Title: Hand of Glory Author: Penemuel Posted: 6/12/01 Archive: Sure, just let me know where if other than list archive Part: 4/? (Work in Progress) Pairing: Angel/Lindsey Rating: NC-17 Warnings: language, curse (Lindsey's, not Angel's) related sex, gratuitous Lindsey vs. Wesley snarking Notes: I try to be consistent -- I might slip up, though. *words* are emphasised, _words_ are thoughts. Summary: Angel/Buffy crossover alternate universe. The first part was written in February, but I figure I'd better start posting *before* they aired Dead End, before someone says I stole ideas... Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I'm just playing with them for a while and will give them back when done. They might be a little sticky, though. Hand of Glory by Penemuel Part 3 "Giles, how are things going there?" Angel asked, leaning back in his chair as Wesley shut the office door on his way out. "Did Wes explain the situation?" The voice on the other end of the phone was quiet and carefully modulated, but Angel heard the tension anyway, "Yes, he did. He seemed rather concerned about you, too. Are you certain this young man isn't lying to you?" "Actually, I'm certain he's not lying, but I don't *trust* him. Don't worry, Giles, Lindsey isn't the one we need to worry about. The bastard that did this to him is the real danger..." "This Holland Manners fellow? I don't recognize the name, but I know a few people to ask -- it would be better if we can go into this prepared." "We?" "You'd better tell 'im, Luv," an accented voice said softly in the background before Giles could cover the receiver with his hand. "Be quiet, he'll hear you," Giles' muffled voice hissed. "I can hear him anyway," Angel said, "Is that *Spike*?!" "Angel's gotta boyfriend, Angel's gotta boyfriend..." Spike taunted in the background. Angel heard Giles sigh and then his hand slid off the receiver. "Oh shut *up*," the Watcher said tiredly. "What is Spike doing there, Giles?" Angel asked, beginning to feel like the world had turned upside down. "Are you sure *my* current situation is the one that we should be concerned about?" Giles sighed again, then answered, "*William's* nothing to worry about." There was an edge to his tone that told Angel he had levelled his best threatening 'Ripper' glower at Spike as he used his given name. Angel heard noises in the background and could tell the vampire had stalked away from the phone and thrown himself onto the couch. "He's still got that chip; he can't hurt any human without suffering his own agony. But, I should warn you, he might be accompanying me." Angel shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment -- they were *both* insane... "Giles, does Buffy know?" "I could ask you the same thing..." "True," Angel sighed. Forcing his attention back to the original reason for the call, he asked, "Do you have any idea what kind of curse is on Lindsey's hand; how to break it?" "There are a number of spells and curses that involve hands. I'll take a look at them and see if I can find something that fits. I feel I should warn you I may be bringing someone else -- if we're going to be dealing with high demonic magick, so to speak, we may need an expert of our own. I'm afraid my skills are a little rusty," Giles said softly. Angel got the impression he was embarrassed by that admission, but whether the embarrassment came from being rusty, or *having* the skills in the first place, he wasn't sure.. "Where are we going to get an expert demonic mage, Giles?" "Kinda slow on the uptake, in't 'e?" Spike's voice grumbled in the background. "I --ah-- an old acquaintance of mine, from my Ripper days," Giles explained quietly. Even over the phone, Angel could envision the colour rising in Giles' face as he explained, "Ethan Rayne may be willing to help if I offer him something in return..." In the background, Angel could hear Spike mutter sullenly, "Ethan Rayne's a wanker." Angel couldn't help chuckling in response to this. "Are you sure William's nothing to worry about?" he asked softly. "I'll deal with it," Giles answered, his tone carrying the hint of a teasing threat. Angel could imagine the look he was giving Spike at that moment, and decided it was time to finish the call. "So, how soon can we expect you?" he asked. "I'll call Ethan tomorrow morning and we'll be there as