"I thought we were going out," Wil muttered as he clambered down the stairs. It was just twilight, and while Wednesday wasn't exactly the most hopping of days, it was the only one where everybody was off work at the same time.

"We are," Angel reassured the blonde. "The pack's just finishing up a bit of practice." Oz was taking advantage of the acreage around their farmhouse by making the entire pack, plus Xander on occasion, perfect their hunting skills. It was very similar to what they'd done in Indianapolis, but more frequent and more extensive, since the property was private. "But you can ring the bell if you're in a hurry."

"No," Wil replied quickly. He hated the huge, cast iron dinner bell Xander had found in the barn. The Raphe mounted the thing on the porch, and rang it whenever he couldn't find someone. which for some reason was several times each day. Wil's constant threats to sodomize the seer with the blasted thing hadn't stopped him.

The blonde sank down into a chair in the living room, resigned to waiting at least another hour. All of the pack would want to bathe and change clothes before they went out, and they'd be lucky if they made it to dinner before the restaurants closed. Not that food mattered to Wil; he'd already fed. However, he wanted to go somewhere other than Waffle House. After all, they were celebrating tonight- Oz and Xander had hacked into one of their targeted bank's databases and gotten the attention of the feds. Now a significant portion of Wolfram & Hart's assets were frozen pending an investigation.

Just as Wil finally found something worth watching on television- a documentary on the Maginot Line- the missing investigators barreled into the house through the kitchen door, all but Xander in full wolf-mode. Wil cringed at the sound of claws scraping hardwood floors, knowing that he'd be the one to apply polish to the marks. Why couldn't they shift back before they ran through the house?

"They shouldn't be too long," Angel murmured as he sat down on the arm of Wil's chair. "Xander didn't have lunch."

Wil grinned. "You've got a point there. A hungry Xander usually equals light-speed bathing."

Sure enough, the gang was ready to go in less than forty-five minutes, considerably less time than Wil had originally anticipated. Xander bounced around the entranceway, waiting impatiently for Wesley to finish applying his glamour. The faun had taken to using the spell whenever he was off the property. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to have around him, but it was more effective than a floppy hat-which he still kept around for casual walks around the farm.

"Can we go to-" Xander started as they piled into the two cars.

"We're going to the old city," Cordelia stated firmly. "My manager told me there were good restaurants there."

"You know how to get there?" Wil inquired.

"Yeah. Take I-40 east to 388-James White Parkway," Cordelia replied.

"Shit. Road construction," Wil grumbled as he pulled away from the house. "There's no other way?"

"It would take a lot longer," She cautioned. "Besides, at this time of night, nobody's going to be on the road anyway."

"Says the girl who works during the day," Angel muttered. "There are a lot of trucks at night."

Cordelia shrugged and sat back. She didn't care, since she wasn't the one driving.

���...�...�...�...���

"Wesley, look at all the motorcycles!" Fred exclaimed as they walked down the streets. The group turned to admire a long row of bikes, all polished for show. Wesley smiled softly, wishing once again that he'd been able to bring his own motorcycle with him.

"You miss yours, don't you?" Xander asked the faun.

"Occasionally," Wesley admitted quietly. "But only when the weather is good."

"Hey, the restaurant's just up ahead," Cordelia reminded the drooling guys. "I do want to eat, you know." The gang dragged their eyes away from the sights and followed Cordelia into a tiny Mexican restaurant. It was only partly full, so they easily found a table large enough for all of them.

"No, Xander, you can't have the habanera chili sauce," Oz stated when Xander began to peruse the menu. "You'll throw up."

"I won't," Xander muttered, even as he chose a different meal. "Spoilsport."

Wil and Angel grinned at the Raphe's petulant whining. They knew it was just for show; besides, if Oz hadn't said anything, someone else would have. Nobody wanted to ride home with a sick demon in the back seat. The rest of dinner went by uneventfully; the vampires shared some violently spicy salsa while the others gorged on Americanized Mexican food and kibitzed about stuff unrelated to any of their work.

"I think you made a good choice this time," Wil commented to Angel after a while.

Angel looked at Wil curiously. "How so?"

"I don't think they liked Indianapolis very much," The blonde replied. "They certainly seem to be more relaxed here."

"Maybe," Angel murmured. "Then again, Indianapolis was our first stop; we've all had time to adjust by now."

"Perhaps," Wil agreed. "Regardless, I've not seen Wesley or Cordelia this content since before we went to London."

"Would you guys NOT talk about serious stuff for a few minutes?" Xander begged the vampires. "I mean, we came out here to celebrate and let loose, not rehash. We do that enough already."

"Yeah. And, if you don't pay attention to us, you won't get any say in what we do next Wednesday," Cordelia reminded the two men. "Right now, we're considering going to the flea market, followed by the weekday church services down the-"

"Why don't we go to the state park instead?" Angel suggested quickly. "Go hiking."

"Vampires? Hiking?" Xander snickered.

"At night," Angel defended. "Or would you rather go to church?"

"Reverend McFaddon won't let us in his church," Fred commented. "The last time I was in the post office, he hissed at me."

"I thought hissing was limited to snakes, cats, and demons," Cordelia commented.

"And preachers," Oz added.

"Regardless, I don't think we'd be welcome. He called me a hussy," Fred said.

"It's better than what he called me," Xander muttered.

"What?" Wesley barked, alarmed. "What did he say, Xander? When?"

Xander shrugged. "I ran into him in the grocery store. He started shouting and screaming about hell. Called me a sodomite and a pedophile."

Angel struggled to keep himself under control. As it was, his eyes flashed yellow. All of them had run into the preacher at one point or another, while shopping or paying bills. If it wasn't him, it was one of his flock, pointing and commenting and generally being small-minded bigots. No one had done anything to them, at least not yet, so they tried to ignore it. For the most part, it worked; besides that, the majority of the community left them alone-not everyone liked McFaddon and his church.

