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~Part: 6~
William and Liam each had dreams during the two previous nights, flashes of places and people. None were violent. Tonight – after they had kissed, twice –their dreams were very different. Frightful images catapulted through their dreams, assaulting their minds. Each of them woke several times trembling and horrified.
Liam gave up sleeping around five a.m. He was physically and emotionally exhausted from the brutal visions. He got up and went into the shower, allowing the water to pummel his body and tried to force the night terrors out of his mind.
He brushed his teeth and dressed – doing both mechanically. He knew the kitchen opened very early and he went downstairs to get a cup of tea. He took the soothing drink out onto the porch. William was already sitting in one of the rocking chairs sipping his tea. The writer opened his eyes when he heard footsteps and the two men stared at each other.
“Bad last night, pet?” William asked unsmiling.
“Yeah.” Liam replied sinking into the rocking chair next to the other man.
William turned his head away from Liam and spoke quietly. “Saw many places in the past – London, Paris, China – but there were images from a place called Sunnydale and Los Angeles that were obviously more recent.”
Liam drew in a breath. “I saw the same places. I think we should go to Sunnydale and Los Angeles to see if we can…if our memories become clearer.”
William didn’t answer; he just rocked in his chair. Liam was unnerved by this silence since the writer always talked – a lot. Finally, William answered. “Think you’re right, pet. May jar everything loose.” He turned to look at the artist. “Might not be happy with what we learn, though.”
Liam reached out and placed his hand on William’s arm. “The dreams are tormenting us; interfering in our lives. If we can find answers – no matter what they are we’ll deal. I can’t…I have to know, Will.”
William nodded and they stood up. As they turned to go inside, William grabbed Liam’s arm. “I want to go to that cliff again. See everything in daylight.”
Liam swallowed, fighting the passion that coursed through him; that made him desperately want to be with this man. Controlling his emotions, he nodded and the two men walked quietly to Inspiration Point. They stood together silently memorizing the beauty surrounding them – the white-foamed surf that pummeled the jagged black rocks and then rolled gently onto the brilliant white sand; the enormous palm trees that swayed high above them, their fronds a protective canopy over the path throughout the park. Finally William turned to face Liam. He drew the artist’s face down to his and kissed him softly but with passion. He broke the kiss and rested his head against the larger man’s chest. Liam brushed the top of William’s head with his lips and they held each other in the early morning light, seeking a small measure of peace.
After a while they went back to the hotel and packed. As they checked out, William asked the woman behind the desk if she knew exactly where Sunnydale was. She looked at them strangely. “Sunnydale is gone.”
“Gone?” They said in unison.
“Yes. A few years ago there was a huge earthquake and the ground split open and the entire town fell in. It was all over the news.” She said still staring at them.
William recovered first. “Oh….we’ve been in…New Zealand for a few years. Didn’t hear about it.”
“Did you know someone there?” She asked a bit worriedly.
“Um…no…just heard about it from a friend.” William answered.
“Well, apparently there was enough warning – the town was evacuated in time.”
“Oh, well that’s good. Thanks.” William looked at Liam, who had said nothing. He turned back to the woman. “Could we leave our bags here for a little while?”
“Of course.”
The two men walked outside and strode quickly toward the beach. They found a bench beside the boardwalk and sat down.
“Told you we knew each other in the past, pet. We were both in Sunnydale.” William smirked trying to lessen the tension. “Probably both liked that same little blonde girl we keep seein’ in our dreams.”
Liam didn’t respond; he just stared out into the sea. William reached for Liam’s hand and gently rubbed his fingers over it. Liam shivered with desire as William caressed his hand. He looked down at the writer’s slender fingers and then looked up into William’s brilliant blue eyes.
William’s breath hitched as he saw the beauty and sadness on Liam’s face. He squeezed the artist’s hand tightly and pasted on a smile. “Look, I’ll call Joss. Ask him to recommend a hotel in L.A. and we’ll explore. We know that L.A. didn’t disappear.”
He quirked his eyebrow and grinned at the somber young man next to him. Liam stared at him intently and then his lips twitched and he squeezed William’s hand. “You are amazing, Will. You…you can see a good side in everything.” He saw a flicker in the writer’s eyes. “What?”
“You called me Will…again.”
“Oh. I’m…” Liam began, but William interrupted. “It’s OK, pet. It’s what my good friends call me. It’s just…never mind.”
Liam looked at William trying to understand what the writer wanted to say. William just smiled and reached into his pocket for his cell phone and wallet. He found the card the director had given him and dialed. He left a message and hung up. A few minutes later the phone rang. “Joss, William Tennyson. Have a nice holiday? Yeah, been away for a few days. Listen, I want to visit L.A. Can you recommend a hotel?”
William listened for a few minutes and then replied. “OK. That’s great. Liam and I have met up. You know, the artist that did those brilliant sketches.” He looked over at Liam and winked. “Yeah, he’s coming with me.” He paused to listen again his brow furrowing. “Yeah, um, ruptured romances. OK. We’ll go there. See you tonight. Thanks.”
He hung up and quickly pulled out a small notebook and pen and wrote for a few minutes. He looked up and smiled hesitantly at Liam. “Joss said that The Inn at 657 was downtown. It…it only has two bedroom suites…if…if that’s OK with you?”
For a long moment, Liam said nothing and William held his breath. Finally the other man nodded. “That’s good. We can split it. Less expensive than two rooms in pricey L.A.” He grinned slightly. “I’m not a best-selling novelist like you are, although…”
“Although what?” William asked.
Liam’s grin grew broader. “The gallery sold all ten of my paintings over Christmas.”
William’s eyes widened. “That’s bloody brilliant, Liam! Said you had a gift didn’t I?” He smirked. “Guess it’s a good thing I bought one when I did. Pretty soon they’ll be too expensive for a poor scribbler like me.”
“Oh right. They’re making a movie out of your book!”
William threw up his hands and laughed. “Ok. Ok. We’re both doing well. Let’s get a cab to take us into the city where we can spend a lot of our new-found dosh!”
William called the hotel in L.A. and booked a two-bedroom suite. They walked back to the bed and breakfast to pick up their bags. The desk clerk called a cab for them. On the way into L.A. William revealed the rest of his conversation with Joss Whedon. “He invited us to his house for dinner. Afterwards he’s having a few people over to read Shakespeare.”
Liam raised his eyebrows. “Shakespeare?”
William quirked his scarred eyebrow. “Yeah, you know the guy – wrote those plays that you have to study in school.”
Liam tried to look stern but his twitching lips ruined it. “I know who he is. Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth. But…I’m not…I haven’t read him recently. Iambic pentameter isn’t easy.” He stopped speaking in surprise.
William grinned at him. “Hmmm. Iambic pentameter huh? You’re smarter than you look, yeah?”
Liam laughed and punched William’s arm.
They arrived at their hotel and checked in. It was perfect. The suite had a private entrance and a kitchenette. Large French doors in the back of the living room opened into a small half-walled garden.
“We’ve got time before we have to be at Joss’. You up for some touristy stuff?” William asked. “Only could we save the art museums till later?”
Liam laughed, as he remembered how he had dragged William through several museums in Santa Monica. “Where do you want to go first?”
William pulled a guidebook out of his pocket. “I read about a planetarium up in the hills…Griffith Observatory.” He stopped speaking at the look on Liam’s face. “Liam?”
The other man shook his head. “That name sounded familiar for some reason, although I don’t remember it from any of my dreams. Never mind, let’s go.”
“Let’s call a car service. We’re gonna be searching the city for a few days. We won’t have to keep calling for cabs.”
Liam agreed and William called the front desk and asked ask if the clerk knew of a reputable car service company. The desk clerk did and when they returned to, a uniformed driver waited for them. He introduced himself and told them he would be their driver for the afternoon and evening. Another driver would take an early morning shift if they needed. They told him where they wanted to go and got into the limousine. William felt Liam tense and he looked at him quizzically.
Liam smiled shyly. “I’m not really comfortable in a limo. Always seemed so ostentatious. Norah’s family always rode in them.”
“Yeah. I know. But I think this way is less of a hassle.”
They watched scenes of Los Angeles go by and talked quietly. When the car began to climb up to Mount Hollywood, Liam tensed. “I…I know this place.” He closed his eyes. “I don’t know how, but I’ve been here before.”
“Good. We’re trying to find out things about our pasts right?” William said gently reaching out to touch Liam’s arm.
The car parked outside the observatory and the two men got out. Liam paled. “The world’s gonna end.”
“What? Liam?” William asked worriedly as he watched his friend’s face.
The artist walked to the edge of the cliff and looked out over the city. He closed his eyes and began to tremble. “I was here. In the…the past…a girl…she stole money…in the hotel…the Hyperion. I hid the money in the basement …something…” He shook his head and opened his eyes to see William’s concerned face. He attempted a smile. “Well, you were right. Coming here is jarring memories loose. We have to find the Hyperion Hotel. There’s something else about the hotel.”
“Ok Liam. We’ll find the hotel. How about we stroll around here for a bit? Great views of the city.” William said. Liam agreed and they spent the next two hours wandering through the Hall of Science museum, watching a show in the Planetarium theatre and just gazing at the famous City of Angels sprawling below them.
“We need to be at Joss’ soon. Want to go back and shower and change?” William asked the stubborn quiet artist. Liam just nodded.
Partway down the mountain the artist turned to William. “I’m sorry. I know we want to find out about our pasts. It’s…these vague mind pictures don’t give any concrete answers.”
“I know, pet. It’s going to be unsettling until we can put all the pieces together.”
