•••

Cordelia and Fred entered the lobby of the hotel to see Gunn arguing with Wesley. The former cheerleader broke into a grin when she realized that the two men were debating over brands of metal polish. “So, you two are planning to start what, a weapons-restoration business? Moonlighting as janitors?”

“Yeah, laugh all you want. Just wait until your favorite sword gets all nasty from Grathak demon blood that you didn’t clean off it,” Gunn spat, returning to his perusal of a knife-and-gun catalogue.

“Hormonal much? Whatever. Come on, Fred.” The young scientist meekly followed Cordelia into the back room. Cordelia had spent the day working on Fred’s fashion sense—the girl was way too frumpy for Cordelia’s tastes.

Angel watched his friends from the second story railing. He was a bit nervous about what he had to do; Cordelia had yet to mention the blonde vampire’s appearance the night before. He reluctantly walked down the stairs and sat down, waiting for the young women to return to the lobby. A few minutes later, the pair did so, carrying mugs of coffee with them.

“So, Angel, what’s on the demonic investigation agenda for the evening?” Cordelia asked brightly. “You have, of course, gotten rid of Mr. Clairol the evil bloodsucker?”

Angel shifted uncomfortably.

“He’s not here. Spike can’t be here. No way!” She shouted.

“Wait a minute. Spike was here?” Gunn asked, his voice loud.

“Guys, please. We need to talk. Calmly. Please?” Angel asked wearily. He needed sleep; this was going to be way too tiring.

“Yeah, talk. Like you tell me what Cordelia’s talking about,” Gunn said angrily. “You know anything about this, Wes?”

The ex-watcher flinched. “More than I’d like, to be perfectly honest.”

“I’ll explain, ok?” Angel said. Cordelia and Gunn had taken defensive stances opposite him. Wesley had pulled back, taking Fred with him. The young woman wasn’t sure what was going on, but it looked like it was going to get really interesting.

“Start talking,” Cordelia said shortly.

“Well…” Angel retold the entire story, speaking continuously so that no one had a chance to interrupt. He finished by explaining that Lorne had confirmed the presence of a soul within the younger vampire, and that he was supposed to be there working with Angel.

“So you’re saying that Spike, the big, bad evil vampire, is a soulboy like you?” Cordelia asked.

“Yes,” Angel said quietly. “And, um…could you all not call him Spike? His name is Wil.”

“Wil? What, he change his name or something?” Gunn remarked.

“His name is William. Spike was a nickname he earned…well, a while back.” Angel did not want to get into the specifics of how Spike had earned his moniker.

“Why go back to his pre-vamp name?” Cordelia queried.

Angel chose his words carefully. “For the same reasons why I’m Angel and not Angelus.”

The group fell silent. Finally, Cordelia stepped forward. “Do you believe him?” Angel nodded. Cordelia bit her lip. “Do you trust him?” This question did not get an immediate answer.

“Somewhat. He is still chipped, so he can’t hurt any of you. Actually, I don’t think he is much of a threat to anyone except himself right now.”

The young lady digested this information. Gunn took the opportunity to ask a question of his own. “But he won’t lose the soul if he gets all happy, right?” Angel told him that there was no happiness clause in Wil’s case.

Cordelia appeared to have come to some sort of decision. “Angel, I’m not sure I like this at all. I mean, this guy is seriously bad. But if you believe him…” She paused. “If you’re going to watch him, and keep track of him, and make sure he doesn’t go all wiggy and start being fangy and evil on us, I’m willing to wait and see what happens.”

Gunn nodded his agreement with Cordelia. “Yeah. You’re the badass vamp around here; you take care of the guy. If he’s really going to work with us for The Powers, well, we could use him. Things are not going well right now.”

Wesley sighed softly. Cordelia and Gunn had surprised him, and probably Angel as well. Maybe this development wouldn’t be too destructive.

“Who’s Spike?” Fred asked, curious about the conversation she’d just heard.

Angel smiled softly. “Fred, that is a very, very long story. I’ll tell you later.” He stood up. “But for now, we have a new guest at the hotel. You’ll meet him after while. His name is Wil.”

“So he’s staying here at the hotel? With you and me? Neat! Maybe he can, you know, help me with that…getting out of the room thing, you know? Or cooking. I really want to learn to cook again. Well, cook like you cook here.” Fred continued to ramble for several minutes.

Angel grinned. Wil would probably be harder to get out of the room than Fred was, at least for the time being. Of course, if he could make Wil a ‘project’ for Fred… Angel shook off the thought. It was time for him to check up on his childe. He also needed to take Wil the clothes he’d washed for him. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” The vampire turned and jogged up the stairs, aiming for Wil’s quarters.

•••

The blonde vampire was still sleeping when Angel entered the room. Angel stood at the foot of the bed, watching his childe sleep. The activity brought back memories for the elder vampire; he had watched his favorite childe much like this many years ago, before he had been cursed. Even after these many years, the innocence and youth that Wil exuded in sleep amazed Angel. It was a striking contrast to his hard and harsh demeanor when awake. Shaking himself from his memories, Angel gently woke the sleeping man.

