerned with keeping her safe. "I'm fine," he said, wrapping his arms around her, and kissing her on the forehead. "Wolfram and Hart wanted to be sure I knew they weren't thrilled with my having the Orb. But we dealt with them. I left Lindsey and Cordelia to clean up the mess. Lindsey was feeding and Cordelia was whining about breaking a nail when I left them." He smiled as Darla laughed at that, glad she was recovering from her initial fright.

"I'm sorry for acting so hysterical," she mumbled against his chest.

"No apology necessary," Angelus replied with a smile, leading her over to the bed. He sat, and she curled up against his chest. "The attack was unexpected," Angelus addded. "But it shouldn't have been. I can't believe I let those humans take me by surprise like that. It won't happen again, though. I'm going to send out Cordy and Lindsey to do some recruiting of the other demons in this city. Hopefully my reputation still means something. If it doesn't, that's fine. I'm perfectly willing to use violence and fear to gain control of Los Angeles. Either way, we will be well-prepared the next time Wolfram and Hart decide to attack. Darla smiled up at him. Just like old times she thought happily. This is the way things should have been for the past century. I always dreamed for the day my Angelus would take over as the Master after my sire was finally destroyed. Oh well, at least it's finally happening.

"I've located a few of my minions, who were amazingly still not dust, and sent them to look for Drusilla," Angelus said then.

No, don't say it. Darla cringed, knowing what he was going to say next. I'm still getting used to Cordelia in our lives, the loony Drusilla I suppose I can tolerate, but not--

"And I'm making a trip to Sunnydale tonight to bring Spike back also."

And if their roles had been what they were meant to be, that would have been accompanied by a temper tantrum, Darla-style.

Part 20 4:00

Darla wanted to throw a temper tantrum when Angelus said he wanted to bring Spike back into their home. She didn't like Spike... well that wasn't quite true. She HATED Spike. Forget the fact that he was an insolent little bastard, that wasn't anything she'd not seen before in Angelus' other childer. She hated him because he was Angelus' favorite childe. As such, he was the only one who managed to not only monopolize Angelus' time but also his affections.

But she knew reacting angrily wouldn't get her anywhere. Not that it had ever gotten her anywhere when she was his sire, but that was beside the point. It had been her right as sire: to make her disapproval known as loudly as she saw fit and know that Angelus could do nothing but take it. But now.... now she restrained the temper tantrum. It wasn't easy, though.

Angelus had known Darla would be irritated when he finally told her his plans of returning to Sunnydale to get Spike. He was no fool, he remembered how she felt about Spike. So the way she tensed up in his arms when he told her his intent was no surprise. He closed his eyes, waiting for the impending screaming fit. He was too exhausted to deal with it, but didn't seen any hope of a reprieve from it.

He wouldn't let her scream him out of this decision though. He was going to get Spike, for three reasons. The first reason was the simple fact Angelus couldn't let Spike get away with all he'd done in the past few years in defiance of him. He had to punished, and reminded that Angelus was the Master of the two. If Angelus didn't do that, he'd appear weak to the vampire community and Angelus wouldn't have that.

The second reason Angelus was going to Spike was because as Spike's sire he also had a responsibility to help him. Angelus knew about the computer chip in Spike's head which basically left him at the mercy of all humans. And while part of him felt that Spike deserved it, the other part had every intention of undoing the damage done to his childe. Angelus wouldn't let the potential he'd always seen in his childe go to waste. He'd turned out to be quite a vampire, at rare occasions even making Angelus proud to be his sire.

Another reason he was going to get Spike was he knew he would be a useful ally in helping them deal with Wolfram and Hart. True, Spike from all appearances had proved just the opposite. Spike had never obeyed Angelus; he had always refused to treat Darla with respect; hell, he'd refused to treat Angelus with respect... he'd committed the ultimate in forbidden acts when he'd helped the Slayer send Angelus to hell. But Angelus knew, despite all that, he could count on Spike to be loyal to him now. First because he'd owe him for helping him remove the chip in his head. Second, because Angelus would use Spike's Achilles Heel against him: Drusilla. Spike would do anything to protect her; in his warped mind it was probably his reasoning behind sending Angelus to hell. So he would fight alongside Angelus now, if for no other reason than to protect Dru again, this time from the dangers Wolfram and Hart posed.

Wait a minute. It's oddly quiet in here, Angelus realized. "Darla?"

"What," she mumbled, not looking up at him. His fingers under her chin raised her face to meet his eyes, though. "I heard, you, Angelus," she said, pulling away from him. She slid off the bed and walked over to the window, looking outside. "You want your precious childe, go get him. We both know I can't stop you." she said, the bitterness evident in her tone.

Angelus sighed. Why did I push it? I should've let her just pout in silence. She would've gotten over it eventually. But now I can't let this attitude go unchecked. "You're right. You can't stop me. So accept it. Or don't."

Darla looked back at him in confusion. "What?"

Angelus shrugged, looking at her coldly. "You are more than welcome to leave if you want. I won't stop you. I don't want to be with you if that disapproving attitude is going to surface anytime I make an important decision you don't agree with. I am MASTER of this family and as such everyone will give me the respect I deserve. If my childer see you talk to me like you did just now, it will undermine my authority in their eyes. I can't have that, I will not have discipline problems now of all times.

"If you were my childe, you know how I'd deal with you. But as you're not, I'm advising you to either learn to accept your place in this family or leave." With that he rose and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Part 21 warning: this part has hints at Cordelia/Angelus smut, which is to come in the next part.

Darla jumped when the door slammed. She couldn't help the tears which sprang to her eyes. "Damn it!" she yelled and punched the wall. She then fell to her knees crying. His cold response had hurt her, but even so, she knew he had been right. She no longer had the right to tell him what to do. And while she hadn't exactly done that, she'd tried to make his decision more difficult with her attitude. She hadn't given him her support when he'd needed it.

What am I going to do? she wondered as she forced herself to stop crying. She got up off the floor and started pacing. Do I leave him alone and let us both cool off? Or will that only make things worse, give him time to grow angrier with me?

She decided she'd rather face him immediately. She remembered he was the type who only let his anger fester inside him until it reached a boiling point. So it would be not only unlikely she would be able to fix things later, it would probably be physically dangerous to her to attempt it. She would apologize now and do whatever was necessary to remedy the situation. She was fully prepared to grovel, beg, or whatever else. She had to make it right. She hoped she could make it right. He'd been so angry with her.

"I can fix this," she told herself. "I have to, losing him again isn't an option." She nodded resolutely, then walked into the hall. She then realized she wasn't sure where he'd gone. She sighed and decided to start with the third floor, upstairs. She knew Angel had had a room there which he'd used when he wanted to be alone.

Angelus had walked downstairs in a barely controlled rage. He walked by Cordelia and Lindsey who were still gathering up the dead bodies to pile them in the other room until sundown. He reached his office and slammed the door behind him. He smiled grimly when several paintings crashed to the floor.

He then sat in front of his computer, intent on continuing his search for a doctor who he could bribe/threaten into removing Spike's computer chip. He needed not to think about Darla. She had hurt him more than he realized she could. He had needed her to support him, not try to subtly get him to do what SHE wanted him to do.

There was a knock and his eyes snapped up to glare at the door. "WHAT!" he yelled, hoping it would scare whoever-it-was away. It didn't though. The door opened slowly and Cordelia sauntered in.

"Sire?" she said with a smile. "I can tell that you're upset. Is there anything I can do?"

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah. GET OUT!" he roared and turned back to his computer screen.

He wasn't in the mood for Cordelia, ever. Well, that wasn't exactly true. He wouldn't have ever been in the mood for the human Cordelia. The only thing that had made him turn her was that she was the only sure way to keep the Sunnydale idiots at bay. All he could handle was one fight at a time.

The new version of Cordelia, though, wasn't as annoying as he'd assumed she'd be. Who would've known she had had a very vicious nature already, just waiting to be loosed by the demon? Angelus had seen it already during the fight against the Wolfram and Hart special forces. She'd held her own and proven a good fighter, willing to kill without thinking twice about it. Yes, vampire Cordelia was tolerable. If he hadn't been so angry, he wouldn't mind her presence. As it was, though, he needed solitude.

He looked up with a sigh as he realized she was still standing there.

"Are you sure?" she asked with a smile. She shut the door behind her and looked around. "Because it looks to me like you've got a lot of pent up energy and here it is ..." She located the clock which had also ended up on the floor "... at least two hours before sunset. Cooped up in this big hotel with nothing to kill," she said and clucked her tongue in sympathy.

"'Delia, if you've GOT a point, get to it then leave me in peace. If not, just LEAVE ME IN PEACE!" He yelled. The childe could most definitely not take a hint.

"Oh, I've GOT a point," she replied. She walked over to him and sat in front of him on the edge of the desk. She was wearing a black skirt which only reached mid-thigh and a white tank top. Angelus noticed then she hadn't bothered to wear a bra. He felt himself growing hard at the sight of her nipples peeking through the flimsy material. He wondered if his childe was aware she was playing with fire. If he needed to get off, he wouldn't hesitate to use any of his childer to do so. If she continued to dress like that, she'd find that out sooner rather than later.

She smiled. "My point, Sire, is that there's another way to release that pent-up energy," she said. She then spread her legs, letting him see that she hadn't bothered to wear panties either.

Part 22 Warning - Cordelia/Angelus smut

Angelus growled as he came into view of Cordelia's pussy. He felt himself growing even harder. He wasn't blind, she was beautiful. He'd always been attracted to her before. But now she was a vampire she was so much more attractive, as all her inhibitions were gone. She was a very sexual creature, and that appealed to him as he was the same way.

And she was right, he was wound up so tight he needed some form of release. So here she was, offering herself to him for his sexual pleasure. Not that he ever needed an invitation, but he wasn't going to pass one up. He remembered how GOOD it had felt burying himself inside her before he'd turned her. He suspected it would be much better with her as a willing participant.

He looked up at her face, she was giving him an 'I'm waiting' look. That was all it took. He unzipped his pants, freeing his erection. He growled again when she licked her lips as she looked at it. He stood and pushed his pants down quickly then pushed her skirt up over her waist. She laid back as he crawled onto on the desk, between her legs.

He could smell her arousal heavy in the air; she was just looking at him expectantly. He leaned over her, bracing his hands on either side of her head, then drove into her wet passage. "ANGELUS!" Cordelia screamed, her head thrown back. He groaned; she was so tight, she had obviously not had sex more than a handful of times.

Her knees were bent, the soles of her feet resting on the edge of the desk. He pulled out of her almost all the way, then pushed her legs up, so her knees were against her chest. They both groaned when he thrust into her again, this time sliding deeper than before.

"FUCK!" he yelled when she squeezed him with her vaginal muscles. He looked up at her face in surprise.

She giggled, "I know a few tricks."

He didn't wait for her to adjust to his size, but began thrusting his cock into her furiously. Cordelia was soon moaning and thrashing around underneath him. She locked her legs around his waist, raising her hips up to meet his thrusts. He felt himself getting closer to climax and began fucking her even harder. He came with a shout, releasing his dead seed inside her, then reached between them to twist her clit roughly sending her over the edge with a wail. He collapsed on top of her then, taking a moment to recover.

Darla had returned to the floor Angelus' bedroom was on, when she heard him yell.

"LEAVE ME IN PEACE!"

In his office of course she realized. She walked down the hall and down the stairs, and came face to face with Lindsey.

"Hi, Darla. Are you busy?" he asked with a smile. "Can I ask you something? I need to ask you something. Okay? Upstairs. Please?" He grabbed her arm, then tried to pull her back upstairs.

"No!" she yelled and tried to pull her arm out of his grip. She added, "Lindsey, it'll have to wait. I am very busy at the moment. I need to speak to Angelus. Where is he?"

"Um, I don't know. Around," Lindsey replied, as he stopped on the first step to look back at her. So why don't--"

"ANGELUS!" They heard a female voice yell.

Darla looked at the closed office door. So he was in there. And that had sounded like... She looked back at Lindsey and realized he had a rather nervous expression on his face. "Where's Cordelia?" she asked, part of her not wanting to know the answer.

"Oh, I dunno," Lindsey shrugged with another forced smile. "Cordelia's flighty. She could be any--"

"FUCK!" was heard then and Darla knew that had been Angelus' voice. This time, Darla kept her eyes on Lindsey's face. She saw him wince and knew something was going on Lindsey didn't want her to know about. Then she heard a female's voice giggling and she definitely knew that Angelus and Cordelia were in his office.

"Nice try, Lindsey. I know she's in there, though," she said with a shrug. "So is he and I need to talk to him." He'd dropped her arm in surprise at Angelus' outburst so she turned and went toward the door of the office.

"Darla!" He stepped in front of her again when she was five feet away. "You need to listen to me. Don't go in there, he needs some time alone."

"He's not alone, he's in there with--"

They were interrupted again by Angelus' shout, followed by a long keening wail emitted by Cordelia.

Darla grabbed her stomach as her mind made a connection she would have rather it hadn't. He wasn't... They werent.... She shoved Lindsey out of the way and opened the office door. When she saw Cordelia and Angelus, she felt as if she'd been kicked in the stomach.

Part 23

Darla felt physically ill at the sight before her. Cordelia was lying on Angelus' desk. Angelus had collapsed on top of her. Darla was quite aware of what had just happened, she wasn't stupid. She also knew he knew she was standing there. He didn't look up at her, though, his face buried in his childe's neck as they both panted to catch their unneeded breaths.

Darla turned away silently, not bothering to shut the door behind her. She walked back to the stairway, vaguely aware that Lindsey was walking beside her. He was supporting her with an arm around her waist.

Darla refused to allow the tears to even surface as she resolutely walked upstairs with Lindsey's help. She wasn't going to get upset. This isn't about me, she tried to convince herself. So Angelus was fucking one of his childer. It wasn't the first time and it definitely won't be the last. It isn't in a demon's nature to be monogamous, you KNOW that. Besides the fact that sex is one of many ways to reinforce one's position as sire.

They reached Angelus' bedroom and Darla looked up at Lindsey. His eyes were worried. "Did you two fight?"

She tried to smile, and said "Angelus has the right to take any lover he wants, whenever he wants."

Lindsey crossed his arms in front of him, "I suppose he does. But you didn't answer my question."

"It isn't about me."

Lindsey looked at her skeptically, "You really believe that?"

Darla opened her mouth to answer quickly then shut it again. She shook her head with a sigh. She could say it a hundred times and she still wouldn't believe that. He'd been angry with her. He'd probably decided to use Cordelia to work off some of that anger. But he'd probably also seen the possibility of hurting Darla as an added bonus.

"Where did things take this wrong turn?" she wondered, mostly to herself. "All because of Spike?"

"Spike?" Lindsey asked. "His other childe who's back in Sunnydale?"

Darla nodded and walked to sit on the edge of the bed. She patted the bed next to her, and Lindsey sat. "I got upset when he told me he was going to bring Spike back here. Spike and I ...well, 'don't get along' is about as much an understatement as saying that Wolfram and Hart are slightly rude people."

Lindsey chuckled. "I see."

"So I got upset and I said something, when I should've kept my mouth shut instead. But that's not something I can do easily. So then he got upset and basically told me I could like it or leave. So I went after him, to apologize and...." She shrugged and got up again. She walked over to the window and looked outside. Lindsey had seen the rest.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Lindsey said. "I know it hurt, especially because of how you feel about him."

"I don't know what to do," she said staring out of the window but not seeing anything. "I hate this, Lindsey," she added. "I can't even tell him when I'm upset about something if it is remotely to do with him?"

Lindsey shrugged, "I don't know what to tell you, Darla." He was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Wait. Maybe you can tell him."

"What?" Darla turned and looked at him as if he'd gone insane.

"Hear me out," he replied. "Angelus has this 'I'm the sire' trip going. So when you said you didn't like him bringing Spike back here, he took that as an attack on his position."

"That was not my intention at all," Darla said as she turned back to the window. "But I think you're right."

"Well, see, that's where things went bad," Lindsey replied. "He doesn't know what's really bothering you because you won't tell him."

"I'm not telling Angelus why I don't want Spike here."

"Why not? What are you so afraid of?"

"I AM NOT AFRAID!" she yelled.

"I think you are," Lindsey insisted. "Don't forget I've read all the accounts on the four of you, Darla. And by my thinking, William the Bloody should be long dust by now as punishment for all the things he's done to betray Angelus. Why isn't he dust, Darla?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"I think you do know, Darla. Talk to me. Maybe I can help."

Darla sighed, "There's a connection between Angelus and William, a connection that won't let Angelus destroy him. Believe me, I learned this the hard way. I tried to make Angelus stake Spike more than once. Angelus would punish him but never agreed to destroy him.

"Okay. So what does that connection have to do with you not wanting Spike back with us?"

The room was silent for a few minutes before Darla finally spoke. "I can't risk losing Angelus. Things were different when I was his sire. Even if he refused to destroy Spike, I still knew he wouldn't leave me. I was his sire, though I knew well enough not to reign him in unless it was extremely necessary. That's probably what kept him with me, I suppose. I chose my battles wisely, mostly letting him run the family. In return, he was always a devoted childe. Spike was the only thing we disagreed on. And rather than turn it into a fight, I usually relented eventually when Angelus defended Spike. See, even then I knew better than to push Angelus too hard.

"But now, there's nothing holding him to me," she added. "If Angelus' favorite childe returns, where does that leave me? What am I, Lindsey? I'm not Angelus' sire, I'm not his mate, I'm not his childe, I'm not even a vampire. I'm nothing. I see two possible things happening if Spike comes back and tries to poison Angelus against me. Which he'll do, most definitely. He always hated me. One possibility is that Angelus does turn me eventually, but as just another childe. Not his favorite, that position is already taken. Another possibility is that Angelus decides he doesn't really need me anymore and sends me away."

"Darla, you've been through too much in order to get here NOT to do everything possible to stop either of those things from happening. You know that Spike returning is inevitable. Tell Angelus how you feel about Spike, tell him how you feel about him."

"No."

"How can you just give up like this?" Lindsey pressed her. "I watched you fight, harder than I've ever seen anyone fight, to bring Angelus back to you. Now you're just standing here, telling me you're giving up. That's not you, Darla. What do you have to lose if you keep fighting? I know that admitting your fears about Spike will be letting Angelus know you love him. But what more do you have to lose by just taking that risk? Besides a little bit of control over a situation you already have next to no control over anyway?"

"I've been over this a hundred times, Lindsey," Darla replied with a sigh. "Angelus can't know how I feel about him. He'll use my feelings for him against me."

"It's very possible he won't."

Darla just shook her head.

"What's your alternative, Darla? If you keep letting the misunderstandings pile up, I promise you, you will lose him. One way or another. I don't want to see that happen, because I don't want to see you miserable."

There was a moment of silence, before Lindsey added, "Which is why I'm not going to let you throw everything away like this."

"Oh?" Darla replied. "And what are you going to do about it?" she asked, turning to face Lindsey. She gasped and clutched at the windowsill behind her when her knees gave out. Angelus was standing in the doorway.

Part 24

Angelus had walked in when he'd heard Darla speaking of how she thought that he and Spike had a strong connection. Well. Maybe once Angelus thought. He walked inside.

Lindsey asked Darla, "Okay, so what does that connection have to do with you not wanting Spike back with us?"

Lindsey looked over at him then and jumped in surprise, but then motioned Angelus to be silent. Angelus frowned, he wasn't sure he liked the idea of eavesdropping on this conversation.

"I can't risk losing Angelus," Darla said. "Things were different when I was his sire. Even if he refused to destroy Spike, I still knew he wouldn't leave me. I was his sire, though I knew well enough not to reign him in unless it was extremely necessary. That's probably what kept him with me, I suppose. I chose my battles wisely, mostly letting him run the family. In return, he was always a devoted childe. Spike was the only thing we disagreed on. And rather than turn it into a fight, I usually relented eventually when Angelus defended Spike. See, even then I knew better than to push Angelus too hard.

"But now, there's nothing holding him to me," she added. "If Angelus' favorite childe returns, where does that leave me? What am I, Lindsey? I'm not Angelus' sire, I'm not his mate, I'm not his childe, I'm not even a vampire. I'm nothing. I see two things happening if Spike comes back and tries poison Angelus against me. Which he'll do, he always hated me. One possibility is that Angelus does turn me eventually, but I'll just be another childe. Not his favorite, that position's already taken. Another possibility is that Angelus decides he doesn't really need me anymore and sends me away."

Angelus could hardly believe his ears. He would never have thought she'd feel that insecure about her position in his family. He wished she felt safe enough to share this with him directly. Maybe in time he hoped. At least this one is out in the open now and we'll deal with it.