"Angel," Wil murmured low, so that only the dark vampire could hear him. "Xander can take care of it himself."

"Ah, he's just a stupid creep," Xander said lightly. "But he does make life interesting, doesn't he?"

"That he does," Wesley muttered. "Never a dull moment."

"So, do you guys want to go home, or rent a movie, or what?" Cordelia asked, seeing that everyone was finished with their dinners.

"Angel can get us a discount at Vince's," Xander reminded the group.

"I was referring to a movie that wouldn't make all of us blush," The werewolf seer replied sharply. "Unlike you, I do not require pornography to get off."

Xander choked on his water. "Just taking advantage of the situation, Cordy."

"Uh huh," She hummed. "Sure."

"Why don't we stop by someplace on the way home?" Fred suggested. "See what's out. If there's nothing, we can always play Scrabble."

"With demonic languages?" Gunn asked warily.

"It's that or Pictionary," Wil replied. "Somehow the Twister game got all. dirty. But Xander wouldn't know anything about that, would he?"

"Nope," Xander said, shaking his head. "I had nothing to do with that, did I, Cordy?"

Cordelia blushed deep red. "I wouldn't know. Can we get out of here? I think we're scaring the hired help."

The gang ambled their way back towards the car, steering clear of the less savory groups that had aggregated along the streets for the late-evening drinking scene. They didn't look dangerous, but the investigators didn't want to take any chances, not on their free night. Despite their best intentions, however, trouble managed to find them.

"Faggots."

Xander stiffened and whipped his head around. Five or six guys were walking along the street next to them, edging closer and closer. They were leering at the investigators, particularly at Xander, Oz, Wil and Angel, who were paired off as obvious couples.

"Lay off," Gunn warned as he put himself between the men and Cordelia.

"Whatcha gonna do about it, darkie?" One of the men snarled.

"Got himself a white girl," Another growled. "Damned slut, spreading it for a-"

"I wouldn't remark upon their relationship," Wesley said, cutting off the man's tirade.

"Or what?" A third man asked rudely. "You'll hit me, English? Pansy ass foreigners. Probably sucking his chocolate dick." The man's friends laughed at the crude statement.

"Goddamned faggot queers and foreigners," The first man spat. "Disgusting Christ-killing, motherfuckers."

"You know, it's people like you that give the South, and humanity in general, a bad name," Angel said calmly. One of the guys turned to insult Angel, but stopped cold in his tracks, causing another man to run into him.

"What the fuck's wrong with you, Dewey?" The guy said to his now motionless friend. The guy pointed at Angel. The vampire was in full gameface, eyes glowing a malevolent yellow. Wil too had shifted. The werewolves followed suit, letting enough of the wolf go to make their eyes change.

Angel stepped forward, until he was almost pressed against one of the men. The rest of the investigators surrounded them, pushing the men into a dark alley. Angel walked the most offensive guy backwards, sort of liking the strong odor of fear he gave off. "So you have a problem with us?"

"You don't like us?" Gunn asked, growling in a rather un-human way.

"You think we're dirty?" Cordelia added.

"Filthy?" Oz murmured. "Unclean?"

Xander darted from beside one man to stand just in front of another, moving so quickly it looked like he simply appeared out of nowhere. "Maybe you think we're evil. Hmm."

One of the guys shuddered and started to whimper. Oz had him pressed tight up against a wall and was sniffing his neck. "You think you can take us?"

"A bunch of fags?" Gunn snapped at one guy.

Wesley sidled up next to another man and let his glamour slip, showing his horns. "Queers and foreigners?" The man took one look at the horns and started to shake.

Wil gave his guy a hard shove into the wall. "How about queer foreigners?" He hissed, bringing his fangs to within an inch of the man's neck. The vampire inhaled deeply and stepped back, letting the man sink to the ground.

"Did he just shit himself?" Wesley inquired, glancing at the prostrate man.

"I believe he did," Angel commented, still staring down one guy. "So did this one."

"Big tough guys crapped their pants over a bunch of fags?" Xander giggled. "Pansy-asses."

"Seriously not scaring me here," Cordelia snickered.

Wesley put his glamour back on and collected Fred from where she'd been growling at one of the insulting lowlifes. "I'm rather unimpressed, I must say." Oz laughed, still wolf enough for it to sound eerie. He joined in the retreat, as did the others, until only Wil and Angel remained.

"I think maybe you should. . . forget you ever saw us," Angel suggested to the only guy still standing. The others had sunk to their knees, quivering like fools.

"Just a figment of your imagination," Wil added, eyes still glowing. "I'd lay off the booze, if I were you. Makes you see things." The guy blinked. "Doesn't it?" Wil encouraged. Angel reached for the blonde and the two retreated to the mouth of the alley. Wesley hung back for a moment, staring at the men.

Fred was about to grab him when she heard the faun chanting softly. A few seconds later, he finished and joined the others. "Forgetting spell?" Angel asked the man.

Wesley shook his head. "No, more of a mild confusion. Just enough to convince them we weren't real."

"Probably for the best," Fred commented. "We shouldn't be exposing ourselves like that."

"They deserved it," Xander said darkly. "And worse."

"Yeah," Gunn muttered. "I'd."

"Fred's right," Cordelia murmured. "But as long as they don't really believe we were there, it's ok."

The drive back was less easygoing than anyone would've liked. The good cheer that had permeated their evening was gone, courtesy of the six of the area's finest idiots.

"We didn't stop for a movie," Xander remarked as they filed into the house half an hour later.

"Scrabble," Oz reassured the Raphe. "English only."

"I'm game," Cordelia said. "Anybody want anything to drink?"

"Beer," Gunn replied.

"The same," Xander said.

"Me too," Fred added.

"Yup," Oz murmured.

"We'll get our own blood," Wil told the seer. He and Angel were worked up enough from earlier to warrant a supplement to their usual feeding.

