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Appointment With Eternity

By Saber ShadowKitten

 

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Part Eight

Spike cheated at cards.

Angel shook his head as he sat at the bar, watching his childe play a game of Eeinat with several other members of the crew. He was a good cheat, too, the dark-haired vampire thought. If he hadn't been devouring Spike with his eyes -- or wasn't a pretty decent cheat at cards himself -- he wouldn't have noticed.

The week and a half had passed rapidly and the Luna Nocturne was nearing the Kilon System. The Council starship has bumped its speed up to warp seven after the skirmish in order to make it to the system as scheduled. Angel suspected they had maybe two days tops before they were in orbit over one of the planets in the system.

Which meant only two more days of Spike in his bed.

Angel knew Spike would want to leave once they got to the starship's destination. The blond vampire had been whining for the past three days about how bored he was while Angel was in classes. The starship was large, but it wasn't large enough for a creature such as Spike, who craved change and loved to make mischief.

Over the past several days, in between classes and being thoroughly sated by his lover, Angel had learned that Spike rarely stayed on one planet for more than a decade. The younger man had jokingly said that by the time ten years had passed, he'd have bedded all the most desirable beings on whatever planet he was on.

Angel wasn't surprised by that revelation. Spike was impossible to resist, and that was why he cheated so easily at cards. The others were too busy imagining silk sheets and naked, writhing bodies to pay attention to what Spike was really doing. Instead, they were focused on the way his childe would run his finger over the backs of the cards in his hand, as if they were a lover's body. Angel could practically hear their heartbeats increase when Spike looked at each player with his intense blue eyes. Every so often, Spike would run his tongue over his lips, and the heat in the room would increase a notch.

The dark-haired vampire took his mind off watching Spike cheat and concentrated on the younger man himself. Angel had never met anyone who was so damn masculine, yet so utterly feminine at the same time. Spike's face was hard and chiseled, yet pretty in its smooth alabaster paleness. His body was muscular, but lean, and his shorter stature pulled on the protective instincts of larger beings. His fingers were strong, but long and thin, and he fancied wearing nail polish in all different colors, drawing attention to hands the invoked images of touching and never-ending pleasure.

Even his voice was a combination of masculine and feminine charm. It was deep and slightly rough around the edges, but when he spoke, the words rolled off his tongue with a breathiness that Angel had only heard from women, usually seductresses. But it was Spike's eyes that drew even the most staunch and devout celibate to the bed chamber. Long, dark lashes framed his bright blue eyes, the scar on his left brow giving him a bit of a wicked edge.

Angel had thought it before and he'd think it again and again -- Spike had a way of looking at someone as if he or she were the most exquisite creature in the entire universe, including men who looked like tanks and indeterminable gender creatures that resembled purple, gelatinous ooze. Even those who thought same-sex coupling was the most vile and disgusting thing they could think of changed their tunes when Spike turned on the charm.

"Why don't you just take it on the table right there, sir?" Rigby said, interrupting Angel's thoughts.

"What?" Angel asked, trying to turn his gaze from Spike to his Andinite friend, but failing miserably.

"You're salivating on the floor worse than a Vpreeniq in heat," Rigby replied, taking a seat at the bar beside Angel.

This time, Angel was able to tear his eyes away from the blond vampire to glare at Rigby. "Shut up, Rigby."

"Not a chance, sir," Rigby said. "I need to tell you something you're not going to like."

"And what's that?" Angel said, taking a sip of his drink. Classes had been long and hard earlier that day, and he was glad that the school week was almost up. Next time, he'd take a few more days off after a firefight before returning to his students. They were very wild and only wanted to hear about the battle, rather than about what they were suppose to be studying.

"We'll be docked in orbit above Kilon-4 at 0730 hours, sir," Rigby replied.

Angel set his drink down slowly. "Oh?"

"I was talking to Mis'ka, and she said that the Captain bumped us up to warp nine for the last leg of the trip. I guess Luna is picking up someone of relative importance and we have to be on time," Rigby explained. The Andinite turned on his stool and looked over at Spike. "I thought you'd might not want to be surprised."

"Thank you," Angel said quietly, staring down at his glass. Spike's distinctive laughter rose from behind him and the dark-haired vampire pressed his lips together a moment, trying to let the news settle in his brain. Then he picked up his drink, tossed the rest down, and stood. "I'll see you tomorrow, Rig."

"Very well, sir," Rigby said.

