Title: Pale By Comparison
Author: Lisa
E-mail: spikdpunch@aol.com
Notes: *Angel means Puppy

***

He was unusually pale. More so than most people. That was what Oz couldn't
help but think as he looked at the guy who looked just like Angel appear
right in front of him. Sure, guys just dropping out of the sky were still
pretty much a *now that's strange* occurence..but still...he was really
pale.

Moving closer, a kind of sauntering half walk, Oz stopped just shy of the
new stranger. It looked like his sometime pal Angel but it didn't _feel_
like him somehow. Not that he often saw Angel rolling around and whimpering
on the ground like that...but call it a hunch.

Bending down beside the other now, he reached a hand out to touch the naked
back. Now that he was down at eye level he could see why the poor guy was
whimpering so much. Tons of scars and burns up and down his back and he had
the feeling that was just a preview of the front. "Painful," he commented
out loud and noted the way the other shivered when he pulled close. The guy
really looked like he was in pain and more so than most people. Oz touched
his skin lightly and murmured encouraging noises. "Hey..It's OK..." He
almost called him Angel but that might be embarrassing if that was not the
guy's name. Angel wasn't really a masculine name after all...less masculine
than most even...Still he had to try.

The pale one who looked like Angel but who was not, turned to look him in
the eyes. For a second, their gazes met before the one who had no name
looked away. "Where am I?"

And Oz did a double take...literally. "Angel?" Well, Maybe this was Angel.
It sounded like Angel and...come to think of it..It smelled like Angel.
*Looks like a duck, feels like a duck, sounds like a duck..must be a duck*
"Hey man...You're hurt. What happened? You just fell out of the sky there"
Whoa. He should be careful or he would exceed his 7-10 words per sentence
quota. He didn't want anyone accusing him of being chatty.

The hurt one took that moment to sit up then, looking the younger man over.
He shook his head as though dizzy and then pulled his legs close to his
body. "You seem to know me but you only look vaguely familiar ... and I'm
not sure how I got here" He hesitated but then went on, both eyes watching
Oz carefully. "I was helping Buffy fight the Master...I waited for her to
come but it took such a long time and he rose" Angel's eyes seemed to move
inward and fall deep into thought and Oz was having thoughts of his own. The
Master. He had heard of him. Heard that Buffy had killed the guy and then
ground his bones to make bread...or so Xander had thrown in during the
telling. Now here there was this *Angel* person telling him that he had just
been fighting him and that Oz looked only vaguely familiar. Very odd...Odder
than was normal even in the Hellmouth. Still, he should listen. Maybe more
clues would be revealed and they could figure out exactly what was going
on..but not out here. The sky was getting lighter and that was sure to be a
lot of trouble for someone so pale as this Angel. He just didn't look too
sunworthy...at least not as much as most people. Not to mention him being a
vampire. He didn't even need to go into that at all right now.

"Come on man. Let's get you inside. You stay here and something not so
good's gonna happen" Oz held out his hand but didn't do anything to push the
other. *Angel* it was strange seeing him like this...It was his twin, if
Angel had had a brother. Somehow Oz didn't think that this was his brother
though.

"Inside? Where?" *Angel shivered again but he looked like he was preparing
to get up and that had to be good on some level. He didn't take Oz's hand
but he did manage to put most of his weight on one foot before stumbling to
an upright position. "Okay," was all he said and Oz nodded his understanding
as well.

"Good. Come on. You can go to my house. No one's there and it's safe" Oz
started walking, moving at a semi-fast pace but not so fast that *Angel
could not follow. He looked over to the other and decided he would try and
get some information on the way to his house. "So...you said something about
the Master...what happened?"

Dark eyes swung in his direction to look him over, and Oz also got a better
look at *Angel's pale chest as he did so. Not that he had been unable to see
it before, but the pain in the vampire's face made him feel like looking
down and the scars were hard to miss. He studied those ugly marks, walking
and for a second he was certain that *Angel would not answer at all. He was
quiet, his bare feet barely making a sound as they went and it was almost
creepy in a way.