"Team or individual?" Xander asked as he set up a Scrabble board. If they didn't play in teams, they'd need two sets of the game.

"Team," Wesley suggested. "But random this time, please." The ex-Watcher was very good at the game, but no one could beat Angel and Wil paired together. Between Angel's centuries of reading and Wil's poetic tendencies, they knew practically every obscure word in English, as well as many other languages.

"I'll get some paper," Fred offered. She made up slips of paper so that they could draw their partners.

By the time Cordelia, Angel and Wil returned with drinks and chips, the game was ready to go. "You guys need to draw numbers," Xander said, thrusting a dish of paper slips at them.

"Who's got one?" Wil asked, holding up his paper.

"Me," Cordelia replied.

"Two?" Xander asked.

"That would me," Wesley replied.

"Three?" Angel asked.

"Yup," Oz murmured.

"Which leaves me and Gunn together," Fred finished. "Is slang ok?"

"Only if archaic words are also acceptable," Wil countered.

"And abbreviations," Cordelia insisted.

"Middle English?" Angel asked.

"Acronyms?" Xander inquired.

"At this rate, we'll be able to put down practically everything!" Wesley exclaimed. "Why don't we attempt to play by the rules?"

"You're no fun," Xander whined. "Rules, schools."

"How very mature," Wesley snapped. "Perhaps we should try playing in Thlakonian. There is no slang in that language."

"That takes another set of tiles," Fred commented, reaching into the box. Wil had gotten bored one day and made Scrabble tiles in several demonic alphabets.

"I'm no good at Thlakonian," Xander said.

"However, I am, and I happen to be your partner," Wesley reminded him. "We're actually well paired for Thlakonian."

"Why not?" Gunn muttered. "I'm getting better at it." Since no one had any other objections, play began without further interruption.

"'Yuubuughqj' has a silent 'qj'," Wesley reminded Cordelia. Wil placed another tile at the end of the word.

"Thanks," Cordelia replied sweetly. "That tripled the score on that one!" Xander groaned.

"Could you not correct her, Wes? She and Blondie are kicking our collective rumps!"

Wesley smirked and pointed at their tiles. Xander frowned and waved at them. The faun shrugged and began to set them down, building on the letter Cordelia had placed. "I believe we are now finished," He said after he'd completed their word. Sure enough, he'd used every tile they had, managing to span the entire edge of one side.

Xander's eyes widened. "Uh. Wes? How'd you do that?" Wes just grinned and began calculating points. "And what does it mean, anyway?" The Raphe inquired, trying to puzzle out the word.

"It's the Thlakonian equivalent of horse's ass," Wil said, smiling slightly. "As in, 'that man is a real horse's ass.'"

"I thought it an appropriate way to end the game," Wesley said smugly.

"Especially since you built it off of 'unwashed body,'" Gunn added.

"And it does intersect 'eater of spoiled meat,'" Fred remarked. "And 'person who has intercourse with. -"

"With tuberous vegetables," Wil supplied helpfully.

"I love Thlakonian," Xander sighed. "It's so descriptive."

"Why do you think I picked it?" Wesley asked. "So many interesting insults in such concise words."

"Very cathartic," Oz said.

"Delightfully so," Wesley agreed. "However, Cordelia and I have to work tomorrow. Perhaps we should adjourn to other pursuits for the evening."

"Like sex?" Xander asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Gay sex," Fred said. "Well, some of us."

"Interracial sex," Oz stated.

"Interspecies sex," Gunn continued.

"I do believe that covers all of us," Angel said. "Is there anything we haven't done to offend?"

"Group sex," Wil murmured.

"Does Indianapolis count?" Xander asked innocently.

"Yes," Angel said quickly. "It does."

"And since you two have necrophilia down pat." Cordelia murmured. "What about exhibitionism?"

"Working on it," Wil said quietly, so that only Angel could hear. The dark vampire just stared, knowing he should be very scared.

*****
Part 72:

Angel stared at the contents of Oz's hands with a dual sense of horror and resignation. He should've known that someday this would happen; that his luck being what it was, he'd end up having to submit to endless tortureagain. That didn't mean he couldn't try to weasel out of it.

"No," The brunette vampire exclaimed.

Xander grinned, always loving a challenge. "But the red looked so good! And it's been years, Angel."

"I kept the earrings," Angel mumbled.

"And they're very attractive," Xander confirmed. Angel shrugged. He'd only left them in because Wil seemed to like the way he looked with the plain steel hoops in his ears. The hair, though, had been another matter. Regardless of Wil's statements and Cordelia's wheedling, he'd colored it a shade approximating his natural one as soon as the former cheerleader's time requirement of five days had passed.

"This isn't so bright," Oz offered, shaking the bottles he held.

"Bright?" Angel exclaimed. "They glow!"

"We're gonna mix them," The shorter man explained.

"No," Angel insisted. "I've already got enough problems at work; I don't need this too."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Angel, you could be four feet tall and weigh nine hundred pounds and they'd pinch your ass and proposition you. Since when did you get so staid?"

Angel just cocked an eyebrow. The two other men thought it was sarcasm; in reality the vampire was wondering who Xander had been talking to to have picked up the word 'staid' and added it to his vocabulary. "If I was going to attempt to deflect accusations of being staid, I would find a way other than coloring my hair."

Xander frowned. Maybe he was going to have to play dirty. "You owe me."

"I do?" Angel asked, confused. Since when did he owe the Raphe anything?

"Indianapolis. Computer room window. Ring any bells?" Xander asked. Angel cringed. Oh, yeah. That. Angel had gotten frustrated while trying to exhume old bank records and had punched through a window in the computer room. Xander had covered for him, since the vampire didn't want to listen to six lectures on impulse control, anger management, and the cost of replacing windows. The Raphe had simply said that he'd fallen against the glass and it shattered.

Angel eyed the bottles and nodded reluctantly. "But this is it no more extortion for the window, ok?"