Without looking at the Andinite, Angel turned and crossed the room to where Spike was seated. The blond man raised his eyes from his cards and Angel was hit with his searing blue gaze. A smile spread over Spike's features and Angel felt as though a Wamtry stepped on his chest. Swallowing heavily, he walked over to Spike and set his hand on his childe's shoulder. "Ready to go?" he asked.

"I think everyone here would be happy to see that happen," Spike said in reply. The others at the table laughed, clearly under the effects of the blond vampire's charms. He put his cards down and pocketed the large pile of dradmas that had accumulated in front of him. "Goodnight, everyone."

A small chorus of "goodnight, Spike," followed the two vampires as they made their way out of the bar. Once in the corridor, Spike bounced up on his toes as they walked together. "That was fun. I think I won quite a pretty penny."

"You mean you swindled quite a pretty penny," Angel corrected, leading Spike towards the lifts. "I saw your little tricks."

"Yeah, but they didn't," Spike pointed out. "And I'm a richer sod for it."

"You do realize that cheating is a way to get yourself killed?" Angel asked, hitting the deck button he wanted once they were in the lift.

"Mostly it gets me sold into slavery," Spike replied. He smiled mischievously up at Angel. "Like last time."

Angel shook his head in exasperation and gently shoved his childe out of the lift when they reached deck six. He led him over to one of the many doors on that end of the deck, then began rapidly typing in the computer console set in the wall outside of one.

"What are we doing with the holodeck, Angel?" Spike asked, watching his sire curiously. "Don't tell me you want to introduce me to Carmela. Please don't tell me you want to introduce me to Carmela."

The dark-haired vampire chuckled. "Another time, perhaps," he said, then realized there might possibly not be another time. Shoving that depressing thought aside, he hit the final key and the door swished open. "After you."

The dark green and burgundy of the room with the two green leather chairs was quite familiar to Spike, and he warily looked at the dark doorway across from him. "Uh, Angel. This isn't one of your fantasies that is really going to scar me for the rest of my unlife, is it?"

"Why would you say that?" Angel asked, locking the holodeck door behind them.

"Because I don't think I could handle a menage-a-trois when two out of the three are, well, me," Spike replied. Angel gave him a wicked smile and he wondered if that was exactly what his sire was planning. "It really isn't, right?"

"No, it's not," Angel said, letting Spike off the hook. He was surprised that Spike had seen this holographic program already, but wasn't going to worry about it, or be embarrassed because of its label. "I turned William off. It's only you and me here."

"Good," Spike said, relaxing perceptively. He looked around the finely decorated room until his gaze landed on the white, fur rug in front of the glowing fireplace. When he turned to suggest to his sire they try out that rug, he found himself falling into Angel's gaze. The licks of desire he always felt when around someone he wanted flared to a raging inferno inside of him.

"Come here," Angel ordered in a soft, silky tone. Spike was helpless to resist. He moved until he was standing in front of his sire, only a foot separating them, his eyes still locked with the dark-haired vampire.

Angel raised his right arm, his face changing, and bit into his wrist. As the human mask immediately slid back into place, he slowly lowered his arm, wrist outward, the blood running down his palm and around the back of his hand. He continued to stare into Spike's eyes, and waited.

Spike could smell the sweet scent of his sire's blood and he grew hard in response. Over the past week and a half, he'd drank from Angel while in bed, but that was in the midst of passion. This was not. This was part offer, part demand. If he dropped to his knees and accepted the blood, he would be telling Angel how much he wanted him. He would be giving Angel power and control over him. He would be admitting that, even after close to twelve hundred years, he was still his sire's childe.

Spike dropped to his knees and drank.

Angel hissed and brought his other hand around to run his fingers over the top of Spike's head. His erection was straining against the material of his pants, aching more and more with each sweep of the blond's tongue over his wrist and hand as his childe cleaned off the blood. When Spike stopped, it took all his willpower not to grab the younger vampire and force his cock down Spike's throat in a show of dominance. That was not what Angel intended when he offered his blood.

He wanted to know if Spike still wanted to be a part of his immortal life.

Turning, he walked purposely over towards the fireplace, sat down on the hearth and removed his boots. Spike followed him a moment later, watching him curiously and with a lot of desire. The younger man sat as well, and pulled off his own boots, then stood back up and wiggled his toes in the plush, fur rug.

"Strip," Angel instructed gruffly, catching Spike's eyes again.

Spike did not hesitate in pulling the tee-shirt over his head and dropping it to the side. Never breaking his sire's gaze, he let his pants join his shirt on the floor. He stood proud and erect, unflinching and not uncomfortable when Angel slowly dropped his eyes and studied him.