Angelus listened silently to the rest of the conversation, quite impressed with Lindsey's take on Darla. He understood her very well, in such a short time. Angelus was glad he'd turned the boy; he seemed to be a good friend to Darla. Angelus knew she needed that.

Angelus was hurt when he heard Darla say that he would use her feelings for him against her. Fine, I've done that to Drusilla and Spike, but doesn't she know she's more important to me than them?

Finally, the moment came when Darla saw him. Her face paled and he thought she was going to faint. He saw her steady herself though and breathed a sigh of relief as he realized he wouldn't have to catch her. Darla just stared at him, as if unable to say anything at all. So many emotions flitted across her face: denial, fear, sadness, and resignation were the few he could catch easily.

Darla felt as if her heart stopped when her eyes met Angelus'. He was staring at her intently, he looked slightly surprised but she couldn't read any other emotion in his face. Darla wondered frantically how much he'd heard. But then she realized she saw the answer in his eyes. He'd heard everything that mattered.

She tore her eyes away after what felt like years and looked at Lindsey. "How COULD you?!" she yelled, fighting the tears back.

Lindsey ducked his head guiltily and shrugged. The accusation of betrayal in her eyes hurt him, though he knew he deserved it. "I know you're probably angry with me, but I couldn't watch you suffer like that. It wasn't planned but when he walked in I knew it was for the best."

The room was silent again for several long seconds. Angelus finally spoke. "Lindsey, you can go now. Darla and I need some time to talk." Lindsey nodded and went out of the room.

Darla chose a spot on the floor in front of her to study intently. She heard the door shut and waited. Time to be humiliated further.

Part 25

"Darla?" Angelus walked as close as he could to her without stepping into the rays of sunlight streaming in through the window. "I wish you'd come out of the sunlight and talk to me."

Darla shook her head, still staring at the floor.

"Darlin', please."

She looked up at that. He met her gaze, he looked incredibly exhausted more than anything else. There wasn't any evidence of mocking or laughing at her. She nodded and turned to shut the curtains. When she turned back he was inches from her. She jumped and then sighed, "I really wish you would make more noise. I'm at a disadvantage here, not being a vampire."

Angelus looked at her with a smile, "Sorry. Look, Darla, I know you didn't want me to hear any of that, but I'm glad I did. Lindsey was right. I misunderstood what was really going on because you weren't telling me." He put his fingers under her chin and lifted her face so he could look into her eyes. "I wish you'd trusted me enough to just talk to me, Darlin'."

"It wasn't about trust," Darla replied with a frown.

"Isn't it?" Angelus asked with a raised eyebrow. "You really thought I'd use your feelings as a weapon against you? That sounds like a trust problem to me."

Darla sighed, pulling out of his grasp. "Angelus, I don't know if I really believe you would've done that. All I do know for sure is that I don't know what I am to you anymore. It's a very upsetting feeling."

"Darla, you were my sire and now by some bizarre twist of fate, that's no longer the case. But that doesn't mean you're nothing to me now. You were the only one I always knew, without a doubt, that I could depend on. You gave me everything I needed, everything I wanted. After the curse, you tried to save me--" At her surprised look, he smiled, "I followed you three for quite some time after I left because of the curse. I saw your attempt to get the gypsy to remove the curse. Leave it to my boy to have screwed things up," he added with a shrug. "And Lindsey's right, you fought so hard to bring me back, despite the fact that I was the one who sent you to hell. You've been loyal to me always, Darla. I don't forget that, or treat it lightly.

"Spike on the other hand... Maybe we once had a connection, Darla. Even so, you were never in danger of losing me because of him. He wasn't any of the things that you were. He didn't try to do everything possible to save me. He forgot me easily. When I returned, he resented being a childe again; he turned on me and helped the Slayer send me to hell," Angelus said. "I don't know if I'll ever trust him again completely. If I do, it definitely won't happen for a long time. Whether I do or not, though, you have absolutely nothing to worry about where he is concerned."

Angelus searched her face for a moment, trying to figure out if he was convincing her or not. "Can I ask you a question?" he asked.

She just shrugged in reply.

"Did I ever do anything to give you any reason to be jealous of any of my childer, or Spike specifically?"

"Are you aware of the fact that he was the only reason we ever fought?" Darla replied, and looked away.

"Darla, you LET him get to you and you let him know it. Then when he figured out what buttons to push, you'd scream at me about him. I tried to get him to behave, you know I did. And when he treated you poorly I always punished him. Just because I refused to destroy him, that doesn't mean he was more important to me than you were."

Darla didn't reply, still refusing to look at him. Angelus grabbed her chin and looked into her eyes. "Listen carefully, Darla, because I don't plan to make a habit of this. You were always more important to me than any one of my childer, or even all of my childer combined. That is still the case and nothing - no one - will ever change that."

Darla just looked at him, speechless.

Angelus smiled at the shock on her face. "Do you believe me?"

Darla searched his face for any sign he wasn't being completely honest. She saw none and sighed with relief. She reminded herself to thank Lindsey later for forcing her into this. Apparently he'd been right in doing so. Only time would tell if Angelus would use her feelings against her in the future, but something made her doubt he would. She nodded, finally. "Yes."

"Good," Angelus said. He cradled her face in his hands and leaned down to kiss her gently. "So does that mean you're staying?" he asked.

"I still want to be with you, Angelus. Can you ever forgive me for being so stupid?" she asked.

"It's already forgiven," Angelus replied and pulled her into his arms. "Just don't make a habit of it, all right? We can't make this work if we aren't honest with each other. Also, I hope you can understand that I need Spike here with us. When push comes to shove he protects his family. Especially Dru. I need that kind of loyalty right now, Darla."

Darla nodded and looked up at him. "I can understand that. But do I have to like it?"

Angelus shrugged. "I suppose I can't make you like it," he allowed. "But can you at least confine your expressions of irritation to times when we're alone?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I can manage that," she agreed with a smile. "I hope you know I'm very aware that you are the head of this family. I wouldn't ever try to undermine that position in front of your other childer. And.... I don't know if it matters or not, but I think you're perfectly able to run this family and this city, Angelus."

"From someone who was a very powerful vampire for four hundred years, it definitely matters, Darla. Thank you," he added as he kissed her on the forehead. He pulled her over to the bed and sat. She sat in between his legs as he wrapped his arms around her. "So is everything all right now?" he asked warily.

"It's fine. We're fine, Angelus" she said with a smile and pulled his head down for a kiss.

Part 26

Darla sighed at the knock on the door. She'd been looking forward to spending a little more time with Angelus before he had to leave for Sunnydale. He was in the shower at the moment. She moved to open the door.

Cordelia grinned at her. "Where's Angelus?"

"Showering," Darla said coolly. "What do you want?"

"I need to tell him something," Cordelia said. She made a move to walk into the room but Darla blocked the doorway.

"Tell me, I'll pass on the message," Darla insisted. When Cordelia just glared at her, Darla said, "Fine. Then go away and I'll tell him you want to talk to him before he leaves." She tried to shut the door, but Cordelia stopped her.

"Tell Angelus that the Special Ops guys from Wolfram and Hart are here," Cordelia said. Then she turned and left.

"Thought she'd never leave," Darla muttered as she shut the door.

Angelus walked out then, wearing a pair of blue jeans and nothing else. "You don't have to pass on the message," he said with a smile. "I heard. And if I had to take a wild guess, I'd say you weren't too fond of Cordelia." He grinned when she just responded with a roll of the eyes. He turned and went to his closet, pulling out a white button-down shirt and slipping it on.

"Angelus, I really need to go back to my old hotel room and get some other clothes," she said.

He smirked at her. "You need clothes? Whatever for?" He walked over and pulled her to him. He kissed her hungrily, his tongue demanded entrance into her mouth. She granted it with a moan and he smiled.

"Come downstairs with me," he said as he looked into her desire-darkened eyes. He chuckled when she pouted at him. "I need to see what kind of men Lindsey's managed to recruit and I want your opinion on that. If you feel we can trust them, I'll have them accompany you to retrieve your things."

Darla nodded with a sigh. They walked downstairs together hand-inhand. There were ten men standing in the lobby area. Cordelia was sitting in a chair filing her nails and Lindsey was standing watching the men intently. They all looked up when Darla and Angelus walked in.

Lindsey walked over to the counter and picked up several folders. He handed them to Angelus, "The personnel files on all of them."

Angelus nodded and looked the men over slowly. All were in their twenties or thirties, all were well-built. He guessed that they all had some form of military training, if the way their associates had fought so fearlessly earlier that morning was any indication.

"I'm Angelus, but you all probably know that already," he said. "This is Darla, that's Cordelia. I'm sure Lindsey needs no introduction. I don't need any vows of loyalty. Words don't impress me, you'll prove yourselves by your actions. You will live here with us, you will be responsible for keeping myself and my family safe. As long as you do that you'll be paid well. One thousand dollars a day with the understanding that you will be on-call at all hours of the day.

"Am I right in assuming I don't need to explain to you my inventive methods of torturing those who irritate me?" he asked then. They all nodded, uncomfortably, and he smiled. "Good. Then... how about a little test to be sure you are up to this? While I'm reading over your files, go find me someone to eat. On second thought, two someones. Also bring two more, one for each of my for childer here. I need to go out for the evening and I'll feel better about leaving you to protect Darla, Lindsey and Cordelia if I see that you're willing to do this for me."

"You can go," Angelus dismissed them then with a wave of his hand.

"We'll be back in twenty minutes," one of the men said and then they left.

Angelus settled on the couch and stretched out along it as he leaned back against the arm. He pulled Darla down to sit between his legs. "All right, Lover, let's see how boring these personnel files really are," he said.

Thirty minutes later

"You know, we should get rid of all these bodies soon," Lindsey said as he and Cordelia piled the latest victims into the next room.

"Sounds like a job for our mercenaries," Angelus replied. "I'll have a few of them take care of it while I'm gone."

Angelus and Darla had gone through all the personnel files before the men returned with the four humans. All the men had been trained in some branch of the military for at least five years. They had been honorably discharged then recruited by Wolfram and Hart to work in their security section. He'd been impressed with their backgrounds and Darla had also seen no reason to object to them. She'd asked, though, that Lindsey accompany them also when she returned to her hotel room. Angelus had easily agreed to the request. He felt better having to be away from her knowing that Lindsey would make sure she was safe.

The men had brought them their humans and Angelus had informed them he would hire them all. They'd then gone upstairs to claim rooms for themselves.

"I need to go," Angelus said then to the two vampires, "Protect Darla or I'll give you two lessons in pain." He turned away with a smile after they both faltered in their task and looked at him warily.

He then went to find Darla. She'd gone into the kitchen to make herself dinner and hadn't returned yet. He knew she wasn't happy about the return of his once-favorite childe back into their lives. He appreciated that she was trying for his sake not to show it in front of his other childer.

He found her still in the kitchen, sitting at the table with her back to him. A half-eaten sandwich sat in front of her.

Darla heard him walking up this time and she smiled. He was trying to accommodate her human senses now. "So how long do you think you'll be gone?" she asked as she felt his hands on her shoulders.

"It's a two hour drive to Sunnydale. I plan to get out of there as quickly as possible though. The Slayer isn't something I want to bother with, not now anyway. We'll be back long before dawn." He leaned down to kiss her on top of her head, then pulled her chair back.

Darla nodded and stood. She turned to look at Angelus and smiled. He didn't want to leave her, she could see it in his eyes. That knowledge made her feel somewhat better and she wrapped her arms around his waist as she gazed up at him. He cradled her face in her hands and leaned down to kiss her. His tongue pushed into her mouth and she clutched at his shirt as her knees threatened to give out on her. She was always amazed at the feelings he could produce in her with each kiss.

He pulled away and smiled at her when she pouted at him. "I have to go. I'll see you soon."

Darla nodded. "Be careful. Sunnydale isn't a safe place for you."

"I'll be fine," he assured her with another quick kiss before he left.

Darla waited until she heard the door shut then walked out to the lobby. Cordelia was reading a magazine, Lindsey was just walking down the stairs. "Ready to go get your things?" he asked.

"We might as well," Darla nodded. "We can leave whenever you like."

"Let me go get five of the men and we'll go," Lindsey said then walked back upstairs.

Part 27

Angelus arrived in Sunnydale two hours later. He had had Cordelia make a call to Rupert to find the location of his errant childe. A crypt. Spike had always liked the stereotypical vampire trappings. Angelus had tried his best to teach him the point of being a vampire was to enjoy the finest things the humans had to offer while feeding on said humans. But of course Spike had ignored this little bit of teaching. Most others, also.

He still has a lot to learn, apparently Angelus thought with a grin as he walked up to the crypt. Lucky for him, his sire's back to give him those lessons.

He grabbed a blonde vampiress as she walked toward the crypt and staked her quickly. He didn't need anyone interrupting this little reunion with his boy, especially not one of his childe's whores. He then walked into the crypt and was promptly tackled by said childe.

"FUCK!" Angelus yelled. He was more angry with himself than Spike, though. He couldn't believe he'd been caught off guard by his own childe. He snapped his elbow back and made contact with Spike's ribs.

Spike grunted in pain as he heard his ribs crack. "What the bloody hell?!" Spike yelled then in obvious surprise when he saw who it was he'd tackled. He rolled away from Angel quickly. "What're you doing here, Pouff?!" he yelled, sitting on the ground looking at him in shock.

"That's no way to talk to your elder, Boy," Angelus growled and jumped to his feet. "No way to welcome me, either."

"I don't know what you want, but I don't give a flying fuck either. So you can turn right back around and get lost before I remind you I'm still capable of inflicting bodily harm on you," Spike said, jumping to his feet also.

Spike found himself back on his ass when Angelus charged him with an uppercut to the jaw.

"That's for your insolent behavior so far tonight," Angelus said angrily. He grabbed Spike by the hair and pulled him to his feet. Before Spike could react, Angelus slammed his head back against the wall and pinned him there with his body. He grabbed Spike's wrists and held them on either side of his head. "I am your sire and you won't get away with treating me like this."

"Angelus was my sire, not you!" Spike screamed as he struggled to get free. "When you got the soul, you lost the right to call yourself that! I can't stand the sight of you! You make me sick!"

Angelus slipped into gameface with a threatening growl. "We've had this discussion too many times for you to have forgotten so quickly, Spike. I am your sire, and you will drop your aggressive attitude this instant! If I have to beat it out of you, though, I'll have no problem with it." He smirked then. "Or perhaps I should just fuck it out of you?"

Something in Angelus' tone clicked finally in Spike's head and he felt fear then, despite his attempts to control that emotion. He realized that Angelus had been freed, somewhow. "Angelus?" he asked, though; he had to know for sure.

"If you mean, Angelus without a soul, you would be guessing correctly, Spike," Angelus replied with a grin. "It took you a while, Boy. You weren't always this dense."

"No," Spike said, hoarsely. He remembered the last time Angelus had been freed of the soul. Spike was still trying to recover from the physical pain Angelus had inflicted on him during those weeks.

Angelus laughed. "Yes, Spike, it's true. Now are you ready to play nice? I'll let you go if you just admit who your sire is."

Spike growled. He'd been his own vampire for too many years to go back again to being Angelus' whipping boy. He smiled up at Angelus and said, "Mickey Mouse."

Angelus eyes narrowed. He released one of Spike's wrists, only to punch him in the nose. Spike yelled, then kneed Angelus in the groin. He slipped out of the older vampire's grasp when he doubled over in pain.

"Bastard," Spike said as he backed away slowly. He put a hand to his nose and it came away bloody. "You think I'm gonna be part of your psychotic plans again after what you've done to me and Dru? Well, think again, Angelus. I'll see you a pile of dust at my feet, first." He had a stake by the bed, all he had to do was get to it.

Angelus waited for Spike to look away, then he pounced. He landed on top of Spike's back and pinned him to the ground, his hands holding Spike's wrists above his head. "GET THE HELL OFF ME!" Spike screamed. He tried to buck him off, but the older vampire was too strong.

Spike froze when he felt Angelus' erection pressing against his ass through the fabric of their jeans. He stifled a groan as he felt himself growing hard as well. His body always reacted to Angelus', no matter how hard he tried to keep it from happening. "FUCK YOU!" He screamed.

Angelus smiled as he caught scent of his childe's arousal. He chuckled, "Is that a request?" He ground his hips against Spike's ass and trailed his tongue up the ridge of his ear. He smiled when he heard Spike groan.

"IN YOUR DREAMS, YA BASTARD!" Spike yelled. He wouldn't play this game with Angelus again.

Angelus clucked his tongue. "You know, Spike, it doesn't have to be like this. If you insist on defying me, though, you leave me no choice but to remind you of your position in this family. One last time. Who's. Your. Sire."

Spike lay silent for a moment. Part of his mind fought to find some way out of this mess, while the other part told himself to wake up. He knew he had two choices.

One choice was to make Angelus angry by refusing to admit Spike was his childe. Spike knew he'd definitely get fucked for his trouble. Eventually he'd be dragged back to L.A., kicking and screaming if necessary. To continue getting fucked into submission. Not a good choice.

The other choice was to give in and admit that Angelus was his sire. If he did this, there was a possibility Spike wouldn't get fucked tonight. But he'd definitely be expected to follow Angelus home like a good little puppy dog. And sooner or later he'd end up being Angelus' fuck-toy again.

So, basically, he was stuck with two choices but both sucked.

Part 28 Warning - Non-consensual smut (Aus/S)

"Spike," Angelus growled impatiently.

Spike sighed. He was never one to take the easy way out, especially when that way would only delay the inevitable anyway. Besides, the opportunity to piss off the asshole was too good to pass up. "Donald Duck," he said flippantly. "And that's my final answer, Regis." He only wished he could see the look on Angelus' face; it would've made the moment much better.

Angelus growled. He'd had enough. He'd have his childe submitting to him by the time the hour was up.... He looked down at Spike a moment, though, and grinned when an idea came to him. He'd still have his boy, but he'd have him willingly. "Third and final chance, Boy," He said smoothly "And this time we up the stakes a little.... no pun intended. Who's your sire? Think carefully, for Drusilla will take the punishment for you."

Spike gasped in surprise. He's bluffing, he has to be. I don't even know where Drusilla is, how would he?

"She's on her way to L.A. as we speak," Angelus added as he guessed Spike's thoughts. "I'm tired of this game we play, Boy. It's quite obvious that my punishment of you does nothing to improve your attitude. So from this point forward you treat me as your sire or Drusilla suffers the consequences."

Fuckin' son of a bitch! Spike thought. He gave a resigned sigh and said, softly, "You are."

Angelus laughed. "I knew I could get through to you, Spike. Just needed the proper motivation. Now it's time for you to prove to me that you know your place." He released Spike's hands and knelt behind him. "On your hands and knees, jeans off," he ordered.

Spike tried to control the fear response to those words. He hadn't let anyone fuck him since Angelus. He obeyed his sire, though, quickly. Maybe, just maybe he wouldn't fuck him dry. I can hope, anyway.

Angelus smiled as he caught sight of his boy's perfect ass. "It's been far too long since I've had you, Boy," he said. He caught scent of the fear then and breathed it in deeply. "You didn't really think I'd forgive and forget with just a few words from you, did you?" He chuckled. He unbuttoned and unzipped his own jeans then, releasing his already hard cock. He moved to drape himself over Spike and braced himself with his hands on either side of Spike's body. He rubbed his cock up and down along the crack of Spike's ass, torturing Spike for a few long minutes.

"I might have," he whispered in Spike's ear, "if you hadn't attempted the little 'send your sire to hell' thing." He felt Spike tense up and laughed. "You should've known I wouldn't let you get away with that, Spike."

Spike tensed up as he realized that Angelus was most definitely going to fuck him dry. He knew that tensing his muscles was absolutely the last thing to make this easier, though. He tried to make himself relax again, but then howled in pain as he felt Angelus' cock thrust into his hole. He felt his lining tear as Angelus thrust all the way in quickly, not waiting for a moment for Spike to adjust to his size.

Angelus fought for a moment to keep from spilling his seed into Spike's bowels. The sound of his childe's howl plus the fact his hole was so tight made the sensation of fucking him more than perfect. Angelus felt a moment of satisfaction when he realized that Spike hadn't let anyone fuck him like this for a long time. Not since his sire. He pulled out then slammed back into his childe, the scent of blood invading his senses. He began thrusting into Spike repeatedly then, his fingers digging into Spike's hips as he held him in place.

Spike grunted as Angelus slammed into him even harder. He vamped out at the scent of blood but knew Angelus sure as hell wasn't going to do anything about his need. He rested his forehead on his arms and spread his legs further apart, sighing with relief when the blood at least made the thrusts less painful. He groaned when he felt Angelus cock brush against his prostrate. His own cock jumped to attention then.

