.:writings on the wall:.
******
Spike practically tap-danced circles around Xander for the rest of their patrol; even insisting on walking Xander home safely, because, as he said; "Sire would have my bollocks if I let you get eaten." It was kinda sweet, for Spike.
Once he was alone in his apartment, Xander was a bit reluctant to go to sleep. He found himself staring warily at his bed as if he expected it to attack. "I don’t *really* need to sleep again today," he said out loud. "Or ever. If I don’t sleep, I can’t dream, right? Unless it’s a daydream… Damn it."
‘You know you want to…’ teased a voice in the back of his head. ‘It’s inevitable, you might as well enjoy it.’
"No," he shouted to the empty apartment. "It’s Angelus! Hello, evil much? He kills people for fun. Any of this ringing a bell?"
The voice inside his head continued to taunt him. ‘Spike told you Angelus doesn’t want to hurt you. He wants to keep you, pamper you, make you feel good…’
Xander glared at his pillow as if it were responsible. "I don’t need to be *kept*," he spat. His voiced lowered, becoming childish and petulant. "’M not a pet."
‘Oh, but you are,’ the voice corrected. ‘My pet.’ Xander heard the familiar husky chuckle again, and found himself falling. He had just enough time to collapse on the bed, and then he was in darkness.
******
Once more he was naked. He was lying on a bed, and he felt someone touching him, running a hand up and down his arm. He opened his eyes, and discovered he was being petted by a certain dark haired vampire; who was equally naked, and watching him with smoldering eyes.
Xander felt his heart pound. ‘Angelus…naked…in bed with me…naked. So very much nakedness.’ Before he could work himself into a frenzy, his captor spoke.
"Xanderrrr," Angelus purred, "You’ve been very, very naughty. Did you really think you could avoid me, hmm? You’re *mine*, kitten. Mo peata, mo croi, mo grá, mo anam."
Xander blinked at the vampire in confusion. "What? Umm, you know I don’t speak Gaelic…right?"
Angelus laughed, low and smoky. He continued to trace strange patterns on Xander’s skin, down across his abdomen. "My pet," he drawled, "my heart, my love…" He leaned close to whisper in Xander’s ear. "…my *life*." He laughed again, and Xander felt his stomach clench as the air ghosted across his sensitive earlobe. "Or unlife, in my case."
Xander’s breath quickened. It was hard to keep reminding himself that this was an evil demon when those beautiful golden brown eyes were sparkling with laughter, that face close enough to touch. He couldn‘t recall *Angel* ever laughing like that. "B-but I thought…love? How can you love me? You’re, I mean--"
"Evil? Soulless? A blood-sucking fiend?" Yet another chuckle, Angelus’ eyes glinted with amusement. "Not quite. Well, the blood-sucking part, yeah. But the rest… You see Xander, the Powers That Be did me a favor. Apparently I fulfilled some kind of people-saving quota they had; rescued a certain number of innocents, and they granted me a boon. After all; ‘A happy Champion is a good Champion’. My soul and demon are combined now, equal. I can never lose either one. And I realized a something: I want my family back. Spike and Dru, my childer; and you… my mate."
Xander barely had time to squeak "Your mate?!", when his lips were seized in a searing kiss.
******
