Fred followed Xander up the mountainside. She couldn't see him; between the heavy ground cover and his stripes, vision was a nearly useless sense. He was also staying near enough to water that smell didn't serve much purpose. And with all the bugs and animals and water sounds, she couldn't hear that well either. Somehow, though, she managed to stay on his trail, at least for a while.

Unfortunately, the Raphe had better stamina than Fred did. She wasn't worn out by any stretch, but Xander could run up the mountainside without slowing down at all. Fred could still tell where he'd crossed the Parkway, but beyond that, she was out of luck. He'd vanished in the wilderness. Sighing, she turned around to find Wil and, hopefully, Gunn.

Sure enough, Wil had captured Gunn. He glared as Fred joined the vampire. Apparently he didn't like being captured.

"So, what now?" Fred asked Wil. "One down, two to go."

Wil pushed Gunn ahead, making sure the werewolf didn't try anything funny. "We've got maybe six hours until sunrise. I'd say that Oz and Wesley have gotten at least Cordelia and maybe Angel, since they didn't come for these two."

"So it's back towards the cabin?" Fred inquired.

"Until we pick up a trail, yeah," Wil replied.

In the meantime, Oz was keeping hold of Angel while Wesley led them south, staying away from the cabin. Angel just marched along, biding his time. "Wes," Oz called out a few minutes later. "Go east."

Wesley stopped and turned. Oz must have heard something. The threesome wound their way through the trees, Oz on the lookout for Xander. He'd heard the Raphe run by a moment before.

All of a sudden, a dark flash sped by Oz and jumped on Wesley's back. At the same time, Angel twisted and reversed his and Oz's positions. When Oz got a chance to look over, he saw Wesley restrained by a half-changed Cordelia. She smirked at his look of shock. "What? So I've been taking stealth lessons."

"News to me," Oz murmured. He couldn't believe he'd been had.

"Don't feel bad, Oz," Wesley said. "After all, she had Angel to do the planning." The werewolf nodded. Angel did have centuries on them, and had spent a lot of it perfecting his fighting.

Now that their roles were reversed, Oz spent his time while marching trying to think of ways to get free. He soon realized that the only time Angel would be weak enough was when he was distracted. either when they got attacked or when they ran into someone else. They'd completely circled the cabin and were heading towards the Parkway when that needed distraction appeared in the form of Xander.

The Raphe saw them coming and took for the trees, doing his now-patented ricochet. Angel's head swiveled reflexively, trying to gain a visual hold on the Raphe. Oz wolfed out and took off, hoping that Wesley got loose as well. He headed for Xander, knowing that he was the only one with any real chance of stopping the Raphe when he was off the ground like he was.

Cordelia also wolfed out and ran off, trailing Wesley. He took a path parallel to the Parkway, heading up the mountain. Cordelia and Angel followed behind, tracking him with difficulty. They finally got a good bead on him and were gaining when Wil, Fred and Gunn spotted them in pursuit.

"Fred!" Will called out, sending her after someone. Anyone, it didn't matter. Wil kept hold of Gunn and sped up. The vampire was having a ball, even though the game was nearly impossible. How were two people supposed to keep hold of three? Well, he knew it could be done, but half the fun was its difficulty. The challenge was appealing.

Wesley went back into the forest, looping around and changing from a horizontal path to a more vertical one. The elevation changed more rapidly and the air got a bit thinner as he ran. Cordelia was right on his heels, and he heard more footsteps behind him. Had he picked up even more adversaries?

Wil growled at Gunn, trying to keep him under control. It wasn't easy while running, and Gunn was trying to change. When Wil jumped over a large rock, the werewolf found an opening, letting himself slip to one side. He overbalanced the vampire and fell, changing at the same time. Then he too joined the chase, knowing that Wil wouldn't try to recapture him immediatelynot with easier prey in front of him.

Wesley glanced up, trying to figure out where he was. That was when he noticed the change in weather. The sky was black, yes, but the moon and stars were gone. Heavy clouds had rolled in, blocking the evening's glow. A cool wind blew on his face, bringing moisture. Fog and rain were moving into the area. Ignoring the coming storm, he continued to flee.

Xander knew who was behind him. Only Oz could keep up with him like this. Finally the Raphe dropped out of the trees, only to set course right up the mountain. Higher and higher he climbed, hoping that the rocks would slow the werewolf down. The first drops of rain nearly knocked him down, they were so startling. He recovered and ran on, hoping to find cover somewhere, even if he got captured while hovering in safety.

Wesley almost ran into Xander as the two men headed straight for each other. They glanced backwards, seeing that they were in the same boat. Temporarily setting aside game rivalries, the two men took off together, Xander helping to find an easier path for the faun. There was no way Wesley was going to keep up this pace if the terrain got any worse. Part goat he may have been, but there were limits to his abilities.

Wil shifted into gameface, knowing that his vision would be less impaired by the rain. He caught sight of Oz as the werewolf joined the pack now pursuing Xander and Wesley. Lightening cracked overhead, making the blonde jump. He debated peeling off the chase and finding shelter from the storm.

Angel knew someone had to give. They were running along the mountaintop now and were at serious risk for lightening. The storm was hellish; wind and lightening and cold rain pounded at them all. He was about to call out for a ceasefire when Oz beat him to it.

