The Blood of the Soul

A Soul Awakened

A/N: This chapter contains explicit smut. If this isn't your thing, please go read on AO3 (I've found a way to link to the smut within the chapter so that no skimming or skipping is necessary if smut isn't your thing). Anyone who's read WCHB knows I don't write explicit scenes, but I wanted to try something new with these two.

Theo

"Liam?" Theo demanded, his voice nearly breaking. But the slayer's heartbeat was holding steady—he'd just fainted. The goddamn slayer had fainted.

"I'm sure he's fine. Just a bit of shock, is all. Can't really blame the poor bloke, finding out a bit of news like that after almost dying."

Theo's mind whirled as he stroked Liam's cheek, willing him to wake up. He wasn't entirely sure that he could trust Spike—he'd never even heard the Dread Doctors so much as mention him and the way he'd turned up just when they'd needed him, just after the reward had been posted. Even if he was somehow related to Liam, clearly he'd never heard of him either. But Theo also had no reason not to trust Spike. He'd saved their lives, after all, and it was his advice that had kept Liam alive, kept him human.

"How did you know how to do that?"

Spike shrugged. "The person I loved most in the world was human, and I made it my personal mission to figure out how to keep her safe, but that—I didn't learn it in time."

"What happened to them?"

"She died," Spike said simply, but Theo caught the way his voice had dropped, becoming more fragile even as the vampire tried to maintain his casual composure. "We should get out of this demon nest, yeah?"

When Liam still didn't wake, Theo looped an arm under the slayer's legs and his shoulders as he stood.

"I... we don't have anywhere to go," Theo said, not bothering to be careful as he stepped over demon bodies on their way toward the exit. "I also think a witch might still be here."

"Narada?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, you know her?"

Spike scoffed. "You could say that. She's a piece of work, that one, but she only does what she's paid to do. No more, no less. I expect she's long gone by now."

Theo paused when they reached the alcove where he'd stuffed his duffle bag. Not only was the sun up outside, but now everything ordinary thing was a threat. Even though Liam would heal more easily with Theo's blood still in his system, he wasn't taking any chances.

If Liam died, if he became a vampire against his will, Theo would never forgive himself.

"I bit him." Theo's words were barely more than a whisper but Spike's eyes slid to him.

"You what?"

"I... he let me. Narada bled me dry, and Liam let me drink from him."

Spike sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Right. Come with me, then."

"No."

Spike doubled back, his expression incredulous. "No? What do you mean no?"

"You show up out of the blue and just expect us to trust you?" Theo demanded. "How do I know you're who you say you are?"

Spike sighed and slipped a hand into the inner pocket of his long leather jacket. When he found what he was looking for, he showed it to Theo. The old photograph was discolored and a little bent, but still in good shape. Spike, looking exactly as he did now, held a little boy in his arms and a strong, blonde woman was grinning at them both. She had a hand in Spike's and the other on the little boy's back.