Angelus grinned as he smelled his childe's arousal. "No," he answered Spike's unspoken question. "You do not have permission to come."

Spike bit his lip to keep from cursing Angelus. Asshole. Son of a bitch. Bastard. Wanker. He tried to satisfy his anger by mentally cursing his sire. It wasn't half as enjoyable, though. He closed his hand around the base of his cock as he felt his release approaching. It was a good thing he did at that moment, because Angelus chose that instant to sink his fangs into Spike's shoulder and drink deeply from him. Spike howled again, his need for release growing more painful with the erotic feeling of his sire drinking from him.

Angelus sank his fangs into his childe's shoulder. Feeling Spike's muscles tighten around him as he howled in pleasure sent Angelus over the edge finally. He withdrew his fangs and roared as a powerful orgasm overtook him.

Angelus stilled eventually, still inside Spike, and panted for breath. He lapped at the wound in his childe's neck and smiled as he heard Spike's whimper. He was glad Spike had obeyed his order not to come. He wished he'd thought of using Dru as leverage with Spike earlier. Apparently it would be a much more effective way of controlling him.

"Sire, please," Spike resorted to begging. He needed to come. He didn't want to endanger Drusilla by defying Angelus, but he had never been much for self-control, enforced or otherwise.

"Not yet," Angelus said. He withdrew his cock from his childe's ass and stood up. "Turn around to face me. Stay on your knees."

Bloody fuckin' hell! Spike repressed a growl and obeyed his sire. He looked up at him questioningly, his hand still preventing himself from coming.

"Lick me clean," Angelus said.

Spike sighed. Well there are worse things than sucking off my sire, he admitted as he looked at his sire's cock, covered in his own blood. He had always enjoyed giving Angelus blow jobs, partly because Angelus had told him once he was one of the few things he did well.

Angelus watched him closely. "No teeth or I'll rip them out of your mouth," he warned then.

Spike smiled at him. "Wouldn't think of doing something that suicidal." His eyes still locked on Angelus', he moved closer. He slid his lips along Angelus' cock, partially taking it into his mouth. He grinned at the sound of the other vampire's moan of pleasure. He sucked it to hardness then let it slide from his mouth slowly.

Angelus growled at the loss of contact. Spike just gave him an innocent 'who me?' look before licking slowly up the underside of Angelus' cock, from base to tip. He licked off the drops of pre-cum and then pulled Angelus' cock back into his mouth.

Angelus moaned and closed his eyes. He remembered then the real reason he had put up with Spike for so long. It was his talented mouth. True, he'd taught Spike how to best pleasure him, but the boy had been very willing to learn. He'd learned well, also.

Spike moved his free hand to Angelus' balls and squeezed them gently as he began bobbing his head up and down. He heard Angelus panting for breath and felt his hands on his shoulders, gripping them tightly. He smiled, knowing his sire was close to cumming. He pulled back til just the head of Angelus' cock was between his lips, then deepthroated him. Spike hummed and worked his throat muscles around his cock, sending Angelus into his second orgasm.

Angelus shouted as he came finally, spilling his seed down Spike's throat. He gasped for breath and held tightly to his childe's shoulders until he regained his composure. Spike sucked on his cock gently until Angelus was spent, then let it slip from his mouth.

Angelus opened his eyes and looked down at his childe. He could see a question in them and knew that Spike had exhibited an unusual amount of self-control in denying his own release for this long. Angelus tucked himself back into his jeans and zipped them up. "Stand up," he ordered.

Spike did as he was told, wincing at the pain as he did. Thanks to Angelus, he wouldn't be able to sit or walk for a while without feeling pain. He reached to pull his jeans up but Angelus stopped him with a look. Spike sighed. What now?

"Don't you want to take care of that?" Angelus asked, indicating Spike's erection still waiting for attention. At Spike's wary look at him, he chuckled. "You heard me, Boy. Yes you have permission to come. Make it fast, though, we need to get out of here soon."

Spike nodded and moved his hand to his cock with a sigh of relief. Having Angelus watch him jerk off was nothing new. It was just another way to make clear who was in control here. He kept his gaze on Angelus' face as he stroked himself firmly. He knew the rules of the games. Hell, I know all the rules of all Angelus' fucking games. It wasn't long before he came with a grunt of satisfaction. Would've been better with Harm's mouth on me he thought. The only thing the idiot's mouth is good for.

Angelus watched as his childe climaxed silently. "Get cleaned up," he said. "We have a long drive ahead of us and I want to get home sooner rather than later."

Spike nodded silently. He took off his black T-shirt, wiping his cum off himself with it. He zipped his jeans back up and then rummaged around for another mildly clean shirt. He found it under the bed. He slipped it on then stood up again. "So can I even ask who managed to free you again?"

"Darla," Angelus replied and chuckled at the shocked look on Spike's face. "Don't look so surprised, Boy. I didn't stay in hell, what makes you think she would? Come on, I'll explain the situation on the way to L.A." Spike just stood there, looking at the door in confusion. "You were expecting someone to be here by now?" Spike nodded and Angelus replied, "You'll find the pile of dust that used to be your whore outside the crypt." He turned and walked out. He turned back to assure himself that Spike was following him.

Spike chuckled and shook his head. One thing to thank the arsehole for, ridding the world of that pathetic moron. He thought with a grin as he followed his sire outside. He smiled wider when he remembered that he was just a couple hours away from seeing his Princess again. He'd tolerate the devil himself just to be near Drusilla. He hadn't realized until then how much he missed her. And maybe with Darla around, Spike would get to spend more time alone with Dru. He remembered how jealous his grandsire was; she'd not let Angelus spend too much time with either of his childer. Yeah, maybe unlife will be more tolerable with the old bitch around Spike thought as he got into the car with Angelus.

Part 29 8 pm

Darla and Lindsey drove to her old hotel room in Lindsey's car with their 'bodyguards' in tow. One of the men drove, the other two crammed into the front seat with him. Leaving Darla and Lindsey in the back seat. Darla attempted to talk to them and soon decided they were all big and stupid. At least the five who'd gone with them. She asked questions, she got one word responses. She soon got aggravated attempting to keep any conversation going. She figured with a shrug that they were all brawn and no brain. So she decided to cut Lindsey some slack. It was either that or go insane while Angelus was gone.

Lindsey had remained quiet while they were on their way to Darla's hotel room. He wasn't sure if she was still angry with him or not. She and Angelus seemed to only be better for his little trick. But Lindsey was aware of the fact he had betrayed Darla's trust. So if she hated him, he only deserved it. She had given him the silent treatment after agreeing to accompany him to the hotel room for her things. So he let her be, assuming she didn't wish to speak to him. He also sensed her sadness, though, and wished she'd let him help her. He knew her mood was a result of being unable not to wonder what Spike's return would really mean for her.

She turned to him finally with a sigh. "I hope they fight better than they think," she said under her breath. She smiled when he chuckled.

"Does that mean you're speaking to me?" Lindsey asked, looking over at her.

She regarded him silently for a moment. "I suppose I am," she shrugged. "I can't fault you for choosing loyalty to your sire over loyalty to me."

"That's not what I did, though," Lindsey protested. "Darla, if I'd thought that letting Angelus hear our talk would hurt you, I never would have done it."

Darla searched his eyes and saw nothing but sincerity in them. She breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, leaning back against the seat. "I'm so glad to hear you say that, Lindsey. There are very few ...well, no people I can trust," she finished with a grin. "But only a few vampires. Two to be precise, Angelus and you. But after Spike gets back..." she trailed off and looked out the window. She smiled when Lindsey took her hand hesitantly. She squeezed it gratefully, she needed the comfort.

They arrived at her hotel room and one of the men opened the car door for her. She got out and looked around warily. She didn't see anyone, but then again Wolfram and Hart wouldn't make their presence known readily. She shivered and wished Angelus hadn't left. She didn't feel safe without him nearby. She relaxed though, when she felt Lindsey's arm around her waist. "You read me too well," she said. She looked up at him but couldn't read his expression.

"I told Angelus I'd protect you," he said and they walked into her hotel room. "He didn't have to ask, though. I would've anyway."

"I know you would," she said with a smile. Then she moved to her closet and began taking her clothes out. They'd brought a suitcase from the hyperion, she packed quickly. The bodyguards wandered around the room, then outside, then back inside again.

"You're not being inconspicuous!" Lindsey finally growled at them. Darla chuckled as she looked up. He'd slipped into his true face. She couldn't help her reaction. It was just such a shock to see her sweet Lindsey, looking so ferocious.

The leader of the team nodded and apologized, "Sorry, Sir. Come on, men. Inside." They walked inside then and shut the door. Two of them kept an eye out the windows for possible trouble.

Lindsey dropped into a chair with a sigh and reverted to his human face. Darla was right, intelligence wasn't something these people had in spades. But they were good fighters; they'd never let Wolfram and Hart down. Until now.

He sneaked a glance at Darla then. He'd heard her laugh when he'd vamped out. He wasn't sure whether to be offended or not. He decided when she looked over at him and smiled then that he wouldn't be. She'd just been surprised, most likely. It was the first time she'd seen his demon's face after all.

"All right," Darla said, after throwing the contents of the bathroom in the suitcase and closing it. "Let's get out of here." One of the men picked up the suitcase and they went back out to the car.

They sat in silence for quite a while. Darla couldn't help wondering if Angelus was all right. She was torn, though. Because trying to believe he was all right only led to thinking how he and Spike would be getting along. Something she didn't want to think about. She sighed and tried to change the direction of her mind's wanderings.

Part 30 10 pm

Darla, Lindsey and the others finally reached the Hyperion again. When they were inside, Darla stopped short with a groan. Not now.

"Grand-Mummy!" Drusilla squealed. She jumped up from the couch where she'd been feasting on a teenage boy and ran over to Darla. She hugged Darla and then promptly ran back to her meal. "Grand-Mummy's home! Now, say hello!" The boy, half-dead, didn't move or reply in any way. "Bad boy!" Dru scolded, then sank her fangs into his neck again.

"I'll take a wild guess," Lindsey said. "Drusilla?" Darla gave him a raised eyebrow and a 'you've got to be kidding me' look. Lindsey laughed. "Okay, okay, dumb question. Let me help you get your things upstairs?" Darla shrugged and he followed her with her suitcase.

"Damn it!" she screamed once she reached Angelus room. She slammed the door and Lindsey jumped in surprise. "One insane childe, one obnoxious childe, one childe who thinks she's going to take Angelus away from me...OH no, I take it back! TWO childer who think they are going to take Angelus away from me!" Darla sat on her bed and sighed in irritation.

Lindsey stared at her a moment, before asking, "Was I any part of that rant?"

Darla looked up at him in surprise. She'd forgotten he was still there. "No," she said. "You're the only one who I thought deserved to be Angelus' childe, Lindsey. Partially because I need you with us," she admitted.

Lindsey sat next to her and put his arm around her waist. "You can always count on me, Darla," he said.

She smiled up at him, "I know I can, Lindsey. And I depend on you." She laid her head on his shoulder for a moment. She really did depend on Lindsey. He'd never treated her like a means to an end, the way the others at Wolfram and Hart had. He'd been a true friend, an ally when she needed one most. That was why she'd convinced Angelus to make him part of their family.

She knew Lindsey adored her; he couldn't hide that fact. She cared for him, too, in her own way. But she knew the day would come when he'd learn to hate her. Lindsey pretended otherwise, but he was very much an innocent. Angelus liked to destroy innocents. Sooner or later, he'd break Lindsey like he'd broken his other childer. And when that happened, Lindsey would despise her for granting his wish for immortality. And Darla would lose one of her few friends.

Lindsey heard her sigh, she sounded sad. "What's wrong now?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, not looking up at him.

"Darla, I know when you're lying so try again," Lindsey replied.

She pulled away slightly and looked at him then. "I was just thinking how much I'd miss not having you in my life," she said.

"You don't have to worry about that," Lindsey said. "I'm your friend, Darla. That won't change." Darla shook her head and he said, "What, don't you believe me?"

"I believe you mean it now," Darla said. "But I know that eventually, you'll change your mind about me, Lindsey." She held up her hand when he began to protest. "Because I didn't explain to you what it means to be Angelus' childe. And when you find out what I didn't tell you; you'll hate me for being so weak as to keep you here with us knowing what it would do to you. You'll regret you ever met me. And it will be my fault."

"Darla, I'll never regret knowing you," Lindsey said. "And whatever happens with Angelus, I won't blame you or hate you. I can't hate you, I care about you and that won't change. I got myself fatally wounded because I care about you. I asked to be with you and Angelus because I care about you.

"I didn't go into this completely ignorant of what Angelus is capable of, though. I've read the Watcher's diaries, I know what he's done. Granted, I don't know exactly what he can and will do to his childer, but I have some idea. And even though, quite honestly, I'm terrified of him, I will stay and I will learn to accept this life."

"Why?" Darla asked. "Lindsey, this is insanity! I don't want to watch him do to you what he's done to his other childer. I'd rather you left and tried to manage on your own."

"I won't leave," Lindsey said. "I care about you and I want to be here for you." He stroked her cheek gently. Their eyes locked and he knew he was playing with fire if he stayed longer. She was feeling vulnerable with Angelus gone to retrieve someone she considered an enemy. Lindsey wasn't going to take advantage of her gratitude toward him for his friendship. He pulled his hand away reluctantly and stood. "I should let you get some sleep," he said.

He turned to go but Darla grabbed his hand. "Stay with me, Lindsey. I don't want to be alone tonight."

"Darla..." Lindsey hesitated and looked back at her a moment. This situation was exactly what he'd been trying to avoid. He wasn't sure what she was asking him. But he knew that whatever it was, it was a very bad idea.

Darla stood and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her body against his. "I want you to stay, Lindsey. I want you, Lindsey." She raised up on her tiptoes and nipped at his neck playfully.

Lindsey groaned and pushed at her shoulders, pushing her away. "Darla, Angelus--"

"--isn't here. He won't be home for at least three more hours," Darla said, looking at him with a smile. "Besides, if he can have his fun, I can have mine." She removed her arms from around his neck and sat back down on the bed. "It's up to you, Lindsey. I won't beg. I told you I want you. I think you want me too. So stay and show me how much you want me, or leave because you're afraid of him. It's your decision."

Part 31 Warning: Lindsey/Darla smut

Lindsey stared at her, trying to think of a logical argument as to why they really shouldn't have sex. But she was right, he did want her. He'd been physically attracted to her from the moment he'd first seen her. And as he had gotten to know her more, the attraction had only grown. He'd managed to ignore the attraction most of the time, though. He knew he didn't have a chance in hell with her. She was head-over-heels in love with Angelus and always would be.

Staring at Darla was getting him nowhere, though. So he closed his eyes and tried to think the situation through more clearly. Angelus! his mind finally supplied, as a reason to walk out of the room immediately. Darla belonged to Angelus. Angelus would kill him if he even knew Lindsey was thinking about this. No, on second thought, Angelus wouldn't kill him. That would be too kind a thing for him to do. Angelus would torture Lindsey until Lindsey begged him to kill him.

But then again Lindsey reasoned, as Darla had said, Angelus wasn't here. Darla was and she was offering him something he never thought he'd ever have a chance at. And wasn't that the point of being a vampire? Want - take - have? Consequences be damned? Besides, would Darla be asking me this if she thought I'd get hurt because of it? Lindsey asked himself. He opened his eyes and looked at her again. He knew the answer: she wouldn't. She didn't love him, but she did care for him. Enough not to be able to watch him die the other night. So it was very likely she knew she could deal with Angelus' anger, if there was anger to deal with, later.

I'm just overthinking this, Lindsey decided. He ignored the voice screaming at him that he was a psychotic, suicidal, soon-to-be dusted vampire. Want - take - have he thought as he stared at the object of most of his dreams for the past year. Then he was hit by the mental image of Darla, nude and writhing in ecstasy underneath him...and all further objections were trampled.

Darla smiled at him when she saw his eyes darken with desire. "So, Lindsey, is the internal debate over?"

Lindsey took a deep, unneeded breath and said, "Not here."

Darla shrugged and stood. "I suppose you're right. It would be pushing the limits of his tolerance if he found us in his bed." Her eyes twinkled with laughter as she addded, "But wouldn't it be worth it, just to see the look on his face?"

"No," Lindsey said quite seriously.

Darla laughed. "All right then. Perhaps another time. Lead the way." She held out her hand and he took it. He pulled her to him and kissed her, hungrily. They both moaned as their tongues fought for control of the kiss. Lindsey's hands tangled in Darla's hair as she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him to her.

Darla relented finally, allowing his tongue entrance into her mouth. She whimpered as his hands traveled down her body and squeezed her ass. Needing breath, she broke the kiss then. They stared into each other's eyes, both panting for breath.

She smirked at him then and jumped up to lock her legs around his waist. Lindsey moaned when she rubbed her pelvis against his. He latched his lips around one of her nipples through the fabric of her dress and bit down hard. "LINDSEY!" Darla yelled and held his head in place.

She ground her hips against his again and he groaned. He had to get her into his room, the sooner the better. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he carried her out of the room and down the hall. They kissed again as he walked, Darla taking the initiative this time. Her tongue swept into his mouth, exploring it thoroughly while they both moaned and whimpered.

Lindsey finally managed to reach the door to his room and fumbled with the doorknob. He cursed as his hands refused to obey orders. Darla chuckled and reached behind her. She opened the door easily and Lindsey grinned at her sheepishly. "I'm just glad someone got the stupid thing open."

Once inside, Darla unlocked her legs from around Lindsey's hips and slid down his body slowly. "Fuck," Lindsey moaned and leaned back against the door.

"Isn't that the plan?" Darla teased. She grinned at him before turning her back to him. "Unzip me."

Lindsey reached for the zipper of her dress with shaky hands. Somehow he managed to pull it down. He moaned again when he saw she was wearing no underwear.

Darla turned and smiled at him. "I'm not a very patient person, Lindsey. I prefer as few barriers as possible between myself and what I want." She ran her hands up his chest slowly. "And right now, what I want... is you." She shrugged out of her dress, letting it fall to the ground.

"Darla, you are so beautiful," Lindsey said. He felt himself grow even harder as he gazed at her pale, perfect body. He grabbed her waist and pulled her close, leaning his head down to suckle her breast. Darla whimpered and moved her hands between them to unbutton his shirt. He continued his ministrations on her breast, biting her nipple lightly. Darla moaned his name in response.

She shoved him away eventually and pushed his shirt off his shoulders. She smiled and ran her hands over his chest. "You're not half-bad yourself," she said. Her fingers pinched and twisted his nipples and Lindsey groaned in pleasure.

He closed his eyes to savor the sensation of her hands on him like that. He shouted in surprise then as he felt her teeth graze his nipple then. "God, Darla," he moaned, running his hands down to squeeze her ass gently. He gasped in surprise when he felt her hands slip inside his waistband to stroke his cock. "Darla, please," he moaned again. He hadn't even been aware she'd unfastened his pants. She pulled away and he growled in disappointment.

Darla smiled when he growled. "Enough foreplay," she said as she backed away to sit on the bed. She scooted back to lie down, her legs spread. "I don't want gentle, Lindsey. I don't want sweet," she said as she moved one hand down to finger herself. He could smell her arousal, the scent was permeating the room. "I want you, inside me, right now," she whimpered as she pushed two fingers inside herself."

Lindsey groaned. "Whatever you say," he said as he pushed his pants and boxers off quickly. He kicked his shoes off then climbed onto the bed. Darla held her arms out to him and he crawled up toward her and knelt between her legs. He leaned down to kiss her and moaned into her mouth when he felt her hand stroke his length again.

Darla moved her lips to his earlobe and nipped at it gently. She put her legs around his hips and guided him into her slick passage. They both moaned as he thrust into her fully. Darla trailed her hands down to squeeze his ass and pull him further inside her. She whimpered when he did. "Lindsey," she moaned.

He pulled out almost all the way and raised his head to look at her. Darla growled and tried to use her legs to pull him back, but he resisted. He smiled at her. "Tell me what you want," he said.

"Fuck me," she whimpered. "Make me scream."

Lindsey moaned as his last bit of self-control broke at hearing those words from her. "Gladly," he said with a smile. He leaned down to kiss her at the same time he thrust into her again. Darla moaned into his mouth as her nails scratched down his back.

Lindsey growled at the scent of blood and vamped out. He fought the urge to bite her though; he knew that would be far beyond the bounds of what his sire would tolerate. He licked at her throat instead as he started thrusting into her quickly. He regained control, slipping into his human face again. He moved to kiss her passionately, his tongue thrusting into her mouth at the same time his cock thrust into her pussy.