They arrived at their hotel and asked the driver – George – to come back in two hours. Liam and William went into their separate bathrooms to shower. Liam stood under the almost scalding water; images collided with each other in his mind. The Hyperion Hotel…the beautiful dark-haired woman, the professorial man with the glasses and the tall black man. They were cleaning weapons – axes, swords, knives – and they were laughing with each other. Another scene – he sprawled on a sofa in the lobby and the beautiful blonde woman from his dreams straddled him, ground against him, and rubbed up and down his bare chest. A final scene crashed into the others. He was pushed over a railing and…people hung him with a rope…there was a hideous demon in a cloak…he told the demon to “take ‘em all.”
Liam startled, then shivered. The water was now cold. He wrapped himself in the hotel’s guest robe and got under the covers in his bed. He continued to shake; he couldn’t stop. He knew he had done something horrible, but he wasn’t sure what. He must have fallen asleep because he awoke suddenly. William stood over him.
“Jeez luv. Been calling you for a few minutes. Are you OK? Bad dreams?”
Liam nodded and William sat down next to him on the bed. “About the hotel?” Again the artist only nodded. “We have to leave for Joss’ house in a few minutes.”
“Maybe I should just stay here.” Liam said softly.
“No!” The writer said harshly, frightened by Liam’s stark white face and gnawed, bloodied lips. “Liam. We both have these memories that…that confuse and frighten us. We need to be together; help each other. No one else will understand. I’m not leaving you alone.”
As William spoke, Liam’s eyes widened at the anger in the man’s voice.
William reached out and grasped the artist’s hand tightly. “Sorry luv…look…I just think we should stay together. I think that’s the only way we can figure this all out. We both have strange dreams and horrendous nightmares with people we can’t remember, yeah? Our memories are connected somehow Liam, we know that.”
Liam grinned at him shyly. “You called me luv again.”
“Like that do you?” William said as he winked. “Now get dressed. I want to hear you read iambic pentameter.”
“Are you sure it’s all right if I come with you?”
William rolled his eyes. “Yes. I told Joss you and I were together – consoling each other over our broken romances and all. This is L.A. pet – nothing surprises these jaded people.” He wiggled his eyebrows and watched Liam as blushed bright pink. He hurried out of the bedroom and willed down the hardening in his groin.
**********
Dinner was nice and non-threatening. There were six other guests -three young women and three young men. Joss’ wife and son were away for a few days. They talked about books, films, art, the lack of quality television shows, California, New York – general friendly conversation. After the meal they went into the living room. Joss handed around paperback copies of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
“There is a large cast in this play so it’s perfect for tonight.” The director said. He gave out parts. Liam asked for a minor role, so he read Puck. William played Oberon. They drank a great deal of wine and everyone made mistakes, but all in all Liam was impressed with the professionalism and friendliness of Joss and the other participants.
George was waiting outside for them. “Where to now, gentlemen?”
Liam spoke up. “Do you know a hotel called the Hyperion?”
The man didn’t answer for a minute. “Old hotel. Damaged a few years ago in an earthquake?”
“Could you drive us there?” Liam asked. George looked at him for a moment in the rearview mirror and agreed.
William whispered. “You’re not too tired? You want to do this now?”
Liam looked at his friend. “You don’t?”
William sighed. “I do…I want to know Liam…but…” He reached for Liam and grabbed his wrist, tracing his fingers over the back of the other man’s hand. “I don’t really want to learn anything bad right now. I want to enjoy touring the city with you.”
Liam reached for the writer’s hand. “I know. But…I have to…Will…we can’t…I have to know what kind of person I was.”
William squeezed the hand that he held and leaned in to touch his friend’s face with the other. “I know what kind of person you are now Liam.”
“Here it is, gentlemen.” George’s voice startled the two men.
“Long story, but we were here a long time ago…” William let the sentence hang. The driver nodded.
William and Liam got out of the car and stared at the partially crumbled structure. They slipped through the wire fence that surrounded the front garden. Liam suddenly stopped. His face paled and his body trembled as a flood of images bled into his mind. Huge bug-like creatures filled the courtyard … Men with horribly deformed faces ran through the garden and crashed through the doors of the hotel… A different dark haired woman - breathtakingly beautiful – glared. She had a crossbow pointing at him as he strangled the man with the wire-rimmed spectacles. Them he…he jumped over the wall!
“Liam?’
An alley… Pouring rain … He was holding the dark-haired woman tightly and she sobbed. That scene melted into another alley in the rain. He held the hand of the…the blonde woman … She lay on the ground …and stabbed herself with a piece of wood…she disappeared into dust …A tiny baby lay crying where she had been …He carried the baby…An angry man dressed in old-fashioned clothes pointed a crossbow at him…but let him walk past…Thunder… Lightning… An alley next to the hotel… He was with William and the black man from his other dreams and a strangely beautiful blue woman in an armored leotard…they were all were bleeding. A dragon flew and shrieked above them…Hordes of horrific creatures raced toward them as they brandished swords and the rain poured coldly down on them…There was a huge flash of lightning and then darkness. Liam moaned and stumbled.
William caught him. “Liam?”
The artist turned and stared at William as if seeing him for the first time. “The alley…Answers in the alley.” He mumbled and staggered away from the writer, out of the hotel courtyard and into the alley next to the building.
George was standing outside of the large car. “Everything all right?”
William nodded. “George…I think…this is going to take a while. My friend…amnesia…go…I’ll call.” He turned to follow his friend.
“Mr. Tennyson.”
William turned back around. The driver handed him a card. “This is my private cell phone. Call when you’re ready. I’ll come.”
William offered a sad smile and marveled at the often incredible kindness of strangers. He hurried to find Liam. Lightning lit the alley. He found where Liam had crawled through the torn fencing and stood in the middle of the alley. It started to rain. Suddenly, frightful images flashed in William’s mind and his body trembled. Rain…Lightning…He was with Liam, a black man, and a strangely blue woman wearing a leather jumpsuit. All of them had swords…Demons…More horrible than he had ever imagined attacked them. They fought…the black man fell. A dragon swooped out of the sky and bit the woman into two pieces…Silence…Lightning…Darkness.
Liam turned around and the two men stared at each other, tears streamed down their faces as their bodies shook. “We were here William. You and I and…”
“A black man and a blue woman.” William interrupted. “There was a battle with demons, a dragon….”
“The dragon bit the woman…Illyria. Her name was Illyria.” Liam answered.
“Gunn. The black man’s name was Gunn. He died. Someone else?” William responded.
“Wesley. Wesley died. Not here. I sent him…he died …Oh God!” Liam collapsed onto his knees and held his head in his hands.
William walked to him and knelt next to him. He wrapped his arms around Liam and the artist held onto him tightly as the rain poured down.
~Part: 7~
William released Liam and looked at his friend’s tear-streaked face. His eyes were blank and his body shuddered violently. Although his own grisly images shocked him, Liam was clearly devastated. William stood up, pulling the almost catatonic man with him.
He gently touched Liam’s face but the man didn’t respond. “Liam…luv…we need to get out of the rain, yeah?”
Liam blinked and William gasped at the terror he saw in the deep brown eyes. He blinked again and stared at William mumbling. “Hotel…we have to go into the hotel.”
He jerked away from William and stumbled out of the alley. William hurried after him, jumping over large chunks of concrete, avoiding sharp twisted metal. Liam was standing at the door of the hotel. William drew close to him and placed a hand on his arm.
“Liam…the building is damaged. It isn’t safe.”
Liam turned to look at him, the pain visible in his eyes. “I…was happy here.” He paused and swallowed. His voice quivered. “I…I…I was evil here.”
He pulled open the door and walked inside. William followed, looking at the cracked walls in trepidation. Liam walked down the few steps into the lobby and stopped. His sad eyes swept the room. Even in the darkness he could see the destruction. The furniture was ripped apart. The front counter was broken in half. Shards of glass glittered on the floor.
Liam shook as more flashes invaded his traumatized mind. Gunn…Wesley…Cordelia…Illyria – no - Fred…a bright green creature with red eyes…Lorne! He closed his eyes and the images became stronger. He held a baby and the others surrounded him. Everyone was smiling. Another flash…a young man dropped from a swirling circle of air and light in the ceiling. He wore animal skins and snarled at …him…called him father. Liam staggered, and William grabbed him.
“Liam…I’ll call George…”
“No!” Liam snarled and ran up the stairs to the second floor.
William was stunned momentarily by the fury on Liam’s face and in his voice. Then he slowly followed his troubled friend upstairs. He looked into crumbling, empty rooms. People squatted here: clothes, food wrappers and drug paraphernalia littered the rooms. Bits of broken furniture and glass covered the floors. A layer of dust from fallen plaster, cracks in the wall, and time, coated everything. Someone sobbed; William rushed toward the sound, worried that Liam had fallen in the debris and been hurt.
Liam stood in the middle of a large bedroom. He spoke softly, his voice tremulous. “I had a son…Connor…a man…took my son into a swirling light…it disappeared. When Connor came back…he was a young man. He…he hated me. He…locked me in a box…a coffin…and dropped me into the ocean.” Liam turned to look at William and the writer’s heart broke when he saw the anguish on his friend’s face. Liam pulled at his hair and William noticed cuts and blood on his hands.
Liam turned away again. “He hated me…Cordelia…Cordelia slept with him…Jasmine…Oh God!” The artist stumbled and William rushed to him. Liam shoved him away and growled. “I was…they…locked me in a cage…they were afraid…I…I…was evil…I wanted to kill them all.” He collapsed and William caught him. This time Liam didn’t push him away.
“Come on luv. Lie down. You’re wet and cold.” He looked down at Liam’s large hands. “You’ve hurt yourself. ” William led the trembling man to the large bed and pushed him down onto the bare mattress. Liam sat staring at nothing, saying nothing. He shuddered, with a vacant look in his eyes. William scanned the room. “Stay here luv. I’ll find some blankets.”