Oz saw lightening strike not a hundred yards from Xander. As soon as the thunder passed, he tipped his head back and howled. The response was immediate; pursuers changed course and began to look for shelter. Wesley and Xander slowed and turned around. Less than a minute later, Fred howled a response.

Everyone oriented on Fred. She was standing at the mouth of a largish cave a few yards down the west face of the mountain. The storm was worse on that side, but the shelter would protect them. Xander and Gunn ran in first, followed by Fred, Wesley and Cordelia. Oz trailed behind. The last two were Wil and Angel.

"Damn, I wish I'd known that was coming," Xander muttered to no one in particular. He shivered reflexively, chilled to the bone. His clothes afforded him no protection now that he'd been caught in the rain. Oz sidled up next to him and began to pull at his sodden clothes. Xander helped him, knowing that he'd only freeze if he left them on. Naked he stood a chance of drying off.

Wesley saw the logic in Xander's disrobing and followed suit. By the time he was stripped down, Fred had joined him. They curled up in the back of the cave, huddled together for warmth. Adrenalin kept their hearts pounding; while they may have been seeking shelter from the storm to their bodies they were still on the hunt.

"How long is this gonna last?" Wil asked Angel as they watched the light show outside. He pulled off his shirt as he talked. While he wouldn't die of hypothermia, cold wet clothes were uncomfortable.

"Usually only a few minutes, but this one has the looks of a long-distance runner," Angel replied. He watched with hooded eyes as more and more of Wil's alabaster skin came into view. The dark vampire knew all to well the proximity between the thrill of the chase and desire. In fact, he'd be damned surprised if nothing happened in their shelter that night. Already the others were warming up, both literally and figuratively. He just hoped that no one chose that night to develop severe hang-ups regarding sex. Aside from the normal reactions to the hormones flooding their bodies, stress and anxiety urged them on. Working like they did was living in a pressure cooker; the chase was one very necessary type of release. This was entirely another.

"Great, trapped here all night," Cordelia murmured. Gunn rubbed his hands along her arms, both soothing and warming. She snuggled closer to him, enjoying the contact. Both werewolves watched as Angel studied Wil. Eventually the blonde noticed and canted his head, issuing an obvious invitation. Angel spared a brief glance at the others before moving forward.

Wesley was entranced by the unexpected, but not unappreciated, show he was witnessing. Angel and Wil were circling each other, like supernatural panthers on the hunt. Pale hands reached out, caressing and drawing back, taunting and stroking. Closer and closer they drew, uncaring of their audience. The vampires' arousal was contagious; Fred's hands moved with more purpose as she watched along with her lover. Wesley joined her, knowing that they wouldn't be able to resist for long.

Angel played along with Wil for several minutes before striking. The blonde reached for him one more time, but Angel was ready. He grabbed that elusive arm and brought Wil flush against him, capturing his mouth in a brutal kiss. Wil wrapped one arm around Angel's waist, digging his fingers into the muscles of the dark vampire's back. The pleasure/pain made Angel growl and he bent forward, making Wil rest his weight on one of Angel's arms. Soon he had the blonde completely off the floor. Wil pulled his legs around Angel's body, clinging to the larger vampire like a limpet.

"God," Xander moaned. More than once he'd pictured Angel and Wil together; who wouldn't? Two classic beauties twined together. It was a nice, innocent jack-off picture. The reality, though, was amazing. The few, fleeting glimpses of them together he'd gotten in the past were nothing compared to this deliberate display. Oz must have agreed, since he reached for the Raphe with shaking hands. Xander willingly went into his arms, letting Oz kiss him stupid.

Cordelia simply closed her eyes and pounced on Gunn. She could be horrified by having semi-public sex later. How often did one get a floorshow by two gods?

Angel gently lowered Wil to the ground, laying him on top of one of their coats. Wil's arms went down to steady himself. Once he was flat on his back, though, those hands kept moving. Angel watched curiously until Wil found his own coat. The blonde dug around in the pockets for a moment, and then extracted a tube of lubricant. Angel leapt on him, burying his face in the blonde's neck. They rolled on the outspread clothes, fangs and eyes flashing. While the first kiss had been for show, this was very much real. Awareness of the others faded as the two vampires indulged, tasting each other as only vampires would. Blood mixed with saliva and semen as they licked and sucked, teasing and torturing.

Oz had just swallowed Xander whole, the Raphe's hands tightening reflexively in his hair, when something hit him on the back of his head. He pulled back, much to Xander's chagrin, to see what it was. The werewolf was rather surprised to find lube. He glanced over at the vampires. Angel had Wil's legs canted and spread and was sucking him off as he stretched the blonde wide open. Wil was wide-eyed, thrashing and moaning. Angel certainly seemed to know what he was doing. Oz took the thoughtfully provided lube and returned to his enthralled lover. Xander saw the lube and gaped. "Where?" The werewolf just glanced back at the vampires. Who else would've brought lube? Xander began to shake his head. "Noise," Xander whispered. The Raphe was never quiet, as shown by the joyous moaning he'd done earlier. However, he was never louder than when Oz was buried deep inside him, fucking him through the floor. Oz just grinned and opened the tube.

