•••

The dining room of the Hyperion was transformed into an altar room under the watchful eye of Cordelia. The rest of the gang scurried about as she did her best impression of a field marshal. The spell had required several days of preparation as a rather large number of repulsive ingredients fermented in the kitchen. The humans had resorted to takeout when the stench became overwhelming.

“Gunn, if you drop that pot of goo I’m going to kill you,” Cordelia shouted, watching the vampire hunter heft a huge container of bubbling liquid.

“Shut up, Cordy. I don’t see you risking your fake-guccis over here,” Gunn shot back, annoyed at the perky young woman.

“Whatever. Fred, could you check on Angel and Wil?” Fred hurried out to the lobby, running up the stairs toward the vampires’ rooms. She knocked softly on Angel’s door.

“Angel? You all doing ok?” The vampires had to undergo purification before the spell could be cast.

A muffled voice answered her. “Yeah. Go back downstairs, Fred.” Fred answered in the affirmative, and then repeated the process at Wil’s door.

Angel sat in his room, staring at the items laid out before him. Wesley had sworn that the purification ritual was quite painless. He’d even said that some people found it pleasant. Angel didn’t buy it. There were six, no, seven different herbs and oils he had to use in the bath, along with dozens of white and black candles that had to be burned in a specific manner. Then there was the meditation, and the infusion. The vampire grimaced at the carafe of herbal tea nestled in a warmer. All sorts of herbs, most assuredly bitter, with no honey or milk to soften the flavor. Oh well, better get started. He spared a thought for his childe. If he was uncomfortable, Wil was probably terrified.

A second knock on his door startled the vampire. “What is it now?” He said, slightly annoyed at the intrusion.

“Um, Angel? Is Wil in his room? No one will answer me over there,” Fred replied, obviously worried.

Shit. “I’ll check on him. Just a second.” Angel quickly opened the door, avoiding running into Fred who was hovering there. He jogged over to his childe’s room and knocked on the closed door.

“Wil? Open the door, Wil,” Angel said softly, hoping that the blonde was simply preoccupied. When he got no answer, he tried the doorknob. It was, thankfully, unlocked. Angel opened the door and ventured inside. Closing the door behind him, he tried to spot his childe in the gloom of the unlighted room.

“Wil?” He repeated, turning at the sound of shuffling fabric. Wil was piled into a chair behind the door, covered in blankets. “Wil, what are you doing? You need to get ready.”

Wil peered out from his nest of blankets. “Go away,” He snarled, channeling Spike.

Angel’s head snapped back. “Excuse me?” He growled back, unwilling to accept such a tone from his normally polite childe.

“Don’ wanna do it. Go away,” Wil replied, pulling the blankets over his head. Angel reached over to him, pulling the blankets away. A brief tug of war ensued before Angel, snarling, pulled Wil into his arms, holding the vampire still.

“Wil, we agreed that this is what must be done. You will do this.” Angel’s tone of voice left no space for willfulness. Wil slumped against him. “What’s gotten into you?”

Wil stared over Angel’s shoulder. “Scared,” He whispered. Angel relaxed slightly. His childe, although accustomed to magic, was never comfortable around it, especially when he was the focus of it. Perhaps…

“Wait here, alright?” Angel waited for Wil to acknowledge him, and then quickly left the room, calling for Wesley.

The ex-Watcher ran up the stairs, wondering what might have possibly gone wrong with a simple purification ritual. “Angel, I told you, it’s really quite—“

Angel cut him off. “I know, painless and simple. It’s not that. Wil’s scared.” Wesley’s face showed obvious disbelief. “He’s never liked having spells cast on him.” The mortal’s face melted into comprehension. He, privately, felt the same way whenever he was the focus of magic.

“Ah…is there anything we can do?” he asked.

“Maybe. Can the purification…does it have to be done alone?” Angel queried, knowing that Wil would be far more secure if he was there.

Wesley thought about it. He’d not considered having the vampires perform the ritual together. He couldn’t think of a reason why they couldn’t, as long as they followed all the steps exactly. He told Angel as much. The vampire thanked him, promising to start as soon as possible.