Darla moaned into his mouth and moved her hands to twist and pull at his nipples. She smiled against his lips when he groaned. She moaned and whimpered then when his fingers found her clit. He pinched and tugged it gently, and she broke the kiss. "LINDSEY!" She yelled. Soon he had her panting for breath and writhing underneath him. She begged for release but he didn't give her what she needed. "PLEASE!" she yelled. She grabbed his face and looked into his eyes. "I need to come," she whimpered. She was so close she could feel it.

Lindsey shook his head and ignored her request. He kept his touch on her clit light enough to keep her from coming yet. He kissed his way down her throat and moved his hand away from her clit. "Damn you!" She whimpered in frustration. He looked up at her and smiled when he saw her glare at him. He squeezed a breast, then pinched and tugged at the nipple. As he did, he trailed kisses up her throat to bite and suck on her earlobe.

Darla whimpered at his teasing and squeezed his cock with her vaginal muscles. Lindsey groaned and she chuckled. She did it again and Lindsey looked at her with a growl, now in demon face. She grinned back at him. "Don't fucking tease me, Boy," she warned, her eyes dancing with laughter. "I can play that game too." She whimpered when he stopped his thrusts into her body. "Li--"

She gasped in surprise when he flipped them over so she was on top. "Ohhhh," She moaned in pleasure at the change in angle. She braced her hands on his chest and raised her hips up until he was almost out of her body, then slammed herself down on him. They both moaned in unison.

Darla started riding him furiously then. She whimpered and moaned, her head thrown back in ecstasy as his pubic bone hit her clit each time their bodies made contact again. She looked down at him then and saw the gold tinge in his eyes. "Darla," he groaned. "I can't..."

"You don't have to fight it," she whispered. "I want to see the real you, Lindsey." She leaned down to kiss him, her hand stroked his face gently. She swallowed his groan and pulled back to see his face change. She kissed him again; her tongue thrust into his mouth and she purposely cut her tongue on one of his fangs.

She whimpered and he growled as he sucked on her tongue, taking every drop of blood she offered him. She continued to ride him while they kissed. Their pubic bones rubbed together and Darla moaned. She just needed--Lindsey slipped one hand between them and rubbed her clit. That was all Darla needed to send her over the edge. She threw her head back and yelled his name. Her whole body shook with the force of her orgasm and she collapsed on his chest, trembling and whimpering.

Lindsey flipped them over again and pounded into her furiously. "Lindsey," Darla moaned as she felt herself approaching her second orgasm quickly. Lindsey kissed her and she moaned into his mouth. She felt his fingers twisting her clit roughly, and she froze. She then arched against him and tore her mouth away as she screamed and climaxed violently. She scratched her nails down his back and Lindsey thrust twice more into her before also climaxing with a shout.

Lindsey collapsed on top of Darla, panting. He pulled out of her and smiled when she whimpered at the loss. He kissed her gently then rolled onto his back, pulling her with him. Darla rested her head on his chest and ran her right hand over his chest as she fought to catch her breath. "Oh my God," she said finally. "You are far too young to be that talented."

Lindsey laughed and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "I'm glad I could impress you."

"Mmmm, you could say that," she nodded. She yawned then. "I need to sleep now, Lindsey. Do you want me to go?"

"You can stay," Lindsey replied. "If you want."

"I want," she said and curled up against him, her arm around his waist. Soon they were both asleep.

Part 32 12 am

Spike stared at Angelus, speechless. He'd just finished explaining the situation to Spike, everything from the last few days until tonight. Wolfram and Hart, the Orb, Darla, Cordelia, someone else named Lindsey...Spike was left wondering why he'd gotten in the car with his sire in the first place. Why he didn't just jump out and make a run for it now. Because Angelus said he'd help me get the chip out. Spike reminded himself. But still.....Darla's human? Fuckin' stupid idiot humans! Now Angelus is the head of the clan, not Darla. Nobody to hold him back anymore. If I thought he was bad three years ago...Fuck. That was nothing compared to what he can do now. Well I'm not bloody sticking around to find out just how much fun the new and improved Angelus can be.

Spike reached for the door handle, then stopped himself. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck! I can't leave Dru. he realized with a sigh of resignation. There's nothing holding him back now, he'll.... I won't let him hurt her anymore than he already has. I'll stick around long enough so he can get rid of the chip, then Dru and I will get the hell out of there.

Angelus grinned over at Spike, he could practically hear the wheels turning. He knew Spike was probably planning his escape. He wasn't worried, though. He had Drusilla, she would never leave her sire. So Spike wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

"Something wrong?" Angelus asked and barely kept himself from laughing when he saw Spike's guilty look.

"Nothing!" Spike replied quickly. "So.... you gonna turn the blonde bim-" He was cut off by Angelus hand squeezing his throat painfully. He tried to pull the hand away, unsuccessfully.

Angelus laughed. Spike never had learned to control his instinct to breathe. Which made it all the more fun for Angelus. "She may not be my sire anymore, but you will treat her with the same respect... no, make that MORE respect than you did in the past. Is that CLEAR, Boy?" Angelus said. Spike nodded and Angelus released his throat.

Spike gasped for breath, and tried to resist the urge to tell his sire off. Just remember you're doing this for Dru. "Sorry" he muttered eventually.

"I'll let it go this time," Angelus said. "And to answer your question, yes, I will turn Darla. But she'll not just be my childe, she'll be my mate. Which is why you will not treat her with disrespect."

"You can't--" Spike raised his hands in an apologetic gesture when Angelus growled and glanced over at him warningly. "Got it. You're the head of the clan, now. You can do whatever you damn well, please. No Master to tell you ya can't mate with Darla, so go right ahead. Not like I care..." He sighed with relief when Angelus nodded and turned back to the road.

Bastard he finished silently.

Angelus sighed and turned back to the road. Spike is wearing on my nerves already. All I want to do is get back to the Hyperion. I don't care that Dru will be there, I'll torment Spike with her later. Tomorrow. Right now all I want to do is get upstairs and slip into bed with Darla. Damn, I miss her already, after just a few hours. That's a bad sign.

"Sire?"

"WHAT!" Angelus yelled. He saw the hurt look on Spike's face but refused to feel bad.

"I was just gonna ask how much further it was," Spike grumbled.

Angelus rolled his eyes. Spike was the eternal childe, that much was certain. "A few more blocks," he replied. He was grateful when Spike let the rest of the way go by in silence.

Finally, they reached the Hyperion. Angelus looked at his watch, it was just past one am. Earlier than he'd thought. "NOW we're here," Angelus said with a grin. He chuckled when Spike jumped out of the car and ran into the Hyperion.

"DRUSILLA! OW! FUCK YOU, ARSEHOLE!" --that was the first thing Angelus heard when he got out of the car.

"SPIKE!" --that was Drusilla's voice.

Angelus ran into the Hyperion and knocked the man beating up on Spike across the room with a roar. Drusilla was screaming and crying, sitting on the floor nearby. Spike was sitting on the floor not too far away from her, cursing, bleeding from his nose and mouth. Angelus looked around, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. He realized after a few moments that the man attacking Spike had been one of their bodyguards, attempting to do his job.

Angelus saw Cordelia then. She was sitting on the couch, wrapped in the arms of another one of his men. Angelus growled and the man made himself scarce faster than Angelus had ever seen a human move. "WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL THEM WHO HE WAS?!" Angelus yelled as he approached Cordelia with a furious look on his face.

Cordelia jumped off the couch with a squeak and ran behind the counter. "I'm sure you heard what happened yourself, Angelus!" She yelled back. "Blondie came barreling in here, Rick was just protecting us!"

"CORDELIA..." Angelus was pissed. So far, the remainder of his night was not turning out to be the relaxing one he'd wanted. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Never...mind." He opened his eyes again. "Where's - DRUSILLA SHUT THE HELL UP!" He turned on the crazy vampiress, who was still screaming and babbling.

"Dru," Spike hurried over to her and pulled her into his arms. "Hush up, Luv. I'm okay. Everything's okay now. Calm down, please, Pet." Drusilla whimpered and held onto him tightly. "Shhh," Spike soothed her patiently, stroking her hair gently.

"That's more like it," Angelus said. He turned back to Cordelia. "Now, as I was saying, where's Darla."

"Hmmm," Cordelia cocked her head, pretending to think about it. "Oh, she's around here somewhere, if the cries of 'Oh yes, Lindsey!... Oh God, Lindsey!' were any indication." She grinned at him then ran upstairs when he growled again.

Spike stifled the urge to burst out laughing when he heard Cordelia's rather accurate imitation of Darla in the heat of passion. Sounds like Darla's up to her old tricks again he thought with a smile. "Show me where our room is, Pet."

"My room," Drusilla said and pouted at him.

"Oh, come on, Princess," Spike said. He brushed his lips against hers softly. "I was bad, Luv, I know I was. Gimme another chance, please? I missed you so much." He sighed when Drusilla pulled away from him and walked over to Angelus hesitantly instead. Some things fucking never change. Spike thought angrily.

"My Angel? Are you really back with us?" she asked.

Angelus smirked over at Spike then pulled Dru against him. "Yeah, Baby," he said before kissing her thoroughly. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, catching the coppery taste of her last feed. He smiled against her mouth as she moaned and threw her arms around his neck. He knew Spike was seething, he could practically smell the rage. Tormenting Spike was too much fun to resist, even if he did really just want to go upstairs to Darla.

Darla.

He pulled away and smiled at Dru's dazed expression. "Go to bed, Drusilla," Angelus said then. "Spike can stay with you if you like. I promise we'll spend some time together tomorrow."

She appeared quite content with that promise and turned back to Spike. "You were bad."

Spike rolled his eyes. "So then punish me," he said with a grin.

Dru appeared to contemplate that. "The mad hatter says there's no room at the party for you."

"He's lying," Spike said matter-of-factly. He ran over to her and picked her up then, continuing upstairs with her as she squealed and giggled.

Angelus chuckled. Those two would never change. If Cordelia was right, though, he now had another two to deal with. Lindsey and Darla.

Part 33 Warning: Spike/Drusilla smut

"Okay, where the hell are we going?" Spike said as he stopped suddenly. The hotel only had four floors.

Drusilla laughed. "Upstairs. Third floor, room 321....blast off! Like a rocket!"

"Yeah, okay," Spike chuckled. That's what he got for introducing Drusilla to the world of television. She thought it was bloody magic and watched it more than he did. And that was quite a lot.

He made his way up one more flight of stairs and found her room eventually. He walked in and knew without a doubt it was Drusilla's room. All her dolls were on the shelves, along with some herbs from magic spells she sometimes attempted. He set her down gently then kissed her before she could move away. She tasted like cinnamon... he didn't know why, she just always did. He caught the faint taste of blood too and realized he hadn't fed in hours.

Then he caught the taste of their sire on her tongue and he moaned as he felt himself growing hard. It wasn't bloody fair the hold Angelus had over him and Dru. He hated the bastard, he sure as hell didn't want to want him. But he didn't get a say in the matter, it was like a law of nature with vampires. The stupid fucking sire/childe bond. It doesn't matter how your sire treats you, you are doomed to adore him or her until they finally get tired of you and dust you.

Drusilla ground her hips against his and he moaned. He slipped his hands to the zipper of her dress and pulled it down. She slid her hands up under his T-shirt and scratched down his chest, drawing blood. "FUCK!" Spike yelled as he broke the kiss.

"Bad Spike," Drusilla said with a frown. "You don't deserve to play."

Spike growled. "Dru, please. I want you. I need you. Don't you remember how good we are together? I can make you feel so good, Pet." He leaned in to lick along the ridge of her ear. He grinned when she whimpered in response. "Come on, Baby, let me make you scream, just like old times."

She seemed to think about it a moment; and while she did Spike nibbled on her earlobe. "Yes," she finally whispered.

Spike grinned and stepped back. He pulled off his T-shirt, then pushed his jeans down quickly. He winced as his body reminded him of the recent abuse by Angelus. He caught Drusilla's concerned look and smiled at her. "It's nothing," he assured her. She smiled and turned her back to him. He walked over and slipped her dress off her shoulders slowly. He leaned in to nip at her neck as he slid it down her body.

Drusilla moaned, "Spike. My Spike."

"That's right, Luv," Spike whispered. "Yours. Always."

"You left me," she whimpered.

Spike slipped his hands around her stomach, and pulled her back against his chest, "I'll never do that again, Dru. I need you too much." He moaned when she rubbed her ass against his already erect cock. He continued kissing her neck as his hands moved up to cup her breasts. He squeezed them, gently. When she moaned his name, he then pinched and twisted her nipples roughly. "SPIKE!" she moaned, "I need..."

"Ah, Fuck," he groaned as she continued to rub herself against his cock, faster now. She raised her arms and reached behind them to squeeze his ass. He moved one hand down to her cunt, cupping her gently. He moaned when he felt how wet she was already. He wondered briefly if it was all because of him. NO! Don't think about that He told himself. It doesn't matter. All that matters is she's here with me now. He tightened his other arm around her waist to still her movements then. When she whimpered and pulled at his arm uneffectively, he chuckled. "Ya gotta stop, Dru. Otherwise this is going to be over way too quickly." He moved his arm on top of hers then and interlocked his fingers with hers. "And I don't want this to be over until I hear you scream my name," he growled. She turned her head and he looked into her eyes before kissing her passionately. She moved her other hand to the base of his skull as their tongues dueled.

He slipped two fingers of his other hand inside her cunt then and began thrusting them inside her repeatedly. He kissed along her jaw then bit her earlobe. He loved the sounds she made during sex, all her whimpers and moans. She was always so vocal; she let him know without a doubt when he did something to her that she liked. It was half the reason she was able to make him so crazy.

He added two more fingers to her passage and she cried out in surprise. Before long she was rocking against his hand as best she could, whimpering and moaning his name loudly. "Spike, please, I'm burning," she whimpered.

"I know, Pet," he whispered in her ear. He moved his thumb to her clit and rubbed it gently. She arched against his hand and stifled a sob. "It's okay, Dru. Just let go. Come for me, Baby," he urged her as he increased pressure on her clit. He vamped out and bit down on her earlobe just enough to draw blood. She screamed his name as she climaxed.

Spike held her against him as her knees gave out. He continued thrusting his fingers into her gently until she quieted. Then he pulled them out of her and brought them to his mouth. He groaned as he tasted her cum on his fingers. "You taste so good, Luv."

Drusilla broke from his grasp suddenly. Before he could grab her again she jumped into bed. She rolled onto her back and spread her legs. "Your turn," she said with a giggle, holding her hands out to him.

"Oh gods, Dru, it's been too long," Spike said as he looked at her then. This beautiful woman in front of him was his princess, his reason for being. He climbed onto the bed and aligned his cock with her opening. He thrust into her fully and she whimpered with pleasure. He groaned at the feeling of being inside her finally. Her body was made for him to worship, they were perfect together. After too many months away from her, he'd almost forgotten that. He'd almost forgotten what he'd given up. He'd never let that happen again.

He began driving into her furiously and Drusilla moaned and locked her legs around his hips to push him further inside. "Fuck, Dru. I love you, Baby," he whispered in her ear.

She whimpered. "Spike, I love you."

Spike groaned and sped up the pace of his thrusts into her. He didn't think he could remember the last time she'd said that to him. Or even if she ever had said it before. He raised his head to look into her eyes and smiled at her. She smiled back and he felt like his entire world fell into place at that moment. He kissed her passionately as he felt his orgasm approaching. He pulled back and she tilted her head away from him. "Drink," she whispered.

He vamped out and sunk his fangs into her throat. She climaxed with a yell, her muscles contracting around his cock. Spike groaned when he felt her fangs in his own throat. He followed her quickly into his own orgasm, as they drank each other's blood. He withdrew his fangs eventually, as did she. He kissed her again gently before rolling onto his back.

Drusilla cuddled up against his side and he wrapped his arms around her waist. His last thoughts as he drifted off to sleep were, I'm home. I don't give a damn what happens with Angelus, I'm with my Drusilla. That's all that matters.

Part 34 1:30 am

Angelus made his way upstairs to his room. He opened the door but wasn't really surprised not to find Darla there.

"Told ya."

Angelus growled and turned to face his childe. "'Delia, go away."

"What, I'm just trying to help," Cordelia grumbled.

"Like hell you are, Girl," Angelus said. "You think I don't see right through you? Don't try to con someone who mastered the art two hundred years before your ancestors figured out that was how to make their first million."

"Fuck you," Cordelia said. She turned to go but Angelus grabbed her by the hair.

He pulled her back against him and growled in her ear, "Been there, done that. Now make yourself scarce." He threw her out of the room and waited until he heard her door slam. Then he went down the hall to Lindsey's room.

Darla had been waiting for Angelus to return. Lindsey was sound asleep and she hoped he'd be able to stay that way. She was amazed he wasn't too nervous to sleep. I suppose that just means he trusts me. He believes that I wouldn't have put him into any serious danger of physical harm from Angelus. I really hope I am worthy of that trust. But Angelus has never been predictable.

She heard the door open and shut again. She knew it was Angelus. She decided to wait for him to make his presence known. The silence was unnerving, to say the least. And it wasn't fair; she knew he could see everything in the dark room perfectly but she couldn't even tell where he was. She was glad that Lindsey had pulled the sheet up over them. Something told her Angelus wouldn't need to actually see their nude bodies, it would just make him more irate than he was at the moment.

And she had no doubt that was what he was, because he hadn't said a word in the past five minutes. Seething in silence, he was a master at that.

She felt Lindsey tense up under her; he was awake obviously and sensed another presence in the room. She sighed and sat up, not bothering to cover her breasts with the sheet. "Darling?" she said and mentally cursed her trembling voice. "Angelus? Is that you?"

"Yes." She tracked his voice; he was to her right. Most likely sitting in the chair.

Well...glad he's gotten comfortable Darla thought. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He'd see that. "I missed you," she said.

"Did you?" he asked. "It seems you managed quite well without me."

"I hate sleeping alone, Angelus," Darla replied.

"I remember," Angelus said. The small talk was annoying but he had needed a moment to regain control of his emotions. At first he'd been contemplating snapping Lindsey's neck, but then decided that would be too hasty a move. Especially since he felt that Lindsey was valuable to him, because of his knowledge of Wolfram and Hart.

"Well, I'd like to say this was a surprise, but I saw it coming," he said smoothly. He looked over at his childe, who was still faking sleep. "I know you're awake, Boy, don't insult me by pretending otherwise," he growled. Lindsey looked over at him hesitantly and Angelus smiled. "That's better. At least have the courtesy to look me in the eye after you fuck what belongs to me."

Lindsey started to speak, "Angelus--"

"Silence." Angelus cut him off. "I don't want to hear your excuses, Lindsey. I would have thought you would be smarter...at least that you'd have a better sense of self-preservation. I just got back from fucking one childe into submission; I wasn't thinking I'd have to do the same to another childe when I got home." He smirked when Lindsey looked away as he caught the scent of fear in the air.

"So, a burning question is: who seduced who?" Angelus asked. "Just out of curiosity."

Darla hadn't found it easy to remain silent after Angelus' 'fuck what belongs to me' comment. She'd forgotten just how cruel he could be when he wanted to be. It was the first time that she felt like his whore. More than that, it was the first time she felt that was how he thought of her.

But when he asked who had done the seducing, she answered him. "I did, Angelus."

"I see," Angelus replied. "Darla, go to my room and wait for me," he added, sparing her only a glance.

Darla took a deep breath before she answered. "No." She gasped when she was yanked out of the bed by the arm and to her feet.

"Darla, I'm warning you; don't test me right now. Go to my ROOM!" Angelus yelled.

"No, Angelus. I won't let you do this--Hey!" she yelled when she was hauled over Angelus shoulder and carried swiftly out of the room. "Put me down!" she demanded as she pounded on his back. As she requested, he put her back on her feet once they were inside his room. But he walked out and shut the door, then locked her inside.

"Damn it, Angelus! Don't do this! Let me out of here!" She screamed, pounding on the door. She couldn't believe this was happening. She had thought she would be able to handle the situation better. She knew now she had been mistaken, though. He was going to punish Lindsey and she couldn't stop him. "This is my fault!" She screamed. "You want to punish someone? Punish me!"

She fell quiet for a moment and listened. She didn't hear anything for what felt like hours. Then she heard footsteps upstairs. "LINDSEY!" She yelled. "GET OUT! NOW!" She waited, hoping he would listen to her. Maybe he would be able to get away. "I should've made you leave earlier tonight," She said as she sat down, her back against the door. "I'm so sorry, Lindsey," she whispered tearfully.