"I don't think they'll care," He said as he slicked up his fingers. Xander, still watching Angel and Wil, shuddered. The entire situation was surreal; his ex-girlfriend was. /Wow, Cordy's really hot like that, riding Gunn for all he's worth./ Wesley and Fred seemed to be having a good time as well. Soon, though, Xander's attention was right back where it should have been, somewhere very near his prostate.

Gunn braced Cordelia's hips as he thrust up, watching sweat trickle down her body. Drops clung to her nipples briefly before falling onto him. He wanted to reach up, to kiss them away, but she was moving so fast, like a thing possessed. Her nails scratched his chest, raising welts. Suddenly, her eyes flashed open. The heat he saw there was overwhelming and he gasped as she bent down further and sealed their mouths together.

"Harder," Fred demanded as Wesley slid into her. "More, Wes. Now!" Wesley swallowed hard and tried his best to comply. Her body was hot and tight and clinging to him like silk. The sounds of sex surrounded him, pressing in like nothing he'd ever felt before. Fred was intoxicating, wild and demanding as she drove him on. His mind was scattered, thoughts fleeing like birds on the wing. The faun did manage to briefly consider whether Fred's enthusiasm was partly to do with the cave setting; she did seem to like small, closed-in places for sex.

Angel lifted his mouth from Wil's erection, taking in the effects of his ministrations. The blonde was blindly mewling for release, driven there by Angel's mouth and hands. The dark vampire leaned over his lover, drawing the blonde's arms up over his head and holding them there. Wil lay motionless as Angel pushed into him, merging their bodies. Lightening flashed outside, momentarily illuminating the cave. Wil arched up, trying to get more of Angel inside him. Angel laughed and bore down, his hands keeping Wil from doing anything besides lay there and take it.

The storm raged outside, rain battering the land. Wind picked up force; the locals would call it the storm of the decade. Lightening brought down tree after tree and started a forest fire that the rains quickly extinguished. Inside the cave, no one noticed. Outside, rivers flooded, creeks outgrew their beds, and a quarter mile of the Blue Ridge Parkway washed down the mountain. Inside, sex filled the air; pheromones and the scent of completion easily overpowered the damp odor of rain. If lightening struck nearby, no one noticed; thunder couldn't possibly compete with eight ecstatic lovers screaming out in lust, love and relief.

And if most of those in the cave would normally be appalled at the idea of sex around others, it didn't matter now. If before that night all they'd ever done was joke about it to peeve their vampire friends, well. that didn't matter either. When two warm bodies piled against each other in a post-coital haze became four, because the warm of two bodies and two bodies was less than four together, no one commented. And no one said a word when two more joined them in a tangle of warm, smooth skin. The organic knot of sleepy flesh didn't even stir when two cold forms joined it, lured there by the promise of heat and softness and comfort.

Finally the storm had its say and raged on unchecked, once again allowed to roar into the cave and overwhelm the night. They let it; after all it couldn't touch them.

*****
Part 75:

Gunn woke up to the throbbing of sore, protesting muscles. He felt like he'd slept on the floor all. "Fuck." He *had* slept on the floorwell, groundall night, as well as a good chunk of the day. The werewolf shifted slightly, grimacing at the feel of dirt and pebbles digging into his skin. If it weren't for the soft warmth of Cordelia pressed against him, he'd have been completely miserable.

"FUCK!" Gunn jerked hard, rolling into Cordelia and waking her up. Just as he'd resigned himself to being sore all day, he remembered the previous evening. all of it. Cordelia elbowed him as she woke, pushing him onto his back. His right arm flung out and hit cold skin. "Shit!" He'd just touched vampire skin. Normally that wouldn't have bothered him, but he wasn't sure what he'd just touched.

"Would it kill you to be quiet?" Wil growled, rubbing the spot on his thigh that Gunn had struck. "Some of us are trying to sleep here."

Gunn's eyes widened. Sleep? How could anyone sleep when they were in a big, disgusting pile of naked people?

"It didn't bother you last night," Xander mumbled from underneath Oz. The Raphe was half-propped on Angel's legs, the vampire thoughtfully providing cushioning from the hard ground. Oz growled warningly at Gunn. Now was not the time to start getting puritanical and huffy.

"We.you" Cordelia slapped a hand over Gunn's mouth and snarled.

"Shut up, Charles," She said in a low voice. "We all remember very well what happened last night. In fact, most of us are thinking about it right now, since you woke us up. If you'd bother to notice, no one else is flailing around and cursing."

"Indeed," Wesley said softly, "Regardless of how appalled we are at our debauched behavior, those of us with some measure of upbringing are keeping our horror to ourselves."

"It was just sex," Wil commented. "The only difference between what happened here and what goes on in the farm house is that there aren't any walls here."

"Um. that's not exactly true," Oz murmured. "Usually you don't let us watch."

"You never asked, did you?" Wil shot back. Angel just shook his head, burying his face in Wil's shoulder. Only Wil.

"You guys do that at Vince's?" Xander inquired. "'Cause if you do, he should be paying you more. Lots more."

Wil laughed. "Not often, Xander; the dancers would get jealouswe'd get all the tips."