soon as possible after that," Giles answered. "If we have to bring any books, you will have some place safe to lock them up, won't you?" "Yeah, we've got some of the hotel's safe deposit boxes for valuable or dangerous items," Angel answered. "I'll leave you to your discipline problem there, and see you soon." After they hung up, Angel remained sitting in the office, wondering exactly when it was that both he and Giles had lost their minds. Wesley's words echoed in the back of his mind, and for a brief moment, he wondered if he should be concerned because he seemingly had no compunctions against 'sleeping with the enemy'. The moment passed when his vampiric hearing picked up what sounded like a whimper of pain and fear, coming from his bedroom. "Lindsey!" He bolted from the office and up the stairs, not even seeing whether Wesley and Cordelia had left. He was already fully vamped by the time he slid to a stop in the doorway, prepared to tear apart whoever was attacking Lindsey. There was no attacker -- instead, he found Lindsey tangled in the comforter, writhing and gasping in the grips of a nightmare. The young man was soaked in sweat and smelled of fear, and Angel noticed he was cradling his wounded arm against his chest with his good hand. "Oh, Lindsey..." Angel murmured, his face returning to normal as he walked to the bed. He stripped off his clothes as quickly and quietly as possible and slid into bed next to the restless man, then pulled him into a protective embrace and smoothed sweat-soaked hair back out of his face. "Lindsey, you're safe," he murmured, trying to chase the nightmare away without waking Lindsey out of the sleep he desperately needed. "Hush..." Soft whispers and gentle kisses seemed to work; Lindsey quieted in his embrace and he could hear the pounding heartbeat calm again. "I'm sorry, Lindsey," he whispered, settling them both as comfortably as possible in his bed, spooning up against Lindsey. Feeling the reassuring thump of the sleeping man's heartbeat, Angel drifted to sleep. Lindsey woke to find strong arms wrapped around him and a masculine chest pressed up against his back. Memories flooded back -- not just of the time spent in Angel's bed and the discovery of the curse on his hand, but also of the nightmare. "Damn... I gotta go to Caritas," he muttered, trying to find a clock to see what time it was. As he moved, Angel's arms tightened their grip on him and the vampire murmured something unintelligible against his shoulder. Then he felt the vampire press the rest of his body close, the cool firmness of his erection pressing up against his buttocks. "Who you dreamin' about, Angel?" Lindsey whispered, using his good hand to stroke what he could reach of the muscular arms. "You can't be dreamin' about me..." He twitched his hips back into Angel's, pleased when the vampire's hips thrust forward into him. _Lindsey McDonald, you are a SLUT!_ he thought as arousal shivered through him at the thought of that cool, hard cock sinking into him again. Uncomfortably, he realized he'd fallen asleep with the prosthetic still strapped onto his arm. Trapped in Angel's embrace, he had no chance now to remove it, and after his reaction to it the night before he wanted it off him before they started anything else. "Damnit," he muttered, trying to free his arms enough to unstrap it without waking Angel from what was obviously becoming quite an erotic dream. _I mean it's not like I *mind* the pleasure, but it's a *curse* -- who knows what the side effects might be!_ he thought, shifting in Angel's arms enough to free his good hand and *almost* reach the strap. Just then, Angel murmured his name and nuzzled his neck, and a hand brushed across his chest and settled on his arm, touching both flesh and plastic. Sharp, nearly painful arousal flooded Lindsey and he cried out, then undulated his body against Angel's in a desperate attempt to get the vampire's erection into the right position. "Ohmygod, Angel," he panted helplessly, "you gotta fuck me..." Responding in his sleep to the sudden flare of arousal, Angel tightened his grip on Lindsey and thrust against him. The head of his cock, already slick with precum, unerringly found Lindsey's anus and pressed against the twitching muscle while Angel's hand rubbed back and forth along his arm. Lindsey gasped at the