Sweet Memories: Part Four

by Kayla



The door to the Magic Box jingled open, and the missing member of the merged groups entered, still smoking faintly.

Giles looked up. "Ah, you got the message, then."

"Yeah, Cordy left a note." Angel flashed a small grin over at Cordelia, who waggled her pen at him before turning her attention back to the book in front of her. "Why did we decide to meet here, anyway?"

"Well, more room for one," Buffy piped up. "And there's all these useful books, too." She thumped her book, sending a small cloud of dust up.

Gunn moved to stand behind Willow as she tapped the keys on her laptop. "Whatcha got?"

"Well, Tara and I compiled a list of all the butchers, hospitals, clinics, basically any place someone could get a supply of blood from. We have a map...Tara, where's the map?"

Tara dug into her bag and pulled out a map, unfolding it and spreading it out over the table. "The, um, the dots are all the places w-we came up with. The colors represent the t-type of place it is."

Giles came over to look. "Good work. We can divide them all up by sections, and everyone can take a section to check out. Excellent idea, girls."

Just then, Riley emerged from the back room. He paused, glaring hard at Angel, who met his stare evenly. Scowling, Riley moved across the room and sat next to Buffy, pointedly draping his arm over her shoulders.

Angel suppressed a growl at the proprietary action. He forced himself to look away, although the tenseness in his body gave away the fact that he was still extremely aware of every move Riley made.

Buffy glanced back and forth between the two. "Ooo-kay...” She shook her head and stood. "Look, gimme a section now, Riley and me will head out and see what we can find." She got their assignment and led Riley outside, sidestepping Angel with an apologetic look.

When they had gone, Angel sat and let his head thump down on the table.

"Oh, get over it. Move on already." Cordelia rolled her eyes in disgust "Can't you just--"

"Hey, guys? No fighting, ok? Please?" Willow gave everyone a pleading look, waiting until everyone nodded in agreement. "Good. So, let's assign the rest of these places." She pointed at the map.

Tara waited until everyone had gotten their own copy of the map and left the shop before turning to Willow. "You know, I'm kinda worried about Anya, too. I hope she's doing ok."

Willow patted her hand reassuringly. "I'm sure she's fine. She'll be back soon to help us look for Xander. She loves him."

"I thought you didn't like her much?"

Willow shrugged. "She might not be on my 'Favoritest People' list, but...he's happy with her. I only want him to be happy."

Tara leaned over and gave Willow a short kiss. "You're a good friend, Willow. Xander's lucky to have you."


Anya paid the cab driver, then strolled into the dingy, poorly-lit bar that was located on the outskirts of Sunnydale. It didn't really have a name; it was just a place where people -- and non-people -- went to unwind.

Anya really needed to unwind. And even more, she really needed to repress the whole coming-on-to-Giles thing that she'd done.

She shuddered at the memory. Who knew that being dumped would mess with your mind that badly? Determined to get past that incident, she sat down at the bar. "Gimme a beer," she told the bartender curtly.

When the drink came, she drained it quickly. "Men suck," she muttered darkly.

"Yeah, tell me about it."

Anya looked at the woman who seated herself in the stool next to her. She studied her closely. "You're a vampire," she said matter-of-factly.

"No, I'm not!" The blonde woman pouted. "Ok, well, yes I am." She shrugged.

"Ok." Anya held out her hand. "Don’t bite me, and I won't stake you. I'm Anya."

A slim, well-manicured hand grasped hers. "Harmony."


"Ow!" Alex cursed loudly as he jammed his elbow painfully against on of the knobs.

Wil winced in sympathy and shifted around. Unfortunately, he set a foot down on the bar of soap that had fallen earlier. With a high-pitched shriek, he clutched at Alex as he fell, dragging them both to the floor of the shower stall.

With pained groans, the two carefully untangled their limbs. "This...maybe wasn't such a great idea," Alex panted as they finally managed to get upright again.

"No," Wil ground out in determination. "It bloody well is a good idea! We just...need a bit of practice, that's all."

"No offense, but I think we're more liable to kill each other off if we try this again."

Wil pouted. "But I like this idea! I mean, in theory, anyway. You an' me, all wet an' slippery. What's not to like?"

Alex grinned and carefully leaned forward to kiss Wil. "I could do without these new bruises," he whispered.

"I think we're clean enough." Wil scrambled out of the crowded stall, yanking Alex after him. "I should kiss those better, y'know."

"Oooh, now that idea I like! We can--shit!" He pulled away from Wil.

Wil blinked in consternation. "We can what?"

"What time is it? Oh god, work! We're late!" Alex snatched up a towel and started drying his hair off as he raced for the bedroom. "Hurry up and get dressed, Wil!" he called back.

Wil sighed as he trailed dejectedly after his lover. "Bloody hell."


Frankie glanced up as Alex and Wil scrambled through the door, grinning at him sheepishly. "You're late," he said tonelessly.

Alex brushed his hands on his pants awkwardly. "Yeah, sorry boss. There was this...and then the...well, we slept late...and the shower thing...” He broke off, blushing faintly.