•••

Angel returned to Wil’s room, once again pulling the younger vampire up out of the chair. He piled the purification supplies into the blonde’s arms, taking up the infusion in one of his own hands while dragging his childe toward the older vampire’s rooms with the other.

“What—where are we going?” Wil asked.

Angel didn’t speak until both of them were inside his room. He locked the door, and then turned back toward his childe. “We have to do the purification, Wil. Otherwise we can’t do the binding spell. Help me set this up.” He picked up their parcels, walking into the bathroom. Wil followed behind, unsure of what was happening. He grabbed up the tea along the way.

“What are you doing, Angel?”

The brunette smirked, his face hidden by the sunken bathtub he was kneeling over. “The purification ritual, Wil. Remember?”

Realization finally struck the younger demon. “Oh.” He silently began to assist his Sire. The entire contents of the bathroom that were not bolted down were quickly removed from the chamber. Soon the only things left were the ritual supplies. Wil and Angel stood outside the door, stripping off their clothes. The younger vampire followed his Sire back into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

The pair worked in unison, setting candles on the floor in an intricate design of swirling black and white lines; white candles to drive away impurities, black candles to absorb them. Soon the bathroom was awash in gentle flickers as the vampires finished this task, careful of the many potentially deadly flames.

They then moved to the tub, gathering up the many jars and pots Wesley had given them. Angel plugged the drain, draping the heavy chain around the faucet several times. Each vampire stood on either side of the tub with his herbs and oils, opening and sprinkling each in succession. As they prepared the bath, they silently chanted the first of several simple mantras involved in the ritual. Soon all the ingredients were ready and Angel turned on the water. They watched as the dark marble tub filled, the water turning an opaque, milky white color, swirled with herbs that bled their essence into the hot water. A fragrant steam rose, curling around the two figures.

Wil followed Angel’s lead, climbing into the tub, right foot first, balanced on the right arm, followed by left foot and finally left arm on the rail. Then the whole body was immersed to the neck, sinking below the surface only to rise and rest against the wall. They faced each other, the size of the tub large enough that even stretched out they weren’t touching. Angel opened his infusion, pouring out the first of many cupfuls. He drank it quickly, watching Wil’s throat work as he swallowed his own. The stuff was surprisingly good, not nearly as bitter as he’d feared. It sat lightly in his stomach.

Angel found it easy to begin his meditations, despite Wil’s presence. Under any other circumstances, having his childe with him, naked, in the bath would be a significant distraction. Wil, however, was as deeply engrossed in the ritual as he was.

After many minutes and several cycles of mediation and infusion, Angel opened his eyes, catching Wil’s cerulean gaze. They were finished with this part of the ritual. Next was the bathing itself, the purification of the exterior. Angel smiled slightly at the thought of vampires purifying themselves. Had they been human, this would have been unnecessary—vampires were simply inherently too polluted for the binding spell, unless they went though serious cleansing.

Catching up the pot of soft, fragrant soap that was part of the ritual, Angel smeared half of it onto an accompanying sponge. He was suddenly very aware of Wil’s presence across from him. He moved to the center of the tub, meeting Wil there. The blonde froze momentarily when he felt his Sire begin to lather the soap on his shoulder, but then quickly recovered and returned the gesture. They moved in counterpoint, like mirror images, cleansing each other’s bodies.

Angel watched as the last of the tension flowed from Wil’s body. He was glad for the sudden insight he’d had; the simple motion of washing each other helped ground his anxious childe. Such little things bound them together, the pleasure of bathing, touching once-familiar skin.

Increased flickering from the candles they’d set out drew Angel’s attention. They hadn’t been in ritual more than an hour, but the seemingly large candles were already nearly gone. /Must be a peculiar type./ Angel quickly finished rinsing his childe with the now-cool water, then reached for his hands, drawing both of them up. They exited the tub opposite from how they entered it, ending that part of the ritual facing each other identical to how they started.