Angel stood and circled behind Spike, his footsteps silent on the rug. Spike could feel his sire's gaze burning into the skin of his back, buttocks and legs. He jumped slightly when Angel spoke near his ear.

"Beautiful," Angel whispered. "Perfect."

A large hand covered his shoulder and Spike was turned around to face an nude and equally aroused Angel. He didn't get a chance to examine the older man's body as his was examined, because he was swept up in a deep, searing kiss. He moaned quietly and pressed himself closer to his sire's bare skin, which was starting to warm due to the fire in the fireplace. His stiff member was flat up against Angel's coarse curls, erotically tickling him, as undoubtably his dark hair was doing the same to Angel.

Angel pulled away first, only to tug Spike down onto the soft rug beside him. He immediately caught Spike's mouth in another kiss, his weight resting on his right hand and hip, his legs stretched out to the side. Spike was sitting in a mimic of his sire's position, only his legs were stretched out in the opposite direction, so his weight was resting on his right hand as well, allowing Angel to freely meet the younger man's lips.

His tongue chased and retreated, tangling with Spike's, becoming more passionate as the minutes passed. The blond vampire was making soft purring sounds of pleasure, more than likely unconsciously, that increased and decreased in volume as the kiss continued. Angel was content to let the kiss go on forever, but his aching member had other demands.

Spike wondered if the fact that vampires didn't need to breathe was false, because he was panting and gasping when Angel broke the kiss. He hadn't wanted it to end, however. He had wanted it to go on indefinitely, which was a new experience for him. Kissing was fun, but there were other things that could be done with the mouth. But he hadn't once thought about those other things while he was involved in that intensely passionate kiss with Angel.

His eyes suddenly flew open, then rolled up under his lids, and a loud moan of pleasure was pulled from deep in his chest when he felt Angel's tongue sweep along the head of his throbbing shaft. He forced his eyes open again and looked down to the erotic site of his sire sucking the mushroom-shaped tip of his cock into his mouth. The arm supporting him started to shake and Spike was forced to lower himself down onto the rug...and found his face inches away from Angel's swollen member.

Angel inhaled sharply when he felt Spike's tongue on his sac, then groaned around the thick rod he was sucking and licking as the younger man gently pulled his balls into his wet, willing mouth. For a few moments, he enjoyed the sensations Spike was invoking with his expert lips and tongue, then he continued his own ministrations.

The sound of the fire crackling was the only accompaniment to the quiet sounds of the two lovers teasing and pleasuring each other's genitals while laying on the soft, fur rug. Hands stroked over bare skin, resting on hips before sliding down to taut buttocks, pulling the other man's pelvis closer in order to swallow as much of the other's thick shaft as possible. The scent of sex filled the richly decorated room, fueling the flames of arousal more.

Spike came first, his fingers digging into Angel's soft skin of his buttocks, as he bucked his hips against his sire's face. He snarled and whimpered as he spilled his long-dead seed into Angel's mouth, shuddering when the dark-haired man's throat muscles contracted around the head of his cock as he swallowed.

When the shocks of white-heat lightning stopped coursing through his body, Spike sucked hard on the shaft in his mouth, rubbing his tongue rapidly on the sensitive underside near the head of Angel's penis. His softening shaft was released and he felt his sire shift, rolling onto his back. Spike followed, releasing Angel's cock only long enough to move his body between the older man's legs.

Angel sat partway up, watching down his body as Spike's blond head bobbed over his lap. He leaned on one elbow and raised his other hand to cup the back of the younger man's head, his fingers sliding through the soft locks of hair. He started raising and lowering his hips, thrusting himself into Spike's mouth. He let out a low growl of pleasure just before he climaxed, shooting his semen down his childe's waiting throat.

Spike milked Angel for several moments before releasing his sire's softening cock. He dipped his head between the dark-haired vampire's legs and ran his tongue over Angel's sac, then crawled straight up his body, licking his sweaty skin the entire way. Spike paused briefly to press a kiss right over Angel's undead heart before continuing upwards, dipping his tongue into the hollow of his sire's throat, up over his Adam's apple, under his chin to his mouth.

Angel dropped back onto the soft fur, pulling Spike down on top of him, their mouths fused together in another kiss. Angel swept his tongue inside Spike's mouth, tasting himself, but not caring, as he drew the younger man into another silent dance. His childe's body was warm from the fire, slick with sweat, and his hands easily glided over Spike's back as he gently ran them up and down.