"Can you NOT joke about this?" Gunn asked, having freed himself from Cordelia's restraining hand. "It's wrong!" He looked over towards Wesley, who was huddling with Fred at the edge of the group. The dim light in the cave didn't allow him to see Wesley's reactions to the discussion.

"What do you want us to do, psychoanalyze a rather spontaneous bout of semi-group sex?" Xander spat, annoyed that he wasn't going to get to go back to sleep.

"Semi-group?" Oz murmured questioningly.

"No partner-swapping, you know," Xander replied.

"Ah. I did suspect that we forgot something," Wesley said idly. Fred tried to choke back a laugh.

"Damn. I've been wanting to do Oz for so long!" She crowed.

That comment was so absurd, so obviously falseand incredibly shocking coming from Fred, that the entire cave, minus Gunn, broke out into hysterical laughter. Soon they were gasping out rejoinders, rolling on the floor, and trying to catch their breaths.

"Oh, man, you mean I could've had Wil?" Xander whined, trying to catch Oz, who was avoiding the Raphe's tickling fingers. "My only chance to figure out if he's a natural blonde!"

"He is," Cordelia assured the Raphe. "I looked."

"Speaking of missed opportunities," Wil said, leering at Cordelia. "You know, y' could've gotten vamp sandwich you've been hankering after."

The seer bowled over, deep caws of cackling laughter flowing from her mouth. "Say it ain't so! Reconsider! I'm good! You'll love it!" When Gunn made a disgusted face and moved away, she chose to ignore him. If he couldn't see the humor in the situation, so be it.

"We could've had a pack bonding moment," Oz commented.

"Pack bonding?" Fred murmured. "That's not like family bonding, right?"

"Male bonding?" Xander asked.

"Bondage?" Angel inquired hopefully. "With leather?"

"He's partial to jadeite," Wil suggested. Angel squeaked.

Oz grinned. "You know what they say."

"Even when it's bad, it's good?" Xander replied.

"The family that sleeps together stays together," Oz answered.

"Ah!" Wil murmured. "The incest model of marriage and family therapy."

"We are in the South," Angel said speculatively. "But all of us are of age."

"Ah. I am consoled," Wesley stated firmly. "We've only broken every other statute in the state."

"Which state?" Fred asked. "We're near the border."

"Oh, no, we're so not getting into North Carolina AND Tennessee sex laws," Xander insisted. "Besides, nobody committed adultery, right?"

"I didn't see any adultery," Fred said.

"I didn't participate in any," Wil added. "But if anyone's offering."

"Wil," Xander began, "How is it that you had lube with you?"

Wil shrugged. "Should've been a boy scout."

That got even more laughter. "Boy scout. cave." Xander gasped. "Lube? Man, I want to see that troop!"

"So, do we start the game again at sundown?" Wesley asked, mostly out of pity. Perhaps if he changed the topic of conversation, Gunn would calm down.

"Vote on it," Oz said. "Who wants to?"

"Do we get to spend the night in another cave?" Fred inquired. "Or even a nice, big hayloft?"

"Ugh. Hay itchy," Cordelia protested. "But I vote to finish."

"Me too," Xander said.

"Sure," Angel murmured. Wil nodded his agreement.

"We may have to alter the rules so that the game actually ends," Wesley warned.

Oz thought for a moment. "Why don't we just start over? New teams, new rules."

"No paper," Xander reminded him.

"No partners, then," Oz replied. "New rules. Ok, sort of a free-for-all. First person to get back to the cabin with a captive wins. We leave at sundown, with a twenty minute head start."

"Gunn, you in?" Cordelia asked shortly. Her boyfriend was still sulking in the far corner of the cave.

"Fine," He said sullenly.

"So we've made light of the uncomfortable topic of our orgy, offended Gunn, and decided on a course of action for the evening," Wesley summarized. "Unless there is other business, can we now go back to sleep? Sunset is not for several more hours."

"Fine by me," Xander stated as he curled up with Oz. The others must have agreed, because they too paired off and returned to resting. Even Gunn relented and rejoined Cordelia, who made very clear how dissatisfied she was with his behavior.

...

"Sun's down," Wil said from the mouth of the cave. Without any other warning he took off at a run. Angel followed soon thereafter, moving in a slightly different direction.

"Boy, they don't play around," Xander commented. He finished putting his shoes on while Oz and the other werewolves left. By the time he finished, even Wesley and Fred were gone.

Humming tunelessly, Xander left the cave, snagging the lube on his way out. There was no reason to shock the bears.

...

"I know you're here, Wil," Angel murmured as he wandered along the banks of a shallow creek. "I can smell you." Tinkling laughter answered him. He cocked his head, trying to orient on the sound. The blonde must have been up the ridge a bitthe sound was up high.

Wil watched as Angel wandered off in the wrong direction. "You're getting colder," He sang out lightly. The younger vampire didn't really want to hunt anyone; he was enjoying being outside and free from the day to day hassles of internet-based research.

Angel spun around and looked up into the trees. He backtracked for a bit, looking at all the tree trunks as he passed. After another fifteen minutes, he found the one Wil had climbed. Grinning madly, he started up the tall oak, intent on finding, if not catching, his childe.