"Fine," Xander murmured. "Come on up to our roomI want to surprise the others with this." Angel and Oz trailed after Xander, careful not to attract too much attention to themselves. Wesley and Cordelia were at work, Wil was asleep, but Gunn and Fred were in the work room.

Angel ignored Xander's efforts to make idle conversation while Oz prepared the multitudes of noxious chemicals he needed to perform whatever tricks he was going to do. The werewolf's hair also needed attention, which provided the necessary cover story for the foul odors that would permeate the house. Even though he was resigned to being manhandled and vandalized, Angel cringed as Xander threw an old sheet around him and called for Oz to begin.

Oz first applied a liberal coating of stripper to Angel's entire head. "I thought you were just doing the tips," Angel asked worriedly. The last time this had happened, there wasn't that much liquid on his scalp.

"Wanna do a good job," Oz murmured. "Be quiet."

Angel obeyed, simply enduring his unasked for makeover. Once Oz was done with the vampire, he applied the stuff to himself, touching up the roots that had grown out. When Xander signaled, Angel went into the bathroom to wash the gunk out. After Oz had done the same, the werewolf began mixing colors for Angel's hair.

"What's that?" Angel asked, peering into the bowl.

"Color," Oz muttered.

"What color?"

"Red. Purple. Blue. Stop staring," Oz replied. Angel sat down and waited nervously.

Xander helped Oz apply the color, swapping out bowls and brushes. The Raphe then mixed something for Oz's hair and applied it. Angel could see that the werewolf was going to be a very bright cerulean when this was all over. The bluish color nicely blended with the soft green Oz had been before.

"How much longer will this be?" Angel asked eventually. "I've got to drive Fred and myself to work soon."

Xander glanced at the clock. "Give it fifteen minutes. I know it's pushing it, but you can leave straight away after you wash up, hmm?"

Angel nodded eagerly. He didn't want to stick around; Cordelia and Wesley had returned several minutes before and were bustling around downstairs, making dinner. When Oz indicated, Angel went back to the bathroom and showered out the hair color. He might've been unable to actually see his hair, but the color of the water told him it was indeed dark and reddish. and bluish. He tried not to panic.

By the time he was finished, Fred was calling for him. Angel ran down the stairs and grabbed his jacket off the couch, not stopping until he was on the porch.

"Angel, are you ok?" Fred asked as she followed him. "I know we're running late, but not that late!"

Angel just shook his head, grateful that no one had thought to replace the porch light. "I'm fine."

"Why do you smell like hair dye?" Fred inquired as they got into the car.

"Oz dyed his hair," Angel murmured.

"And yours," Fred pointed out. "It looks. different."

Angel swore silently. Damned werewolves and their night vision. "How does it look?"

Fred cocked her head to one side, then reached over and opened her car door. The interior light came on and she studied him again. "Kind of dark at the bottom.., blue-black, with these really dark red spikes here and there. Very interesting."

"I'm going to string them up," Angel promised as the started the car.

"Why did you let them?" She asked. "I mean, if you didn't want your hair colored."

"Extortion," He snapped. "And no, I'm not going to explain."

...

"Where's Angel and Fred?" Cordelia asked. She and Gunn were rummaging through the refrigerator while Wesley fetched dry goods from the pantry for dinner. She and Wesley had been a few minutes late getting in, but she'd seen the other car in the driveway. However, there had been no sign of the other workers.

"They ran off just a minute ago," Wesley said as he returned from the pantry. "Fred said they were running late, and I heard the car start. I suppose Angel got caught up in something."

"Hair coloring," Gunn murmured. "Oz did his hair today."

"And Angel helped?" Cordelia said disbelievingly. "He hates hair dye."

"Better than research," Gunn replied. "Oz and Xander should be down soon."

"Because of the food," Wesley added.

"They're still gonna work," Cordelia warned.

"Yes, we are," Xander said from the doorway. "Just not until after we eat."

Cordelia tossed Xander a knife and a bag of potatoes. "Work for it, then, mister." He grinned and set up shop at the kitchen table, peeling potatoes. Oz washed and chopped them. When Wil wandered in a few minutes later, he found the entire group busy chopping, slicing and mashing.

"What, precisely, are you making?" He asked as he retrieved some blood from the fridge.

"Stew," Cordelia replied. "A lot of stew."

"Angel left?" The blonde vampire asked. "Nice hair, Oz."

Oz smirked and nodded. "Yeah, a while back. He and Fred were running late," Cordelia replied. "Didn't he stop to say good-bye?"

"No," Wil murmured. "Doesn't matter, though. I'm gonna go bother him at work tonight."

"He is getting pretty comfortable there," Xander commented. "None of us have been there, right?"

"Nope," Gunn said. "We're waiting for Wil to break him in."

Wil grinned. "Wait's over."

...

"Are you sure you want that lube?" Angel asked as he punched in the prices on his latest customer's purchases.

The young woman smiled tremulously. "It sounds like what I. need," She offered.

"Oh, ok. But you *do* know that you can't use it with this dildo, right?" He asked, gesturing at her with a massive, orange silicone penis.

"I can't?" She whispered. "Uh. why not?"

"You shouldn't apply silicone lubes to toys made of silicone. They'll melt," Angel explained patiently. "And get droopy."

The woman blushed an impressively dark color. "Ah. So I need."

"Water based lubes work nicely. Did you look at them?" He pointed down one aisle. She nodded and walked over to the shelf. After a minute, the woman returned with another bottle. Angel swapped out the lubes and took the proffered cash. People seemed to prefer paper money to credit cards at Vince's. Funny that.

Despite the momentary humor of embarrassing a new customer with her own ignorance, Angel found himself bored again before she even got out of the store. He barely registered the sound of the woman running into another person as she went through the doors, mumbling an apology. He turned back to watch over the aisles, as usual not making eye contact with the new customer. He didn't look at them until they came to check outdoing otherwise made the customers nervous.

