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Champions	By : QueenB Category: Angel the Series > Slash - Male/Male Views: 4528 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Angel: The Series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Vampire and Pylean strode through the sewers in the general direction Gunn and Fred had indicated. The Pylean hadn’t said anything about the kiss they’d shared and Angel wondered if he was trying to forget the incident or whether the stalwart hero was simply caught up in the eagerness to do battle.
Suddenly the vampire stopped. His outstretched hand pulled Groo up short as his well-honed senses picked up something ominous. “Did you feel that?”
The blue-eyed man paused. “Something evil,” the mortal said decisively.
He surged forward only to be yanked to a halt by the irritated immortal. “Easy. Slow down, champ. We’ve got to be very careful...”
“AHHHHH!” Emitting a ferocious battle cry, Groo seized his sword and charged into the adjacent chamber. Angel clucked his teeth in annoyance as he cautiously brought up the rear.
The Pylean hacked away at the hanging roots in front of him as Fred and Gunn yelled, “Groo! Over here!” The muscular man shouted his challenge again. But his noisy entry had attracted notice. Striking like a snake, a long thick root whipped through the air and flew into his chest. Before the trapped duo’s shocked eyes, the ropelike member yanked the champion forward onto the ground. The violent attack caught Groo completely off guard and his broadsword flew out of his hand.
Gunn and his new girlfriend watched their hope of rescue vanish as their would-be savior was literally brought to his knees. “What are we gonna do now?” Fred whispered.
Just then Angel came through the entrance and stared in outrage at the tableau before him. He seized the dropped weapon and dashed over to where Gunn and Fred were bound to the wall of the underground enclosure. After he’d ascertained that they were in no immediate danger, he tried to assess the situation.
“What is that? I mean, what is it made of?” he asked.
“Flesh, I think,” Fred answered in a wavering voice.
“Good. Flesh I can deal with, flesh I can kill.”
But as the vampire advanced, Fred interjected hastily, “But I don’t think hacking it’s going to do any good. It doesn’t seem to have any vital organs. It uses people as batteries. It draws its power from its victims.”
“And it’s been getting stronger since it tapped into Groo,” Gunn finished. As if in confirmation of this explanation, a loud groan from the Pylean filled the air. Angel could almost feel Groo’s pain slice through his own chest as if the agony were his.
He scanned the face of the tree monster. It possessed a mouth with jagged teeth and only one eye that was balefully trained on the vampire. All the computer terminals pointed to a kind of sentience and the thing was definitely aware of his presence. He was going to have to be careful. But a plan was starting to form in his mind...
“Stronger, huh?” Dropping the sword, the vampire ambled over to the one-eyed visage, taken care to maintain an air of nonchalance. He was keenly aware of the suffering figure on the ground and his two bound friends behind him. Their lives would depend on whether or not he could outwit this thing.
He addressed the tree in a thoughtful voice as if he were really interested in the answer. “What do you think? Honestly, is he really better than other men?”
“He’s magnificent,” the wooden mouth growled.
“Really?” Angel asked in feigned surprise. Then his face twisted into a sneer. “I’d say more like magnificently stupid.” Gunn and Fred stared at each other in shock. Just what kind of game was Angel playing?
Angel sauntered to where Groo lay forced back by the huge appendage in his chest. “See, he’s on the ground with the beer tap in his chest and I’m still walking around and I’m really getting tired of the Groo-worship.” Without warning his fist shot out and slugged the stricken Pylean a solid backhand to the face.
The tree flinched at the blow. Just as Angel had surmised, the creature maintained a physical link to its victims and the wallop had hurt it. Now he just had to pour it on. He could only hope Groo would understand.
He continued his rant, punctuating his harsh words with brutal jabs. “Oh, everybody makes such a big deal of the Groosalugg. ‘He’s such a champion’ (thump), ‘He’s so rugged’ (thump), ‘He’s so emotionally available’ (thump), ‘Look at him in the daylight!’ (thump).
“Hey, you know what? I’m smarter and I’m stronger and I pick out my own clothes!” Angel delivered this last line with a sharp chop from his elbow into Groo’s neck. The tree bellowed in rage and finally released the Pylean from its grip. The feeding limb coiled up and viciously transferred itself to the vampire.
Angel’s exultation at his success was quickly swept away by the intense flare of agony that lanced through him. Too late it occurred to him that, while this thing might be flesh, it was also partly wood and having it so close to his heart might prove fatal. Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth against the stabbing sensation and held the tentacle to him to prevent the creature’s escape.
“Kill you,” the monster hissed.
“Sorry,” Angel choked out. “Already dead.”
A look of realization spread over the wooden countenance as the tree understood what kind of being was in its grasp. “Vampire,” it whispered.
“Yeah. Did I mention that?” Angel grinned.
The demon groaned in horror as the life flooding its veins was replaced by the creeping death held in the vampire’s carcass. “Cold,” it moaned as, one by one, its roots lost vivacity. They withered and died in moments, releasing the two human captives. The gargoyle-like beast continued to whimper, “So cold.”
“So dead!” Gunn yelled as he plunged Angel’s broadsword deep into the creature’s face. The monstrosity gave a gurgling moan and ceased to move. With its expiration the root fell away from Angel’s chest and Gunn slowly helped him to his feet.
The vampire cast an anxious eye on Groo as Fred checked the Pylean’s injuries. Angel knew from experience how tough Groo was but he’d been hit rather hard—and repeatedly. The pummelings accompanied with the life draining must have taken a severe toll on his body.
“How is he?” the vampire murmured.
“He’s pretty beat up. But still alive—thanks to you,” Fred replied.
The trip back to the hotel was uneventful. Gunn drove Fred back in the van while Angel and Groo trailed behind more slowly in his convertible. The large man lolled almost unconscious against the seat as the vampire alternated driving and checking his woozy travel companion.
At a stoplight, he rested his hand lightly on Groo’s chest, both to enjoy the contact with the warm body and to check his wound. It appeared to be healing nicely, much to Angel’s relief. And was it his imagination or did the blue-eyed giant lean ever so slightly into his touch?
“Angel.”
The vampire glanced with relief at those soft pupiless eyes. “Don’t try to talk, Groo. You’ve been through a lot tonight. I-I’m sorry I had to hit you so hard.”
The large man smiled wearily. “I understand. The subterfuge was necessary to defeat the evil. It was well done. There is no reason for apologies.”
What could Angel say to that? Groo was ready to forgive him. He wondered if Cordelia would be as lenient.

TBC
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Champions