sensations, helpless in the onslaught of the curse's effects. He had to have Angel inside him, immediately! Maddened by Lindsey's scent, Angel growled and thrust forward, sinking into the tight heat that welcomed him so eagerly. His eyes snapped open as the sudden tang of blood tickled his senses -- Lindsey had bitten his lip against the pain of penetration, but that pain had passed and he was now writhing wantonly and trying to drive Angel as deep as he could go. "Lindsey!" he gasped, trying to keep from hurting Lindsey further, "I'm sorry..." Lindsey turned his head to try and look back at him, then panted, "Angel, now's not the time!" He pressed back onto the cool invader and gasped, "Oh fuck. You've got to-- I need-- Fuck. Me. NOW!" "Linds?" Angel asked as Lindsey desperately bucked back against him. "What's wrong?" "Curse--" Lindsey gasped, twitching his arm to show Angel what he meant, even as he writhed back on Angel's cock. "Sorry," Angel whispered, sliding his hand away from the prosthetic and gripping Lindsey's upper arm as he thrust into the heat and tightness. "Any better?" Lindsey shook his head and whimpered in desperation, then whispered, "Please..." Angel wrapped his arm around Lindsey's waist and thrust deep, feeling the sigh of relief that trembled through the young man's form. There was time to discuss exactly what had happened once Lindsey was able to think again. For now, though, the scent of his intense arousal was driving Angel nearly as crazy as Lindsey seemed to be. Lindsey moaned as Angel drove into him, pleasure finally beginning to overwhelm the desperate hunger. Angel snarled and rolled them, forcing Lindsey onto his stomach. Once there, he used the arm around Lindsey's waist to pull the human up onto his hands and knees and hold him there as he drove even harder into him. There was something about his scent... it wove its way into Angel's senses and brought with it such hunger, such lust, that the only thing he could do was fuck Lindsey as hard as he possibly could. And it didn't seem that the young man had any complaints with that. Instead, he welcomed the vampire's savagery, crying out hoarsely as each brutal thrust battered his prostate, sending pleasure arcing through him like electricity; short-circuiting his nerves so that his arms collapsed under him. Angel's hands moved to grab his hips with bruising fingers; that and his cock the only things keeping Lindsey from collapsing beneath him entirely. "Oh god, Angel, yes!" Lindsey gasped as Angel continued to pound into him, pleasure bringing him to a place where the outside world ceased to exist. There was pleasure, and the vampire fucking him, and that was all. "Fuck me, fuck me fuckme!" he hissed, pressing back into Angel's strokes and clenching his muscles hard around the vampire's cock. "God *damn*, Lindsey!" Angel panted, his cock buried as far into Lindsey as he could get it and his hips spasming forward helplessly as the tightness squeezed his orgasm out of him. He wrapped his hand around Lindsey's throbbing erection and pumped it roughly a few times, until Lindsey screamed into the pillow and came all over his hand and the bed. Angel withdrew as carefully as he could, smelling a small amount of blood as he did so. He eased Lindsey down onto his side in the bed, trying not to lie him down in the wet spot he had just made; then he climbed out of bed and padded to the bathroom. He returned a moment later and gently cleaned Lindsey with a warm washcloth, probing as gently as possible to find out how badly he had injured the young man. "Ouch," Lindsey hissed as Angel found a small tear and cleaned it thoroughly. "I'm sorry, Lindsey," Angel murmured, pausing to toss the washcloth into the bathroom. A loud clunk startled him, and he swung back around to see Lindsey settling down in the bed -- and his prosthetic hand laying in the corner of the room where he had just thrown it. "Angel, Lover, *please* don't let me fall asleep wearing that *thing* ever again..." Lindsey said softly as Angel climbed in behind him. He turned to face the vampire and met his gaze with genuine embarrassment. "I just couldn't stop... I needed you in me and I really didn't care if you tore me apart getting there..." "Shh, Linds, it's okay now. I'm sorry -- you passed out so fast last night, I never had the chance to ask you