Jack took a step back, closer to Angelus, his body thrumming at their proximity. He felt the rush and pull on his blood magic as Angelus put up the barrier.

"That won't stop the Gwyilgi you know love." He let his shoulder brush against Angelus, feeling the warmth pouring between them, their magic winding together until he couldn't tell where his began and Angelus's ended. For the first time in a couple of centuries he felt whole again.

"I know dear heart, but it will at least make it harder for the rest of them."

Jack set them in motion again, headed for the breach in the security fence he'd slowly managed to create in the months he'd been trapped here. He kept close to Angelus's side, relishing the feeling of their combined magic, and occasionally checking the limp figure in Angelus's arms.

"Is she ok?" Angelus was clearly able to follow his magic now.

"He," Jack absent-mindedly corrected while feeling for the poison in the boys body, "he's going to be weak for awhile, but no permanent damage." He frowned as he felt the poorly constructed pain block around the boys ankle. Tsking to himself he unravelled it and healed the sprain.

"You really shouldn't do things like that love."

He could feel Angelus's embarrassment,

"I had no choice, I don't have your skills," his voice caught, "god I missed you Jack."

"And I you, I felt half of me was missing."

"It was," he felt the rush of love pour from Angelus and all his worries about being replaced dissolved.

Other worries quickly replaced them as a guttural howl echoed from the direction of the mansion.

"Run!"

Angelus set into a ground eating lope, shifting the boys limp form over his shoulder while Jack matched his pace, leading them through formal gardens and into the forest beyond. He felt Angelus making his night sight keener and revelled in the feeling of them working as one again. He had the path through the forest memorised but the hunting howls of the Gwyllgi made him push them faster.

"They've got our scent love," he panted.

"Just keep running Jack, trust me."

A large shadow bounded out of the trees towards them and for a moment he was gripped with a feeling of cold dread. The shadow 'boofed' at him and he couldn't hold back a surprised laugh.

"Valiant?"

Val boofed again, running circles around them joyfully.

"How?"

"Magic," Angelus was grinning, "I'll explain later love."

Valiant continued to circle them as they ran for the edge of the forest, occasionally darting off into the trees before returning looking smug. The only thing that Gwyllgi feared was dogs, and among dogs Valiant was a legend, un-killable, brave beyond measure and much smarter than any Gwyllgi could ever hope to be. Jack felt his heart soar with hope and joy as they broke free of the forest and sprinted across the spread of grass towards the hole he'd made in the fence.

Squeezing through he took the boy's limp form while Angelus pushed his larger frame through the hole, followed closely by Valiant who was clearly enjoying himself.

"Can you make a portal love?" He asked as he handed the boy back.

"With you here I could do anything," Angelus's grin shone in the moonlight, his voice breathlessly happy, "but we can't go back to where I was staying, Ira knows about it."

"Don't worry, I have a safe place, just let me direct us."

Valiant slipped under his arm as he threaded his fingers through Angelus's, letting his magic flow through him, concentrating on his safe house. He brought the shape of it into the front of his mind first, imagining it from a space that had room for all of them to stand. He wove the portal together around the vision he held in his mind, tasting the room, smelling it, feeling the texture of the threadbare carpeting under his feet. He made it as sharp and clear as he could, until he felt like he was standing within the room. Taking the magic Angelus had constructed he pushed it through the image and dragged the four of them through the portal after it.

They were standing in a small room, a single wire-woven bed pushed up against one wall with a sink and cooker against the other. With the four of them the room felt cramped and slightly claustrophobic. Angelus took two steps across the room and gently laid the boy on the bed, disturbing a layer of dust.

"Sorry, it's been awhile since I was last here."

Angelus stepped back and wrapped Jack in a tight hug, leaning down a little to press his face into the crook of Jack's neck.

"I looked everywhere for you dear heart," Angelus's voice against his neck sent shivers through him.

"I thought you were dead," the horror of his loss flooded through him and was quickly pushed away by Angelus's lips on his. He leaned into it pressing his body against him and running his hands up Angelus's back. The kiss deepened until there was nothing but Angelus wrapped around him, their bodies and their magic as one.

There was always a price to pay when magic was used, a physical one. Solo it meant they would both need to sleep and eat, or suffer ever worsening headaches and weakness, but together...
Angelus tugged at his shirt and Jack let him pull it off over his head, resuming the kiss with twice the passion of before.

They woke later, Jack stirring first, to find a blanket had been draped over their naked bodies, the smell of freshly brewed tea chasing away the stale dusty air. He turned his head to see the boy fiddling with three mugs and the kettle, a thoughtful slightly distracted look on their face. Beside him Angelus stirred and groaned softly, pulling Jack in tighter. Jack let himself be pulled, not worried by the boy playing voyeur to their intimacy, rather more glad that his claim on Angelus was being stated so boldly.