Since Angel was trying so hard to avoid watching the people he was supposed to be watching, his newestand onlycustomer managed to sneak up on him. "Excuse me," A silky voice called out. "But could you give me some advice? I'm looking for a birthday present for my lover, and I'm not sure whether to get the 'big boy' or the 'real man'."

Angel's head whipped around. "Wil?" He found the blonde vampire standing in the dildo and vibrator aisle with a large red vibrator in one hand and a long pink rubber dildo in the other. He was across the store and right in Wil's face before he realized he'd moved. "What the hell are you doing here?" He hissed.

Wil smirked. "Nice hair. Let me guess. Xander has something on you?" The blonde tapped Angel gently on the shoulder with the vibrator when he wasn't immediately answered.

The now midnight-and-blood haired vampire distractedly grabbed the vibrator and tossed it back on a shelf. "Yes, not that it matters. Why. Are. You. Here?"

"I'm shopping, Angel," Wil replied lightly.

"Riley!" Vince called from the hallway leading to the peepshows. "You got a problem with this one?"

Angel glanced at his boss. "No."

Wil looked up. "Oh, *Riley* is just giving me some wonderful advice on which of these lovely cocks to purchase!" Vince laughed and waved his hand towards Angel before disappearing back to his office. "Riley? I know I told you not to use your real name, but." He frowned. "So that's why you never told us what you went by at work!"

Angel shifted uncomfortably. "What? I thought it was funny."

"It is," Wil replied, grinning. "But unexpected. Now." He took a step forward, pushing Angel back towards the counter. "Should I get the 'real man', or do you have a better suggestion?" To emphasize his question, Wil proffered the dildo he still carried.

Angel was about to order Wil to leave, to let him work his somewhat humiliating job in peace, when an evil thought occurred to him. "Actually." He backed up to the counter, walking around it. "I think I've got something much more appropriate for your purposes."

"Really?" Wil said, playing along. He set down the rubber dildo and leaned against the counter. "And what might that be?"

Angel used his keys to unlock the glass display case upon which Wil was leaning. "Well. it really depends on what you're looking for. Does your lover prefer something a bit. challenging, or would she rather have a classic piece?"

"*He*," Wil began, smirking. "Likes a bit of both. A bit of a. stretch isn't a bad thing, but he's no size queen."

Angel blushed slightly; even though they were playing he wasn't immune to the effects of hearing Wil discuss details of their sexual predilections. Continuing in their charade, he reached inside the display case, fingers scraping over the dusty velvet display. After a moment of fumbling around, he located what he'd been looking for. "If you're looking for a collection piece, and I'm thinking you are, you might want to consider these."

The dark vampire set several toys on the counter, resting them on a velvet mat he'd retrieved. Wil's eyes widened at what he saw. "Marble? And. is that jadeite, or nephrite?" The blonde ran one reverent finger down the incised dildo. "Sterling? That would take a lot of." Wil's eyes narrowed slightly. "Then again, I'd say that depends on how well you use it, hmm?"

Angel grinned. "It's solidand weighs a ton. Some like the cold, though."

Wil shrugged. "Perhaps. What else do you have?"

The older vampire reached into the cabinet again. This time he brought out a tray of rings, of various sizes. "We have stainless, gold14 carat, silver, brass and marble."

Wil studied the cock rings with greater interest. "Hmm... " He picked up an engraved stainless steel ring. It had an incised design of knots all over the surface. The blonde ran his fingers around and around the thing, studiously not watching Angel's eyes following the movements.

Angel traced Wil's hands with his eyes, wondering how his lover could make such a prosaic act so damned erotic. It was like the blonde was fucking the toy. Angel idly wished those hands were on him. If it weren't for work.

Wil tightened his hold on the ring and walked around the counter, managing somehow to startle Angel. "Wil." Angel began, only to be silenced by the blonde's mouth. Wil kissed him softly, still pressing back until Angel was flush against the wall. The dark vampire opened his mouth under Wil's tender assault, heedless of the soft moan that caught in his throat. By the time Wil pulled away, Angel was growling, eyes shifting into yellow.

Angel tried desperately to regain some semblance of control. After all, he was at workeven if it was at a sex shop. Wil would have none of that, however. The blonde dove back in, nipping around Angel's jugular. The tiny, stinging bites made Angel gaspnot necessarily the best thing he could've done. His senses were inundated with the ever-present cloud of pheromones that was the atmosphere of his workplace. Normally he didn't breath, except to talk to customers. It kept his mind clear. Now, though, those chemicals made it even harder to concentrate. Wil was enough of a distraction to kill him, and with the added effect of hundreds of humans' hormones. well, Angel quickly forgot where he was.

Wil grinned into Angel's neck and continued his sweet torture. He knew exactly what had happened to Angel; after all his mouth was right there on the older vampire's throat, and he himself had suffered the effects of a heavy dose of pheromones. He ran one hand down Angel's chest, flicking his fingers in between the buttons of the other man's shirt. Those teasing glances of sharp hails just aroused Angel more, until he lost all concept of anything that wasn't Wil and what the blonde was doing to him.

"Wil." Angel moaned, reaching for the younger vampire. He wanted to throw his lover down on the floor and. well, do anything to alleviate seething desire rushing through his body. Wil's hand slipped further down, unzipping Angel's trousers and freeing his cock. Angel hissed and thrust into Wil's hand.

"Ah-ah," Wil chided, grasping Angel with cruel force. He waited until Angel stilled, then began stripping the dark vampire's cock with almost brutal force. Angel just mewled and fell back against the wall, letting Wil have his way. After a minute or two, Wil fell to his knees and swallowed Angel whole. Angel bit his lip to hold back a scream as he felt the tips of Wil's fangs prick the base of his cock. He came, hard, eyes squeezed tightly closed as fought to keep from slipping into gameface. He might have been very nearly oblivious, but he did know better than to shift at work.