William rushed into a large closet. Amazingly, several blankets lay folded on the top shelf next to a large pillow. He took them down and shook them, sending out clouds of dust. He hurried back to Liam, who had not moved. William spread a blanket on one side of the mattress and laid the pillow on top. He walked around, pulled Liam up, and quickly covered the rest of the bed. He pushed Liam down and knelt to take off his shoes and socks.
“We’ll rest a bit luv. Building seems stable enough.”
As he spoke, he grabbed the pillow and put it behind Liam. He gently pushed the artist back and raised his legs up onto the bed. His wet clothes clung to his shivering body.
“Liam. I’ll help you take off your clothes. You need to get warm.”
Liam didn’t respond; he just stared at the ceiling. William undid his shirt and took it off. He loosened Liam’s trousers and pulled them off. As he drew the blanket over his friend, his hand brushed Liam’s boxers. They were wet. Liam was still shaking. William swallowed and pulled off the boxers. He quickly covered him with the second blanket. Although Liam’s eyes were closed, tears glistened on his cheeks.
William searched the drawers in a dresser in the room but they were empty. He walked toward a closed door next to the closet. He pushed it open. Automatically, he reached for the light switch and was surprised when it flickered on. It was a large bathroom. Like the bedroom, it was less trashed than the other rooms he’d passed. Someone lived here. Broken tiles covered the floor beneath cracks that had splintered the walls. He opened the cabinet under the sink. Bottles had toppled over – shampoo, alcohol, mouthwash – next to a few wrapped bars of soap. He looked further in. Towels were folded neatly in the back. He took out the towels, soap and alcohol and set them on the countertop.
He turned to go back into the room and noticed a large canvas duffel lodged between the tub and the open door. He picked up the bag, placed it next to the sink and unzipped it. His eyes widened in surprise. Baby clothes. Diapers. Powder and baby lotion. Women’s underwear and a makeup case. He wondered briefly why a woman would leave the bag, but his concern for Liam quickly pushed the thoughts away. He rummaged in the bottom, found Band-Aids, sexual lubricant and several unopened condom packets. He took out the bandages and put everything else back into the bag. Gathering the towels and alcohol, he walked back into the bedroom. Liam lay as he left him; his eyes closed. He had brought his hands from under the blanket and they lay clenched at his sides. William knelt by the bed.
“Liam, pet. You’ve hurt your hands. Gotta clean and bandage the cuts.”
Liam made no response. William dripped alcohol on the edge of a towel and reached for one of his friend’s hands. He pried open the fingers and swabbed the cuts with alcohol; one of the wounds was very deep. Liam hissed and opened his eyes.
“Sorry, luv. I know it stings. Don’t want the cuts to get infected. Have to take care of those artist’s hands.” William smiled. Liam stared at him for a long moment, his eyes moist and full of pain. William’s breath hitched. Liam’s eyes fluttered closed.
William patted the palm dry and placed several bandages on the deep cut and squeezed it closed. Liam hissed again. William got up from his knees and then sat on the side of the bed. When he reached over Liam’s body for the other hand he felt the injured man tense. Tears sprang to William’s eyes as he realized that his friend was afraid of him.
As William dressed the wounds on the other hand, Liam began to shiver uncontrollably. William stood for a long moment and then decided. He walked to the other side of the bed and removed his clothes. He worried that Liam would go into shock, and he knew his body heat would warm him. William trembled, not with cold, with fear. He had never lain naked next to a man. Suddenly he had an image flash before him: he was lying naked in a huge bed. A naked man leaned up next to him and tenderly caressed his body; he nuzzled his neck, his long hair fell onto William’s chest. The man lifted his face. It was the man he saw in his dreams. It was Liam!
William started. Is this my desire? Do I want…? Liam moaned and thrashed his head back and forth. William pushed away his confusion and fear. He climbed into the bed and wrapped his arms around the trembling man. Liam tensed and William tenderly rubbed his hand up and down his friend’s arm.
“Liam, I won’t hurt you, luv. Let me hold you. Get you warm.”
Liam’s body relaxed slightly and William gently caressed the side of the beautiful face of the man that filled his mind with frightening thoughts of passion and of…love.
His concern for Liam overshadowed his own savage images. When he closed his eyes, they came rushing back. He was naked…tied to a bedpost…Liam was thrashing him…his body was bleeding…He saw brilliant light and felt horrific pain. Suddenly he was standing in the middle of a desk! Liam glared at him; his arms crossed, his face furious. Others stood around the room. He remembered who they were! Gunn…the small woman…Fred…the man with the glasses…Wesley…and a…a green man…horns…Lorne! The image shifted…he was in a basement…A man was holding him in front of black swirling opening smelling of…sulphur…Hell… Pavayne…Hell was reaching for him!
He opened his eyes to escape the kaleidoscope of disturbing images. Liam no longer trembled, but tears still slid from beneath his dark lashes. He held William tightly against his body. Exhausted physically and emotionally from the confusing images and conflicting memories, they fell into a fitful sleep, clutching each other as nightmares marched in their dreams.
*************************
Moonlight streamed into the dark room; the two entwined bodies were bathed in an unearthly light. Caught between sleep and wakefulness, both men dreamt of times past.
William woke first. Slightly disoriented and painfully hardened by the erotic images of Liam and him that invaded his dreams, it took him a few minutes to remember where he was. Once he was fully awake, he realized Liam’s muscular arms held him tightly. His back was pressed up against the larger man’s chest and his ass rested against his powerful thighs. William tensed and his stiffened cock twitched when he realized that Liam’s erection lay in the crevice of his ass cheeks. He was startled by the heat and desire that coursed through his body at the intimate contact. He tried to move, but the arms tightened around him, as if he were a lifeline that kept the man tethered safely in his turbulent world. He tried again to move. A whimper and a moan escaped from the body behind him.
William brought his hand up and gently stroked one of the arms that embraced him with his fingers. As he continued the soothing motion, he felt both of Liam’s arms relax and loosen their hold on his body enough so that he was able to move.
He turned onto his other side and moved back a bit; Liam’s arm now rested lightly on his waist. He stared at the man’s face, handsome even in turmoil. Liam relaxed slightly and a contented sigh escaped from his soft full lips. A slight smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he continued to sleep. William sighed in relief. It appeared that the brutal nightmares had left his friend’s mind and he now dreamed of more pleasant things.
William contemplated escape now that Liam seemed more tranquil, but he lay there, mesmerized by Liam’s ruggedly beautiful face. He wondered how much longer Liam would sleep. Slowly the larger man pulled him closer. Liam cuddled William’s smaller body like a child who craved the closeness and security of a parent’s embrace – except for the erection that now rubbed up against his own when Liam pulled him even closer.
Liam’s body stilled and William watched him as he continued to sleep. He was content to remain close. He listened to the man’s even breathing and ignored the tremors of passion that resonated within his own body. It took all of his willpower not to reach out and trace his fingers along the planes of Liam’s face. Instead, he lay quiet and memorized the contours of Liam’s face. He imagined the sensual power of the brown eyes that were hidden from him and wondered what peaceful dreams made him smile in his sleep.
Just as William was about to doze off, Liam shifted. The movement pushed William onto his back, and the larger man now covered him like a warm heavy blanket. Liam’s head nestled in the crook of William’s neck. William tingled with goose bumps as soft puffs of Liam’s breath caressed his skin. He moved his legs a bit and Liam’s lower body settled between his spread legs. He was surprised at how well their bodies fit together.
As if they had a mind of their own, William’s hands skimmed up and down Liam’s spine, barely touching the warm skin. He paused when he felt Liam move again and hoped that he wasn’t waking. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that Liam was still asleep. The larger man had just resituated himself and slid down a little, so that now his head rested on William’s chest. A moist tongue laved his nipple, and William felt his heart beat faster. He closed his eyes and moaned softly at the sensation, as he continued to feather his fingers along Liam’s muscular back.
Lost in the quiet pleasure that the sleeping man wreaked on his body, William’s eyes flew open when he felt Liam’s body rock against his own. Both of their cocks were uncomfortably hard. William groaned as they rubbed together. He knew he should pull away, but he didn’t want the sensations to stop. He’d hate himself later; now he wanted to drown in the intense arousal. He began to pant as Liam continued to move against his body. William’s hips rose automatically and he pressed his groin into Liam’s. He couldn’t believe he was allowing this to happen, but he had no will to stop it. It felt so natural, so right.
He sucked in his breath as Liam moaned and lowered his mouth to William’s slender neck, where he licked and nipped the sensitive column. He turned his head slightly to the side and gave the sleeping man better access. Suddenly an image flashed in his mind. He was in a dark alley, upset about something when a man stepped out of the shadows and asked kindly if he needed help. It was Liam - but the Liam he saw in his dreams, with longer hair and dressed…dressed like the men in Liam’s sketches! The larger man walked closer, murmured soft words and disarmed him. Liam took the distraught young man – him - into his arms and gently pushed his head to the side; exposing his neck. He kissed along his ear and ran his tongue down the slender column of his neck, much like Liam was doing now. He felt something sharp pierce his neck as the man in his vision bit down and he cried out at the scene playing out in his mind.
Suddenly he realized the events in the dream were reoccurring in reality. William shuddered and arched as Liam bit his neck and began to suck while his hand reached down and caressed William’s balls. “Oh God! Angelus,” he murmured.
William was lost in a seductive sea of pleasure. When he felt the momentary loss of contact, he realized that Liam moved. He groaned in protest and the larger man lowered his body onto William’s and began to grind harder and faster against his groin. William’s body trembled. Liam rested his arms on either side of the smaller man’s body. He licked his tongue across William’s lips and nipped along his neck. He kissed along William’s jaw and blew hot puffs of air into his ear. William opened his eyes. Liam stared at him, a slight smile softening the carnal lust darkening his face. Liam sought release and thrust faster against William’s body. William brought his legs up, placed his feet flat on the bed, and thrust his hips up to match Liam’s movements. It seemed that Liam was awake, but William wasn’t certain. He had never seen these intense emotions on the artist’s face. William needed his own relief, so he reached up and gripped Liam’s hips as he continued to lunge against him.