Part 35 Warnings: Slashy undertones and torture, through part 38

Angelus returned to the door of Lindsey's room, after ensuring that Darla would not be interrupting them. He ignored her screams and curses. This wasn't something he could let slide. Lindsey was his childe and had no right touching Darla without permission from his sire. Lindsey had done this anyway, so he had to be taught a lesson.

Angelus stopped at the door as he thought of a way to make the next few hours even more enjoyable. He turned and walked down the hallway again with a cruel smile on his face.

"Spike."

Spike shot up in bed, his heart racing. "Fucking-son-of-a-bitch, WHAT!" Spike yelled before he could stop himself. Oh... Shit. He thought as he finally saw Angelus. He was standing in the doorway looking angrier than Spike had seen him in a long time.

"I didn't mean it," Spike said quickly. "I was half-asleep." He gritted his teeth and added, "Please forgive me?" Angelus just stared at Spike for a few long minutes.

"Lucky for you I've got a more pressing discipline problem to take care of. Want to earn a few brownie points and help me?" Angelus asked.

Spike sighed with relief. Someone had pissed off Angelus more than he just had? He was grateful to whoever it was for that. He looked down at Drusilla; she was still sound asleep. She wouldn't be up anytime soon. And Angelus was now offering him the opportunity to play 'eldest childe' and help him torture someone...hmm... "Sure. Why the hell not," Spike shrugged. He jumped out of bed and pulled on his jeans. Angelus had already started back down the hallway and Spike ran after him.

"So who's gonna be screaming tonight?" Spike asked once he'd caught up.

"Lindsey," Angelus replied shortly.

Spike nodded. So Cordelia was right about Darla's little extra-curricular activities. Oops for her. And her poor boy-toy, Spike grinned as he thought of the fun that lay ahead. He didn't really know anything about Lindsey, but it didn't matter to him. He hadn't tortured anyone for so long, he'd not realized how much he'd missed it until now. Well, he had tortured Angelus, but he preferred not to think about that. He hoped that Angelus had forgotten about it...but doubted he had. Knowing my sire, he's just getting me to the point where I feel safe again, and then he'll pounce.

"I'm going down to the basement," Angelus said when they reached the second floor. "Go get Lindsey. Room 217. And be careful; he's stronger than he looks. He probably knows he's in trouble, so he'll fight back."

"I think I can handle 'im," Spike shrugged. "Mind if I hurt him a little if he's too much to deal with though?"

"I really don't care, as long as there are no broken bones. And as long as I can revive him when you've brought him down to the basement," Angelus said. Then he turned and went down the stairs.

Spike paused for a moment, when he heard Darla screaming bloody murder. Most likely she'd heard their voices and that had made her start up again. Stupid bint should shut up and be grateful she's not on the torture list herself.

Spike reached the door to Lindsey's room and listened for a moment. He didn't hear anything, other than Darla cursing from her room. "Damn, Woman," Spike chuckled as he heard a few words come from her mouth he didn't think she even knew. "She may not be the sire anymore; but I still pity Angelus when he finishes with Lindsey and has to deal with her."

As Spike reached for the doorknob, the door opened and Spike got knocked to his ass as someone went flying down the hall. "Oh bloody fuckin' hell," Spike growled. "Stupid childe! You're only making it worse on yerself!" He yelled and then ran down the stairs after Lindsey.

Lindsey had pulled on a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt when Angelus had grabbed Darla and carried her back to his room. He'd been relieved when he'd heard Angelus moving upstairs, thinking he might be able to figure some way out of the situation. When he'd heard Darla's screams urging him to leave, he hadn't thought twice about it. Obviously she wouldn't be able to deal with Angelus' jealousy, and Lindsey didn't much want to do so himself. He'd run out of the room, knocking someone over on his way. He hadn't thought twice, but kept running. Lindsey had been almost to the front door when he was tackled. "GET OFF ME!" Lindsey yelled as he struggled to get free.

Spike felt a moment of deja vu at the words, but kept control of the situation. He grabbed the younger vampire's wrists and kept him pinned to the floor with his body weight. "Ya know, you're being a fuckin' idiot," he said calmly. "First, for daring to fuck Darla, the only creature Angelus has ever come close to loving in almost two centuries. Secondly, for trying to get away after pissing him off like that. He won't let you leave, he'll hunt you down if it takes him years, Lindsey. That's how damn one-track-minded our sire can be. My advice to you is just take your punishment like an obedient little childe. He will punish you, there's no getting out of it. But if you fight him it just makes it worse. Take my word for it, I know this from experience."

"FUCK YOU!" Lindsey yelled. He slipped into gameface and turned his head. He quickly sunk his fangs into Spike's arm, down to the bone. Spike howled in pain and surprise. He grabbed Lindsey by the head with his free hand quickly yanked his head away from his arm. He then slammed Lindsey's forehead against the floor and knocked Lindsey out. Spike sighed in relief and got to his feet.

"Fuckin' son of A BITCH!" Spike growled. He kicked the younger vampire in the ribs. "I'll teach ya to bite me." He then bent and grabbed Lindsey by one wrist and dragged him to the basement stairs.

Part 36 2 am

When they reached the stairway down into the basement, Spike thought for about half a second before he shoved Lindsey down the stairs. He chuckled, feeling better at the sight of the unconscious vampire tumbling down the stairs. "Shit, that's gonna hurt later," Spike said with a grin.

"SPIKE!" Angelus growled when he turned and saw his youngest childe falling down the stairs. "I said you could hurt him, not BREAK BONES!"

"He fuckin' bit me, Angelus," Spike retorted. "He deserved a good bone-breaking." Spike walked down the stairs then and saw his sire had been busy. There were two chains hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room. There was a table nearby with knives, whips, crosses and several bottles which Spike knew from experience held holy water. Yeah, he's pissed all right. Spike decided.

Angelus sighed when he saw Spike's right arm. Lindsey had taken quite a chunk of skin out of it. Angelus walked over and grabbed his wrist to examine the wound in his arm. He growled warningly at Spike when his childe tried to pull away. Spike sighed in irritation, but stood still. Angelus ran his finger over the gash lightly and Spike hissed in pain.

"Don't be a baby. It'll heal," Angelus said with a smile as he dropped Spike's arm. "Besides, I told you he'd fight back."

Spike bit back the smart-ass reply that was begging to be let out. "Yeah. Sorry I lost my temper and tossed him down the stairs."

Angelus shrugged. "I suppose you were provoked, so I'll let it go this time. Just don't do anything more without my say so, all right?"

"Whatever you say, Sire," Spike agreed.

"Good," Angelus nodded. "Now get him in the chains before he comes to. And get those clothes off him." As Spike did as told, Angelus unbuttoned his shirt and took it off. He planned to be dealing in quite a bit of blood and didn't much want to wash blood-stains out of one of his favorite shirts later.

Spike dragged Lindsey over to the chains, then managed to get his wrists into the shackles. Lindsey makes quite a pretty picture, hanging there. Looks all innocent and breakable. Angelus always did choose his childer carefully, only the handsome men or the beautiful women for him. S'pose that's 'cause he's not too hard on the eyes himself.

Spike then turned to find out from Angelus what he wanted him to do to Lindsey next. OH bloody hell, he bit back a groan when he saw him. His sire had taken off his shirt and was all perfectly sculpted abs and washboard stomach. Spike tried unsuccessfully to tear his eyes away from Angelus chest. It was a difficult struggle, as he was hit by the overwhelming urge to go reacquaint himself with the taste of his sire's skin. NO you don't! Spike finally turned back to Lindsey so Angelus wouldn't be able to see the lust in his eyes.

Angelus smiled when he saw Spike sneak a glance ... a long glance... at his bare chest before looking away again. But he reminded himself he had Lindsey to deal with first. "I don't think Lindsey's paying attention yet," Angelus said.

"How rude," Spike said with a quick grin over at his sire. He turned back to Lindsey and backhanded him across the face.

Lindsey yelled and his eyes opened. Spike was the first thing he saw. "You again," Lindsey sighed. "Didn't I make it clear when I bit you--" He realized then that he was completely nude. He tried to move his arms but his next realization was that he was chained to the ceiling. He looked up and tugged on the chains, but soon gave that up as a possible way out. He looked around the room and his eyes finally settled on Angelus.

Angelus smiled when Lindsey finally saw him. He could smell the intense fear then and it made him instantly hard. He chuckled when he saw Lindsey notice that and look away quickly. "I think he's starting to put two and two together, Spike."

"He's a little dense, ain't he?" Spike asked with a grin.

"I didn't think he was, but apparently I was mistaken," Angelus replied with a shrug. "Why don't you enlighten us as to your mindset Lindsey?" he asked calmly. "What on earth possessed you tonight? What were you thinking?"

"I..." Lindsey shrugged. "I wasn't." He caught sight of the knives, whips and other items on the table, and felt a moment of panic. He forced it away quickly, though. It wouldn't help matters, it would just let Angelus keep the upper hand. If he could keep Angelus talking, though, maybe he could get Angelus to see he hadn't meant to upset him.

"Well, at least you're being honest," Angelus said. "But that's not enough to get you out of this, Childe. Let me clear something up for you. I don't mind if my childer fuck each other, as long as they ask my permission first. Just ask Spike, here. He was smart enough to ask me for permission to be with Drusilla, and I granted it. If you'd been with Dru or Cordelia and not asked my permission first, I would have still punished you for that. But if it had been Dru or Cordelia you'd chosen instead of Darla, you wouldn't be looking forward to the kind of pain you are now."

"Because this is Darla, Lindsey, this is a much worse situation than just getting off without permission. This is getting off and using Darla to do so. And that's the worst kind of disrespect you could ever have paid me, Boy. Darla is MINE. She is off-limits, now and for eternity. You have no right to fuck anyone without my agreement, much less DARLA!"

Lindsey flinched and looked away from the rage in Angelus' eyes. "I--"

"SHUT UP!" Angelus roared. He turned to the table and decided it was time to have some fun.

Part 37

"Just shut up," Angelus repeated as he looked over his instruments of torture sitting on the table. "Contrary to your opinion of me, I'm not stupid. I wasn't oblivious to the attraction between the two of you. But I was assuming you would be smart enough to withstand the urge. I thought you wouldn't test me like this. At the very least, I thought it would be a while before I had to discipline you."

He grabbed a black leather whip and threw it to Spike. "But I guess I was wrong. So one last question, Lindsey. Are you brain-damaged, or were you aware that you were tempting my anger by being with Darla?"

Lindsey looked at him evenly. "I did think you might be jealous."

Angelus stared at him a moment in shock. "JEALOUS?!" He yelled. He walked over to Lindsey and Spike stepped out of his way as he drew near. "Jealous of you?" he asked calmly. He smiled, "You've got quite an ego on you, Boy, if you think you're any competition for Darla's affections. Darla made a choice two centuries ago when she turned me and she's never changed her mind about that choice. I'm what she wants, what she needs."

"Obviously you're not, if she turned to me tonight," Lindsey replied. He ignored the flash of gold in Angelus eyes and continued. It appeared he was going to be tortured anyway, so he might as well try to get Angelus to see the reality of the situation. "There must have been something missing, Angelus. Something she needed that I could give her and you couldn't ... or just wouldn't. And I know what it is. I care about her, and I don't try to hide that fact. I'm not afraid to tell her. Unlike you; you treat her like your property--"

Angelus punched Lindsey in the nose and smiled when he heard the bones break. He was relieved it had served to shut him up. "You don't know the first thing about having a mate. It's not simpering professions of love, Lindsey. It's about belonging to each other; and knowing that no matter who else you fuck, you are still bound to only one for all eternity. You claim there must be something missing in my relationship with Darla? Well, you're right. What's missing is the Angelus who used to concede to her demands. But she'll get over it. As for how I treat her, you don't know me. You don't know how I show my affections. Darla knows, though, and that's all that matters."

"If she knew, she wouldn't be terrified she was going to lose you!" Lindsey interrupted him. "Tonight with me was about that. She needed to feel like she was the only one that mattered, and I gave that to her tonight. She needed someone to make her feel like she was the only one he wanted. You don't do that; you fuck everything that moves. So she looked for a little stability with me... and I think she found it."

Angelus clamped his hand around Lindsey's throat and squeezed. He held back just enough to keep from breaking the boy's neck. He was amazed when Lindsey didn't start fighting for breath; that had always been Spike's reaction. Oh well, it still hurts; even if he's managed to overcome his breathing instinct so soon.

"You think, just because you fucked her, that you know her? You know what she felt tonight? You don't." Angelus released Lindsey's throat and circled around to stand behind him. Just inches away, not even touching him though. He knew it was driving Lindsey crazy, not being able to see him and wondering what he'd do next.

"You say she cares about you?" Angelus asked, his lips grazing Lindsey's ear. He smirked over at Spike when Lindsey shuddered. Spike grinned back, knowing well the mindgame Angelus was playing. "You couldn't be farther from the truth, Childe," Angelus continued. "Darla's motives in being with you weren't pure. It's all about this game that Darla and I play." He ran his hand lightly down Lindsey's spine then and chuckled when Lindsey tried to jerk away. "We've been playing the same game for years. She gets mad when I don't do exactly what she wants, so she takes a lover. There wasn't any deep, profound reason that she chose you as that lover, either," he added as he moved to stand in front of Lindsey again. "She's very fickle when it comes to who he ... or she... is. She probably would've had Dru, or one of the bodyguards, if the thought had occurred to her instead. They don't matter, what matters is the attempt to make me jealous. But the attempt always fails, because she still comes back to me at the end of the day.

"So you think you're something special?" Angelus asked, his arms crossed in front of him now. "You aren't, Boy. You are nothing. If I were to dust you, she'd get over it in no time at all. You were just a distraction, one that I've put a stop to. She'll abide by my wishes, too, she'll never go near you again. Because she really only wants me. I am the only thing Darla cares about. She's mine and always has been. And nobody, especially not you, will ever change that."

Lindsey just shrugged his shoulders. Something that wasn't easy in the chains. "If you believe that, why am I here?"

Angelus smiled. "Because here beginneth the lesson," Angelus said. "Don't touch what's mine." He hopped up to sit on the table and nodded at Spike. "All right, Spike."

Spike grinned and cracked the whip in the air a few times to get the feel of it. He chuckled when Lindsey flinched each time. He looked back over at Angelus. "I'm almost afraid this is gonna be too easy."

Angelus smiled. "Just make him scream, Spike."

Spike nodded and turned back to Lindsey, "You heard our sire," he said with a leer. "Scream loud, Lindsey Boy. I, for one, love to hear the screams when I'm torturing someone. And another incentive for you: it'll make Angelus happy. The happier he is, the sooner he'll let you go. Oh, and one more thing," he added as he circled Lindsey slowly. "Angelus has this thing, he likes it when you count the lashes. Proves you're paying attention and all."

Lindsey gritted his teeth, waiting for the first blow. He watched Spike circle him like a vulture. Round and round he goes, where he stops, nobody knows Lindsey chuckled when the old rhyme popped into his head suddenly.

He gasped when he felt the sting of the whip across his lower back. He fought back the tears, knowing the night had only just begun.

"Count," he heard Spike growl.

Lindsey kept silent. He'd been part of Wolfram and Hart for years; if Spike thought he was evil, he'd be surprised at how well Lindsey could stand that evil directed at him. He wasn't that easily broken. He refused to look at Angelus, he wouldn't give the older vampire the satisfaction. He set his gaze on the wall directly across from him. He tried to brace himself for the next blow. Spike came into his line of vision and then Lindsey saw him strike with the whip. Lindsey threw himself backward just enough to dodge the whip. He burst out laughing at Spike's shocked expression.

Spike's eyes narrowed. "Cheeky bastard," he growled. Then he struck again, catching Lindsey across the stomach. Lindsey yelled at that, as Spike had put his entire strength into the blow. Spike smiled as he saw the nice cut in the boy's skin, just starting to bleed.

"Count," Spike ordered.

Lindsey raised his eyes to meet Spike's but still didn't say a word.

"Son of a bitch," Spike sighed. Then he struck five consecutive times, leaving bloody trails across Lindsey's chest. "FUCKING COUNT, ASSHOLE!" Spike yelled. "ONE!" He added.

He circled around and caught Lindsey across the back of the legs. "ONE!" He yelled. He whipped him three more times across his back. "ONE! ONE! ONE!" He yelled. He circled around to within inches of Lindsey's face. "You sensing a pattern here, yet?" He asked calmly. "The count doesn't go on, until you start obeying. I can go on for hours, I've been trained by the master over there. I doubt you can, but you're welcome to try."

He then moved slowly around Lindsey, reigning blows down on every piece of unmarked skin he could find.

Part 38 3 am

Spike had been busy whipping Lindsey, every inch of flesh was now covered by lash marks. Spike had concentrated the blows for the last ten minutes on the boy's genitals. Lindsey would scream when the pain got to be too much to hold in. Spike loved hearing it, it was music to his ears. Not to mention that the sight of the broken body in front of him made his cock so hard his jeans were uncomfortable.

Lindsey had started counting finally, about five minutes ago. In that short space of time, Lindsey had counted over seventy blows. Spike knew he was being brutal, but Angelus hadn't bothered to stop him yet. So Spike kept going.

Angelus watched appreciatively as Spike whipped Lindsey mercilessly. For forty-five minutes it went on. He could smell Spike's arousal and he was hard himself. Spike had taken off his T-shirt not too long after starting and Angelus was enjoying that view almost as much as the view of Lindsey, bleeding and screaming. He was screaming almost continually now, his voice was hoarse. Spike only paused a fraction of a second between blows so Lindsey couldn't recover between lashes.

Angelus was surprised that Lindsey wasn't begging for mercy yet. He wasn't worried, though, he'd have this childe doing that soon. Soon being a relative term, as Angelus had nowhere to be in the near future. He'd left orders with his men to feed Darla but not let her out of his room. He'd also made sure that Cordelia knew to stay away from both Darla and the basement.

So they had all the time in the world to teach Lindsey his lesson. But apparently the whipping had done all it was going to do. Angelus hopped off the table and turned to contemplate the next move. He grinned as he saw the small metal cross. He picked up a thick leather glove and put it on. This would hurt Lindsey more than him.

"Spike."

Spike turned to look over at his sire. He was standing by the table with an evil grin on his face. "Yeah?" Spike asked.

"That's enough of that, it's my turn to play," Angelus said. He picked up the cross and walked over to Lindsey slowly. When he reached Spike, Spike made a move to leave but Angelus said, "Don't go yet. I still need your help."

Spike nodded. "Sure, whatever you want."

Angelus walked over to Lindsey and stopped in front of him. His boy was eyeing him warily. His body was bruised and bleeding from the whipping. Angelus caught the scent of fear on him, too. He'd noticed the cross in Angelus' gloved hand.

Angelus smirked. "So, Lindsey, let's see if you've learned anything." Angelus said. "Why are you being punished?"

"Because you're a jealous bastard," Lindsey spat out, looking at him defiantly.

Angelus showed no reaction in his face. "Wrong answer," he said softly, before he pressed the cross to Lindsey's stomach. Lindsey screamed in agony, but Angelus held the cross against his skin relentlessly. He smiled cruelly as Lindsey's flesh smoked. He finally relented and pulled the cross away and Lindsey sobbed with relief.

"You want to try again?" Angelus asked calmly. "Why are you being punished?"

Lindsey fought back the tears at the pain caused by the pain. "Because...Darla...belongs...to you," he croaked.

"Better," Angelus nodded. "I'm still not convinced that you really believe that, but we'll leave it for the moment. Next question. Who am I?" Lindsey just gave him a bewildered look. "Just think about it, I'm sure the answer will come to you."

Lindsey tried to think of something other than the pain or the cross-shaped scar on his stomach. Come on, Lindsey. Angelus isn't a patient man...vampire. OH! "Sire," he answered.

"Very good," Angelus smiled. "And what does that mean?"

"You made me," Lindsey replied. Please let that be the right answer. I don't know what else you want from me.

"That's right," Angelus said and Lindsey sighed in relief. Not done with you yet, Lindsey Angelus thought with a grin. "But not quite all. Want to take a stab at what else I want to hear?"

Lindsey just looked at him blankly.

"I own you," Angelus supplied. "Say it."

Lindsey shook his head. He knew that would earn him more pain, but he belonged to no one.

Angelus raised an eyebrow then shrugged. He regarded Lindsey's body for a moment silently, then pressed the cross to Lindsey's chest, over his left nipple. Lindsey held in the scream as long as possible but the pain became unbearable. He screamed, finally, louder than the first. "STOP! PLEASE!" He begged. "You own me, you own me!"

Angelus smiled and moved the cross away from Lindsey's skin. "There, now. That wasn't so difficult, now. Was it?"