“Hmm?” Wil grumbled, burrowing back under the covers.

“You need to get up. I’ve got your clothes.” Angel grinned. Some things never changed, and Wil would never wake easily.

Wil looked up at his Sire. He really did not want to get out of bed. Actually, he didn’t want to do anything. Since arriving at Angel’s home, the constant agony he’d been feeling had lessened to an almost bearable point. The blonde was loathe to do anything that might change that, including moving. He also had a sinking feeling that Angel was going to make him see more people—Wesley and the green guy had been in earlier, and the interaction had worn him out.

Angel saw that Wil was not going to cooperate easily. “Wil, get up.” This time, the voice was commanding, the voice of his Sire. The order had its intended effect; the younger vampire sat up and took the proffered clothes. He saw that they were freshly washed and winced. He was humiliated that he let himself go. In the past he had always prided himself on his appearance.

“Thanks.” Wil gestured with the clothes.

“Take a shower. There will be something to eat downstairs.” Angel turned and left, pulling the door shut behind him. Wil watched him go, then set down the clothes. He closed his eyes, willing the tumult of emotions in his mind to calm down. Eventually he was confident that he could survive a shower, so he eased himself out of bed and went into the adjoining bathroom.

The shower left Wil feeling somewhat better; hot water took away some of the physical aches caused by months of underfeeding and poor care. The blonde managed to smile slightly when he found the tube of hair gel his Sire had left him. Leave it to Angel to think of the small things.

Eventually there was nothing for him to do but go downstairs and face whatever was down there. He cautiously approached the railing, looking down over the people scattered in the lobby. They were talking, arguing really, arms waving in wild gestures. Something about weapons and fighting, Wil wasn’t really sure. Pushing off the rail, he headed down the stairs.

Angel watched his childe slowly descend into the lobby. The blonde might have had an infamous reputation, but he certainly didn’t look intimidating now. Thin to the point of frailness and cowering slightly, Wil was a shadow of his former self. Angel was again reminded of himself when he was first cursed.

Cordelia saw that Angel’s attention had been drawn away from Wesley and Gunn’s argument, so she turned to see what had caught his eye. She instinctively jumped at the sight of Spike on the stairwell. The young woman backed up a few steps, warily following the vampire’s steps. He certainly didn’t look very dangerous—he reminded her of someone suffering from a serious illness. I suppose he does have a serious illness, for a vampire, anyway. Still, Cordelia decided to err on the side of caution in this situation.

Gunn was no less cautious, a stake at the ready in one hand. Only Wesley, Angel and Fred seemed relaxed and calm, and Fred only because she was practically clueless at that point. The group remained where they were as Wil sat down on the last step, his eyes locked onto Angel.

“Fred, this is Wil,” Angel said, pushing Fred toward the vampire.

“Wil? Hi, Wil! I’m Fred. I live here, in the hotel. I guess we’re neighbors, you know, living in the same place like this, but not in the same room or anything like that. Can you cook?” Fred prattled on, nervously watching the pale blonde.

Wil listened to the woman talking, trying to make some sense of her flighty statements. Can I cook? Actually… “I’m a vampire, luv.”

“Like Angel, right? Cause he’s a vampire. I only know Angel; there was that other one before, but he’s gone now. He was mean, but Angel ran him off.”

Wil just stared at Fred, amazed at the girl’s ability to talk like that. He nodded at her, hoping that not speaking would encourage her to be quiet. He didn’t feel like answering questions at the moment. He was sure, though, that he’d have to before long. This crowd didn’t look like the complacently accepting type.

Cordelia watched the blonde sit passively as Fred did her unwitting best to annoy the hell out of him. He didn’t seem to be the least bit bothered by her, so the brunette decided to get a closer look. After all, he was still chipped. She walked over to where he sat, looking down at him, her hands propped on her hips.

“So you got yourself a soul?” She watched his face carefully.

Will looked up at the young woman. It hurt to be around her, to be around any humans. Their heat, the sound of their hearts and the blood in their veins reminded him of what a monster he was. These people, however, were much more bearable than the Slayer. Their utter purity and goodness was torture, but the emotional baggage was absent.

Cordelia watched emotions flicker through the vampire’s eyes. He hadn’t said a word. She squinted a little, leaning down. Something about him was very familiar. She studied his face, trying to place what it was. Eventually, the blonde looked away, staring at the floor at his feet. That was when she recognized what she saw. His eyes—they were like Angel’s now. Oh, they were pure sky blue where Angel’s were a rich whiskey color, but the sharp, clear, glassy look was the same. She knew what it was in Angel’s eyes—pain, guilt, remorse, and agony. There it was, in Spike’s, no, Wil’s, eyes.

The blonde kept his eyes glued to the floor, hoping that the woman would go away. He remembered her from Sunnydale; she was a sarcastic, cutting thing. Xander had talked about her some as well—she’d done a number on him. He was shocked to feel her sit down next to him and place one warm arm around his shoulders, pulling him close beside her.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?” Cordelia said softly.