When they broke apart, Spike's lips turned up in a soft, tender smile, his eyes reflecting contentment and satisfaction. Angel answered by pulling Spike's head down to press a short kiss on his forehead, then release him completely. Spike took the hint and moved off his sire, laying down on his back on the rug next to the older man. He relaxed with a happy sigh, knowing that what had occurred was the just the beginning of the night.

"You can leave at 0730 hours." Angel's voice was unnaturally loud and he cringed slightly because of it.

"What?" Spike said, turning onto his side to stare at his sire in confusion and with a hint of hurt.

"The Luna Nocturne will be in orbit of Kilon-4 at that time," Angel told him. "The first transport down to the planet will be within a few minutes of that. I figured you'd want to be on it." He didn't turn his head to look at Spike, not wanting to see the relief in Spike's eyes at being free again.

Spike looked at Angel a moment longer, waiting for the dark-haired vampire to give some clue that he wanted him to stick around. When he didn't, Spike said, "I can always take a later transport..."

"I have classes," Angel said. "And a staff meeting at 0800 hours. Besides, you said you were bored. It'll be dark still on Kilon-4, so I'm sure you can find some sort of mischief to get into before the sun rises."

"Yeah." Spike rolled onto his back again and stared sullenly up at the ceiling. "I'm good at that."

"You certainly are," Angel said. He gathered his flying emotions together to give into later and pushed himself to his feet. "Come on, why don't I give you a tour of the rest of the house? There's a few rooms I'm sure you'll get a kick out of."

"Why not?" Spike replied, rising as well. "We got all night to kill before I leave."

"And I can think of many ways to kill it," Angel said, heading towards the doorway that led further into the holodeck house. "Do you remember anything about Earth horses?"

"Horses?" Spike said, trailing after him. "You've got to be bloody joking..."

Silence descended upon the dark green and burgundy room, the firelight still flickering over the twin piles of clothing, the white, bear-skin rug and the memories of the two who had laid entwined upon it.

Part Nine

"Are you sure you don't want to take anything else?" Angel asked, as he and Spike stopped outside the transporter room. Couples and small groups filled the corridor, waiting for the first transport down to Kilon-4. Some were boisterous as they prepared to see a new world. Others were more subdued as they said goodbye to their friends and loved ones as they were leaving for good.

"I've got money in my pocket and the clothes that never stay long on my back." Spike gave Angel a wolfish grin. "What more do I need?"

Angel rolled his eyes at the same time the intercom in the corridor went on. "Attention, those who are taking the first transport to Kilon-4, please enter the transporter room now. Attention, those who are taking the first transport to Kilon-4, please enter the transporter room now."

"That's me," Spike said. He looked up at his sire, batted his eyes, and asked in a breathy voice. "Are you going to kiss me goodbye?"

Angel half-smirked, bent his head and pressed a soft, short kiss on Spike's lips. "Goodbye, Spike."

"Ta, Angel," Spike said. "Try to kill that stick before the next time I see you."

The blond vampire turned to go, but Angel caught his arm. "Wait, I almost forgot," he said, reaching into the bag hanging across his chest with his other hand. He pulled out a folded up piece of paper. "Souvenir."

Spike arched his brow and took it from him. He unfolded it and quickly skimmed the words. A snort of laughter erupted from him at the contents.

"Attention, those who are taking the first transport to Kilon-4, please enter the transporter room now..."

Spike refolded the paper and stuck it in his pants pocket, a large smile on his face. "Take care, you old sod," he said, then joined the people entering the transporter room.

"Try not to get into trouble!" Angel called after him.

"But that's what I excel at!"

Angel chuckled at his childe's parting comment and stayed until his blond head was no longer visible. Only then did he let his shoulders slump and his expression fall into sadness. With a sigh, he turned and headed down the corridor, his unexpected find lost once more.

*****

"Try it now!" Angel shouted. He looked at the newly installed coolant damper expectantly, armed with the refilled fire extinguisher. The engines on Lightning's Lady powered up, and when the damper didn't explode or fall off, he let out a whoop of joy.

Rigby appeared at the opening in the flooring. "I take it we're good to go?"

"New parts installed and working," Angel confirmed. At that moment, a bolt fell from above and smacked him on the head. With his deft reflexes, he caught it and grinned up at the Andinite. "Old parts compensating for the new by breaking. I think we're set."