"Took you long enough," Wil commented when Angel pulled himself up on a nearby branch.

"So why are you up here?" Angel asked, edging closer.

Wil shrugged. "Freshly fed, don't feel like chasing wolves."

"Squirrel?" Angel inquired. "Or rabbit?"

"Both. You?"

"Rabbit. Squirrel's gamey," Angel replied. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Because I like being out here. Don't you?"

"It's nice. Quiet," Angel agreed. "So."

"Forgot the lube," Wil murmured.

"Has that ever stopped us before?" Angel asked.

"No."

...

Gunn figured that God must have forgiven him for the insane depravity of the previous evening, because he stumbled right over Wesley without even trying. The faun put up a good fight, but Gunn was stronger and more accustomed to hunting than Wesley was. "Come on, let's get back to the cabin. I'm starving," Gunn said. Wesley thought about it for a moment and agreed.

"You do have a point. The local roughage leaves something to be desired," Wesley remarked. He could and had snacked on some of the local farmer's crops, but such things paled in comparison to a hero sandwichwhich could be had back at the cabin. He walked beside Gunn, more than content to be a willing captive if it got him home faster. Putting up with the inevitable conversation about the cave incident was a fair price to pay.

"Aren't you bothered by." Gun began a few minutes later.

Wesley sighed. He'd been expecting that question. "Initially, yes. However upon reflection, it doesn't really bother me that much."

"Why not?" Gunn asked incredulously. "I mean, we."

"We live together, in the closest of quarters," Wesley explained. "Despite joking to the contrary, we have all seen each other naked, doing just about everything. I was under the impression that after all these years we were all rather comfortable with each other and ourselves."

"It's not *that", Gunn retorted. He didn't care that Wil and Angel had gotten it on. well, no more than he was that Wesley and Fred had. "Sex isn't a public thing."

"Tell that to every other species on the planet," Wesley shot back. "Humans are well-known for their puritanical beliefs about sex. No demon species is so close-minded." The ex-Watcher thought for a moment. "And we're not human, you know."

"I know," Gunn said sharply. "Believe me, I do."

Something about the way Gunn was acting made Wesley suspicious. "Charles, are you upset because of what happened, or because of your response to it? Is it that you think you should be appalled, but you aren't?"

"What? It's sick and wrong!" Gunn said hotly.

"Is it? Not for any of the species present," Wesley reminded him. "Vampires have notoriously. explicit sexual habits, werewolves live in packs by nature, Raphe run in herds, and fauns are associated with Pan and chthonic gods for a reasonjust look at some Grecian pottery if you don't believe me."

"It's wrong," Gunn repeated.

"If you say so," Wesley murmured. He'd gone through the momentary panicking when he'd first awoken that afternoon. However, once he realized that his own distress was more due to him not feeling the way he thought he should have, he recovered quickly. After more consideration, Wesley realized that what had occurred really wasn't that surprising. After all, they had all been under a lot of stress, and had just added to that a massive amount of adrenalina perfect setup for sex. As for the group aspect, well. they were a family and very comfortable around each other. Angel made sure that both the same and opposite-gender couples got to use his employee discount at Vince'ssomething that actually helped Gunn and Cordelia out the most. They were the only couple who needed to use contraceptives; for obvious reasons Wil, Angel, Xander and Oz didn't need them, and rather early on Wesley had determined that fauns couldn't reproduce with either humans or vampires. Cordelia and Gunn, however, could procreate if they weren't careful, and due to hormonal differences birth control pills were ineffective. Angel's job saved them a lot on condoms. Thinking about that made Wesley realize that Cordelia and Gunn hadn't had any protection the night before. That was a troubling thought.

...

"You knew nobody would want to hunt," Xander accused. Oz just shrugged and continued pressing soft kisses on Xander's neck. The werewolf had waylaid Xander at the mouth of the cave and the two men hadn't made it any furthergoing right back inside.

"You picked up the lube," Oz reminded him. "Wouldn't get any use out there."

"I might have needed to grease a squeaky gate hinge, or get myself out of a tight spot," Xander rationalized. "What if someone comes back?"

"They can watch," Oz growled. "Do you really want to play?"

Xander grinned. "Nope, just jerking your chain."

Oz snarled and pounced.

...

"Are they still talking?" Fred asked Cordelia. They'd met up an hour after leaving the cave and had decided to just play around instead of going straight to the cabin. They'd hunted down a deer and feasted on it, choosing not to think about how they'd brought down and dismembered Bambi's daddy. After finishing dinner, they spied Gunn and Wesley heading for the cabin. They decided to tag along, out of sight, for a while before taking a faster route in and 'winning' whatever it was they got for being first.

"Oh, yeah," Cordelia replied. "I hope Wes doesn't get too offended. Gunn can get." She wasn't always proud of her boyfriend's mouth. Sometimes he didn't think. Of course, the same could be said of her, but at least she'd learned to control that most of the time.

"He'll be fine," Fred reassured her. "Besides, how worked up can they get? They haven't stopped for food, besides some grass."

Cordelia nodded and led Fred away towards another path. She was actually glad that Wesley was getting a chance to talk to Gunn. The faun had a knack for not offending her occasionally-touchy mate. well, he offended less than others. Besides that, she figured Wes would catch on to what was really bothering Gunn, which wasn't the public sex at all.