Angel slumped against the wall, shaking with aftershocks, when Wil stood. The blonde pressed him back, reclaiming his mouth for one last kiss. While they embraced, the blonde reached between them and slipped the cock ring onto Angel's flaccid member. Then he began to work that tired flesh again, easily restraining the still-shocky Angel. Within a couple of minutes, Angel was hard again, and the ring ensured that he'd stay that way. Wil released him before he reached the point of pain, tucking him back into his clothes.

"I like the jadeite one," Wil said as he stepped around the counter. The blonde glanced over at Vince, who was standing in the shadows of the hallway. "Bring it home tonight, hmm?"

Angel just stared as Wil tapped the carved dildo and then waltzed out of the store. A rough chuckle drifted past and he spun around, brain suddenly kicking in when he saw his boss. "Vince"

"So that's why you're not going for all the tail you get offered," Vince said lightly. "He's a firecracker, that's for sure." The balding man stepped forward and leaned on the counter, surveying the merchandise out on the surface.

"Ah." Angel began, not exactly sure how to handle this situation. other than to dismember Wil when he got home. After he got the cock ring off... the fun way.

Vince grinned. "Don't worry about it, Riley. I can tell the difference between a john and a lover, and I only told you to keep the johns out of the store." He pushed back off the counter and started towards his office. "And that nickname, Angel, is cute. You get 25% off the ring and dil, employee discount."

Angel just nodded as Vince disappeared into the recesses of the shop. That had gone amazingly well, although Wil was still going to get reamed for what he'd done. Of course, that didn't have to be a bad thing.

*****
Part 73:

"Fuck!"

Xander, Oz and Gunn jumped out of their chairs and ran towards the computer room. It wasn't the screamed invective that caught their attention, but rather the loud crash and thump that followed it. When they got there, they found Wesley and Cordelia standing around the smoking remains of a CPU, glaring and cursing at each other.

"I told you not to try to fix it yourself; that's what Oz is for!" Cordelia spat, growling.

"Changing out a modem does not require the services of one of our resident computer experts," Wesley defended. "It just isn't that difficult."

"Then how to explain that?" Cordelia replied, pointing at the charred computer. "Huh? Did you think that maybe all that information would be more useful if it got flamb�ed?"

Wesley's eyes narrowed dangerously. "No, Cordelia, I didn't think that. What I thought was that changing a modem was simple and Oz looked tired so I wasn't going to bother him!"

Xander saw that this argument wasn't going to peter out any time soon. With a quick glance to Gunn and Oz, he stepped forward. "Guys," He began, only to get fulminating glares from both of his friends. "This isn't going to solve anything."

"Shut up, Xander," Cordelia hissed. By now Wil had shown up, drawn by the screaming voices just above his head. He stared in awe as the werewolf seer flipped off Xander and returned to chewing out Wesley. The blonde vampire couldn't help but grin at the shocked expression on Xander's face. The boy had gotten used to being respected and treated well over the past few years, and where once he simply would've acquiesced; now he just got mad.

"Excuse me?" Xander said slowly. "Did you just tell me to shut up?"

Cordelia missed the dangerous tone in Xander's voice. "Yeah, Speedie, I did. Butt out; this isn't your fight."

"I think it is," Xander replied evenly. "You're hot-headed and wound up and not helping anyone. And," He continued. "I'm not going to put up with you telling me to shut my mouth."

"Are you not?" Cordelia said haughtily, temporarily distracted from stripping off Wesley's hide. "And what exactly are you going to do about it?"

Xander took a step forward. Before he got to Cordelia, Gunn intervened, moving to block the two from each other. "Time out, guys. Xander," Gunn said, "Stand over by Oz. Cordelia, back off both Xander and Wesley."

Wil watched the three combatants reluctantly step away. Although on the surface this seemed like a sudden thinga fight between friendsthe blonde vampire suspected that it was a long time coming. Their work against Wolfram & Hart was getting difficult and slow; working against the law firm's financial holdings wasn't as easy as uncovering crooked politicians. Perhaps it was time for a break from the monotony of saving the world. "Right. Oz, go clean out the car. Xander, help him." Oz quirked an eyebrow but made for the door. After a hard glare from Wil, Xander followed, obviously confused.

"Not that I don't appreciate you getting rid of Xander, but" Cordelia started, only to be cut off by Wil.

"You, call in to work and take tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday off. Then, figure out what we need to eat for three daysall of usand pack it in the coolers," Wil ordered. "Now, Cordelia."

"Not until you tell me what's going on," She replied hotly.

"We're getting out of here for a few days before someone gets killed," He replied. "Wesley, call the library. You're sick, dead, have to go to a funeralI don't care. Then help me get the other stuff ready. Cordelia, if we need other food, call Fred at work and have her pick stuff out. While you're on the phone with her, make her take tomorrow and Sunday off. She's already off on Saturday."

"What are you going to do?" Wesley asked. He knew better than to actually question Wil's plans when the vampire was in this kind of mood.

"Call Angel and then get ready," Wil replied.

"Where are we going?" Cordelia questioned. "Is this a heels-and-skirts thing, or."

"Jeans. Sneakers. Outdoorsy stuff," Wil shouted back as he left the room. "We're going camping." It was a good thing he wasn't looking at Cordelia when he said that; the grin that split his face at her shout of outrage would've gotten him staked.

...

"We don't have a tent," Xander stated when Wil told him they were camping. "And no tent means no shade for the undead. if a tent would even provide enough shelter."

"Don't need one," Wil replied. "I booked a cabin."

Cordelia scowled. There went their last protest, their last out. "We're not getting out of this, are we?"

"No," Wil stated. "Hop in. Fred and Angel are waiting at Vince's." The ride to the movie store was going to be tight with six people and all that gear, but he wasn't taking any chances. They needed to get to the cabin and settled in before sunrise, and they only had a few hours.