He handed the fire extinguisher to Rigby, then pulled himself out of the open deck of the hopper. Together they put the flooring back and Angel tossed the bolt in the filled-to-the-brim miscellaneous parts-that-fell-off-the-ship box on the way to the cockpit.

"Go ahead and start pre-flight," Angel said, flipping various switches above the door and high on various panels in the cockpit. "I'll get us clearance and we're outta here. I'd like to hit Zandig before the week is up."

The dark-haired vampire turned to leave, but Rigby's question stopped him. "Are you sure you want to leave, sir?" he asked.

Angel looked over at his Andinite friend, then out the cockpit window at the bustle in the starship hanger. "Yeah, I'm sure," he answered.

"It's not too late to ask for your real job back," Rigby pointed out, his metallic fingers working Lightning's console. "I doubt the school's filled the position yet."

"That was never my real job and you know it." Angel lightly knocked his knuckles on the back of the pilot's seat. "This is where I belong."

"If you say so, sir." Rigby turned in the copilot's seat and looked up at the vampire. "You'd better get that clearance."

"Yeah," Angel agreed. Outside the cockpit window, two pilots embraced each other, one tall and dark, the other short and light, then they began speaking animatedly to one another. With a slap to the back of the seat, Angel turned and left the cockpit.

Ten minutes later, the Lightning's Lady had clearance to leave, but instead of returning directly to the hopper, Angel had one more thing he wanted to do on board the Luna Nocturne. His fingers moved almost automatically over the computer keys, pulling up the program he wanted. The door to the holodeck swished open and he walked inside, allowing it to close behind him.

The fire was crackling in the fireplace as usual, bathing the bear-skin rug in a soft, orangish glow. The dark coloring and finery of the room had not changed since last he'd entered this particular program over a year ago. He heard footsteps on the hardwood flooring and turned to the side doorway to wait.

"Angelus," William greeted jovially, entering the room. "I almost didn't hear you come in. I've been trying to tune that soddin' piano you insist on keeping. I still think we should scrap the thing and get us a baby grand."

Angel gave him a small smile. "Perhaps."

"Really?" William said excitedly. "I saw this one over at Grainer's that played like a dream. You'll love it."

"I'm sure I will," Angel said. He looked around the room again, impressing it needlessly into his memory. He doubted he would ever forget this hologram. He returned his gaze to William and gave him another small smile. "Well, goodbye, William."

"Goodbye?" William said. "You're leaving already? But you just got here."

"Actually, I've been here too long," Angel said, thinking about the long, restless past year he'd spent aboard the Council starship. He turned to the door and touched the spot on the holographic wall above the door keypad. It slid up to reveal a computer console duplicate to the one outside of the holodeck.

"When will you be home?" William asked softly.

Angel's finger hovered over the enter key as he glanced back at William. He shook his head sadly. "This was never home," he said, then depressed the key. The hologram faded around him. He opened the door and walked out without a backwards look.

The words "program deleted" glowed faintly on the console in the black and yellow room.

*****

"Transport to Angel," the communicator on Angel's wrist chirped.

Angel looked over at Rigby, who gave him the Andinite version of a shrug. They were moments away from leaving the Council's starship, going over the final pre-flight checklist. "If you're going to steal the communicator, you might as well answer it," Rigby said.

"This is Angel," the dark-haired vampire said into the communicator after depressing the button on the side.

"Delivery for you. Cargo bay six."

Angel arched a brow. "Thanks."

"Transport out."

He released the button and stood. "We didn't order any parts that I'm forgetting about, did we?" he asked Rigby.

"Who knows, sir," Rigby replied. "We order so many damn parts for this crate, who can keep track?"

Angel chuckled. "I'll be back, then we're gone," he said, then headed out of the cockpit. He lifted his hand in half-hearted greeting to those he passed on the walk across the hanger to the cargo bays. The entry to bay six was crowded with workers in colorful flightsuits unloading a shipment from a transport ship docked nearby.

Weaving his way around crates, containers and workers, he made his way over to the cargo bay receiving officer stationed behind a very busy, half-moon computer console. "Having fun, Jamiwn?"

"Loads," Jamiwn replied with a half-grin. The tall human removed his brim cap with the Council of Planets emblem on it and wiped his forehead with the back of his arm, then swept his dreadlocks back up under the cap. "I hear you and Rig are shipping out."

"After I pick up whatever you got for me," Angel said, drumming his hands on the edge of the console. "I've been on this bucket ninety-two years too long."

"Itchy feet, huh?" Jamiwn said, his fingers dancing over the keyboard in front of him. His black brow arched. "Looks like your delivery came complete with armed guards. They're in room three."