Liam murmured softly, “too long…been way too long William, my boy….” William didn’t catch all that Liam was saying, but he heard the accent – Irish. Confused and overwhelmed with arousal, William pushed all thought aside. Now their bodies moved furiously; they thrust their hips and sought relief. William clenched the blanket and sought purchase as Liam’s thrusts became more frenzied. Even in the throes of desire, William watched Liam’s wantonly beautiful face. His eyes were closed tightly, his brow furrowed and his lips were drawn into a grimace of need. Liam reared back and moaned in ecstasy. When he opened his eyes again, William gasped at the intense hunger that smoldered in the dark brown eyes. Sweat pearled on his flushed face. William watched, riveted as Liam bit his lip and then threw back his head and came calling “Spike” as he shuddered hot sperm onto William’s stomach. When he felt Liam’s release, William lost control. He closed his eyes tightly; his cock spasmed and he screamed, “Angelus.”
Liam briefly dropped on top of William, and then rolled back onto the bed. He pulled William with him. Spent, William snuggled against the larger man, draped his arm across his waist, and rested his head on Liam’s broad chest with a sigh of contentment. Liam dropped a kiss to his head and whispered in the soft Irish brogue, “My boy.” As he wrapped his body seductively around Liam’s, he had a fleeting panicked thought about what just happened and what the repercussions would be in the morning. He pushed everything away. Liam’s arms surrounded him; he felt loved and safe. He fell into a sated, pleasure-induced sleep.
~Part: 8~
Liam woke; relieved he had been able to rest without any of the horrifying visions that previously invaded his mind while he was both asleep and awake. Suddenly he realized what he had dreamt last night – the longhaired man with his face and William – made love. He tried to move, but couldn’t. He felt weight pressed against him and squinted his eyes open. He looked down and saw William sprawled next to him, his arm thrown around his waist. The man’s head rested on his chest. Oh God! The dreams…they…no…Oh God! Liam shoved the man aside and jumped out of bed. He was naked! He watched as William shuddered awake and blinked his eyes in confusion.
“What happened William? Why…?”
William struggled to answer in the face of Liam’s fury. “We were wet…”
Liam’s eyes widened as he suddenly realized what was coating his groin and thighs. “Oh my God…we…we did…”
William interrupted. “Liam, we…we got each other off…that’s all…we…” He stopped when he saw the look of terror on the artist’s face.
Liam looked frantically for his clothes. He found them, still damp, beside the bed. He grabbed them and cast his eyes around the room. He saw the closet and then the partially opened door to the bathroom. He stalked swiftly into the room and slammed the door.
William got out of bed slowly. He hoped that he would awaken first and be slipped out of the bed before Liam awoke. He knew that Liam would be horrified. He wasn’t sure why he wasn’t. He was ever more certain that he and Liam had been close in the past that neither of them could remember. Their brutality toward each other in the nightmares was unsettling, but the tenderness – the feeling of being loved and protected – overwhelmed him. He wanted that tenderness, and it confused him.
William was fine on his own since he awoke from the coma two years ago. Yes, he had friends, but he wasn’t dependent on them for protection. He knew Kat loved him, but the love he felt from the man in his dreams was more powerful and the tenderness… He shook the thoughts away and hurried to dress.
Liam threw open the door as William buttoned his shirt; his eyes were wild.
“Liam…the dreams…I…” William began to speak.
Liam stared at him in for a moment; his beautiful face contorted in fear. Liam ran out of the room, down the stairs and out of the hotel before William recovered from the panic he saw on his friend’s face. William hurriedly put on his socks and shoes and followed. He searched for Liam in the distance, but he was not in sight. William ran; he peered into doorways and alleys for the artist. His worry increased with every step. He ran and ran but the streets were empty. He looked at his watch – it was 2 a.m. – and slowed down to catch his breath.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a sign – Wolfram and Hart and he shivered. He knew this place. He walked past the sign toward a huge building. He stood there and images crashed into his mind. He saw himself in the middle of the desk again as Liam glared at him and the others surrounded him….He sat on a couch with Liam and…a body hung from the ceiling …he was in a lab…with Fred…he fought with Fred…no Illyria…she beat him!…He and Liam stood nose to nose and yelled at each other…Fred lay in a bed…he and Liam…and Gun…Wesley…Lorne and…some other guy stood around her and…and they were worried…Angel…he knew Liam as Angel!
“Sir…sir, are you all right?”
William started at the voice. The security guard spoke to him through the door.
“Yeah…sorry…I…I used to work here.”
“Oh…you were part of that big shake-up huh?” The guard asked kindly.
“Yeah…sorry to bother you.” He replied. The guard stood up and watched and waited for him to leave. William nodded and turned away. He walked back to the hotel slowly; he hoped he could find it again.
*************************
Liam ran and ran. I can’t remember my life before two years ago and now I’m…I’m…Oh God! He stopped to catch his breath. He looked up and saw a sign in front of a huge glass fronted building – Wolfram and Hart. Liam began to shake as images careened through his mind. He worked here…with Gunn and Wesley…Lorne…and Spike…no William…Fred…Illyria. He and William…on a sofa…Spike’s…William’s hair was bleached blonde…radioactive…He and Spike…William… argued face to face about …cavemen…astronauts? He and William on a plane…to Italy…looked for Buffy…the Immortal…a head in a bag…a fight with thugs…a bomb exploded when they opened the bag…suddenly the boy walked in…his son…Connor…but he didn’t remember him. He had other…parents. An ugly creature…hooked to machines wanted Connor to kill someone…Wesley…a light in a box…when he smashed it…memories rushed back…the boy went away…Cordelia…Cordelia came back and…she died! Spike…Spike has William’s face! Why? They flew to…England…to save Fred…Spike…in a cave…coffins hanging everywhere…they couldn’t save Fred! He staggered and caught himself. What are these images? Who was I before? Why is William…is William Spike?
Liam groaned and put his hands up to his head and yanked at his hair, as if trying to pull the bewildering images from his brain. He turned and walked slowly; he paid no attention to his direction.
*************************
William found the hotel. He walked inside and called Liam’s name but only the echo of his voice answered him. As he ran up the stairs, he hoped against hope that Liam had returned. The room was empty. He felt a sense of loss, almost despair, and he sat down on the bed. He hung his head and stared at the floor. He knew Liam could be anywhere in the city and he had no idea where to find him. He lay down and curled around the pillow that Liam had used while he slept. He closed his eyes and inhaled the lingering scent. He fell asleep and disjointed visions crashed through his mind as he dreamed.
He was at a party…other young people were taunting him…about…poetry… he was embarrassed…he ran out of the house crying, and stumbled into an alley. There was Liam again…no not Liam…Angelus…a cemetery…Angelus…Drusilla…Darla. The images kept battering his brain tumbling into each other. Sunnydale…Drusilla was ill…Liam…he tortured Liam…hung him next to…Drusilla…stabbed his hand!
Bits of scenes flowed into other scenes…Scoobies…the little blonde girl…Buffy…he was captured …by military men…tortured…they put something into his head…he was weak…Buffy…fell from a tower…died…he couldn’t save her…she came back…sex…violent sex…he…he…tried to rape her…he went away…Africa…to get something…a soul…trials…in a cave…rocks fell on him…Buffy…he burned…he died…he saved his friends…the world.
The scene changed, he was in L.A. working at…Wolfram & Hart…side by side with Liam…no not Liam…but Angel. They fought constantly…snarking at each other…their friend…Fred died…they couldn’t save her…a hole in the world…He and Li…Angel… a bitter fight in a condemned opera house over some cup…over some prophecy…the Shanshu Prophecy…the alley…the alley next to the hotel…with Liam, Illyria and Gunn…hundreds of demons advancing on them…then quiet, absolute deafening quiet…then nothing.
*************************
Liam ran through the streets of L.A. for hours. He was horrified. He couldn’t get the memory of how he awoke with William out of his mind. He couldn’t stop the flush of desire he felt. Images of sex with William…bathing William…asleep with William…loving William. Unsettled and exhausted, he stopped and sat on a bench. The frenzied thoughts subsided and a strange calm came over him. The images…memories…He wasn’t sure what it all meant, but one thing he knew: he and William were connected to the memories and to each other. They were together in the strange visions of long ago. He didn’t know why he called William, “Spike,” or why he called himself. “Angelus”. He knew that the only way to find the two years he lost was with William.
He stood up and looked around. He wasn’t certain, but he thought he was near the hotel. As he walked, his temporary peace was interrupted by images that continued to drift into his mind…He loved the young girl…Buffy. He helped her fight…demons…he loved her…he had sex with her. He shuddered. He became…Angelus…evil…she stabbed him and he disappeared into a swirling vortex…Hell…torture…horrific torture.
Forcing the tormenting thoughts away, he looked up and realized he again stood in the alley behind the hotel. A harsh pain pierced his head and he saw another vision. He was sitting in a darkened room at a large table, surrounded by others…not human…demons. He signed something, yet when he saw the signature, it wasn’t his name, Liam…he signed “Angel”…in blood…it was something important…he went into a building…Wolfram & Hart…he fought a man…the man held a wooden stick to his chest…the boy…Conner…came to help…the building collapsed and he sent the boy away. He fled into the rain-lashed alley suddenly brightened by shards of lightning. Demons ran toward them…a dragon flew in the air…He had a sword. Spike…William…Gunn and Illyria…they fought…he killed the dragon…silence …darkness. The fog in his mind cleared. He looked up and saw that the sun crept up into the darkened sky.