Lindsey fought for control of his emotions. He shook his head, not wanting any more of the cross torture. He wanted to curse Angelus for what he'd done, but restrained himself.

Part 39 Warning: Angelus/Lindsey undertones and Angelus/Spike smut.

Angelus turned and walked back over to the table. He set the cross down and removed his glove. He looked over at Spike and grinned. Spike had obviously enjoyed the show so far, as he was staring at Angelus lustfully. I'm just getting started, Will, My Boy, Angelus thought as he returned to Lindsey.

"You know, Lindsey, belonging to me doesn't have to be a bad thing." He smiled as Lindsey's eyes searched his face suspiciously. "Granted, it can be, if you don't do what I ask," he added. "But if you cooperate, it's not all unpleasurable." He walked up to Lindsey and ran one finger lightly down his chest, then traced the cross-shaped scar in Lindsey's stomach that was already fading.

Lindsey winced and turned his head away. I would have preferred it if Angelus had just continued the physical torture. At least then I can maintain some kind of dignity. I can't do that, though if--

Angelus grabbed Lindsey by the chin. "Look at me," he ordered. "Don't piss me off again." He smiled when Lindsey relented and met his eyes. He let his hand caress Lindsey's face, grinning when Lindsey leaned into the touch subconsciously. Childer, especially newly turned childer, always craved affection from their sires.

Lindsey jerked his head away suddenly, as he realized what he was doing. He saw Angelus' smirk and gritted his teeth to keep from cursing him. He hissed when he felt hands stroking his sides gently. His whip marks were still raw, so it hurt, but it also felt...NO! He tried to control his body's response to Angelus' touch. Never mind the fact that he'd always had an attraction to Angel, he wasn't going to let him know that.

Angelus smiled when he felt his childe shudder under his touch. He looked into Lindsey's eyes and saw the conflict there. Lindsey wanted Angelus, but at the same time he was trying to deny that desire. We'll just have to see how long that lasts Angelus thought with a smirk.

Angelus moved back slightly. "Do you want me, Lindsey?" he asked. Lindsey just stared at him, refusing to reply. Angelus chuckled, "Well there's more than one way to get a reply to that question, you know." He moved his hands to Lindsey's chest and teased his nipples lightly. Lindsey couldn't stifle a groan as he felt himself growing hard.

"No," Lindsey croaked. He was irritated that the reply sounded less convincing than he'd meant it.

Angelus raised an eyebrow. "I think you do," he whispered in Lindsey's ear as he leaned closer, and pressed himself against Lindsey's body. Lindsey bit his lip to keep from crying out. The feeling of Angelus' cool skin against his torn chest, and Angelus' jeans rubbing against his abused cock, brought a sensation that was a combination of pain and pleasure.

Angelus pulled away, to Lindsey's enormous relief. Then he moved around behind Lindsey, and pressed himself up against Lindsey's back. He slipped his hands around to Lindsey's chest. One hand teased and pinched Lindsey's nipples, while the other trailed down to stroke Lindsey's semi-erect cock to hardness. He thrust his hips against Lindsey's ass, letting him feel his erection pressing against him through his jeans.

Angelus caught the scent of another's arousal in the room and rested his chin on Lindsey's shoulder as he looked at Spike. His eldest male childe was sitting on the table, staring at Lindsey and Angelus. His mouth was slightly open as he panted for unneeded breath. Angelus only had to look in Spike's eyes to see the desire there. Once their eyes locked, it caused him to lose all interest in Lindsey for the moment.

Spike had watched Angelus seduce Lindsey, feeling himself growing harder by the minute. Spike was entranced as he watched Angelus waver from cruelty -- the cross pressed to bare skin -- to feigned gentleness. Spike knew it was feigned; Angelus had played this same game with Spike, more times than he could count. He knew what Angelus was doing to Lindsey. He would make Lindsey want him and then fuck Lindsey dry, delighting in the screams of pain when he did. The great thing about it, though, was by the time Angelus fucked Lindsey, he'd have him wanting it as much as hating it.

His sire was a truly evil creature, and Spike had always wanted nothing more than to be exactly like him.

Spike ached for release, after watching the slow seduction of his sibling. He was dying for it. He held off the urge to touch himself, though, he didn't know if Angelus would get pissed if he did. With Angelus, when in doubt, take the safe road. Something Darla should have done, 'cuz then Lindsey wouldn't be here right now. Oh, wait, scratch that. I want Lindsey here, because it means that Angelus isn't torturing me.

Spike looked at Angelus and noticed he was staring at him. The lust in Angelus' eyes made Spike's cock twitch in response. He stifled a groan but he couldn't manage to break his gaze away. When Angelus moved around Lindsey and slowly walked toward Spike, Spike thought he might very well hyperventilate from the way his sire was looking at him. The look in his eyes told Spike he wanted to devour him. Spike did groan out loud at that thought, and Angelus smirked in response.

Spike was about to hop off the table when Angelus stopped him with a word. "Stay." Spike quirked an eyebrow but obeyed. Angelus walked up to the table, standing in between Spike's knees. There was a moment in which they just stared at each other. Then Angelus grabbed him by the back of the head with one hand and pulled his head forward. He kissed him roughly, his tongue forcing its way into Spike's mouth.

Spike groaned at Angelus' possessiveness, as his hands gripped the edge of the table. He knew the rules. He wasn't allowed to move a muscle without Angelus' permission. He did pull his mouth away with a gasp, though, when he felt a hand cupping him through his jeans. He felt both Angelus' hands move up his chest and settle on his nipples, alternately twisting and pinching them. "Bloody hell," he groaned, closing his eyes to savor the sensation. "Sire, please," he said. "I want to touch you."

Angelus grew even harder at hearing those words from his boy. "All right," he replied. It was his turn to moan when he felt his childe's hands roam his chest. He leaned closer to Spike and kissed his way down Spike's jaw to his throat. He licked and bit lightly at the skin over the jugular vein. Spike growled with desire. Spike hissed in surprise when he felt his zipper being pulled down.

"Ohyespleasefuck," he gasped as he felt a cool hand close lightly around his cock. "Wha--" Spike's eyes flew open suddenly as the hand disappeared.

Angelus smiled at Spike's suspicious expression. He unzipped his own pants and pushed them off his legs quickly, freeing his already erect cock. He smirked when Spike unconsciously licked his lips as he looked at him. Angelus inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent of his childer's arousal. Spike's arousal wasn't a surprise, he'd always been quite easy to seduce.

Lindsey's reaction to this, though, was a little bit of a surprise. Angelus had no doubt, especially when he glanced over at Lindsey and saw the look on his face, Lindsey was most definitely enjoying the show. Angelus was glad, it added to Lindsey's torture. On the other hand, Angelus couldn't have cared less if Lindsey hadn't been enjoying it. Because that would have added to the torture, too.

Lindsey was secondary for the moment, anyway. What Angelus really wanted was to bury himself inside Spike. Their earlier fuck had been about reestablishing his dominance over Spike. Now, though, was no longer about domination. It was about fucking. Lust, pure and simple.

In the midst of the insanity of the past few days, Angelus needed this. He needed the simplicity of what he had with Spike...on their good days anyway. Mutual desire and affection. He wanted Spike, Spike wanted him. No love to get in the way, no jealousy to cause either one to act like idiots. Just this, taking what they wanted, being in the moment, the way demons were supposed to be.

"Are you just gonna stand there and stare the whole night, or what?" Spike asked with a grin.

"Oh, no," Angelus replied seriously. "There are far too many possibilities for what we can do tonight. All of them have the same end though." Angelus smirked. "Your ass is mine."

Spike groaned at the words. Yeah, whatever, it always, he thought ruefully. Not that that's a terrible thing, when he's not being all psychotic. He looked at Angelus' body appreciatively. He had to admit, there had never been another man who Spike had wanted like Angelus. It wasn't just the sire thing, either, there was something different about Angelus. He could seduce anyone he damn well pleased, and the unfortunate -- or fortunate -- victim was powerless to resist.

All conscious thought was lost though as Angelus kissed him again demandingly. His hands moved to Spike's waistband and Spike raised his hips as Angelus pulled his jeans off his hips quickly and shoved them off his legs. Spike growled into Angelus' mouth when he felt a hand stroking his cock lightly.

Spike moved to reciprocate, his hand encircling Angelus' length. He began stroking it quickly and smiled against Angelus' mouth when he heard Angelus' hiss of pleasure.

Angelus kissed his way down Spike's jaw to his throat. He ran his tongue over the scar from when he'd turned William, causing Spike to gasp. Angelus chuckled and moved his mouth lower, still stroking his childe's cock gently.

Angelus' teeth closed on a nipple and bit it lightly, then laved it with his tongue. He repeated the actions until Spike was "Oh bloody fuckin' hell," Spike whimpered and stroked Angelus' cock a little harder. Spike's other hand moved downward to squeeze Angelus' balls gently.

"Spike," Angelus groaned. Enough foreplay he thought as he looked up at his childe's eyes, filled with lust. He grabbed Spike's legs, pulling him off the table and to his feet. "Turn around and lean over the table," he prompted.

Spike felt his cock twitch in anticipation as he obeyed. He spread his legs apart and draped his upper body over the table, waiting for the invasion. He grit his teeth, he hadn't quite healed from the last time. He didn't mind too much though, because the fact was he got off on the pain. And Angelus knew this.

He felt hands parting his ass cheeks. He yelled in surprise when he felt something other than Angelus' cock, though. He wasn't sure what he felt until he looked over his shoulder. He saw Angelus kneeling behind him and watched as he darted his tongue out, teasing around his hole.

"Ohfuckmebloodyfucksireyespleaseyesgodfuckdon'tstop." was how Spike responded. He leaned his forehead against the table and panted for unneeded breath. "AGH!" He screamed and clawed at the table as Angelus began tonguing him. He whimpered as Angelus ran his hands up and down the insides of Spike's thighs, avoiding touching him where he most wanted him to.

"pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!" Spike begged mindlessly under the assault.

Angelus chuckled, causing Spike to whimper. Angelus had known Spike would be surprised by his less-than-violent treatment. But Angelus had been proud of Spike tonight, his torture of Lindsey had been a beautiful thing to see. It was the first time in a very long time that Angelus felt that Spike was worthy of being part of the Clan of Aurelius.

Besides that, Angelus wasn't always interested in inflicting pain. If that had been the case, he would have gotten rid of Darla and his other boy the instant he found them in bed together. No. No more thinking about them. Angelus resolved. It was causing him to miss out on the sweet sounds of Spike's whimpers and moans, not to mention the rather inventive vocabulary used by Spike when begging Angelus for release.

Angelus withdrew his tongue and stood. Spike moaned in disappointment. "Patience," Angelus said as he ran a finger down his childe's spine. He felt Spike shudder as he did and he grinned. He sunk his fangs into his wrist, then coated his cock in his own blood.

Spike smelled the blood and growled. He hadn't fed in...he couldn't remember when. He growled as he felt the head of Angelus' cock push inside his hole. He was still sore, but he'd been taken more roughly by his sire before. "Yessss," he hissed as Angelus pushed further in. Spike pushed back, taking Angelus deeper.

Angelus groaned as he pushed inside his childe slowly. "Oh fuck," he growled when he was fully inside Spike's tight hole. He ran his hands up and down Spike's sides as he draped his body over him. He kissed and nipped Spike's neck for a moment, just enjoying the sensation of being buried inside his childe.

Spike was glad he was leaning on the table, his legs wouldn't have cooperated with the concept of standing. "SIRE!" He yelled when he felt Angelus' hand stroking his cock lightly. Then Angelus started moving inside him and Spike lost all ability of intelligent thought for the second time that night.

Angelus pulled out then thrust back in quickly. He began slamming into his childe, short fast thrusts, as he jerked Spike off. Spike began growling and begging again as Angelus kissed along his neck and shoulders.

Angelus caught the sound of Lindsey's whimper and grinned. He was fucking his favorite male childe and torturing Lindsey, all at the same time. Life was good.

"Sire, please!" Spike begged as he dug his nails into the surface of the table. Angelus was hitting his prostate with every thrust and Spike was slowly going insane as his pleasure built. He was so close to coming, it was nearly impossible to retain control. But he couldn't come without permission.

"Pleasepleasepleaseletmecome," he groaned. Angelus sped up his pace and Spike whimpered.

"Fuck, Spike, you're so tight," Angelus gasped as he moved to suck and nibble on Spike's earlobe. He felt so good surrounding him. He was aware Spike was close to orgasm, he soon felt his own orgasm approaching. He sped up his thrusts and soon came, spilling his seed in Spike's bowels. He howled and sank his fangs into Spike's shoulder, drinking his sweet blood.

Spike screamed at the feel of his sire's fangs tearing into his skin. He just barely managed to hold onto his control, and kept himself from following Angelus into orgasm. Angelus collapsed on top of him and Spike grunted at the sudden weight on top of him. Please don't pass out. Please let me come.

Angelus leaned on Spike for a moment, recovering from his orgasm. Then he stood and withdrew his cock from Spike's body. Spike whimpered a little but didn't move. Angelus chuckled. "Turn around."

Bloody hell. Can't move. Can't stand. Just stake me, that would be better than this torment, keeping me hard but not letting me come. Spike sighed. He obeyed his sire, though. He leaned back against the table and looked up at Angelus.

Angelus was pleased when he noticed that Spike had restrained himself from release. That deserves a reward he thought with a grin. He reached out and encircled Spike's erection in his hand.

Spike hissed and closed his eyes as Angelus began to stroke him. He reached back for the table to keep from losing his ability to stand. He opened his eyes and looked at his sire's face. He saw the lust in Angelus' eyes. That was all he saw, though, to his amazement. It had been years, over a century to be exact, since Angelus had looked at him without any disgust in his expression.

Angelus leaned in to kiss Spike, one hand at the base of Spike's skull. With his other hand, he stroked Spike's cock harder. Spike growled and clutched at Angelus' shoulders. Angelus swallowed Spike's cries of pleasure hungrily. He soon felt Spike tense for a split second and knew he was close to orgasm. He pulled back, wanting to see his childe's face when he climaxed.

Spike's eyes drifted shut as he gave into the sensations Angelus was evoking in him. "Now," Angelus growled and that was all Spike needed. He came, screaming Angelus' name. His knees gave out, but Angelus grabbed him around the waist, holding Spike against him. Spike rested his cheek on Angelus' chest as he fought to regain control.

"Oh, fuck me."

Angelus chuckled. "Thought I just did, Boy."

Spike snorted and pulled away. "Guess you did," he said as he looked up at Angelus. He saw contentment in Angelus' face and sighed with relief. He didn't know what he'd been expecting. Force of habit to expect Angelus to pull a Dr. Jekyll on me at any moment.

"I think we weren't the only ones who enjoyed that, though," Angelus said as he turned to look back at Lindsey. "Isn't that right, Lindsey?"

Lindsey started and quickly regained his composure. He had been more turned on than he ever would have imagined he'd be, seeing the two vampires fucking so passionately. "No," he lied.

Angelus laughed. "I can smell it on you, Boy. You want ...I don't know if it's just me. Maybe both of us. But either way, you enjoyed watching us together. And if I had any doubts, I need only to look at you."

Lindsey closed his eyes in embarrassment. He was so hard he couldn't think of anything else. He couldn't let Angelus believe it was because of him. But he couldn't come up with a good excuse for it, so he remained silent.

Angelus shrugged and pulled his pants back on. Spike started to get dressed again as well. "I don't know about you, Spike, but I'm exhausted. I can tell it's almost sunrise. Let's go upstairs and get some sleep." Spike nodded and they walked toward the stairway.

"Wait!" Lindsey yelled. "Angelus, please, don't leave me here like this!"

Angelus looked back at him with a smirk. "Now you change your tune, huh?" He walked over to Lindsey slowly. He ran one finger up the underside of Lindsey's cock lightly, chuckling in response to Lindsey's strangled moan.

Angelus moved closer to Lindsey until their bodies were pressed together. He trailed his hands over Lindsey's chest. He paused to tease and pinch both nipples. He grinned when Lindsey didn't meet his eyes, but didn't pull away either.

Lindsey's eyes snapped back to Angelus when Angelus stepped away. "You're staying right here, Lindsey, My Boy. You need time to think about your defiance earlier tonight toward me. Time to understand how much you really belong to me. As for leaving you 'like that', I think it's only fitting. You got your orgasm with Darla, you won't be having another one anytime soon."

Angelus smirked and turned away. He walked back to Spike and they walked upstairs together.

Spike chuckled at the shocked look on Lindsey's face. Almost feel sorry for the poor bastard. Almost.

Part 40

When they reached the ground floor of the hotel, Spike was hit by a dizzy spell and reached for the wall... but the wall wasn't there. "Fuck." Luckily for him, Angelus grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back against his body.

"Spike?" Angelus asked as he held his childe. He noticed, for not the first time, how thin his childe was.

"I'm fine," Spike replied. He tried to pull away but Angelus wouldn't let him go. He tilted his head back and looked up at Angelus. "Really, I am. Just haven't eaten in..." He looked away, trying to remember. "Huh. Dunno how long."

Angelus regarded him silently for a moment. "Try to come up with a timeframe," he requested.

Spike searched his memory. "Three days, I guess?"

Angelus was shocked. When he recovered his voice, he let go of Spike and said, "Sit."

Spike turned to face him. "Angelus, I'm fine--"

"SIT!" Angelus pointed in the direction of the lobby.

Spike huffed in irritation but followed orders. He went to the lobby and sat on the couch.

"MICHAEL!" Angelus yelled then.

One of the human bodyguards came running down the stairs. "Yes, Angelus?" "You have thirty seconds to find a human for my childe to feed on," Angelus replied shortly. Michael nodded and ran out. Angelus turned back to Spike. "Why the HELL would you go THREE DAYS WITHOUT FEEDING?!" he demanded.

Spike winced at the harsh tone. "You wouldn't understand," he retorted.

"Try me."

"I'm just sick of feeding out of a damn bag, Angelus! If this is what I'm doomed to be, I'd rather be dust. I tried to off myself once, but the witch and Xander stopped me. After that, I decided not to try again. But only because I figured my luck would continue to be as awful as that first time. A few days ago, though, I got beat up by a gang of humans and couldn't do a fucking thing about it. They left me for dead, and I made it back to my crypt just before sunrise. The next day, I decided I'd had enough. I figured I'd just 'forget' to feed, long enough until I faded out. I wanted to go out while some people and demons still thought of the name 'William the Bloody' without snickering."

Angelus slumped into a chair in disbelief that Spike had let the situation get to him to that extent. Yes, things had been bad, but Spike had always been a fighter. Angelus never would have imagined Spike would ever give up so easily. Is this what the soldiers did to my childe? They broke his spirit? The thought upset him immensely. He had never been able to break Spike, he hadn't thought any humans ever would. He wondered if any of those humans were still alive. If they were, Angelus would remedy that situation. I should've been there for him. "Will," Angelus said.

"Don't call me that!" Spike exploded. "Just because we fucked a couple times tonight doesn't mean the last century... the last three years especially... didn't happen. They did and you lost the right to call me by that name. My name's Spike, not William, Spike!"

Angelus growled but contained his temper. "Damn it, Spike, I'm not trying to irritate you. I'm trying to apologize for not being there to protect you from those fucking soldiers!"

"Aw, come on, Angelus. Don't tell me you weren't a little thrilled when you found out I lost my bite. Kind of fitting for a vamp who sent his own sire to hell, don'tcha think?" Spike asked. He'd almost fallen for the 'kinder and gentler Angelus' act, but he remembered the last time they'd been a family. He was still hurting from that Angelus.

Angelus stared at him a moment. "You really think I could be happy about you being unable to defend yourself from humans?" he asked. "You think it gives me any pleasure to know that you'd rather destroy yourself than live like this? It doesn't. Nothing you've ever done makes me think you deserve this existence.

"Last time we were both in Sunnydale, we played the 'let's see who can fuck who over worse' game. I won't pretend I was blameless or exactly sane back then. I used Dru; I kept you in that wheelchair when I could've healed you; I tried to make hell our permanent residence. And your move in the game was sending me to Hell."

"Didn't I deserve to be punished for that?" Spike challenged.

"If you deserved punishment, it should have come from me." Angelus said. "Not by our food source."

They looked up as Michael and a young red-headed girl walked in. She looked like she was in her early twenties, slender and petite with green eyes. Angelus walked over to them, wondering how Michael had gotten her to them.

"Angelus, this is April. I found her at the shelter. I told her you needed a secretary, and we also had extra rooms. I suggested we could come up with a work for room and board situation."

Angelus smiled at Michael, the man had thought quickly. "Thank you, Michael. I'm sure we can work something out. You may leave now." Michael nodded and went back upstairs.