"The Master..." *Angel began talking, and Oz slowed a little to hear what
he had to say about the dreaded fiend. That did sound poetic too. Oz shook
his head and hoped that there wasn't two Masters as well. He turned his
attention to what *Angel had begun to say.

"He rose and he captured me. I was put in...a place I could not get away
from. It had bars and I was hurt" He looked up as they moved and Oz saw
that they were almost to the house now. He didn't want *Angel to stop
though, and he smiled encouragingly to keep him going. It seemed to help as
the twin that could be their Angel went on. "Willow...she called me Puppy"

Oz stopped right then and there, a shocked look on his face. *Angel, who
had kept going, stopped as well and looked back in puzzlement. "Are you
ok?" A nod from the redhead as he moved to catch up and headed over to the
door of his house. "Yeah. You just surprised me is all. Come on. We're here
and just in time, I think." He pulled a key out of his pocket and put it
into the lock as his mind raced fast and furiously. *What was going on here?
Willow? How did this *Angel know Willow if he didn't know Oz? But he had
known Willow before they met so maybe that wasn't that strange and of course
the Angel of this reality...whoa. A thought. Oz was having a thought. *This
reality*. Who said this *Angel even came from this reality? He turned the
doorknob and pushed the door open, looking back to the other. "Here you go.
Just make yourself at home"

*Angel stepped up behind Oz and he filed away the reaction of what he had
just seen. Something was going on besides his own confusion and that was
something to make a note of. He moved past the shorter man and entered the
nicely cozy house. Looking about, he didn't go very far and he was glad that
Oz had invited him, in though it was not said in so many words.

Coming in after *Angel, Oz closed the door and moved out of the doorway and
headed down the hall. *Angel moved after him, following him and staying
close. "You can rest in here and we can try and figure out what's going on."
Something was obviously going on after all...more so than usual even. Now if
they could just figure it out, they could decide how to fix things.

"Now...what about Willow. What did...what did she do to you?" He hated the
idea of Willow doing something like this to anyone but it did boost up his
theory about this *Angel not being from this place of being...so to speak.
*Willow* A point of pain right now, and for just one second his mind flashed
with the image that had seared there. Willow in Xander's arms...kissing him.
*No good* He pushed it away, returning to his original thought and where it
had been going. He also realized how glad he was that he had read so many
comic books. This kind of stuff was always happening to Superman and all his
superhero buddies. Multiple demensions and such. They did have Earth-Two
after all, but of course this was real life and not just some entertaining
story. *wait a minute* Another double take as Oz sat himself in a chair and
motioned *Angel to do the same. Wasn't that what characters in books,
animation and or TV shows always said?

*Angel sat on the chair that had been offered, noting the redhead's far off
look. He seemed to get that look at the oddest of times.. "Willow. She and
another. They are the Master's right hand killers. She is cruel...and she
likes to hurt me...burn me with matches." He was saying it as though it
were still going on and Oz had to supress a shudder at the sound in his
voice.
*Not in this world.* He was certain of it now, but that didn't answer the
why's or how's of the matter.

"Who is the other one. You said there was another?"

A grimace as *Angel...or Puppy as he said he was called, shifted in his
seat. The wounds looked even worse in the light of a nearby black light
bulb that shined on the vampire.

"Yes. He stays with Willow a lot but he mostly just watches...though not
always." Another shouder and Oz had to do something.

"Just a second. I'm going to get something for those cuts. I know you
probably wont need it, but it might make them feel better." He got up and
padded into the bathroom, returning a moment later with a jar of salve. "Lay
down. I'll put some on your back first"

Watching the boy come over, scooting the chair over to the bed, *Angel got
up and walked over as well. He sat on the edge of the bed, twisting his body
so that his back would easily be exposed to his new helper. "do you know
what's hapenning? Do you know how or why I'm here?" He shuddered as Oz
touched his back lightly. Oz reached over to turn on a regular lamp so he
could see better.