He squared his shoulders and rose to his feet. As he walked back into the hotel, the strange calm eased back into his tense body. He entered the crumbled building and paused to sit down on the stairs. He replayed his reaction to waking up naked with William in his arms. William told him, with no shame, that they had slept together, and got each other off. He remembered the dream he had last night; he remembered his desire…for William…and the shock that his erotic dream was true. Of course it was a shock. He never thought of being intimate with another man, yet in most of the dreams and the visions that assaulted his mind lately, William was the one constant. They were together…he and William…Spike… being intimate…some were brutal…he was brutal…others were…loving. Maybe he was gay in the life he couldn’t remember. It was…it was more than that. It was all tied to their past. In all the kaleidoscope of confusing visions he had, he was never with another man…just William…Spike. What did that mean?
His head hurt. He and William had to talk…now!!! He got up and slowly made his way upstairs; he hoped William was still there. He walked into the room and saw that William was asleep. He paused next to the bed and watched the rise and fall of William’s chest.
As he stared at the man asleep on the large bed, he wondered what it was about William that attracted him. He was sure it wasn’t only his looks; he’d seen plenty of good-looking men and never looked twice at them. They never stirred him like William had. Not even Brian.
Brian was a fellow street artist he met when he first arrived in San Francisco two years ago. The man took him under his wing and showed him the best places to set up his easel and make the most money. Brian was a beautiful man. He was tall and slender but muscular. His face was chiseled – sharp angles and soft contours – like William’s - and his eyes were deep set and an unusual shade of green. Brian was bi-sexual and both men and women sought him out. Liam knew Brian was attracted to him but he made it clear, kindly, that he wanted friendship, nothing more, and the man accepted his wishes. Brian’s face and expressions inspired Liam to fill an entire sketchbook with drawings of him. When he left the street to go with Patrick, he gave Brian the sketchbook, although he kept several for himself. He hoped to do a portrait to give to this man whose friendship changed his life. Several months ago Brian left for Italy to study. Patrick hooked Brian up with a patron – a wealthy older woman.
Liam thought back: if he were ever going to be attracted to any guy, it would have been Brian - who was sensual as hell. But he wasn’t attracted to Brian, and no man had tempted him; stirred him as William had. He never felt such an intimate, powerful connection with anyone, until he met William. Even Norah had not made him feel like he felt with William.
Liam sat down on the bed. William mumbled and opened his eyes. He quickly sat up and automatically reached for Liam but stopped and put down his hand. “Liam, you came back. I was worried. I couldn’t find you.”
The artist smiled nervously. “I’m sorry. I was…I’ve never had feelings like that. I was…scared. I’m still confused.”
“I know. I am too but…” William stopped.
“But what?”
“Liam, you and I are deeply connected. You are always in my dreams, my…”
“Nightmares.” Liam said softly as he looked away.
William reached out and turned the other man’s face back to him. He traced his fingers down the side of Liam’s cheek. “Luv, you are the kindest, gentlest person I’ve ever met. I don’t know why those images appear, but it isn’t you.”
Liam smiled shyly. “You called me luv.”
William put his arms on the larger man’s shoulders and both men felt the arousal rush into their bodies. William whispered, “You are a luv.”
“Will, I…I don’t feel…lost when I’m with you.”
They stared at each other for one moment and then slowly came toward each other; they brushed their lips together. William brought his hands around Liam’s neck and deepened the kiss; he pressed his body against the other man. Liam enveloped William in his strong arms and gently traced his hands up and down the writer’s back. They stopped and looked intently into each other’s eyes.
“I have never felt this way about a man before.” Liam whispered.
“Nor have I luv.” William answered with a smile.
He lay down and pulled the larger man with him. They faced each other and kissed gently as their hands explored tentatively. William licked Liam’s lips with his tongue and the man trembled and opened his mouth. The writer swept his tongue around the inside of Liam’s mouth and all of their pent-up passion erupted and all thought dissipated as they struggled to undress. Clothes were torn off and tossed away as the two men tried to get closer; their half-erect cocks rubbed against each other. William licked the hollow of Liam’s neck as the larger man lifted him on top of him. He feathered his hands down William’s back. When he reached his ass, he paused for a moment and then began to gently knead the cheeks. William moaned. Liam slipped his tongue inside the smaller man’s mouth; their emotions intensified. Their hips rocked against each other as their tongues thrust in concert with the movement. Hands groped and bodies pulsed impossibly closer. Suddenly William stopped. Liam stilled and stared.
“Liam…I want to feel you…inside of me.”
The artist’s eyes widened and he held his breath, unable to answer for a moment. “Will…”
The writer placed his fingers against Liam’s mouth and attempted a smile, although he failed miserably. “It’s OK, pet. Too much, too soon.”
Liam cupped the side of William’s face. “Will…I have no memory of doing this…with a man. I wouldn’t want to hurt you…we have no…”
“Yes we do.” William interrupted with a wink.
“We do?”
William got up and walked into the bathroom. He came out quickly carrying the tube of lubricant and the lubricated condoms. “They were in that duffel I found. The condoms are unopened.”
William stopped speaking suddenly; he stood still and closed his eyes. When he opened them, Liam gasped at the heated lust glittering in the blue depths. William grinned promiscuously and sauntered toward Liam. He climbed onto the bed and straddled the larger man, grinding his ass on the artist’s dick. He bent over and kissed and licked up Liam’s chest, sucking one nipple into his mouth as he massaged the other into a point. He sat back up and smiled seductively as he opened the condom packet. He rolled the latex slowly over Liam’s already weeping organ as the other man writhed below him. He handed the lubricant to Liam. He licked his lips seductively and lay face down on the bed. Then, he wiggled his ass salaciously. Liam’s dark eyes widened, surprised at William’s unexpectedly provocative behavior. William looked over his shoulder and smirked, speaking in a lower, rougher voice.
“Here luv, slick your feelers and shove them in. Get me ready for your lovely large cock.”
Initially shocked by William’s alluring behavior, an old feeling swept swiftly through Liam’s body. Fiery passion raged within him and he became the sexual predator. He laid down the tube and moved to the end of the bed. He kissed up William’s legs, licked his ass cheeks and tongued the cleft. He kissed up his back; all the while he ground his groin harder into William’s ass. Liam thrust his tongue into the younger man’s ear and blew in soft puffs of air as William groaned beneath him. His tongue found a tiny sensitive scar on William’s neck and he whispered.
“Ah, my wanton William…are ye waitin’ for me?”
William turned his head around and drew in a breath at the expression on Liam’s face. “Angelus?”
“Aye, boyo.” Angelus opened the tube, coated William’s entrance and thrust two fingers deep inside. William arched his ass as Angelus scraped his prostate.
“Ye want me, Will?”
“Yes, yes, God Angelus, please.” William moaned.
Angelus knelt behind William. He drew the smaller man up till he was on his hands and knees, his arms and head lowered onto the bed. He leaned over and thrust inside William in one deep movement. William howled and tears fell down his face. Angelus thrust repeatedly deep inside William, so that he hit William’s prostate every time. William’s howls changed to moans of ecstasy. He wanted the thrusts to go deeper, so he pushed himself back against the larger man. Angelus bent his body over William’s back and sucked on the side of the smaller man’s neck. Suddenly William screamed as Angelus bit down on a sensitive scar on his neck.
“Angelus…oh God…oh God.” William called out as he came.
Angelus trembled and released deep inside William. “Will…ah Will…I’ve missed ye,” he whispered.
William collapsed onto the bed and the larger man’s cock slipped out. Angelus lay down on the bed and rolled William over, wrapping him in his strong arms. The smaller man sighed and clung tightly to Angelus. He rested his head on the powerful chest and fell asleep immediately as Angelus gently stroked his back until he too, fell asleep.
~Part: 9~
As the men slept entangled together in each other’s arms, the rain and wind raged outside of the hotel. Lightning split the sky but Liam and William slept on – dreamless.
Suddenly the air in the bedroom pulsed and a spectral figure shimmered into sight. The air quivered and collapsed around the ghostly shape as the being shuddered into solid form. A man stood at the foot of the bed staring at the peacefully sleeping humans. He hated what he had to do to the man that he had called a friend for many years.
“Angel,” he whispered and waited. When the man didn’t stir he repeated, “Angel.”
Liam shivered. He had heard a voice in his head; a voice he recognized. He opened his eyes and rubbed them into focus. When he glanced to the end of the bed, he stiffened and blinked.
“Angel.” The man said again.
Liam sat up abruptly, loosening his arms from William. The younger man groaned as he fell away from the warm body that had held him. He opened his eyes and stared at Liam. He sat up suddenly, stunned by the shock on his lover’s face. He reached out to touch Liam and cringed at the rigidity of his body. William turned his head to see what had frightened him and his mouth fell open in surprise.
“Wesley?” Liam asked quietly as kinetic images crowded his sleep-fogged brain. Wesley… sitting with books piled around him…determined…planning the attack in Pylea…Wesley…his betrayal…”the father will kill the son…stealing…his baby son. Liam trembled as he remembered trying to smother the man in his hospital bed after Holtz took Connor to Quo’torth. Wesley rescuing him from his watery prison…loving Fred and losing her…trying to help Illyria adjust to the world…Wesley saying goodbye silently before he went off to…to die.
William watched helplessly as Liam’s body shook and tears spilled from his eyes.
“Wesley?” Liam whispered.
“Yes, Angel.” The man replied.
“It’s Liam, mate.” Spike growled as he clutched Liam’s arm.
“No, Spike. It’s Angel.” Wesley responded.
“It’s William, you ponce,” he snarled. Visions crashed into his soporific psyche and he shook his head to clear his mind…Wesley…in his office, surrounded by books…a soft-spoken man of quiet strength…devastated when Fred died…following Illyria as she leaked her energy throughout the building…Wesley allowing him to help track her.
“Percy?” Spike asked, cocking his head in confusion.