"Come sit with us a moment, April," Angelus said with a smile. April shrugged and followed Angelus over to the couch. She stopped when she saw Spike.

"Who's that?" April asked Angelus.

"That's Spike," Angelus replied. "He'd stand but he's not feeling well at the moment."

"Oh, that's too bad," April said. "Is there anything I can do?" she looked down at Spike again and Angelus moved to stand behind her.

"As a matter of fact, there is," Angelus replied. He reached out and snapped the girl's neck quickly. He tossed her on the couch next to Spike. "Drink up, Childe." Spike scowled; he hated charity. But he was hungry. He sunk his fangs into April's throat and the taste of her blood made him growl. He hadn't fed off a human since a year earlier, before the fucking chip. He drained her quickly. He finally withdrew his fangs and shoved her off the couch. He felt much stronger. "Thanks. Needed that."

"We're going to get that chip out of you," Angelus promised as he sat next to Spike.

"I'll believe that when it happens," Spike replied with a shrug.

"You still don't trust me," Angelus said.

Spike looked at Angelus a moment silently. He decided he could risk being honest. "Gee, wonder how that happened."

Angelus sighed. "Spike, I know I did things that a sire should never do when we were back in Sunnydale. You'd done nothing to deserve what I did to you, I was wrong. I don't know how else to say it."

"You also said that you thought I deserved to be punished for the Hell-thing," Spike said.

"I said that if you deserved punishment, it should have come from me," Angelus pointed out.

Spike raised his eyebrow. "What're you saying. It's all forgiven? Yeah, right."

"Spike, whatever happened in the past, we both screwed up," Angelus said. "I'm not inclined to dwell on those times. I'd rather concentrate on the present. Things... I'm going to be very different from the Angelus you remember from Sunnydale."

"Just how are you, all the sudden, different?" Spike asked, looking at him skeptically.

"Because I have Darla back, Spike. Yes, she used to drive me to distraction with her jealousy... she still does. But she also keeps me sane. I know it's bizarre, but it's true."

Spike nodded. He remembered the years, over a century ago, when the four of them had been together. Being with Darla had kept Angelus from 'suck the world into Hell schemes.' He'd been evil, but not psychotic. Angelus had been more affectionate with him and Dru back then, too. He'd only punished his childer when they truly deserved it. So maybe there was hope that Spike could have that Angelus back again.

"Do you believe me?" Angelus asked.

Spike shrugged. "I guess I understand what you're saying. I've got a psycho bird of my own," Spike said. "But having her seems to make things better for me in the long run. So I guess that means we've both made okay choices in..." he trailed off and looked at the floor. He'd been about to say 'mates', but that's not what he and Dru were. He'd never asked Angelus' permission to mate with Dru. He'd tried to find the nerve to ask him, but Angelus had left before he could ask.

Angelus smiled. He knew what Spike was thinking; he'd always known Spike wanted to mate with Drusilla. "Let's get that chip out of your head first. Then we'll have a talk about you and Drusilla."

Spike looked up at Angelus in shock. He wasn't sure if he could trust Angelus though, he'd screwed with him too much. "Don't fuck with me." he said.

Angelus had been about to say something smart but he stopped when he looked at Spike. He saw the worry in Spike's eyes that Angelus was just tormenting him, taunting him with something he'd never let him have. Angelus sighed and shook his head. "I'm not fucking with you, Spike. I mean it. I know you care about Dru; it's always been obvious she cares for you too. But it's a discussion for later, all right? I'm tired now, I'm going to bed. As long as I know you aren't in any more danger of passing out...."

"I'm good now," Spike said as he stood. "See, no fainting."

"All right. See you after sundown," Angelus said. Then he went upstairs to his room.

Part 41 7 am

Angelus returned to his room and unlocked the door. When he walked in, he found Darla sitting on the bed. She'd pulled on a white silk robe and she looked up at him hesitantly.

"Well I haven't heard any screams lately. So does that mean Lindsey's still in one piece or that you dusted him?" she asked.

"Your precious Lindsey will be fine," Angelus said.

"What?" Darla replied. "He's not--"

"I'm not in the mood for this discussion right now," Angelus growled. "I'm tired and want to shower and then sleep." He turned to go into the bathroom, then turned back to her. "On second thought, you shower first." At her puzzled look he sighed. "You smell like him, Darla; it makes me sick."

Darla flinched at his harsh tone. She nodded and went into the bathroom. She shrugged off her robe and stepped into the shower. As she turned on the spray and stood under it, she tried to hold back her tears. She didn't want to contemplate how much damage she might have done to their already fragile relationship. If there still was a relationship after what she'd done.

She supposed she should be glad that he was giving her the silent treatment, rather than punishing her. But then again, she considered, maybe punishment would be better, at least then he'd get his anger out of his system quickly. She would do anything he wanted to keep him from leaving her. She wanted to apologize to him, but she doubted that would do much good.

She turned off the faucets eventually and stepped out of the shower. She grabbed a towel, dried quickly and put her robe back on. She hesitated, not really wanting to go back to the bedroom and face the anger she'd seen in Angelus' eyes earlier. She shook off her cowardice, though, and walked out of the bathroom.

Angelus spared her a brief glance before he brushed past her into the bathroom. Darla felt the tears sting her eyes and this time she didn't bother to hold them back. She slipped on a dark blue nightgown then crawled into bed. She curled up on her side and let herself cry as Angelus showered. She had to fix this mess, she just didn't know how.

Angelus walked back into the bedroom and pulled on a pair of boxer shorts. Darla was lying in bed on her side with her back turned to him. She was trying to keep him from hearing it, but he knew she was crying. Part of him felt bad, knowing his reaction to her was the reason she was upset. The other part of him felt that she deserved it, though, so he remained quiet.

Darla heard the bathroom door open and tried to calm herself. She realized he'd be irritated with her, thinking she was feeling sorry for herself.

He was exhausted, he realized as he turned off the light and then got into bed. "Angelus?" Darla rolled over to face him.

"Not now," he replied shortly.

"I just wanted to know if you wanted me elsewhere," she said softly.

"I don't care," Angelus replied and turned his back on her. He regretted his choice of words instantly, but he resisted the urge to take them back.

Darla couldn't see a thing in the dark, but she stared in his direction a moment, speechless. For probably the first time in her life, she couldn't come up with any way to manipulate her way out of the situation she'd gotten herself into. She almost reached out to touch him, but stopped herself. She realized he didn't want to be bothered.

The two laid there in silence. Neither fell asleep for several hours, both contemplating their own hurts. Even though they were only inches apart, they both felt like the distance between them was more like miles.

Part 42 7 pm

Darla woke and looked over at Angelus' side of the bed. He wasn't there. She sighed and looked over at the clock. It was 7 pm, she'd slept for 12 hours, much to her surprise. The morning had exhausted her mentally and physically.

She got out of bed, and looked at the door warily. I suppose it's too much to hope, she thought with a shrug. She walked to the closet and chose a pair of black pants and a red tube top. She changed quickly, then ran a brush through her hair. She sat back on the bed and waited.

"He can't keep me in here forever," she said to herself.

Angelus, Spike, Dru and Cordelia were in the lobby. They were discussing Cordelia's recent research into possible doctors who could remove Spike's chip. Angelus and Spike sat on the couch, Dru sat on the floor by Angelus' legs, her head on his knee. Cordelia was sitting in a nearby chair.

Spike wasn't upset about the attention Angelus was giving Drusilla. He'd only been upset when Angelus used Dru as a means to an end. A way to make Spike angry, a way to hurt Dru in the long run. That was the Angelus that had made Spike angry enough to attempt to kill him. So far, though, he hadn't seen that Angelus. He was being almost affectionate to Drusilla, which made her happy. And whenever his Princess was happy, Spike was content with the situation.

"All I'm saying, is we don't know that Dr. Parks won't turn Blondie into a vegetable," Cordelia said.

"My sister never ate her vegetables," Drusilla said. "She was a bad girl."

"Could Psycho go play with her dolls?" Cordelia asked in irritation.

Spike growled and lunged for Cordelia, but Angelus put a hand on his arm. "Watch yerself," Spike warned.

"Or what, you'll growl louder at me?" Cordelia rolled her eyes. "What I was going to say, before I was interrupted, was that if Parks can be bought by us, he can be bought by Wolfram and Hart too."

"I'll get a couple of the men to watch Parks for a few days," Angelus said. "If Wolfram and Hart so much as approach him, we'll consider him too much of a danger to deal with.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to see if Lindsey's learned his lesson yet," Angelus added as he stood up.

"Well I know what that means, so I'm going to my room. The further away I am from the sound of screaming, the less likely I am to contemplate what exactly's going on down there," Cordelia said.

"Well, you're just gonna hear me and Dru screaming then," Spike said with a leer.

"Okay, for the record, EEEW!" Cordelia said as she made a disgusted face and ran up the stairs.

Angelus chuckled. "Spike, before you two run off, do something for me." He pulled a key out of the pocket of his blue jeans. "This is to my bedroom. Go get Darla, bring her down to the basement."

Spike nodded, taking the key. "Sure, Sire. Whatever you say."

"Thank you," Angelus said.

Part 43 Warning - Angelus/Lindsey slashy undertones

Angelus headed down the stairs to the basement. Lindsey was hanging limply from the chains, asleep. Angelus smiled and walked up to the boy.

Lindsey startled awake when he sensed the presence of another demon in the room. His eyes met Angelus' and he looked away quickly. He'd been hoping he'd be free soon. He doubted it, though, when he saw the grin on Angelus' face. "Please let me go," he begged. His throat felt dry, he wondered if Angelus was going to starve him to death. He wondered then if vampires could starve to death.

"I don't think so," Angelus said. "I'm not convinced you understand the rules yet. Let's recap, shall we? Why are you being punished?"

Because you're sick, twisted, sadistic bastard, Lindsey's mind offered as he stared at the floor. However, he realized that wouldn't go over well if said aloud. "Darla belongs to you. I broke the rules; I'm not supposed to touch her. I did anyway. You own me, so you have the right to punish me when I screw up."

"I almost believe you," Angelus replied. "but not quite. I doubt you truly understand just to what extent I own you." He smirked, and added, "But you're going to find out right now." He let his eyes roam over Lindsey's body, trying to decide where to start with the next lesson. Lindsey's skin was still covered with angry, red marks from the whipping. Some lashes had opened up the skin, but those wounds were healing nicely. His cock was no longer hard, so Angelus decided to fix that little problem.

Lindsey watched Angelus warily. He knew his sire was planning something, he had a good idea what it was too.

"You know, Lindsey," Angelus spoke finally. "I spent the day with Darla. Strangely enough, though, she didn't even ask me to release you. She did mention she heard the screams." He smiled cruelly, "So what does that do to your theory that she cares about you?"

Lindsey stared at Angelus in shock. He didn't believe him. He couldn't believe him. "Fuck you," he spat out angrily.

Angelus chuckled. "You got that backward, Childe. I'm going to fuck you." He laughed when Lindsey came to life then, pulling against the chains holding his arms. "Don't worry," he added smoothly. "You won't hate it... entirely." He circled around behind Lindsey. "It wouldn't be very useful in showing you how you belong to me, if I didn't make you want it."

"Fucking son of a bitch!" Lindsey yelled. "You'd better just kill me when you're done with me. If you don't, I'm going to kill you!"

Angelus stripped while Lindsey ranted. He walked up behind his childe. "No, you won't," he replied. "That's part of the sire/childe bond. It'll take a whole lot more than this to get you to seriously consider killing me." One hand traveled up to tease Lindsey's nipples. He smiled when Lindsey couldn't repress a groan. "You want me, Lindsey, just give into it."

"No, I don't!" Lindsey retorted. He bit his lip to keep from reacting audibly when Angelus began stroking his cock. This is not happening he decided. Come on, Lindsey, think of something else. Something that will keep your fucking body from betraying you like this!

Angelus pressed himself flush against his childe. He felt Lindsey tense up under him, most likely in response to the hard cock pressed between his ass cheeks. Angelus was looking forward to this. He bet that Lindsey had never been with another man before, at least not in a submissive role.

Lindsey froze when Angelus pressed against him. He hadn't realized he'd taken his clothes off. "Angelus, don't do this," he said. "I know I was wrong, I'm sorry--"

Angelus circled around to stand in front of Lindsey. He grabbed his head and kissed him possessively when Lindsey started speaking. Lindsey opened his mouth to yell but that gave Angelus the opportunity to force his tongue past his childe's lips. He ran his tongue over Lindsey's, trying to coax him to participate in the kiss. Lindsey groaned. Angelus was a talented kisser, he felt himself growing harder. He slipped his tongue inside the older vampire's mouth, ignoring the voice in his head screaming at him to stop. Angelus smiled against his mouth and moved closer, pressing his body against Lindsey's. He knew he was winning this round, soon he'd have Lindsey submitting to him willingly.

Part 44 7:30 pm

Spike went upstairs and stopped at the door to Angelus' room. He knocked, "It's Spike, Darla. Ya got five seconds to be presentable, I'm coming in." He waited, then unlocked the door and entered.

Darla was sitting in a chair by the window, staring outside. She looked at him questioningly.

Spike walked into the room intending to follow Angelus' orders, then get away from Darla as quickly as possible. They hadn't exactly parted on good terms a century earlier.

The year after Angelus had left them had been one to try to forget. Darla had mood swings to an extreme that Dru didn't even manage. One minute she'd be seemingly content, almost affectionate with Angelus' childer. The next minute she'd be screaming and throwing things at them. Spike had tried to put up with her; but eventually it had gotten to be more than he could handle. He'd left with Dru one night while Darla slept, and hadn't seen her since then.

Until now. Now when she looked at him and he saw the pain in her eyes, he felt sorry for Darla, in spite of his intentions not to. He would bet that they felt the same about the return of Angelus: glad to have him back, while also afraid what it would mean for them. Gotta be tough for her, especially when she can't control him like she used to. Spike realized.

"Did you want something?" Darla said finally with a frown.

"Angelus wants to see you," Spike replied; he chose to ignore her irritated tone.

Darla nodded and stood. She followed Spike, but didn't understand why Angelus would send Spike to get her, if he was ending her captivity. He must still be a little angry with me she realized. She looked around when they reached the ground floor. Angelus wasn't in the lobby.

Spike walked to the door to the basement and looked back at her. She tried to hide it, but he could tell she was afraid. She wasn't stupid, she knew Angelus' use for basements. Part of him wanted to just ignore her fear. He couldn't seem to do it, though. "He's not gonna hurt you, Pet. He's just playing his games. You know how he is about making sure his family's loyalty is to him only. My guess is he wants to see how you react when he fucks Lindsey." Wuss! his internal voice said. He chose to pretend he hadn't heard it.

Darla was too relieved to notice that Spike had actually taken pity on her. She nodded and walked to the door.

She walked half-way down the stairs and stopped suddenly. She saw Lindsey hanging from chains in the middle of the room. He was nude, as was her childe. Not my childe Darla corrected herself. They were kissing, or rather Angelus was kissing Lindsey. Lindsey didn't seem to be fighting him too much though, but Darla realized why when she got a good look at him. She could see the marks on his body which told her he'd been whipped.

She felt physically ill and put her hand on the wall to try to steady herself. She was the reason that Lindsey had been tortured for the past sixteen hours. I told him that his caring about me would only be temporary she thought sadly.

Angelus pulled away from Lindsey. He had felt Darla enter the room and looked up at her. "Come downstairs, Darla," he said. He walked over to the table and waited for her.

Darla wasn't sure what he wanted from her. She walked over to him though and waited for directions. He turned to her and held out something. It was a key. She looked up into his eyes questioningly.

"It's the key to the chains," Angelus replied. He saw her confusion and explained, "It's very simple, Darla. I'm giving you a choice of two options. You can unchain Lindsey and take him out of here. I won't stop you. But I do mean, take him out of here. If you want to be with him, you leave with him. Don't even think about coming back. I'm only giving you this option because I have no interest in keeping you with me against your will.

"Your other option is to stay here with me. I thought I'd made this clear already, but in case I hadn't... I want you, Darla. However, I want you to be mine and mine only. If you choose stay, you choose to accept that. You also will accept that I will not tolerate any of my childer ignoring their rank in this family. I won't play these games with you anymore. You have got to decide, once and for all, what - who - you want."

Part 45 Warning: Angelus/Lindsey non-consensual smut

"There's no choice to be made," Darla said. "I chose you when I turned you; I never wanted anyone else. If I made you think, by being with Lindsey, that I wanted him now, that wasn't... isn't the case. I was with Lindsey because I was lonely. I know that's not an excuse, it doesn't really even make sense. The truth is I wasn't thinking, I didn't stop to consider how you would react. And if that moment of stupidity jeopardized what we had, I'll never forgive myself.

"You're more than enough to satisfy me, Angelus. I still want you. I need you. I can't lose you again, it would kill me." She looked down at the ground as the tears welled up in her eyes. "If there's even a chance that you can forgive me, please tell me what I need to do. I'll do anything," she whispered.

He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "It's not a matter of forgiving you, Darla. I just need to know that you accept my place as head of this family."

"I do," she said. She met his eyes, wishing he could see she was speaking the truth.

Angelus lifted her by the waist and set her on the table. He grabbed a knife from the table. He didn't see her flinch but he did catch the scent of her fear. He cringed internally, he hadn't wanted to make her afraid for her safety. He walked over to Lindsey and held the knife to his childe's throat. "Then you accept that I can cut his head off if I wish?"

Darla forced herself to meet his eyes without reacting visibly. Angelus was more important to her than anything or anyone else. "Yes," she said calmly. She saw the hurt look on Lindsey's face out of the corner of her eye, but she kept her gaze on Angelus.

Angelus smiled. He knew that she cared about the boy; she couldn't hide that. That was why her willingness to give him up meant so much to Angelus. He believed her, he knew that Lindsey did too. He caught the scent of fear in his childe.

He dropped the knife, though. He had no intention of destroying his newest childe. No, there was only one more step in breaking Lindsey, getting him to submit fully to Angelus. This would serve as a final test for Darla, as well.

Lindsey tried unsuccessfully to catch Darla's eyes. He knew she loved Angelus, but he found it hard to believe that she could treat their friendship so cheaply. He sighed, realizing that he couldn't expect her to really do anything to help him. Even if she wanted to, she was no match for Angelus' strength. He found himself hoping that Angelus would just slit his throat.

Lindsey's hope was shattered when Angelus dropped the knife. Apparently his sire wasn't through tormenting him yet. He knew he was right when Angelus moved around behind him again. Your fault, Lindsey. You thought you could play with evil and not get fucked. He almost giggled at his choice of words. Going into hysterics, too! That's just great.

"Well then," Angelus said as he pressed himself up against his childe. "You accept that I can punish Lindsey any way I please?" he asked Darla. He could almost taste the hopelessness emanating from Lindsey, it was so delicious. He ran his hands over Lindsey's chest and smiled when Lindsey gasped in response.

"Yes," Darla replied. Internally she was in torment, the last thing she wanted was for Lindsey to be raped. She wanted to watch it even less. She knew she didn't have a choice, though. If she left, Angelus most likely wouldn't stop her; but he wouldn't believe was the only one she wanted to be with either. So she kept her eyes locked on Angelus', trying not to show what she was feeling.

Angelus quirked an eyebrow at her. He'd half-thought she might change her mind and beg him to go easy on Lindsey. Or at least ask permission to leave. He continued pinching and twisting Lindsey's nipples and Lindsey was breathing heavily by now under his touch. The instinctual need to breathe when things got intense was one thing they never seemed to get past, no matter how old they were.

His eyes still on Darla, he began stroking Lindsey's cock. Lindsey let out a strangled groan and Angelus chuckled. He leaned in to bite and suck on Lindsey's earlobe and Lindsey moaned loudly.

Angelus removed his hand from Lindsey's cock and Lindsey stifled the urge to complain. He tried to remind himself he wasn't enjoying this, but didn't quite convince himself of that. He felt Angelus' hands part his ass cheeks and he tried to brace himself for the pain.

Angelus felt Lindsey tense up and smiled cruelly. That would only make it hurt worse, not that Angelus would lose any sleep about that. He pushed slowly into Lindsey's hole, feeling his lining tear and give way to him. He was amazed when Lindsey kept from crying out at the penetration. Still got a little defiance in you, do ya Boy?

He was finally all the way inside his childe and his eyes nearly crossed at how tight Lindsey was. That's why turning virgins is a good thing he remembered. He caught the scent of blood then and growled, his face shifting. Angelus pulled Lindsey's head back by his hair, forcing him to look at his sire. There was hatred in Lindsey's eyes and Angelus smirked at him. He saw the blood on his childe's lower lip and realized one of the causes for the smell of blood. The boy had bit through his lip to keep from screaming. Angelus kissed him possessively, groaning as he caught the taste of his childe's blood. Lindsey moaned as Angelus swept his tongue into his mouth.