"I'm not sure...but I have an idea that you don't come from
this...dimension...this world." The words felt strange even as Oz said them
and he wondered if the other would understand what he was getting at. He
traced a wound on the left shoulderblade...not with his hand but with his
eyes and he kept quiet...waiting for the other to respond.

*Angel,for his part, was very quiet. He wondered why...A frown. He realized
that he didn't know the young man's name at all...had never asked for it. He
twisted around almost painfully so he could look into the others face. "You
never told me your name. You know I'm Angel but..." A small smile and Oz
mirrored it with his own. For a second the questions of what and how were
discarded and more social practices took over.

"It's...you can call me Oz."
For a second he had almost told him his first name and it surprised him. He
never told anyone that but the idea had flashed through his thoughts and he
had almost given in to him. Another smile and now it was *Angel who
mirrored him. "Like the story?"

Oz nodded at that, always amused when people asked him though it was
actually just a shorter version of his last name. "Yeah. Like the story" Why
correct him? It was more trouble than it was worth and Oz turned his
attention back to the scars on the other's back. "Turn back around so I can
put this on. It'll only take a second and I bet you'll feel much better."
*Angel wasn't sure of that, but he did as he was told, facing away once
more.

"You know.."

A pause and Oz dipped his finger into the jar he had opened up with a quick
twist of a lid. *Angel sounded uncertain but like he wanted to say somthing
very important and Oz wanted him to know he was more than willing to listen.
"Yes?"

Shivering, *Angel rubbed his hands together in his lap. "I'm just not that
used to...people helping me. It's just kind of nice." That sounded a
little
corny to even him but it had been so long since it had been true. He hoped
that the other did not think it was out of order to say such a thing. Oz,
for
his part, was quiet for a second.

"Well..." He finally said as he realized that the salve was running down
into the palm of his hand because he was holding it up for so long. He
hastily applied it to an area of *Angel's back that was clear of wounds and
he was sorry when it still caused the vampire to draw a sharp intake of
un-needed breath. "We'll just have to make sure you get used to it then."
Rubbing carefully, Oz moved his fingers closer to where *Angel had been
hurt. The rough texture of the ripped flesh made him want to pull back and
it left tingles up and down his arm. Instead, he focused on his next words
as he gradually moved across the area that was *Angels back. "Maybe we
should go over this again. You said you were fighting the Master. Do you
recall anything between then and when you landed?"

*Angel tensed as Oz's hands moved over each wound, but eventually he forced
himself take the pain a little more. It still hurt him but something
about the other's voice was soothing and it helped him forget how much he
just wanted to curl up and go to sleep again. "I don't know. It was all
such chaos to tell you the truth. Buffy had just shown up and the Master was
putting his plan to make killing more effecient...some kind of assembly
line..." Now it was Oz's turn to shiver, but he kept his hand moving. He got
some more goop on his hand and continued his ministrations, listening.
"Go on. I'm listening."

Nodding, *Angel rubbed his hands together again and went on. "She came to
me in my cell where Willow put me and she was after the Master before she
even got there. I...convinced her to let me go and I took her to where he
was announcing his plan." Another long pause and Oz wondered if he would go
on or if it wasn't just too painful for the other to continue. His hand had
stopped on *Angel's back now, and it reflected the fact that Oz was
practically holding his breath. Finally, the vampire continued as Oz took a
deep breath.

"Fighting. We were all fighting then...and there were a...bunch of people in
a cage...and you.." *Angel frowned and Oz let out a small noise without
knowing it when he stopped again this time.

"Me?"

Again *Angel turned and this time he moved all the way around. "You. I saw
you and.." Confusion as dark thought flittered in *Angel's darker eyes, "You
were fighting them. You were more than a sheep..a.." He bit his lip and a
term unfamilar to Oz slipped out. "Were you a white hat?" Shaking his head
because *Angel must have forgotten or discarded what Oz had said about a
different world. He wasn't sure about the phrase either but he had a
semi-guess.