Wil didn’t know what to do. He hadn’t expected much from the humans, certainly not any sort of kindness or understanding. Yet here was one of the most vocal of the lot, offering him comfort. He nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

Cordelia looked over at the others. Gunn was visibly annoyed at her behavior, but Angel and Wesley looked hopeful. If the seer accepted Wil, then things would go much more smoothly. “So,” Cordelia began brightly, “what’s up for tonight?”

“Research for you, me, Fred and Wil. Gunn and Angel need to see some contacts.” Wesley handed out marching orders. “If that is acceptable to you?”

Cordelia grinned. “For now, but don’t think you can keep me locked up here all the time, mister!” She stood, tugging on Wil’s shoulder. “Come on, blondie. Time to hit the books.” Wil looked as if he might protest, then sighed and followed her. Wesley and Fred also retreated to do research, leaving Gunn and Angel to go out.

“So what contacts need our attention right now?” Gunn asked, suspicious of Wesley’s motives.

The vampire ignored the tone of Gunn’s voice. “Makla Diesh called. Apparently there might be a nest of F’ml demons moving into the area. If it is true, we will need to keep an eye on them. They have a tendency to…eat children.”

Gunn grunted. “Fine. We go butter up snitches and the not-so-evil undead plays tea party with Cordelia and Wesley?”

Angel sighed. “He’s in no shape to go out right now. He’d be a liability at this point. Until he’s better, Wil is going nowhere.” The vampire hunter nodded an unwilling assent and followed Angel out into the now-darkened streets.

Cordelia watched Wil carefully as he read through a heavy volume. He'd simply sat staring at the table until she finally handed him a book and told him to take notes on it. The vampire had immediately complied, jotting down careful and painfully neat notes as he worked his way rather quickly through the book on esoteric demon lore.

Wesley was also watching Wil, but had his hands full helping Fred learn the basics of supernatural research. The young woman was exceptionally intelligent, but years of living a harsh existence had taken its toll on her sanity. Much like the vampire, however, if she could be gotten on task, she was very good at the work.

Reading and taking notes gave Wil a fairly good distraction from his current state. He poured all of his mind into the work, far more effort than it actually required. The work reminded him of his human life, where he was always surrounded by texts, both fiction and nonfiction. He used to gain great pleasure from reading, even if the stuff was work-related. Wil was somehow pleased to find that he could once again really enjoy the activity.

Several hours later, Angel and Gunn returned with news that the demons they’d been asking after had in fact moved into town. This development meant that they would have to set up regular patrols until the demons either attacked or moved on. The group argued briefly about the marked lack of clients they had at the time as Wil and Fred listened silently.

Finally, all the talk wound down. Angel sat beside Wil, carefully checking his child for signs of trouble. “Are you ok, Wil?”

Wil looked at his Sire. He was glad the older vampire was back; being here without him was uncomfortable. “Yeah. Tired though.” Angel nodded.

“You’d better go to bed. Have you fed yet?” Wil shook his head. “Come on then.” Angel pulled the vampire to his feet and led him to the kitchen. Once there, he retrieved some of the remaining human blood and heated it for the blonde. Will took the mug and drank it carefully, watching his Sire all the while. Angel drank the pig’s blood he kept for himself.

Wil cocked his head to one side, studying his Sire. Angel looked at him, his face questioning. The younger vampire looked down nervously. “What?” Angel asked.

“Nothing. Just, well, thanks.” He washed out the mug, replacing it in the cabinet. “Better get to bed.

“Yeah, you should.” Angel watched Wil turn toward the door. “Wil,” he said, “You know if you want to talk…”

The blonde turned back to Angel and nodded briefly before going upstairs to sleep.

•••

Routine quickly set in for Angel and the gang. Wesley had taken an active interest in Fred. He tried repeatedly to lure her out into the world. Finally, the ex-watcher found that her gift for research, due in great part to her academic past, had expanded to their line of work. The pair began a massive project to catalogue all the information in Angel’s many texts into a reference database, which would eventually cut hours if not days off of the research end of their investigations. Wesley made sure that the project took Fred out of the hotel on a regular basis, sending her to libraries all over Los Angeles, both normal and esoteric.

Besides the normal flow of business, Angel was occupied with Wil. The vampire was quickly frustrated in his attempts to reach his childe; the blonde usually retreated into his room, blocking out all contacts. To counteract this, the older vampire strictly regimented Wil’s waking hours; he set up a schedule of activities that the younger man had to complete at specific times. He made Wil keep a journal, one that he could use instead of talking directly to the brunette. Angel began teaching him different meditative techniques—ones that he himself used to alleviate the suffering that came with having a soul. He also trained Wil in martial arts and combat; the blonde was a formidable fighter, but he relied too often on his vampiric speed and strength in the manner of a street fighter. With practice, Wil would become even more adept. The training also provided more control and concentration for the recovering vampire.