Gunn had advanced a great deal in terms of tolerance and acceptance over the years. The man she was with now was very different from the one she'd cussed at in a grocery store parking lot all those years ago. He'd learned to accept her werewolf side, even taking steps to learn about what she was. Even so, she'd been shocked when he'd told her he wanted to be changed, should anything happen to him. Living with vampires, werewolves, and other assorted demons seemed to give him a better perspective on such issues. Still, she knew he had areas that bothered him.

He'd been a werewolf for almost five years and had generally adapted well. However, in the back of his mind he was still humanhe could accept certain nonhuman behaviors in others, but in himself? No. It never occurred to Gunn that perhaps there was more to those behavior differences than simple learning. He never questioned why he found it so easy to hunt in a pack, or submit to his alpha, or why his territorial possessiveness of Cordelia grew from simple human posturing to feral rage. Cordelia, however, knew that it was because werewolves weren't humanthey didn't act like humans, or think like them either. When she was human, Cordelia thought about herself first and lasteven when she was making a conscious effort to help others. Now, though, she thought about the pack, even when the pack was expanded to cover all eight of them.

This afternoon, when Gunn had woken up and started freaking out, Cordelia started to suspect that it wasn't so much what had gone on the night before that bothered him but the fact that it hadn't bothered him at all. Had he really been opposed to the presence of others, nothing would've happenedthey would have called a halt and everyone would have stopped. But Gunn didn't even think about it. The day after, he found himself wondering when he'd become so different from who he had been.

Cordelia knew how he feltshe too had changed a lot over the past few years. No one from high school would recognize her now, but that didn't bother her in the least. After all, she wasn't exactly proud of who she'd been as a kid. Gunn had a lot of thinking to do; she just didn't want it to disturb the group too much. The last time he'd done this was in Los Angeles, right after she'd been changed, and it had caused problems all over the place.

"We're almost there, aren't we?" Fred asked. "Just over that hill."

"Yeah," Cordelia murmured. "There's Oz's mark." She pointed at a scratch on a nearby tree. "So, who got caught?"

"Me," Fred replied instantly. "But you have to make something to eat. I'm hungry again."

"Me too. That deer didn't hold up as well as he should have," Cordelia replied.

*****
Part 76:

"How was work?" Gunn asked as Cordelia staggered through the front door. Wesley propped her up, catching the screen before it could hit her in the head.

"Work sucked seven ways from Sunday," She muttered. "Headache, bitchy boss, andget thisa surprise fifty percent off sale! I hate the mall." The seer grimaced as her head pounded harder and gratefully accepted Gunn's assistance when he moved to help hold her up.

"Sign number 143 of an impending apocalypse. Cordelia Chase says 'I hate the mall," Xander chirped. His smirk disappeared when he saw how pale she was. "You did eat lunch, right? I'll go get you something." He ran off towards the kitchen to get the seer a glass of water. She hadn't looked like that in yearslike she'd had a hard vision or something.

Cordelia let Wesley and Gunn lower her onto the couch. "Maybe I caught a bug. I've had this headache all day, and I'm just dead tired." As if to drive home her point, she started sneezing uncontrollably.

"Did you eat?" Gunn inquired. "Cause you'd better say you did."

"I did," She confirmed, once she'd recovered. "A cheese sandwich and a coke. Oh, and some carrots. And a jicama."

Gunn grimaced. Jicama? He didn't think she liked the vegetable. Wesley clucked his tongue and pulled a blanket off the back of the couch, wrapping her in it.

"Try this," Xander said, thrusting a glass into her hands. She peered doubtfully at the juice, but took a sip. Then she jerked back in surprise. "What is this?"

Xander shrugged. "Tomato, carrot, a touch of Tabasco and teriyaki." He'd not really looked at what he was doinghe'd meant to use Worchester sauce.. Oh well.

"That sounds quite unpalatable," Wesley stated.

"Actually, it's not so bad. sort of like a sweet Virgin Mary," Cordelia replied. She finished off the stuff and stood up. "Thanks for all the fawning attentionno pun intended, Wesbut I'm gonna get comfy in bed for a while. I'm tired."

Xander and Wesley watched as Gunn led Cordelia off to bed. "She never gets sick," Xander murmured. "Even when the rest of the pack, you and I all got that cold last year. She and the vamps sat there covered in snot from us and just laughed. She doesn't get sick."

Wesley nodded. "No, she doesn't." He suspected, however, that Cordelia wasn't precisely ill. No, his guess would be that she was pregnant. Unfortunately, Oz and Fred chose that moment to come racing through the house via the kitchen, in full wolf-mode. They nearly toppled an end table before coming to a rest in the living room. Wesley and Xander waited until they'd shifted back before questioning them.

"What gives?" Xander asked the wolves. "'Cause you two are usually more careful."

"Rednecks with guns," Fred panted. "They thought we were wolves."

"Where?" Wesley asked. "I thought you were staying on the property today."

"We were," Oz replied. "They're trespassing."

"I'll call the sheriff. Again," Xander muttered, already reaching for the phone. This wasn't the first time they'd run into hunters on their rental property. Each time they had to call the law and have the sheriff get a hold of whichever of his relatives was trespassing on their land. "Sheriff Johnson?" Xander asked over the phone.