"You mean one of the good guys? Your guess is better than mine. That wasn't
me that was helping you but I wish it had been" He ran his hand
over his jeans, wiping away some of the oil that clung to his fingers still.
"I just don't think...I think that was me in a way but my alternate...just
like there's another you here as well." Confusion flickered over *Angel's
face and Oz tried to think of how to go over this. He didn't think this
*Angel was dumb, just unfamiliar with the concept. "Let me try and
explain."

Oz tried to find the right words though it should really have not been that
difficult in theory. Without thought, Oz applied more of the salve to his
hands and he reached out to rub some on the front of *Angel's chest. The
other Angel flinched but he did not pull away. He only closed his eyes and
listened intently.

"Go ahead." The motion of Oz's fingers here and there sent small waves of
pleasure through him now that he had gotten past the pain of it. *Angel
could even imagine that all the burns and bruises were going away with that
soft and healing touch. "I'm listening."

Oz nodded, being careful of how he rubbed. "It's like Alice and the looking
glass. On one side is this place and on the other is where you live. Many
things probably look the same on the surface. I mean...we all have a
reflection or a double. Me, you...Buffy and the rest...what?"

*Angel was looking at him with a confused look on his face, "I don't
actually *have* a reflection. I'm a vampire. You do know I'm a vampire,
right?" A touch of fear, and then a relieved look when Oz nodded. The
redhead also held up a finger, tapping the air with it.

"And when I said the mirror thing. It was just an illustration, not
necessarily a specific explanation. Anyway, beside the fact that you don't
have a reflection, you do have a mirror image double," Oz scratched his
forehead, gathering his thoughts a little more. He looked into *Angel's
eyes for a moment and then shrugged, "On your side though,
things didn't go the same way, I bet." He really was exceeding his word
usage for the month, but now that he was on a roll, the explaination kept
coming. It almost had a mind of its own in fact and that made it easier
somehow. "From what you said, the Master didn't die in your world but is
at large and in business."

*Angel nodded and though he wanted to comment with more, he kept quiet and
waited for Oz to continue. He also shifted a little, moving so the hand that
rubbed would move to the other side of his chest now.

The red head noted the shift and he continued his rubbing. "You also said
that Buffy came, but not in time. That makes sense because she did come in
this world and she did kill him when he rose here. The question reamains
though. Why are you here now? Something must have happened to bring this
about. Some kind of...anomoly or..spell maybe." He thought about Willow
again but he could not imagine that she had this kind of ability as yet.
But what could cause something like this to happen?

*Angel sighed because Oz's hand had stopped again and he seemed to be deep
in thought now. "What about the other me? Is he here too?" The question
slipped out before he could stop it from going, but he didn't regret it. The
boy looked up, caught off guard as well.

"Yeah, but he's been keeping to himself lately from what I've heard. It's
a long story but the you of this world had a couple of problems of his own
to deal with." His voice trailed off and now other things were coming to his
mind. Something that Cordelia had said, of all people. They had run into
each other after what had happened. He hadn't meant to talk to her but
somehow they had ended up doing just that. Most of the conversation was
pretty much a blank...even for most conversations he had with her and that
wasn't much...but one thing stood out now that he thought about it.

"I really do wish that Buffy didn't come to Sunnydale..ya know? Things were
just better then." And then the thing she had said afterwards, right before
being distracted by something and walking off. "I don't know why I'm telling
you this anyway. I told Anya the same thing and, yeah I was kind of going
on, but jeez...all she said was 'Done.' Over and over again. What is her
deal anyway? Some people just need to...." and then she had spotted Xander
or something and run off. Strange but what did it really mean?

A pushing. Oz finally realized that *Angel had been pushing against him with
his chest in a half-insistent manner. "Sorry. I just..." Oz shook his head.
There was something there, he was sure of it. Something to do with this Anya
person. He would have to find her. "I don't know what's going on but I think
I have a clue as to where we can find out." His hand began moving across
the vampire's chest again, and Oz looked into *Angel's face for what seemed
to be the real first time.
"For now, I want you to stay with me. You can rest and heal. I won't be able
to be here at all times. I have school but I'll make sure you have...food to
eat."