The man smiled at William. “Yes, Spike, you called me Percy.”
“What…you died…who?” William sputtered.
“I’ve been sent…”
William looked over at Liam and saw that he was unable to speak. “By whom…for what? You’re sending these visions?” William asked harshly as he gently placed his hand on Liam’s arm.
“You both awoke in hospital two years ago with no memory of who you were.” He went on when neither of the men responded. “Angel, you put on your Claddagh ring and the images began. Spike, you tried on your torn leather coat and saw visions of things you didn’t understand.”
William and Liam stared at the man silently, their bodies rigid, their hands entwined.
Wesley continued. “Once you met each other, the images intensified; glimpses of your past lives that you did not remember. You, Angel, were a 250-year-old vampire, cursed with a soul. You became a champion of the Powers that Be, seeking atonement for years of vicious murder and mayhem. You, Spike, were a 140 year old vampire who sought a soul because you loved the slayer and wanted to help her battle the forces of darkness.”
“Vampires?” William squeaked and Wesley nodded.
“You, Angel, made a deal with the devil to save your son and came to work at Wolfram and Hart. Spike saved the world in Sunnydale and the Senior Partners plucked him from death and brought him under their aegis, hoping to manipulate both of you into the side of evil.”
“Didn’t work, did it?” William smirked.
Wesley smiled again. “No, Spike, it didn’t. You battled the Senior Partners and their minions. When you killed the dragon, Angel, one of the most powerful Senior Partners was destroyed. The battle ended. The hordes retreated. You both shanshued.”
“Shanshued?” Liam and William spoke in unison as their eyes widened in shock.
William closed his eyes momentarily and his brutal battle with Liam in the crumbling theatre crashed into view. He saw the golden cup…Mountain Dew. He snorted. “Shanshu…that prophecy…that fake prophecy…with the fake cup?”
“The prophecy is real. The cup was misdirection created by Lindsey and Eve. He wanted you to kill each other…or at least Spike to kill Angel. He thought only Angel could shanshu.” Wesley responded.
“Wait…both of us were to become human?” William asked trying to comprehend what the man standing at the end of the bed was saying.
“When you willingly sacrificed yourself in Sunnydale, the shanshu became your destiny too. There was concern when Angel made his deal with Wolfram & Hart, that he would be corrupted and lost and would never achieve shanshu.”
“Those PTBs don’t know him at all do they?” William growled. “Hedging their bets with me, yeah?”
Wesley nodded at the frenetic younger ex-vampire who refused to be intimidated. “Angel was not corrupted, although he wavered precariously because of Connor. He managed to work for good even in the ‘belly of the beast’ as you said, Spike but the Powers thought he needed help – you –to keep him…”
“You sodding ponce! He didn’t need me to keep him from falling into darkness. The PTBs better get their crystal ball cleaned. He’s been working for good for a long time, even before they…they sent Doyle.” William interrupted.
Liam turned to look at William, a sad smile on his beautiful face. He lifted William’s hand and placed a kiss in the palm. The younger man returned the smile and touched Liam’s face.
“Ahem.” Wesley said and both of the men turned back to look at him. “This is the problem. You were never meant to see each other again.”
“Why? The battle’s over. We’re human.” William answered.
Wesley sighed. “Becoming human was your reward for your self-sacrifices, your strength in the countless conflicts against evil but…” He stopped speaking and William and Liam waited expectantly.
“You were to remain apart – forever. That is the price of the gift of your humanity.”
“Price? Bugger that. All of the battles were a price. My death was a price. The loss of Liam’s son was a price. The death of all of our friends, including you was a price! Haven’t we paid enough? How much more must we pay?” William demanded.
Finally Liam spoke, quietly but with a voice of steel as memories became clearer. “I read the prophecy in one of Wolfram & Hart’s books – the books that can reveal anything. It said that the vampire with a soul becomes human as a reward for all of the battles against the powers of darkness. It didn’t say there was any other price.”
Wesley looked at his old friend sadly. “The prophecy was written and altered over 4,000 years. The exact wording…the text wasn’t…it would have been fine if you hadn’t met again. We don’t know how this happened. How you came together.”
“Fate.” William hissed. “So the PTBs aren’t the only powers that be, yeah?”
Wesley grimaced. “Human beings always have free will. But no one expected you to…connect. The powers expected your anger and hatred of each other in your past would…would keep you away from each other.”
“So we met…so what? What’s the sodding big deal?” William asked.
“There is a caveat to the shanshu.”
“A loophole.” Liam spoke, his fury resonating in his voice.
“Yes…”
“Buggering hell!. What is the sodding loophole?” William shouted.
“Sex. Love.” Liam whispered.
Wesley nodded. “If you had remained just friends, artist and writer, it would not have been perfect, but it would have been accepted. You…you cannot be…”
“Lovers?” Liam asked sardonically.
“You can never be that way together…”
William interrupted. “Already have been, ponce.”
“That’s why I’m here. You cannot remain human if you…if you stay together.”
“Why? There was no mention of anything like that in the prophecy.” Liam asked quietly.
“Because it was not expected. No one thought you’d be together like this. If you choose to remain…together…you will lose your humanity. You will become vampires again.” Wesley answered.
“Will we have souls?” Liam asked.
“Yes. But you will no longer… you won’t be protected by the Powers…”
William jumped up from the bed and stalked to Wesley who backed up several steps at the naked vampire’s approach. “Protected? Protected?” He shouted. “When the bloody hell were we ever protected? Didn’t see the powers in Sunnydale when I was fighting the First! Didn’t see them in that alley when we defeated the Senior Partners!”
“They…they…”
William interrupted again, his anger a living thing. “Yeah, Percy…even you know they never protected either one of us. Sent us on impossible missions…destroyed our friends. Protection. Fucking hell – NO!”
Liam stood and stalked next to William, his eyes blazing, his mouth twisted in a snarl. “And they’re still protecting us…they want us to…to give up…to be alone…unloved…alone.” He staggered as his emotions overpowered him. He couldn’t imagine life without William. He needed William. He loved William.
William caught his friend and glared at Wesley.
The man backed up again, his face a mask of sadness. “I’m sorry…I am truly sorry. I wish…I wish I could…I’m dead Angel…I am just a messenger.” He straightened. “It’s your choice. It is always your choice. You must decide. I will return…tomorrow…I’m sorry.” The air shimmered and Wesley disappeared.
William and Liam stood in silence for a long moment. Suddenly a kaleidoscope of images burst into their minds, colliding quickly into each other. Liam stumbled back and sat on the bed, holding his head in his hands. William moaned and fell against him.
The scenes from his life as Angelus, the vampire, slipped chaotically through his brain. Darla…standing in the alley…she bit him…he clawed out of a grave…a vampire…he killed his little sister…his parents…his village…he was a monster…Drusilla…he drove her crazy…made her a vampire…convent…nuns…their habits ripped, their necks torn and bleeding…William crying in an alley…biting him…reaching for his hand as it thrust up through the dirt…countless victims…their necks bloodied and broken…Holtz…killing his family…Darla abandoning him in a burning barn for Holtz to kill…Yorkshire…a mob…hiding in a mine…Paris…St. Petersburg…Romania…the gypsy girl…Darla throwing him out…his filthy soul…starving…unable to feed…lonely…China…crawling back to Darla…he couldn’t…he couldn’t eat the baby…lost…alone…he was a monster…New York…hiding in sewers…rats…Chicago…Montana…New York…lonely…Whistler…Sunnydale…Buffy…Angelus…breaking her heart…leaving…L.A…Doyle…Cordelia…Wesley…Gunn…Fred…Connor…Holtz…Wolfam & Hart…the amulet…Spike…Illyria…the alley…the dragon.
At the same time, William’s mind was ravaged with flickering images of his life as a human, then as Spike, a vampire. Angelus…biting him as he cried…clawing out…Angelus waiting…Drusilla…loving her…wanting…the mob chasing them…hiding underground…Paris…Rome…hanging in chains…the Immortal…Vienna…the little boys…singing…then screaming, their throats ripped open and bloody…St. Petersburg…blood on the snow…Romania…searching for Angelus…the gypsy camp…Angelus gone…China…the slayer…Angelus…gone again…searching…New York…the slayer…Budapest…the mob…Drusilla ill…Sunnydale…Angelus…Angel…a soul…the slayer…Buffy…helping her kill Angel…abandoned…Sunnydale…the chip…Buffy…loving the slayer…Dawn…Buffy died…came back…hurt…hurt Buffy…Africa…bugs and fire…his soul returned…Sunnydale…the First…the slayers…ubervamps…the amulet…Los Angeles…Angel…the alley…
Both vampires moaned as the visions of their horrific pasts tormented them. When the images finally stopped, Liam and William were clinging to each other, their faces awash with tears, their naked bodies wracked with spasms. Liam pulled away and stood, grabbing a blanket to cover his nakedness. He staggered to a window and looked at the brightening sky; his thoughts in turmoil, his heart pounding.
His heart…it would not beat if…William, still naked, joined Liam. He wrapped his arms around the shaking man before him and rested his chin on the powerful shoulders.
“No more…no more sun.” Liam whispered.
“’S’allright. I get sunburned.” William replied.
Liam turned around to face him and William gasped at the pain, confusion and despair he saw etched on his lover’s beautiful face and in his dark eyes. Liam looked at William; memorizing every line and contour of the face of the man he…he loved…the man he had to give up.
“So…vampires. I like black…I like the night…I write books about vampires.” William said with a grin.
“No!” Liam hissed.
“No? What do you mean, luv?” William put his hands on Liam’s chest. “Liam?”
The larger man twisted out of William’s grasp and stalked away. “It’s Angel, Spike.”