"Yeah, Johnson here," The gruff man replied.

"This is Harris, over on Shinbone Road. There's a couple of hunters out here."

A long sigh came over the line. "Know what they looked like?"

Xander glanced at the two werewolves. They shook their heads. "Not really. Hunter types. You know, men with long guns and hats."

"I'll see what I can do," The sheriff said reluctantly.

"It's not that we mind the hunting," Xander said quickly. "We don't. It's just that we're out hiking in the woods a lot, and when we don't know the hunters are out there."

"Yeah, I getcha," The Sheriff assured him. "I'll send some guys out looking." Translated, that was, "I'll go call my sister and have her get her deadbeat brother off the California guy's land before he calls the paper."

"Thanks, Sheriff." Xander hung up the phone. "So I take it there's no way one of us could've conveniently spotted those assholes?"

"They're very well camouflaged," Fred replied.

"Cordelia's sick," Xander said, changing the subject. "She looks like hell." Oz stood quickly and headed for the stairs. "You might want to put some clothes on first!" Xander added as his lover disappeared.

Oz peeked into Cordelia and Gunn's bedroom. The werewolves were together on the bed, Gunn cradling an obviously-ill Cordelia. Oz waited for Gunn to acknowledge him before walking in. "Cordy?" Oz whispered. She looked at him and smiled.

"Sorry, alpha. I hurt," She murmured.

Oz reached down to stroke her head. Pain often made werewolves fall back on pack dynamics. It told Oz a lot about how she felt. "Shh, it's ok. Sleep." She closed her eyes and he bent down, examining her carefully. Her skin was pale, but not sallow or jaundiced. The circles under her eyes were new, though, and her hair hadn't lost it's glossy sheen. She wasn't seriously ill at the moment. Still, he tested her scent and tasted her skin, to see if he could learn anything. A few minutes later, he left, returning to the living room downstairs.

In the front room he found Wesley standing by the couch, staring at the wall. Xander had accompanied Fred to retrieve her and Oz's clothing. He waited patiently for the faun to look over at him. "She is, isn't she?" Wesley inquired.

Oz nodded. "How long have you known?" He was surprised Wesley hadn't mentioned it.

"I thought about it in the mountains. Until now, though, I hadn't really given it much more consideration. But the symptoms are there. At least partly there. I am not familiar with werewolf physiology," Wesley admitted.

"Not that different from human, at this point," Oz said. "Later, though, it'll change."

"As will a great many things," Wesley murmured. "In terms of timing."

"Not much worse," Oz confirmed. "It'll be hard."

"For everyone," Wesley added. "For all her maternal urges, she is young."

"Gunn's not ready," Oz commented. "The pack isn't ready for this."

"Angel and Wil?" Wesley asked. "Will they ever be ready for a young one?"

"What about Fred?" Oz countered. "She's."

"We've discussed that," Wesley said coldly. "Several times."

"And?" Oz pressed. He knew he was treading on Wes's cherished privacy, but this was his omega.

"If the time comes, we will ask one of the pack to assist," Wesley said in a stilted voice. It was difficult for him to admit that any child he had with Fred would be fathered by another man.

Oz nodded. "Xander's gonna go nuts." The Raphe would fall in love with the pup before it was born and spoil it rotten once it arrived.

"So what do we do?" Wesley inquired.

"First we tell Cordelia."

...

As it happened, a few hours' sleep did wonders for Cordelia's health. She bounded down the stairs, full of energy, just in time to greet Wil and Angel as they heated up their first meal of the evening. "You working tonight, or did you trade with that other guy?" She asked Angel. He polished off his supper before answering.

"No, I'm in for the evening," He replied. "Figured I'd finish the Baltimore project tonight, if Wes wants to." He was almost finished with a huge part of their current focus, which was to end the partnership between Wolfram & Hart and one of Baltimore's professional sports teams. They were very close.

"I'm sure he does," She said. "Is Fred around?"

"She left about half an hour ago," Wil confirmed. "To pay the bills. She'll be back in a few minutes"

"Hmm. Guess I'll start dinner then. Where's everybody else?"

"Gunn, Wes and Oz are in the computer room. Xander went out to see if the hunters left," Angel told her. "We had a couple wander across the property line today.

Cordelia grimaced. "Ugh. I hate them. No sport in shooting the animals, you know? Better to run them down." Angel and Wil grinned at each other, wondering if Cordelia ever noticed that she was a bit more.savage now than she used to be.

"Ah, Cordelia," Wesley murmured as he walked into the kitchen. "Gunn said you were sleeping."

"I woke up. Feel better, too. Do you want spaghetti or. I think it's chicken, for dinner?" She asked, holding up a package of ground beef in one hand and a whole chicken in the other.

"Both," Oz said from the doorway. "Make lots of food."

Cordelia cocked one eyebrow. "Do we have company coming?"

"No," Oz replied. "Just hungry."

He helped her cook, adding in spices and vegetables over her protestations. She got mad after the fifth time he and Wesley shared a pointed glance, threatening to throw her alpha out the window if he didn't start behaving. "And I'm not above locking you in a closet with a continuous broadcast of Lawrence Welk, either!"