"Thanks," Angel said, giving the officer a mock salute. He turned and headed for the multiple small rooms that lined the far end of the cargo bay, patting his navy flightsuit pockets in search of some sort of identification in case he needed it.

The door swished open without having to press a touchpad and the dark-haired vampire saw three armed guards as predicted. One was standing near the entry to the room, the second was standing by the table set in the center, and a third was standing in the far corner beyond the table, his weapon aimed at something on the floor. "I'm Angel. I hear you have something for me?"

"Yes," the guard at the table said. He picked up a clipboard and walked over to the vampire. "Is this your property?"

Angel took the clipboard and read the paper clipped to it. He let out a short snort of laughter. "Yes, it is," he answered, not bothering to smother the broad smile on his face.

The guard took back the clipboard, removed the top paper and handed it to Angel. Then he took out a pen and pointed to a spot on another sheet on the clipboard. "Sign here."

Angel scribbled his name where indicated and gave the pen back to the guard. "Thank you," the guard said, exchanging the pen for a set of keys. "It's all yours."

He waited until the three guards left, then leaned back against the wall and jingled the keys. "Now, what am I going to do with a slave?" Angel said with fake puzzlement.

"You can start by getting this bloody chains off me," Spike growled from the corner of the room. "They're annoying."

Angel chuckled and quickly crossed the room to where Spike was sitting on the floor, his wrists and ankles manacled. "And here I thought you liked to be chained up," he said, squatting down to unlock them.

"Depends on who's doing the chaining," Spike said, a devilish grin appearing on his lips.

"There," Angel said. "You're free."

Spike stood and stretched, his grey tee-shirt untucking slightly from the blue and grey camouflage pants he wore. "Aah, much better. I've been stuck wearing those things for over a month now, waiting for this soddin' ship to arrive."

"What did you do this time?" Angel asked, feigning nonchalance at seeing his childe again. Spike started to say something, then changed his mind. Angel waited, watching as the blond bit his lower lip, then dropped his eyes to the heavy-duty combat boots on his feet.

Finally, Spike answered, his voice barely loud enough for Angel to hear. "I pretended to be a runaway slave and turned myself in on Pi'wiik-Alpha." He glanced up at the older vampire, a cross between hopefulness and worry reflected in his gaze. "I figured since I had the ownership paper you gave me as a souvenir..."

"You'd be able to get to the Luna Nocturne without a problem," Angel finished.

"No," Spike said quickly. "I wanted to get back to you, and that was the fastest way to do it."

Angel took a purposeful breath and let it out slowly before he spoke. "Rigby and I were just about to depart. A minute later and you would have missed me."

"Angel, I've been missing you for over a year."

The words were a mimic of what Angel felt. In an instant, he reached out and snagged the front of Spike's shirt, dragging the younger man to him. The kiss he gave his childe was hard, brutal and full of pent up emotions that had been repressed since Spike had left him. When he broke it off and released Spike, the younger man staggered briefly, his blue eyes wide.

"Woah, mate," Spike said in a none-too-calm voice. "I guess I was missed, too."

"You might say that," Angel replied with a smile. He picked up the chains, threw them over his shoulder and pocketed the keys. One of the things he had learned over the years as a hopper pilot was to take anything that wasn't nailed down. "So, what's your opinion of Zandig?"

Spike followed Angel as the older man headed out of room three. "Zandig? It's dirty, smelly, the Zandina's treat you like shit, and their liquor tastes the same way."

"Sounds like a perfect place for a card game," Angel commented.

The blond stopped walking and looked at his sire's retreating back for a few seconds, then jogged to catch up with him. "What do you mean, it's a perfect place for a card game?" Spike asked.

Angel stopped in front of the ramp to Lightning's Lady. "Didn't I tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Spike said with exasperation.

"I have an appointment with eternity,"Angel replied. He grinned. "Want to come along for the ride?"

Spike stared at his sire for a moment. "That has to be the cheesiest thing I have ever heard."

Angel winked, then turned and headed up the ramp. He paused at the top and looked back at Spike. "Are you coming?"

Spike's mouth turned up into the most wicked grin Angel had ever seen. "Should I even bother to answer that?"

Planet to planet, solar system to solar system, Lightning's Lady visited each briefly before moving on. The immortal vampires never settled anywhere for the reason that neither of them ever felt the need to do so, because the same was true for Spike as it was for his sire.

Wherever Angel was, Spike was home.

End

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