The sound of Lindsey's desire only made Angelus harder. He wouldn't be satisfied until he heard his childe begging him to let him come. But first he had to hear him scream. He broke the kiss and pulled all the way out of Lindsey. He smirked when Lindsey sighed with relief and he slammed into him quickly.

Lindsey screamed at the unexpected force of the invasion. He'd felt like he was being torn in two the first time, but this time was worse. He panted for unneeded breath as he felt the tears on his face. He slumped in his chains and felt pain as his shoulders took the brunt of his weight. He welcomed that pain though, it took his mind off the other.

Angelus almost spilled his seed inside his childe at the sound of his pained scream. He fought and regained control, though. He looked over Lindsey's shoulder at Darla. She was still watching, though her face was pale. He began moving inside the other vampire, short quick thrusts. His hands gripped Lindsey's hips tightly to hold him still.

Lindsey sighed with relief as the blood helped to ease the pain of Angelus' thrusts. He groaned when he felt the tip of Angelus' cock hit his prostate repeatedly. Angelus smiled and moved one hand around to stroke the boy's still hard cock. "Yes.." Lindsey hissed, giving into the things Angelus was making him feel, as he leaned his head back against Angelus' chest.

Angelus chuckled. "Who am I?" he asked.

"Sire," Lindsey gasped.

Angelus growled, that had been too easy. He leaned down to scrape his fangs along his childe's throat. Lindsey shuddered but didn't pull away. Angelus felt the familiar tightening in his balls that told him he was close to orgasm. He sank his fangs into his childe's jugular with a snarl, the taste of blood sending him over the edge. Lindsey followed him at the feeling of Angelus' fangs in his throat. He came with a yell, his knees giving out completely on him.

Angelus withdrew his fangs and lapped at the twin puncture wounds until they closed. He then stepped back, letting his cock slip out of Lindsey's body. He grabbed Lindsey's shirt off the floor and wiped himself off with it.

Part 46 Warnings: Darla/Angelus smuttiness in the next two parts

Angelus looked over at Darla and groaned as his cock began to grow hard again. Her eyes were glazed over and she was panting slightly, obviously turned on by what she had seen. He smiled and walked over to her. "Something wrong, Darla?"

Darla's eyes traveled over Angelus' nude body as he walked toward her. She whimpered and pressed her thighs together to try to relieve the ache in her core. She had been turned on by watching Angelus dominate Lindsey, despite her intentions to the contrary. She was so wet already, she couldn't stand it. It reminded her of those times in the past when she'd watched him punish Spike, or Penn. Or the nights when they'd torture unfortunate humans together. All of those times had always ended in intense, passionate sex between Angelus and Darla afterward. Some of the best sex they ever had. She groaned as the memories overtook her.

He stopped, inches from her and stroked himself a few times slowly. Darla whimpered and he grinned at her. "You always did like to watch, didn't you, Lover?" he said. He knew why she was turned on, he remembered she always had enjoyed watching him torturing others.

"Yes," she whispered. "Please, Darling."

Angelus walked closer, moving to stand in between her knees. "Please what?" he teased.

"Angelus," she whined and reached for him.

He caught her hands and held them at her sides. "Not yet, Lover," he said smoothly. "Why did you like it?"

Darla sighed but knew he wouldn't let up until she said it. "Seeing you dominating Lindsey, it turned me on, Angelus. Your raw power, your ability to control others and make them like it, it has always affected me. You know that."

Angelus grinned, "Of course I do. But Lindsey didn't, until now." He looked over at Lindsey, who was staring at the floor determinedly. "I just wanted to make sure he understood." Angelus added. He turned back to face Darla. "Now, do you want me to help you take care of your little problem?" he asked with a smirk.

"Yes," she whimpered. "Please."

"I need more than that, Darlin'. Tell me what you want," he coaxed.

"Make me come," she replied breathlessly. "I don't care how you do it, but I need it, Angelus. I need you."

Angelus captured her lips in a passionate kiss and swallowed her moan of desire. He swept his tongue into her mouth and coaxed hers out to play. He groaned when she took the hint and pushed her tongue into his mouth. Their tongues fought for dominance for what felt like forever until Darla finally pulled away for breath.

She stared into his eyes, trying to catch her breath. She read the desire in them and felt like she could cry with relief. She couldn't believe he still wanted her, after what she'd done with Lindsey. But she wouldn't do anything to attempt to destroy what she had with Angelus, ever again. She couldn't lose him, she loved him too much.

Angelus stared into her eyes and could see everything she felt in them. It gave him a sense of power, but he also realized he felt the same way. He loved her. That thought gave him pause. He tried to argue with it, but found no ability to even attempt to do so. He loved her. That truth should have upset him, but instead he felt at peace about it. As corny as it sounded, he felt that he had been made to love her. He decided then that he would tell her how he felt, as soon as the time was right.

He released her hands, but ordered, "Leave them on the table." She nodded and obeyed. He smiled at her and his eyes roamed over her body. "You have far too many clothes on, Darlin'." She moaned in anticipation of what he would do next. He moved his hands to her breasts and squeezed them through her tube top. She gasped in response. He squeezed them again, more gently and she whimpered. Still they gazed into each other's eyes, neither one able to look away. He began to knead her breasts and soon she was chanting his name repeatedly. Her hands were closed into fists and he knew she wanted to touch him. Soon enough, Lover. he thought.

He pinched her nipples roughly. "ANGELUS!" She yelled. Her eyes closed as she shivered at the waves of ecstasy coursing through her body. She felt his hands trail down to her bare stomach and she whimpered. She forced her eyes opened and gasped at the pure lust she saw in them.

He pulled her tube top up and off her slowly, baring her breasts to his sight. He growled and had to resist the urge to strip her pants off and bury himself in her heat. He wanted her moaning and writhing under him, but he also wanted to draw out the pleasure. He wanted her to beg him for release. Beyond that, Angelus wanted Lindsey to understand just the kind of power Angelus had over Darla. And how better to do that, than to let him see it for himself?

His hands roamed over her chest lightly. He ran his palms over every inch of her skin, but he avoided touching her breasts, to Darla's frustration. "Please, Angelus, I need you inside me," she begged.

Angelus leaned his head down to kiss her throat over her jugular vein. Darla moaned as he began sucking lightly at the skin above the pulse point. His hands finally moved to her breasts and she sighed with relief. He kneaded them, so hard it was nearly painful; but she only became wetter, in response. He let up and began tracing light circles around her nipples as he kissed his way down her throat and chest.

"Please, yes, please," Darla gasped. She cried out when he latched his lips around one nipple, biting repeatedly on the hardened nub. "OH GOD!" She yelled as the ache increased in her core. She fought against the urge to grab his head and hold him to her, she knew he'd just move away if she did.

He took the rest of her breast into her mouth and suckled it as one hand kneaded the other breast. The sounds she made and the scent of her arousal added to the intensity of his throbbing erection, but he ignored his discomfort. He lifted his head and Darla whimpered in disappointment at the sudden removal of his lips.

Darla tried to think of something to convince him to return to the heavenly way in which he had been slowly making her lose all semblance of sanity. "Ang-- OHhhhhhhhh," she trailed off in a moan when she felt fingers stroking her through her pants. His other hand returned to its earlier activity, teasing each breast in turn. She looked into his eyes and shuddered when they flashed golden.

Angelus unbuttoned and unzipped Darla's pants quickly. "Fuck," he growled when he saw her wet curls. She hadn't worn any underwear.

Darla laughed, "Well, yes, I was hoping," she said.

Angelus smiled up at her as he ran a finger between the lips of her sex. "I think that can be arranged," he said, his voice husky with desire. He moved a finger down to her entrance and Darla leaned back, resting on her elbows, to give him better access. He slowly pushed one finger into her and she hissed with pleasure as her eyes fell shut. He withdrew his finger completely and she snapped her eyes back open to meet his amused ones.

Angelus slipped his finger into his mouth and growled at the taste of her. Darla muttered "Tease!" as she watched this, which only made him grin. He placed his hands at her waistband and Darla lifted her hips to assist him. He pulled her pants slowly off her legs and let them fall to the floor. He straightened up and looked at her. He felt a moment of pride that this beautiful, sexy woman sitting here was his. HIS. He growled with satisfaction at that thought.

Darla spread her legs apart when she heard his growl. She moaned as he dropped to his knees and smirked up at her. "Pleasepleasepleaseplease!" She begged.

Angelus inhaled the scent of her. It was so sweet, he could never get enough of it. Then he remembered he preferred the taste of her more. "ANGELUS!" She cried out, her head thrown back, when he licked slowly up between the lips of her sex.

"Look at me," he said softly. She met his eyes again and he smiled at her. "I want to see you, Darlin'," he said. He put his hands on her thighs, nudging them further apart and then pushed his tongue inside her passage.

"Oh. My. God." Darla moaned as he began fucking her with his tongue. Her hands closed into fists as he brought her to the edge quickly with his skillful mouth. She whimpered when he suddenly withdrew his tongue before she could come.

Angelus chuckled but that only made her moan loudly, as he'd closed his lips around her clit. He sucked it gently as he thrust two fingers into her. She whimpered and moaned as he brought her almost to the edge and then allowed the intensity of the feeling to subside, before he brought her to the edge again. He did this repeatedly, teasing her and keeping her from release.

"Angelus, please," she begged, almost at the point of tears. She thought she'd go insane if he kept this up much longer. She sighed in disappointment when he moved his mouth away again, though she supposed she should be grateful he was still fucking her with his fingers.

His other hand moved to her clit and she sighed with relief. He rolled it between her fingers and she moaned. He began pressing open-mouthed kisses to her thighs as he added a third finger to her passage. She whimpered and squeezed her vaginal muscles around his fingers, trying to push herself over the edge.

Angelus raised his eyes to meet hers and smiled when she relented and spread her legs further apart again. "Good girl," he said. He increased pressure on her clit, rubbing it harder. He added a fourth finger to her passage and began thrusting his fingers fully inside her.

Darla gasped and her eyes fluttered shut at the intensity of the feelings he was evoking in her. "Yes, please, Angelus," she whimpered. She tensed as she felt his fingers pinch her clit. When she felt his his fangs slicing into the sensitive skin of her upper thigh, she climaxed finally. She screamed his name as her body shook with the force of her orgasm.

Angelus growled at the taste of her blood. He took a few swallows and then licked at the wound until it stopped bleeding. Darla was still shaking and whimpering from the effects of her orgasm. He withdrew his fingers from her and licked them clean, then moved his mouth to her sex to lap up her juices.

Darla recovered and watched him licking her clean; it only succeeded in making her want him again. He seemed to know this because he grinned at her as he stood. He pulled her up to a sitting position and kissed her possessively. She moaned at the combined taste of the both of them on his tongue.

He pulled away and stepped back. He held out his hand to her and she took it, dropping to her feet. He swept all the instruments of torture off the table and onto the floor, then nodded back to the table. She laughed but hopped back onto the table again. She scooted further onto it and laid on her back. She spread her legs, looking at him expectantly.

He climbed up onto the table, kneeling between her legs. He braced himself on his hands on either side of her head as he positioned his cock at her entrance. He thrust inside her fully and they both moaned in unison. Darla locked her legs around his waist, and pulled him even deeper. She whimpered and wrapped her arms around his waist, digging her nails into his back and drawing blood.

Angelus growled and slipped into gameface. She met his gaze unwaveringly and he bent to kiss her. She moaned and thrust her tongue inside his mouth. She ran her tongue lightly over his fangs. Angelus groaned as he sucked on her tongue, drinking the blood which she offered him.

He began moving inside her, slowly. She raised her hips, meeting each thrust. She began squeezing him with her vaginal muscles and Angelus realized he wouldn't last long. He started slamming into her harder, as hard as he dared, but watched her face for any signs of discomfort.

Darla moaned as his pubic bone began hitting her clit due to the force of his thrusts. She pulled his head to her for another kiss. Her climax came quickly and without warning and she screamed into his mouth as it did. The quivering of her muscles around his cock pushed Angelus over the edge himself. He pulled his mouth away and roared as he came, spilling his cold seed inside her body. He rolled them both over so she was on top and rubbed her back gently as she came down from her second orgasm in less than fifteen minutes.

Angelus looked over at Lindsey just in time to see him look away quickly. He'd seen the hopeless look on Lindsey's face. His childe had learned just how unimportant he was and hadn't liked that lesson at all. Angelus had the feeling Lindsey would no longer be a problem.

Lindsey had only been part of the reason for Angelus taking Darla, though. He had needed to know that Darla still wanted to be with him, even with Lindsey watching. It appeared as though she'd finally accepted her place in the family. He hoped he was right, but only time would tell. He decided that he wouldn't turn her for a few more weeks though. He needed a little more time to make certain that she would remain true to him.

Darla drew in a shaky breath as her head rested on Angelus' chest. She looked over at Lindsey, he was staring at the floor. She couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for him though. She regretted his ultimate loss of innocence but she knew he'd survive. She'd seen how much he'd enjoyed it when Angelus had taken him. It wasn't just the demon in him, either, he'd always been fascinated with Angelus even while he was human. She wondered if maybe he'd always wanted Angelus, and she just hadn't realized it? Maybe he hadn't realized it either, until now.

She shook away those thoughts. She was with the man she loved. That was all that mattered to her. "I love you," she said. She froze. She hadn't meant to say it out loud. It had just slipped out. Nonononono! her mind screamed. You ruined everything, you stupid bitch!

She realized then that Angelus hadn't moved away from her. He hadn't tried to shove her off him. He was still holding her, rubbing her back comfortingly. "I know that's not something you wanted to hear," she said quietly. "But I can't help it. I don't think I knew how I felt about you, until the curse. For over a century, Angelus, a part of me was missing because I didn't have you. That's why I fought so hard to get you back. I need you so much, I can't deal with life without you again. I'm not expecting you to love me back. I just want you to forgive me and be with me. It's all I need."

She forced herself to lift her head and look at Angelus. He met her eyes and stroked her hair gently. "Can you forgive me?" she asked softly.

Angelus smiled. "You're forgiven," he replied.

She smiled and kissed him as the tears welled up in her eyes. She buried her face in his neck when the tears threatened to spill over. When she got herself under control again she looked back at him.

Angelus eased her off him gently then sat up. He got to his feet and helped her off the table. "Get dressed and go upstairs," he said. "I'll be up shortly, I just need to have a few words with Lindsey first."

Darla nodded. She pulled her tube top and pants on quickly, then walked upstairs. She couldn't help smiling as she walked. She was happy. She and Angelus had survived another bout of her stupidity, still intact. Two bouts of her stupidity if you counted her sudden declaration of love. He hadn't declared his undying love in return, but she would never have expected that. He hadn't snubbed her for loving him, and that was what was most important to her. That was what made her smile.

She also felt like he'd been trying to tell her something by his punishment of Lindsey. She couldn't help believing that maybe his possessiveness and jealousy meant she really was more important to him than anything else.

Another possibility reared its ugly head, though. Another reason for Angelus' possessiveness and jealousy toward her. She was his possession, his whore, something for nobody to touch but him. She shook her head and quickly dismissed that possibility. It wasn't true.

It wasn't true.

Angelus and Darla dressed. He waited until she was upstairs. Then he turned and searched for the key. Finally he found it, on the floor, and walked over to Lindsey. He unlocked the shackles and Lindsey fell to his knees. Angelus let him be, figuring Lindsey would rather not be touched by him at the moment.

Lindsey didn't understand. He had been sure Angelus would stake him or worse after Darla left. What more did he have to prove to Lindsey, that he hadn't already? He understood, he meant nothing to Darla and probably never had. More than that, Lindsey had come face to face with the fact that his attraction to Angel had spilled over into attraction to Angelus. Not a huge surprise there, but rather disconcerting, as he'd never thought anything would come of it. Given those two humiliating realizations, he wished he were dead. Really dead. As in not wake up the next sunset dead.

"Get dressed," Angelus said.

"Just like that?" Lindsey asked, looking up at him finally.

Angelus saw the suspicion in the younger vampire's eyes. "There's no trick, Lindsey. You've been disciplined, as I discipline any of my childer who defy my rules. I don't hold grudges after that. The slate is clean, end of story. You are free to get dressed and join the normal life of the family again."

He walked to the stairs and paused. Turning back, he added, "If you wish to leave the Hyperion, I won't come after you." At Lindsey's surprised look, he added, "I'm only offering this now because I'm feeling generous. If you don't want to stay, it would be better if you were gone. I don't want you around attempting to make Darla feel guilty... for convincing me to turn you, or for anything else that you may think she's responsible for. She's not responsible, Lindsey, you made your own choices. I don't want you trying to upset her. Even if she doesn't truly care for you she is soft-hearted. So I'm giving you the choice of leaving. One condition, though. If I ever find that you've tried to betray me with Wolfram and Hart, I'll hunt you down, tie you up in the garden and watch the sunrise destroy you."

With that, Angelus walked back up the stairs.

Part 47

Darla went upstairs to shower and change. When she returned to the lobby, Angelus was on his way out of the basement. Drusilla was laying on the couch, her head in Spike's lap. Cordelia was nowhere to be seen, but Darla wasn't upset about that, in the least.

Angelus paused to kiss Darla as he walked by. "I'll be back in a moment. I think I need a shower too," he said with a smile. Darla nodded and walked over to sit with his childer. Spike looked up at her and smirked. To her annoyance she found herself blushing. She realized that the entire hotel had most likely heard their screams as they had had sex earlier. "What?!" she demanded, as she sat in a chair and glared at Spike.

Spike chuckled. "Absolutely nothing," he said with a shrug. He ran one hand through Drusilla's jet black hair as she purred contentedly.

Darla ignored him and picked up a magazine. She leafed through it absent-mindedly while she waited for Angelus to come back downstairs. She heard footsteps and looked up to see Lindsey walk by. He walked with a limp and refused to meet any of their eyes. Darla sighed but didn't approach him. She knew that Spike would be sure to tell Angelus, if she did. If there was one thing she could count on Spike for, it was attempting to undermine the relationship she had with Angelus. She resolved not to give him any ammunition to do so.

Lindsey walked upstairs and Darla turned back to her magazine.

Twenty minutes later, Darla had agreed to braid Drusilla's hair for her. Dru was sitting between Darla's legs on the floor. Spike was smoking a cigarette, watching them. Darla finished Dru's hair finally and tied the end of the braid with a dark blue ribbon. "All right, Love. I'm done," she said.

"Thank you," Drusilla said with a smile. "The stars are happy now." She looked up and squealed. "My Angel!" She ran over to hug him and he hugged her back.

"Yes, Dru. We'll go out in a while to feed, just let me rest a bit," Angelus replied. Drusilla went back over to sit with Spike and Angelus walked up to Darla. He pulled her to his feet, then sat in the chair. Darla smiled at him, she could tell he was still in a good mood. She was glad. She sat sideways across his lap, and snuggled against his chest.

Spike found the whole scene surreal. Almost as if the past century had never happened. "So are we all back to normal then? One happy family again?"

Darla snorted with laughter. "When were we ever a happy family????" she asked incredulously.

Spike laughed outright at that. "Huh. Good point. I hate you. Is that better?" he added with a grin.

Darla rolled her eyes. "Insolent little brat," she replied.

Angelus chuckled at the exchange between his childe and soon-to-be-mate. Some things never changed. "I think that answers your question, Childe," he said to Spike. "Apparently, we are all back to normal."

"Lucky for us," Spike said with a roll of his eyes.

"Spike, is sarcasm your native language?" Darla questioned.

Angelus laughed and silenced Darla with a kiss, to end the exchange before it turned into an argument between the two. At least at the moment, they were being more lighthearted. They weren't at-each-other's throats, though he realized it was just a matter of time before that happened. The realization didn't bother him, though, as it was normal for them, as he'd said earlier to Spike. He also knew that behind their biting remarks to each other lay their love for him.

And as long as that was the case, he felt hopeful. He believed that in the end, everything would work out just fine for himself and his family.

Darla pulled away from the kiss when the need for oxygen presented itself. She looked into Angelus' eyes and knew that he was at peace. It made her happy to see it, because it made her feel at peace as well.

Even though she was no longer his sire, she'd always think of him as her Darling Boy. As long as she made sure she kept him happy, she felt like things were perfect. Because as she'd said to him earlier, she loved him. More than that, she felt as if she had been made to love him. So as long as she kept him happy, she felt she was fulfilling her purpose in life.

End Darling Boy by Evil Willow