William cringed at Liam’s tone but followed him and put his arms around him again, resting the side of his face against the broad, muscular back. “Angel…Liam…doesn’t matter…”
“It matters,” Liam interrupted, pulling away again.
The smaller man swallowed the panic that threatened to overwhelm him. “Liam.” He stalked over and stood in front of the larger man. He cupped his hand on Liam’s chin and forced the man to look at him. The tears pooling in his lover’s eyes broke his heart. He stepped back, fury coursing through him. “No…you’re not…No!”
“William…Spike…I…I…love you. I won’t…I can’t let you become a…a demon.” Liam whispered.
“Can’t let me? You can’t let me?” He yelled. “You have no say Liam! I’m…what…140 years old. I choose, yeah?”
“Will…” Liam began, his voice breaking.
“No! You…you left…you are not leaving me again…you…we’re weren’t supposed to meet again but we did. The Fates…the Fates allowed it…told those pompous PTBs to bugger off!”
Liam was stunned by William’s angry outburst. “Will…you remember…being a demon was hard…your heart…”
“Bloody hell! So it didn’t beat! It…it still loved…you…Drusilla…Buffy…Dawn…Fred…you. It still hurt!”
The two men stared at each other; their feelings racing across their faces; their still beating hearts splintering.
“You…you don’t…you don’t want me?” William asked in a trembling voice as he lowered his head.
Liam’s heart shattered at the pain he had caused the man he loved. He walked to William and lifted his head, groaning at the tears he saw glittering. He kissed the full lips that quivered and traced his face with his fingers – the scarred eyebrow, the sharp cheekbones, the soft skin.
“God, Will…I want you…more than anything. I just…I can’t ask you to become…a demon.”
“Don’t have to ask.” The writer muttered, reveling in Liam’s caresses.
“Will think…we’ll outlive everyone…people will be afraid of us…they’ll…they could stake us…we can’t…we can’t walk on the beach in sunlight. We can’t go to the pier!” He finished lamely.
William caught his lover’s hand and kissed the palm. “So we’ll go out at night. I almost always wear black and I look better in the dark anyway, makes my eyes glimmer more brightly.” He fluttered his lashes and Liam burst out laughing despite his concern.
William continued speaking. “We’ll have our souls, yeah? We won’t hurt anyone. Our friends…our true friends will still be our friends. Patrick, Torah, Matt, Sam. We’ll make new friends. I know that kid, at the college, Colin, thinks vampires are cool. Joss wrote two shows with vampires as the main characters. I don’t think for one minute that vampires are the only demons in L.A. or New York for that matter.”
He wiggled his eyebrows and yanked off the blanket covering Liam’s naked body. He leered at the man blushing before him. “Eternity, yeah? Eternity to fuck that gorgeous body every day and night? Buggering hell. Sounds perfect to me.”
Liam laughed again, his eyes wide open in wonder at the man before him.
“See…you don’t laugh much…unless I’m with you, ponce. You need me…keep you happy.” He reached out and grabbed Liam, pulling him close. He stretched one hand around, traced the cleft of the larger man’s ass and winked. “Happy and well-fucked!”
Liam laughed again but quickly sobered. “I do…I do need you…but…”
“But nothing. We’ll have an eternity to write and paint. We’ll be rich and famous and rich.” William grinned and then turned serious. “You don’t suppose those sodding PTBs will want us to…to be their champions again do you? Don’t want to fight anymore.” He smirked. “Want to write…and fuck and watch you paint…and fuck…daily…nightly…forever.”
Liam searched William’s smiling face and the brilliant blue eyes that took his breath away. “Are you…are you sure?”
William didn’t answer. He pushed Liam back onto the bed and stared down at the gorgeous body beneath him. His cock immediately twitched to life. Liam’s hardened in answer. William climbed on the bed and knelt above Liam. He licked his lips and bent down. He kissed up Liam’s powerful thighs and brushed his lips over his already weeping cock. He sucked the larger man’s balls into his mouth as Liam moaned above him and reached for him.
William ignored the man’s pleas. His licked the sensitive creases on Liam’s upper thighs and burrowed his face in the dark thatch of curls. He swirled his tongue in Liam’s navel and kissed up his chest, latching on to one hardened nipple. As he sucked one, he tweaked the other. He straddled the man panting below him and leaned down to lick and nip his sensitive neck. Liam thrust up his hips.
“Will…Will…”
He twirled his tongue in Liam’s ear and the other man moaned pitifully. William licked along the creases of Liam’s mouth and then thrust his tongue inside, mapping it for his own. He sat up and stared down at the quivering man totally in his power. Liam opened his eyes and William hissed at the lust and need he saw smoldering in their dark depths.
He licked his lips and reached for the Vaseline on the table. He slicked his fingers and gently massaged Liam’s pucker. The larger man’s eyes widened at the new sensation and his body shivered with need and anticipation. William slipped one finger inside and Liam gasped. He withdrew and then thrust in a second finger and Liam arched off the bed.
“Will…I…”
“I know…I want …I want you to feel how…how good it feels.” William answered as he watched his lover’s face flash with desire and…fear. He held his breath, afraid that Liam would refuse. Angelus had never allowed it. He would never give up control.
Finally Liam nodded, but his body stiffened involuntarily.
“Relax, luv. You know I’d never hurt you, yeah?” William lowered his head to kiss him, licking his lips open again and thrusting inside. He withdrew and kissed along Liam’s jaw and neck. He opened his mouth and began to suck on Liam’s neck and the man moaned his name. William rose and looked down. The larger man stared back; his eyes almost black with desire. He whispered, “Yes.”
William reached for a condom packet on the bedside table. He opened it and quickly slid it on, coating the outside with Vaseline. Liam’s virginal ass would be very tight and he didn’t want his lover’s first experience to be too painful. He covered his fingers with more slick and quickly pushed two fingers inside, thrusting his tongue into the man’s mouth in concert. He withdrew his fingers and added a third shoving them deeper. When he scraped Liam’s prostate, the man howled. He removed his fingers. He swirled his tongue into Liam’s navel, then kissed just above the thatch of curls. He licked the length of Liam’s cock as the man arched and bucked his hips. William grasped Liam’s legs and raised them, bending them until his feet pressed into the bed. He moved up and knelt between his legs. He stared down at Liam, seeing desire and fear. He smiled and leaned in, slowly pushing his cock into Liam’s pucker, watching the other man close his eyes and moan. He continued entering slowly until his dick was fully embedded. He kissed open Liam’s mouth and as he thrust his tongue inside, he pushed deeper into his tight channel, hitting his prostate.
“Oh God! Oh God!” Liam moaned.
William lifted Liam’s leg up further and thrust in deeper again and again. Liam rocked and groaned beneath him; arching his body, begging for more. William stopped moving and the man opened his eyes in silent question. William smiled and lifted both of Liam’s legs up on his shoulders, and then thrust quickly, rubbing his stomach against Liam’s weeping cock, providing friction. The man beneath him cried out, urging him deeper. William forgot gentleness in his own need and pounded into Liam arching, screaming, “Liam,” as his seed erupted. Liam quickly followed into orgasm, calling “William,” as he spurted hot semen on both over both of them. William collapsed on top of Liam and his softened penis slipped out. He lifted up and looked down at Liam’s flushed face.
William smiled. “Good yeah?”
“God, yes. Oh God.”
William rolled off onto his back sated and exhausted. Liam rolled onto his side, lifting himself up on one arm so he could look at the man who had taken him into heights of ecstasy that he had never known.
He blushed and whispered. “Will...?”
William opened his eyes when Liam paused and quirked his eyebrow in question.
Liam blushed again and looked down at William’s chest, unable to look at his face. “Will we…will we do this…”
The writer laughed and lifted Liam’s face. “Will I fuck you into the mattress like this for eternity?”
Liam blushed again although a smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. “Hell yeah, luv and you’ll fuck me.” William stopped speaking suddenly. He swallowed, frowned and sat up, turning his body away from Liam.
“What is it Will?”
“If we’re vampires…Angelus…I remember sex with Angelus…he was always in control. He fucked. I…I was fucked…he never let…”
Liam got off the bed and knelt between William’s legs. He reached for his lover’s chin and lifted his head so he could stare into the depths of the brilliant blue eyes he wanted to see for the rest of his eternal life. “I am not Angelus and you are not Spike. We have been human and we are Liam and William. There is no master; there is no one in control. If there is any control, it is with you. You are…you are brave and daring, unafraid of new experiences. You make me feel desirable…loved. I need that. I want…want to follow you into new challenges.” He lowered his dark eyes and grasped William’s wrist and then stared deeply into the face of the man he adored. “As long as you hold my hand.”
William’s breath hitched and his heart leapt at Liam’s words. He reached for Liam’s hand and caressed the back. He turned it over and kissed the palm and the tips of the artist’s talented fingers. “Always luv, always.”
The two men crawled onto the bed together, exhausted physically and emotionally. They lay together and fell into a dreamless sleep, secure and unafraid.
~Part: 10~
As Wesley shimmered through the ether on his return to earth, he thought about Angel. He had admired the vampire and came to love him as a good friend. He shuddered as he remembered his betrayal, his horrific misinterpretation of the scroll of Aberjian – the father will kill the son fiasco that destroyed their friendship and left both the man and the vampire alone and embittered. Eventually they renewed their friendship, but it was never quite the same and he deeply regretted the loss. But now he could give Angel what he always wanted – humanity. He knew what Angel’s answer would be. After all, what else could it be? Angel had been working toward that goal ever since Wesley had finally determined the translation of the portion of the scroll that said that the vampire with a soul would Shanshu – his final reward for all the good he’d done and for all the lives and souls he’d saved. He had given up so much, even the previous chance of humanity after the blood of the Mora demon made him mortal. Angel had believed that he still needed to atone for all the evil and brutality that he had perpetrated as Angelus. Wesley smiled. He would be the one to give him what he deserved for all of his sacrifices – his humanity – permanently.