Each man chanted the final mantra, then watched in awe as the candles on the floor winked themselves out one by one, tracing back the pattern they’d drawn in reverse. Soon the room was engulfed in darkness. After a minute, Wil heard Angel carefully make his way to the wall, flicking on a light. The blonde was immediately grateful that his Sire had turned on only a single, low lamp instead of the bright overhead fixture. He looked around the room. The candles were gone—no trace of wax remained anywhere. The bathwater was also changed; dark blue had replaced the milky color from before. Angel and Wil left the bathroom, allowing the last of the water on their bodies to evaporate, as the ritual demanded.

Once dry, the pair donned the soft, comfortable clothes they’d selected for the bonding spell. Comfort was important; the spell would take considerably longer than the purification ritual, and neither man wanted to suffer any more than necessary. After some argument earlier, they had each separately decided on soft, silk pyjamas.

Angel dressed himself quickly, consciously avoiding looking at his childe’s lithe body. Now was certainly not the time to be lusting after him. Fully dressed, he ventured to turn around, only to catch Wil wearing the same thing he was. Both vampires gaped in shock.

“You have pyjamas?” They said in unison. Angel recovered first, smirking at Wil.

“Of course. But you, you never wear them…do you? And cream, Wil? How charming.” Wil glared, but remained silent. Angel’s smirk grew. Indeed, the picture was charming. Such a pale color should have been unflattering on the pale vampire, but for some reason it just made his childe glow with an unearthly light, like he’d been carved out of moonstone. Angel’s own clothing was considerably darker, a soft gray nearing black.

“Let’s go then, Angel. Haven’t got all night.” Angel’s remarks had irked Wil. Yes, he wore pyjamas. Not to bed, but around his room when reading. Cordelia had helped him pick them out, and she’d managed to refrain from laughing the entire time. She’d even whistled her approval the one time she’d caught him in them.

•••

“Hey, Wes! Two purified vampires, ten o’clock!” Cordelia shouted, jumping up at the sight of the silk clad men descending the stairs. She took in the sight, from bare feet to soft, uncoiffed hair. “But no rush. I mean, you two can just lounge down here for a while,” She added more softly, winking suggestively at Wil.

“They won’t stay pure for long if you keep that up, Cordelia,” Wesley admonished, ushering the vampires into their makeshift altar room. “Remember, no one touches them.” The entire gang was soon in the room, which Fred sealed off with a simple spell. “Angel, Wil, you will need to sit in the circle.” he pointed at two spots on the floor.

The two vampires obediently sat, taking up traditional cross-legged mediation postures. They sat side by side, facing forward, stone-faced. Wesley and Fred took up their incantations and ritual knives, while Cordelia held a censor and Gunn an asperger for the noxious liquid they’d prepared earlier. The four humans began the spell and the room was soon filled with the lilting strains of magic spoken in a long-dead tongue.

The mortals stepped back, watching as a thick, golden light surrounded the vampires, swirling and pulsing with alien energy. It seemed to grow, almost filling the room, then contract until they could almost see their friends through it. Each wondered just how long this would take—they had been unable to find out in their research; it was the only unknown they’d faced.

Wil watched the light dance in front of him, both enthralled and frightened by its intensity. It reminded him of snowflakes illuminated by flashes of lightening, sharp points on a pitch black background. The swirling light went on and on, licking over his skin, pouring into his lungs when he gasped at the sensation. The sharp feeling of being invaded tore through him. He reached out in pain, grasping at Angel. The blonde calmed slightly when he felt Angel take his hand. The older vampire gripped him tightly. For some perverse reason, it comforted the younger vampire to know that he was not alone in the suffering—Angel hurt as well.

He felt like he was on fire. Angel resisted the urge to stand and run away, to extinguish the flames he was sure were burning through his flesh. The sensation was purely physical, unlike the emotional pain he was far more used to. He felt something at his side—Wil, reaching out for him. He grasped his childe’s hand, trying to telegraph support. They couldn’t stop this now.

The golden light flashed bright once, twice, then a third and final time. The humans blinked to clear their eyes and looked anxiously at their vampires. Wil and Angel lay slumped on the floor, passed out.