When they reached Angel's place of work, Vince was standing outside with the vampire and Fred. The proprietor's eyes goggled when he saw just how many people were going with Angel on whatever excursion his lover had planned. The dark vampire had told him that Wil needed some time away from Knoxville, but he hadn't mentioned the others. "You.ah.into group stuff?" Vince asked Angel.

"No," Angel growled. "But they are." With that, he moved to help Wil and Oz rearrange their gear. Soon the two cars were off, driven by Wil and Angel. Wil had put Cordelia with Angel so that he too could enjoy the sound of her constant protestations. The blonde knew he'd pay for it later, but he really didn't care.

...

"This is it?" Xander asked as they piled out of the car. It was nearing daybreak, so no one really stood around to gawk as they hurried everything inside. The cabin was tinyjust three rooms and no electricity. It was buried deep in the mountains, with no civilization anywhere nearby.

"Shut up and unpack," Cordelia snapped. "As much as I dislike Wil right now, I don't want him bursting into flames because you had your thumb up your ass." Xander snapped to attention and began to carry food inside. Between the eight of them, unloading the cars was quickly finished.

Once everything was inside, seven tired souls turned on Wil. "Ok, start talking," Xander said, staring at the blonde. Wil had only given them the tiniest amount of information, both about where they were going and why.

Wil sighed. "Look, we're all pulling our hair out over Wolfram & Hart. Cordelia was ready to rip Wesley to shreds over what was probably a broken modem," He began. "We needed a break."

"In the middle of no-damned-where?" Cordelia asked.

"Yes," Wil replied. "In the middle of calm, peaceful nowhere with no pressing work to be done. We've a cell phone and a computer if one of you has a vision. But for the next few days, I figure we can spend time away from the hell that is our job. Do.werewolfy things."

Oz perked up. "Pack things?"

"Only if they do it to," Cordelia said, pointing at Wil and Angel. "Cause I already know that Wesley and Xander will play along. They even like it. But those two always find a way to stay at home and screw while we're outside getting some exercise."

"Daylight?" Angel reminded them. "Regardless of wantand neither of us ever said we didn't wantwe're still vampires."

"Then we'll go at night," Gunn reasoned. "Besides, this place may look like the boonies, but it's just off the Parkway. There will be way too many people out during the day for us to do the wolf thing."

"And it's more fun at night anyway," Fred added. "Besides that, we could all use a day's sleep. Work was a bear."

"Then it's agreed," Wil stated firmly. "Tonight we'll play wolf games." After making that statement, Wil gathered up his and Angel's belongings and took them into one of the bedrooms. It was the only one with window coverings, which he'd already fortified with fabric from home. They piled together on one of the bunk beds there, leaving the larger double bed for Wesley and Fred. The faun was going to offer the bed to the two larger men, but Wil declined, explaining that it didn't bother either vampire to have a body on top of them all daysomething that none of the others could say.

...

"What's the plan, fearless leader?" Xander asked Oz as he polished off his third ham sandwich. It was nearing sundown and the last stragglersCordelia and Gunnwere up and ready to go. A long day's sleep had done a great deal in terms of mood, and no one was snapping or snarling. yet.

Oz thought for a moment. They could do the usualthe pack running as a group, with or without Wesley and Xander acting as prey. Of course, they did that all the time. Maybe a bit of shaking up was in order. "Got any paper?"

Wil quirked an eyebrow but nodded and fished out a pad of paper from a bag. He handed it and a pen over, and then returned to his mug of blood. Oz jotted down some numbers and tore them into squares. "Draw one," He said, cupping his hands. Everyone reached for a slip of paper, curious as to what Oz was planning.

"Er. what now? We're not playing scrabble, are we?" Fred asked, holding her paper. The number three meant nothing to her.

"Pair up by numbers," Oz replied quietly. "We'll have four teams; the point is twofolddon't get caught and catch everyone you can."

"What's the marker?" Wesley inquired.

Oz frowned briefly. "There isn't one. When you catch someone, you have to haul them around with you. Their partner can try to get them free, or another person can try to capture them."

"What's base?" Gunn inquired.

"Here, but it's not safe," Oz replied. "The first personor pairto get one member of every other group wins. You know the call?" Everyone nodded. Even Wil and Angel knew which howl Oz was referring to. The non-werewolves in the group had long since learned the basics of werewolf communication. It was a necessity when half their number was lycanthropes.

"What about sunrise?" Angel asked. This game could easily run over into Saturday.

"Angel and Wil can come back to the cabin if there's no good shelter nearby," Oz said. "It's a safe place for themduring the day only. Twenty minute rule starts at sundown Saturday." Everyone nodded in understanding. With the number of caves in the area, it was unlikely that either vampire would show up to seek shelter at the cabin. "And every group takes a phone."

"So who's with whom?" Cordelia asked. "I'm two."

"As am I," Angel replied. He stepped towards the seer.

"Three?" Wil asked. Fred nodded and stepped forward.

"One," Wesley stated. Oz joined the faun.

"You and me, kid," Xander quipped, joining Gunn. "And lookie at that, no wolf-only pairs. How convenient."

"Chance," Oz murmured. "Ok, let's go. Twenty minutes start time, no hunting. Any form. Stay off roads and away from houses."

As soon as he finished, the werewolves began to strip down. Wesley removed his shoes, knowing that they'd just get in the way. Once the wolves were changed, the pairs fled out either the front or back door.

"Where to?" Angel asked the wolf-Cordelia. She sniffed and looked from side to side. After a moment, she took off due north. He followed, easily keeping up.

Meanwhile, Wil and Fred circled around the house and took an easterly path, moving much more slowly than the others. Once they were clear of the house, Fred changed back and sat down. "I figure we should find water."

"Can't track us?" Wil surmised. "What then?"