if you slept with it on or not -- I just didn't think..." Angel soothed, wrapping Linsey in a surprisingly gentle embrace. He leaned close to Lindsey's ear and whispered, "I couldn't stop myself, either," he admitted uncomfortably. "I don't know what it was -- your scent, or just the way you were moving, or-- damn, Lindsey, you're..." "What, sin incarnate? Lust personified -- or maybe just a whore?" Lindsey asked, his blue eyes suddenly turning hard. "What am I, Angel? Who the hell *am* I?" "Someone who made a mistake a long time ago," Angel murmured, wishing he could escape the piercing blue gaze. There was accusation there, and anger, buried beneath the new-found uncertainty. "Yeah," Lindsey breathed, "A mistake. I came to you for help -- I was scared out of my mind, and you told me I was on my own; to make up my own mind about my future. What the hell was I supposed to do, sit on your doorstep until you let me in? They were gonna find me -- I *had* to go back to them or they woulda done something far worse'n kill me!" As Lindsey talked, his voice grew louder and his accent more strong. It was more than obvious that he was genuinely angry, and that contrary to what Angel had initially thought, the anger came from an earlier encounter, not the current one. "You could have talked to me," Angel stated. "*You* coulda come after me! You didn't make talkin' to you real easy, makin' fun of every damned thing I said. Shit, Angel, is it that I don't have the right curves? I need boobs for you to believe I'm scared an' need help?" "What?" "Faith," Lindsey spat. "You took her in even after she *tortured* Wesley -- even after all of that, she was worth redeeming. Me, you gave me one chance and never even *tried* after that!" Lindsey yelled, sitting up and trying to shake off the hand Angel settled on his shoulder. "I'm trying now," Angel said, knowing it wasn't really enough. Lindsey was right, he had treated Faith far differently from Lindsey, and she had hurt his friends at *least* as much as he had. Worse, if he took into account what she did to Buffy, too... "I'm sorry -- you're right," he admitted quietly. "It's just that... she seemed so much more -- broken -- than you ever did." "Y'never looked hard enough," Lindsey whispered, his anger suddenly dissipating and leaving behind a deep sadness. _If only..._ "I'm sorry..." Angel murmured, reaching up to cup Lindsey's cheek, studying the crystal blue depths as the young man stared back at him. _Damn, it was there all the time, I just didn't make the effort to look..._ "You're right, I didn't..." "Okay," Lindsey said, still subdued. "So, what now?" "Giles and possibly two others will be here sometime soon -- I talked to him last night," Angel explained. "Who else is coming? Can we trust them?" Lindsey asked, the vulnerability suddenly buried again and the all-too-understandable fear once again surfacing. Angel noticed that Lindsey didn't pull away from his caress this time, but he seemed completely oblivious to the physical now. "Giles vouches for them, but you may want to be careful," Angel answered honestly. "Neither of them would ever give Wolfram & Hart the time of day, but they may have their own agendas..." He smiled ruefully and continued, "He's bringing another vampire, Spike; and possibly an old acquaintance of his, Ethan Rayne." Lindsey frowned, and Angel noticed he was absently rubbing the stump of his right forearm. "Any idea *why* he's bringing them? I don't really see what help William the Bloody's gonna be to us, and Ethan Rayne's so unpredictable it's better to just steer clear..." he mused. It was obvious he was at least slightly familiar with both of them. "More of Wolfram & Hart's knowledge?" Angel asked before he could stop himself. Lindsey looked sharply up at him and said, "Forewarned is forearmed. It might be a cliche, but it's true. I know about the chip, so William won't be a problem, but do you *really* trust Ethan Rayne?" "No," Angel answered hesitantly, "but I'll be keeping an eye on him, and so will Giles. It's just that we might need someone who's experienced and adept at high demonic magick--" "Or low demonic magick, depending on how you look at it," Lindsey cut in. "No, you're right, it makes sense." "Just how much background material *do* they have in that file vault?" Angel asked softly, studying