Pulling himself out of his reverie, he thought about Spike – something he and no one else in the otherworld had counted on. To say he was surprised at finding them together would be putting it mildly. When Spike has burst into view on the first day at Wolfram and Hart, Angel had been furious. He had refused to help Fred in her efforts to recorporealize Spike, although he didn’t order her to stop trying. The vampires snarked and baited each other constantly. They battled brutally out in the desert over the fake cup of torment that Lindsey at arranged and Spike had defeated the older vampire. Wes reflected. But, when Fred was in danger, it was Spike that Angel took with him to the Deeper Well.
Wes figured that Spike was the wildcard in all this. He was familiar with the blonde vampire’s history as the human William and also as a vicious vampire who learned at the feet of the scourge of Europe, Angelus. Like Angel’s past, the younger vampire’s had been bloody and violent. But this version of the human William was puzzling. He appeared to be a blending of both the sensitive poet, William and Spike, the badass vampire. Spike’s protectiveness of Angel also surprised him. He had always considered Angel the protector.
As he arrived at the hotel and became semi-solid, he saw Angel standing next to the window, staring out into the darkness. Wesley glanced across the room. The human William was casually sitting in a nearby chair; leg slung over one arm, playing with his nails. He looked as bored and disinterested as Spike had in their meetings at Wolfram and Hart.
As neither man took notice of his appearance, he cleared his throat to get their attention. Angel slowly turned from the window, a sad smile on his face. He looked at Wesley, and then briefly glanced at Spike, who turned his head as if he felt Angel’s eyes upon him. The younger vampire smiled sweetly as he stood and walked toward Angel. He stopped and looked up at the older man. The two shared a silent, intimate glance and then Spike took his place by the side of the taller man.
“Hello, Wes.” Angel greeted his old friend.
“Percy.” Spike greeted in kind, but with a slight sneer that was hard to miss. It was obvious that he was still indignant at what they had learned yesterday.
“Angel…Spike…Have you both made your decisions?” The apparition asked almost smugly since he was certain of their answer.
“We have.” Angel responded and Spike nodded in agreement next to him.
“Good. Shall we begin?” Wesley started to speak in a language that neither man recognized.
“Hey there…just a bloody minute!” Spike interrupted. “What the soddin’ hell are you doing?”
Wesley looked at the two men confused. “What am I doing? You know perfectly well what I’m doing. I’m sending you back to New York, to the life you built for yourself there, and Angel is going back to his life in San Francisco. I thought I made it clear yesterday when I explained everything to you. Do we need to go over it again?”
“No.” Both men said in unison.
“You’re making assumptions there, Percy. Don’t you think that it would be polite to ask us for our decision instead of just presupposing you know what the hell is going on? You might be surprised.”
Wesley’s eyes widened. “But I thought it was quite obvious what your decisions would be…you both want to remain human. I mean after all that you two have fought for, all that you have given to the Powers, it’s the least that you deserve.”
“Oh Percy, you are far from right!” Spike moved to advance on the spirit, but Angel grabbed his arm to hold him back.
“Oh…Oh… I see. Well, it’s a good thing you stopped me. Once the spell is cast, there is no turning back.”
“Okay then. That’s better.” Spike glanced at Angel, who smiled down at him and ran his fingers across the back of Spike’s hand.
Unnerved, Wesley swallowed and grimaced. “So, let me make sure that I have this straight.” He stared at the blonde vampire, and spoke, an edge of anger tingeing his words. “Spike, are you saying that you wish to become a souled vampire again?”
“Of course. What did you think that I’d actually want to be human again? Been there, done that, and sold the bleedin’ movie rights!”
The former watcher looked at his old friend, a worried frown creasing his brow. “Angel, you of course, still wish to return to San Francisco?”
“Uh, Wes?”
“Yes, what is it Angel?” Wesley answered impatiently. “My time is limited. We need to get this taken care of now.”
Angel focused on the man who had been his right hand for years; the man he had sent to his death and he answered quietly. “I too wish to remain a souled vampire. I don’t want to be human.”
Wesley gaped. He was surprised and at the moment, speechless – not by Spike’s request, but by Angel’s.
“B…but…what about…” Wesley stammered. He didn’t understand what was going on and he certainly didn’t approve of their decision. “You…you can’t be serious Angel. This is what you wanted for as long as I knew you in Los Angeles. How can you throw away this gift?” He peered at Angel, dismayed and frightened at his friend’s apparent insanity.
“I know Wes, I know. But I’ve thought a lot about it. I haven’t been human for a long time, if you discount these last two years.”
“You seemed to be doing fine Angel. You had a job you loved and a normal life. You were becoming more and more successful with your art. I don’t understand why you would want to go back to being what you were before.” He moved his eyes to the blonde standing next to Angel and could not keep the anger out of his voice. “I’m surprised at your decision also, Spike. I assumed you’d want to take the next plane to Rome.”
Angel visibly tensed and glared at the former watcher. Spike hissed and stepped toward Wesley again. Angel put a hand on his arm.
Wishing he could sit down, Wesley continued, “Angel, I think we need
to talk….alone.”
Angel clasped Spike’s arm a bit tighter. He spoke in a calm, soft,
dangerous voice. “No Wes, we can discuss it with Spike here as it affects
him too. And if you think I’m being swayed by Spike, I’m not. This is solely
my decision. In fact, I tried to dissuade him from turning back.” He looked
down at the shorter man and his mouth twitched. “But you know Spike…he
was adamant.”
Wesley stared at Angel and then looked at Spike. “I just don’t understand your thought process on this, Angel. I thought you didn’t like being a vampire and wanted to lead a normal life.”
“I did at one time, but not any more. Wes, I’ve been a vampire a lot longer than I was a human, even counting these last two years. Besides, if being human means being alone, without Spike, then it’s not a reward to me at all. It’s more like a punishment.”
“But you aren’t alone Angel. What about Patrick? Torah? Besides you can make new friends.”
"Oh come on Wes, knowing what I do now…I don’t think so. Besides I don’t want new friends and I’m confident that Patrick and Torah will accept me no matter what I am. I want Spike in my life. Who knows me better?”
Not sure what to say to Angel, Wesley addressed Spike. “And you…care to explain why you want to go back to being a souled vampire? Like Angel, you deserve to be human for all you’ve given to the cause.”
“It’s pretty much the same reasons as Angel. Besides, I can still write whether I’m human or a vampire considering the genre that I write and Angel can still paint. Might even give us both an interesting edge to our work.”
“I just can’t believe this.”
Spike smirked at the befuddled former watcher, and channeled his inner badass vampire. “Yeah Percy, I’d say that there are some other soddin' powers besides the almighty Powers that Be working some mojo. How else can you explain Angel and I meeting up again? But you better tell your bosses that when we go back to being vampires, they better not think that either of us will be at their beck and call anymore.” He looked at Angel, hoping for his agreement on this. They never discussed this, but he felt he had to get it out there on the table.
Angel voiced his opinion immediately. “I’m with Spike on this one. I will not be a pawn any longer in the fight between the Powers That Be and whoever the other entities are. I’ve spent too much time being their puppet and a puppet for Wolfram Hart, and all of them are too anxious to keep secrets; too apt to refuse an offer support if I need it. I’m not saying that I won’t help, but it will be on my terms. I pick the battles.”
“You got that right. We’ll fight, but we’ll also have a life of our own.” Spike added.
“Is that going to be a problem, Wes?” Angel asked.
Wesley looked wistfully at the two men before him. He felt a twinge of jealousy at the closeness of their relationship. “No…no I don’t think it will be. I think the Powers will accept any help that you choose to offer. I have to say that I’m not surprised by that caveat. You are heroes after all.”
“Well, it looks like we have things settled. Is it a deal Wesley? Do you need to check with them first before we go any further with this? But you and they have to keep in mind that if Spike and I found each other once, you have to know that we will again. Will you promise, as an old friend, that you’ll honor our decision?” Angel asked quietly.
Wesley smiled. “I am a man of my word Angel, you know that. You gave me the opportunity to become a champion in my own way; to assist you in the good fight. I would never betray…” The man paused and looked worriedly at the larger man.
Angel smiled encouragingly. “You did what you believed was right at the time.”
“Thank you Angel.” Wesley answered gratefully. He sighed. “I think Spike may be right Angel. I don’t know how this happened in the first place, but it would be a good assumption that some other higher beings are at work here. I just need to ask one more time. Are you both sure of your decision?”
Both men nodded and Wesley accepted their final decision. He again spoke the ancient language. As he chanted, the air grew heavy with the scent of lilies. There was a sudden flash, and the two men sank into unconsciousness. When they woke, they had their full memories – their previous lives as vampires and their more recent lives as human Liam and William. Their bodies were cold and their hearts were no longer beating, but they felt warm, safe and loved.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** *
Six Months Later
Flashbulbs pierced the sky as the limo drove into view. Shouts of Mr. Tennyson…William Tennyson…over here… assaulted them. The door opened and Spike, in his persona of William Tennyson, the author, exited the vehicle and smiled at the fans lined up to greet him. He turned and reached a pale hand into the car. Angel, as Liam McKenna, the highly successful painter climbed out of the back of the car. The two men stood and smiled, their hands clasped tightly together as the excited fans clamored for their attention.
Spike squeezed Angel’s hand as he turned to smile and wink at the man who had so enriched his life. Angel returned the smile, glowing with pride at Spike’s success. They strolled past the gauntlet along the red carpet hand-in-hand, nodding and waving to fans that had come to see the opening night of the new movie, Restless Soul. The fans and Spike’s publisher were already clamoring for the next installment in the life of Angel, the vampire with a soul. So caught up were both vampires in the attention, neither noticed the petite blonde with green eyes staring at them.
** THE END **