"Man, she pulled the Welk on you," Gunn muttered as he and Xander came in for dinner. "Must be bad."

"Bay leaves," Oz said, walking over to Xander. "She doesn't like bay leaves."

Xander frowned. "You used to, Cordy. Hells, you used to buy the store out. That's why we have so many."

"Well, I don't like them now," She spat. "And could you grab some of that guava nectar from the pantry?"

Xander obediently went to fetch the beverage. "I thought you hated guava nectar," He commented as he handed her the large can. She grabbed it in one hand, a church key in the other. The men of the house sort of stared as she chugged the room-temperature drink.

"Nah, it's great," She said, setting the can down with a thump. Having slaked her thirst, she returned to cooking. "I thought we had more turmeric than this. It's just not enough for the spaghetti!"

Gunn looked at Xander and mouthed, 'turmeric?' He thought back to the jicama she'd mentioned earlier.

"Uh, Cordy?" Xander began. "You.ah.aren't forgetting to tell us anything, are you? Guava nectar? Bay leaves? Turmeric? I mean, if I didn't know you better, I'd say you were pregnant. Weird food cravings and all."

She laughed and glared at the same time. "Hah hah, Xander. Just because I didn't bash your tomato mistake earlier doesn't mean I won't do it now."

Wil and Angel continued to watch from the sidelines. They didn't always participate in suppertime activities, but then again sometimes they did. By mutual, silent agreement, they decided to pass on whatever disaster Cordelia was making tonight.

Wesley glanced at Oz again. Cordelia caught the motion in the corner of her eye. "That's it!" She screamed, slamming the tomato sauce's spoon on the counter. Red dots appeared all over the kitchen. "You tell me right now what's going on or I'm gonna kick your skinny, hairy ass, cut it up into little bitty pieces, and serve it on Wheat Thins with Easy Cheese!" What she'd said had been funny, but her tone was one hundred percent serious. Deadly serious. Wes's ass was in definite danger of becoming canap�s.

Wesley jumped back.

Oz growled.

Wil and Angel stood up.

Xander blinked.

Gunn's jaw dropped.

Fred opened the kitchen door. "Hi, guys! Bananas were on sale at the Weigel's. I got five pounds along with the milk." She brandished a heaping bag of fruit with one hand. The other was balancing three gallons of milk. "Could someone help me?" No one moved, not even to acknowledge her arrival.

Cordelia glared hard at the men and reached for the bananas. Fred gratefully released them and went to store the milk. "What's going on?" She asked, noting the rather unusual behavior of her housemates. "And why is Cordelia slicing a banana into a pot of spaghetti sauce?"

"It balances out the acidity of the tomato," Cordelia stated tightly. "And I recommend that if you want to eat tonight or in the near future, you refrain from commenting." She punctuated her tirade by slamming the tomato sauce pot on the stove, sending more liquid splashing around.

"Angel?" Wesley said quietly. "Could you remove Cordelia from the stove, and away from the knives?" Angel stared in confusion at Wesley until Oz nodded his approval. The vampire went over to Cordelia, who was by now brandishing a wooden spoon in a threatening way.

"Hey!" Gunn shouted angrily. He took a step towards Cordelia. A warning growl from Oz stopped him.

"Hands off," She spat. "I don't know what's gotten into you guys, but I'm not afraid to use this." Angel simply shot his hand out and grabbed the spoon, throwing it over his shoulder. Then he wrapped his arms around the werewolf and dragged her across the room to the table. It wasn't an easy job. She kicked and bit and clawed at him, doing her best to take him apart with her bare hands. "Wes?" Angel grated out. "Now what?" He was struggling to keep the young woman under his control. She got in a good hard jab to his midsection. Fortunately he didn't have any breath to lose.

"You'd better start talking," Gunn growled. "'Cause I'm not liking this one bit."

"I'm confused," Xander said quietly.

"As am I," Wil added. He leaned over to look at Cordelia. She snapped at him. He gasped and sat back quickly. His face screwed up in a fierce frown. After a second, though, it lightened. "Oh. I see."

Angel glanced at Wil. "See what?"

"Breathe," Wil ordered. Angel looked at him funny, but did as he was told. Then he smiled. "Ah. Oz?"

"What the hell is going on?" Cordelia screamed. "Why are people sniffing me? Why are you all staring at me?"

"Gunn." Oz said firmly. "Come here."

The werewolf stepped over to his alpha, albeit reluctantly. He wanted to rip Cordelia away from Angel. "What?"

"Sit down." Oz pointed at a chair. "Now." Oz wasn't asking. Gunn obeyed.

The currently purple-haired werewolf walked over to crouch next to Cordelia. "Cordy, I'm gonna ask you two questions, ok?"

"Go fuck yourself!" She screamed, kicking out. Oz ducked the kick and Angel wrapped a leg around her to keep her from doing it again. Oz took a deep breath and continued.

"First, when we were up on the Blue Ridge Parkway, did you take any protection with you?" Gunn squeaked. Everyone in the room save Cordelia and Oz stared at the man. Gunn didn't squeak. Ever.

"Second, when was the last time you were in season?"

Then all hell broke loose.

*****