Dark brown eyes. *Angel's eyes were so dark that Oz thought they were black
sometimes. His hand moved over, making circles and he heard *Angel draw in a
breath as he accidently moved his hand over one nipple. Oz blushed, but his
hand had already moved on so he didn't comment. "Anyway. I guess that's the
plan. What do you think of it?"

*Angel was once more deep in thought but he did seem to focus for a second.
"Thank you...Oz. I would definitely like that. I'm not sure I really have a
choice at this point anyway. I seem to be stuck here until we know what
happened, so I think it will do as well as any other plan." *Angel shuddered
again and Oz
realized that his hand had moved over the other nipple without his noticing
it. He started to pull back, muttering an appology but before his hand had
even finished dropping, it was grabbed by the man across from him. "No." 
The word seemed to throw itself out before *Angel hastily let go and also
said he was sorry. "You must be tired Oz. It's getting late. Maybe you
should get some sleep. I can just lay on the floor...if you don't mind."

A thrill. Oz had felt it when *Angel grabbed him and it made him shiver.
"No. You can use the bed. I'll sleep..." He looked about the room as though
expecting another option to pop up. "...the couch." He finished lamely as
his gaze returned to the other's. "I don't mind. Really. It's not like it
would be
the first time. I don't mind. Really." He kept saying
that. He really did mind, but Oz couldn't seem to help it. "I don't mind."

Looking down, *Angel could hear a heartbeat pounding strong and clear. For a
moment it had sped up...when he had taken Oz's hand. He was sorry he had
done it now, and it had only been a impuse. Something to stop the rubbing
from going away because it had simply felt so good..so comforting. It
worried him
that he might have put Oz into a bad spot emotionally by doing that. He
really had no idea what the other's ideas on certain things were but he had
seemed to be quite embarrased by the action. "Thanks Oz. I'd like that very
much...thank you." And he did. *Angel wanted the hand to come back now, but
he didn't say that. Instead he hugged his body with his arms, careful of his
chest but feeling suddenly very naked now. He looked up to Oz,
expecting to see annoyance or even revulsion, but the boy was only looking
at him. His eyes slid away when he say *Angel's face move up to look right
at him.

"Good then. It's settled." He stood up and rubbed his hands over his pants,
putting the salve down so that he could do so. "Time for bed then." He was
very tired. It came to him as though the idea were almost a little novel at
this point. "We should both get some rest. I have a lot to do tomorrow but
you're hurt.
I think it would be best for you too. Here, let me help you get under the
covers."

Why had he said that? Oz had not meant to say that last thing, but things
just kept slipping out no matter how much he didn't mean to say them. He
looked to *Angel but the other didn't seem to be bothered by his words. In
fact, he was already moving so that the covers could be pulled back and Oz
realized that maybe he was probably only imaging things. This was silly.
*Angel was
not interested in him. Why would he be? They didn't even know each
other...not really. Though this one looked and acted so much like the Angel
he knew, considering they came from different worlds. Comparitively speaking
anyway. "Here," pulling back the covers, Oz indicated that *Angel should get
under. He readily complied and the blanket was pulled back up to just
past the vampire's nipples. "That should do you for now."
*Angel's eyes were half closed now and Oz gave him a smile as he turned to
go to the door.

So much to do. He would have to get in touch with that new girl, Anya. He
would have to talk to Cordy again if he couldn't find that new girl. He
would have to stop having these weird thoughts about *Angel floating through
his head. Turning back, Oz put his hand on the light switch. The master
swith that he had attached all the lights to in the room though, though they
also had their
own on and off buttons. "Good night *Angel. I'll tell you what I find out
tomorrow. After school and...I'll have something for you to eat then."
*Angel nodded sleepily, but whether or not he heard Oz or was only dreaming,
it was hard to tell. Small whimpering sounds came from the vampire and Oz
was betting on the latter. It struck him one more time as he looked him
over,
*Angel really was quite pale. Much, much more paler than most people. With
that last thought, Oz turned off the light and shut the door.

...end part one...

***

Webmistress' Note: Lisa hasn't yet written a sequel.  Please e-mail her and ask
her to do so, because I want to know what happens!  :)