Lindsey's expression. Lindsey smiled humourlessly and slid over to the edge of the bed, then stood up. "Unfortunately, more than I've been able to get my hands -- so to speak -- on... Knowledge is power, and Wolfram & Hart is very, very powerful..." After letting that sink in, he stretched and turned away from Angel, striking a seductive pose as he looked back over his shoulder. "I'm gonna hit the shower, you comin' with me?" Angel smiled and said, "If I get in that shower with you, we're *never* going to make it out of this room..." Lindsey purred, "There's somethin' to be said for that..." then stepped into the bathroom and pulled the door to. As he started the water, Angel sighed and stood up, then followed him... "I feel like an idiot in this sweater," Lindsey grumbled as he followed Angel down the stairs to the lobby. "What's wrong with my sweater?" Angel asked him, glancing back at the shorter man with a slight grin. The heavy black sweater he had lent Lindsey was big even on him, and hung low enough on Lindsey that it could *almost* be a mini-skirt. Lindsey's hands disappeared almost all the way into the sleeves... "Your *sweater* is a frickin' *dress*," Lindsey responded sullenly. "Nice of you to join us," Wesley's voice interrupted them before Angel could entertain himself further at Lindsey's expense. "We were beginning to wonder if you two had killed each other." "Make your day easier if he killed me, wouldn't it?" Lindsey asked, glowering up at Wesley as if daring him to comment further. Then he looked beyond the ex-Watcher to see Cordelia trying to stifle a giggle. "Shit." "Wes, did Giles call and tell you he was on the way?" Angel asked, interceding tactfully for once. "Yes, Angel, he did. They should be here in about an hour or so -- he said it would be easier for them to travel after sunset..." Wesley's tone plainly said that he thought Giles had gone even further around the bend than he thought Angel had. "Good," Angel said, taking his keys from his pocket. "We have to go to Lindsey's apartment and get some of his clothes." "Yes," Wesley said archly, smirking at Lindsey, "the 'New Wave' look is a little dated." Lindsey smiled broadly and countered, "Looks better on me than that jealousy does on you." Cordelia loudly cleared her throat, hoping it didn't sound too much like she was covering a laugh, then sobered and asked, "Angel, do you think we should go with you, just in case? They may have his place staked out." Angel turned his attention from the two men staring each other down and met Cordelia's gaze with a nod. "I'd like one of you to come with us, and the other to wait for Giles. Just keep in mind that we're going to be in close quarters and I don't feel like breaking up any fights, and whoever stays here will have to put up with both Ethan and Spike," he warned. "Cordy, can you call Gunn and have him meet us at Lindsey's place?" "Are you sure that's a good idea?" "He's got to find out about this sooner or later, and I'd rather not have him show up here and try to stake Spike," Angel explained. "I don't see why not," Cordelia began, then she blinked and her eyes went round. "*Oh...* No, I guess that would be bad, too, maybe. Okay, I'll stay here, Wesley can go with you -- in case there are icky demons..." "Why thank you so much, Cordelia," Wesley said sarcastically, although he felt he should be the one to risk being in a fight. She could hold her own in a fight these days, but it was stupid to tempt fate and risk her being grabbed by Wolfram & Hart... "Okay," he said calmly, getting the upper hand on his jealousy once more, "Lindsey, are you expecting trouble?" "Wouldn't be surprised -- I did kinda walk out and leave 'em in the lurch. Holland may have had to take care of the clients himself last night -- although he probably made Lilah do it..." Lindsey mused, a wicked glint in his eyes at the thought of lovely Lilah having to service one of the clients. "Serves her right for tryin' to walk all over me, the bitch," he muttered almost to himself. "We should be armed," Angel said strongly, hoping to keep the discussion from deteriorating further. He walked over to the counter and pulled a bag out from under it, then grabbed a smaller one and tossed it to Wesley. "Cordy?" "Calling Gunn -- I'll have him meet you there." "Good. Let's go." To be continued...