Fred considered the pairings. "Xander and Gunn first. Angel and Oz are really experienced." Wil nodded, knowing that Xander and Gunn would be the first pairing the others went after as well. "Give them maybe fifteen, and then start tracking?" The only rule was not to attack for twenty minutes. but they could be poised and ready until just that moment.

Xander led Gunn to the southwest, skirting the Parkway. He wanted to get them across the road and down the mountainside as quickly as possible. After about ten minutes, Gunn stopped him with a growl. The Raphe halted and waited for Gunn to change enough to speak. "Where are you going?" Gunn asked quietly.

"Down the mountain," Xander replied. "Watch for water, if you can."

"Why?" Gunn inquired.

"We're the weak team," Xander said. "Both youngand neither of us with as much experience as Angel, Wil, or Oz. We're sitting ducks. The best we can do is put serious distance between them and us and wait for sunrise. That'll knock out Angel and Wil."

"Ah," Gunn murmured. "Let's get to it then."

Oz led Wesley to the northwest, following an old cattle path he'd spotted. They weren't moving quickly because he was keeping an ear on Cordelia and Angel's progress. The seer hadn't mastered silence very well, so even though Angel was the epitome of stealth, he could track them with no problem. Wesley just followed along, knowing that Oz was better suited to pick their path. Actually, he figured his role in their pairing would be to act as bait, to lure in others. When Oz stopped to change, he stated that idea. "Oz, why don't I lure in the others?" Wesley inquired.

Oz nodded. "They underestimate you," He said softly. "You're faster than Cordelia and Angel."

"So that's who we're tracking?" Wesley asked.

"Mm hmm," Oz replied. "They're about a mile away, across that field," He continued, pointing.

"Thank you," Wesley murmured. The faun's speed and agility was best suited to smooth, open spaces. He didn't have the speed or agility that Xander did, but he could move quickly if he needed to. Climbing was more difficult, so the field was perfect.

"We'll circle a bit more, come around to the side over there," Oz said, gesturing. "Start across the pasture. Cordy'll go at you from the front, with Angel to the left. I'll go for Angel, if you think you can get away from her."

Wesley nodded quickly. "If nothing else, I'll kick her and head back east. Meet up at the boulders we passed?" Oz nodded his agreement and wolfed out again. They continued on the cattle path for a few more yards before starting in on the field. Wesley made a point of making a bit of noisenothing too obviouswhile Oz crept around to the side.

As they'd predicted, Wesley caught the other team's attention and Cordelia began to approach. Now that they were nearer to each other, Wesley could hear the seer very well. She was quite loud. He heard rather than saw the rush of attack and veered sharply right, narrowly avoiding the wolf's snapping jaws. They were aimed low, to grab at his still-covered legs, where they would do no real damage. He felt her recover and leap behind him, so he jumped up and thrust his legs back, falling forward onto his hands. He sprung back up, knowing that he'd hit her directly in the chest. The werewolf chuffed and gasped and fell back. He didn't look at her, simply taking off to meet up with Oz. The blow wasn't strong enough to have done any damage at all.

Oz found capturing Angel a bit too easy. The vampire was slowly stalking Wesley when Oz crept up behind him and grabbed his arms, forcing them back and down. Angel just stopped and fell to his knees. "Get back up," Oz ordered in a whisper. He frog-marched Angel out of the field and towards the rendezvous point, wary and watchful. This was a bit too easy.

...

"He crossed the Parkway, didn't he?" Fred asked Wil as they stood on the side of the road. "And went down there."

Wil nodded. "He knows to get away."

"So now we."

"They're going straight down," Wil murmured, looking at the mountainside.

"Looking for water, same as us."

"What do you think?" Fred pressed. "We can't stay on the Parkway."

"No," Wil agreed. "I'd say go right; the slope's easier to navigate, and they're more likely to find water over that way." Fred nodded and wolfed again, streaking across the road. Her first instinct was to pick up their trail and take off, but she resisted. Wil knew what he was talking about.

Sure enough, they found a shallow creek a few minutes later. It barreled down the mountainside, fed by recent rains. Fred didn't hesitate to jump in, relishing the cold water. Wil soon followed her as the creek bed became the most navigable land available. He was so intent on following her that he almost missed it when she drew to a halt. "What?" He hissed.

She shifted back slightly. "Listen." He did. and heard a growl that didn't belong to one of their group. although the whine that followed it did. "Bear?" He asked quietly. "And Gunn!" They looked at each other briefly before shooting towards the sound. Game or no, they had to help the others.

Xander stared down at the bear, terrified for Gunn. The animal had been sleeping in a tree when the two had passed it. Apparently they woke it up and Gunn in wolf form attracted its attention. The pair of cubs up in the tree probably didn't help. "Gunn, I'd do something along the lines of moving your ass out of here right now!" Xander murmured to his friend. Gunn whined and backed up slowly.

The bear, about to attack, was distracted when Wil and Fred appeared out of the darkness. The pause in her attack was enough for Gunn to slip away, even as the vampire and Fred swept around the bear, running for Gunn and Fred. The foursome streaked by in different directions, confusing the bear enough for them all to get safely away.

"Thanks," Gunn said, even as he ran away from Wil and Fred. "See ya later!"

Wil nodded to Fred and took off after Gunn. Xander was frightened enough by the bear to have started back up the mountain, this time nearer to the creek. That gave Fred an advantage, since it was the way she'd come down.

Gunn ran across the mountainside, slowly working his way back up. He knew that someone was after him, and hoped it was Fred. Wil was far too experienced for him to handle. Unfortunately for Gunn, Wil was the one pursuing him, as he found out when the blonde vampire appeared directly in front of him. The werewolf had no time to prepare as the vampire dropped and spun, flipping him onto his back. Wil was up in an instant, pulling Gunn by a forearm until the werewolf was prone, stretched over his hind legs, unable to move. "Change," Wil ordered. Gunn reluctantly changed and stood, knowing that for at least the time being, he was caught.

*****