"Uh-huh." Frankie considered them closely, noting their nervous shuffling and the way their hands kept brushing together as if they were itching to hold on tight. He shrugged. "No harm. Just don't let it happen often."

"Right. Thanks, Frankie." Alex directed a relieved smile at his boss, then turned back to Wil. "So..."

Wil grinned at him, eyes shining with happiness. He pulled Alex's head toward him and gave him a less-than-chaste kiss. "Meet ya on our first break, pet."

"Mmm. Ok." Alex snuck another kiss, then made his way over to the bar to start setting up.

Frankie reached out and tapped Wil's arm as he sauntered by. When the vampire turned to him with an inquiring look, he asked, "Shower thing?" He held back a grin as Wil turned a few shades pinker than normal. "Is that a blush, Wil? I never figured vamps could blush."

Wil turned even redder. "Sod off," he muttered half-heartedly, even as a rueful grin tugged at his lips.

Frankie shook his head in amusement. "Go on, get to work," he said, jerking his thumb toward the back room. He snickered quietly as Wil walked away.


"H2O. Umm, and a screwdriver for my friend."

Alex nodded pulled a bottle of vodka off the shelf behind the bar. He had just started to mix the drinks when something across the room caught his eye. He frowned when he finally picked out what had drawn his attention. One of the dancers, Jon by the flash of red hair, was being rather rudely tugged through the crowd by a bulky -- and rather slimy-looking -- demon. On closer inspection, Alex could see that Jon's back was tense with anger, and that he was pulling back against his captor's insistent grip.

Worried now, he scanned the club until he managed to locate Wil. Catching his boyfriend's eye, he indicated the possible spot of trouble brewing.

Wil looked over, got an idea of what was happening, and nodded sharply at Alex. He pushed his way through the crowd with an air of authority, quickly crossing to stand in the path of the behemoth who was manhandling Jon.

Jon yanked his arm again, trying to get free. "Look, man," he said harshly. "I don't know what your deal is, but I am not going anywhere with you! Let me go!"

The demon spun around and growled at him. "Just want a private little party with the dancer boy. See what kind of...moves you got."

"Hey, I'm a dancer. Dan-cer. You want a private dance, you talk with the boss. But that's all you get. A dance." Jon's face was red with anger as he continued to struggle.

The demon leered, leaning in close. "I bet I can make you change your mind. How much will it take?"

His green eyes flashing with suppressed rage, Jon hissed out, "This ain't that kind of joint, man. Try the Dragon down the street." Again he jerked his arm back, blanching as the demon's grip tightened, making the bones of his wrist grind together.

The demon reeled Jon in, wrapping his other arm around him and stroking down his back and over his ass. "But I want you, pretty boy."

Jon flinched, twisting his head to the side as the demon moved in to kiss him.

"Excuse me, is there a problem here...mate?"

Still clutching Jon, the demon whirled around to face a cruelly smirking Wil. He snarled. "Out of the way, vampire. The boy and I have places to go."

Wil cocked an eyebrow. He looked the demon up and down, sneering. "Don't look to me like 'the boy' wants to go anyplace with the likes of you. So...I'm thinking you need to cart your slimy ass right on out of here, and leave the dancer alone."

The demon narrowed its eyes. "Who's gonna make me? You?" He snorted in disbelief as he looked the comparatively small vampire over. With a roll of his eyes, he shifted Jon around and, with a slobbering lick to the side of the dancer's face, once more started for the door.

Wil growled deep in his throat, his eyes flashing golden with fury over being so casually dismissed. Everyone within a few feet of the vampire drew back in fear at the palpable aura of violence that he exuded. Without warning, he pounced, landing on the demon's back. He reached around and clawed at the demon's eyes

Startled and in pain, the demon finally lost his grip on Jon, who stumbled to the floor and used his newfound freedom to scuttle backwards. The dancer watched wide-eyed as Wil viciously attacked the demon.

With almost graceful movements, Wil struck. His actions were practically a blur as he led the demon in a deadly dance. Each blow he landed coaxed a delighted laugh from him, and the demon became increasingly frustrated and confused by his inability to lay a hand on the vampire.

So far, the bloodshed was at a minimum. With the exception of the initial attack that had torn long gashes in the demon's face, Wil had contented himself with merely pounding ferociously on the demon every chance he got, leaving a battlefield of bruises. He knew he had to end it soon, though. Frankie really didn't like fighting inside his club.

In a lightening fast move, Wil twisted around behind the demon, snatched up one of the heavy hickory chairs, and bashed his opponent across the head.

The demon gasped, blinking stupidly for a moment. Then, his eyes rolled up, and he toppled over.

Wil glared down at the unconscious demon, then carefully set the chair back down. He touched the undamaged piece of furniture admiringly. "That's some pretty strong wood," he commented, impressed.

At that, a soft snicker was heard. In seconds, the snicker had spread through the onlookers and become a rippling laughter. With a triumphant grin, Wil motioned for a couple of other bouncers to come and drag the demon out of the club.

That taken care of, he quickly moved over toward Jon, crouching beside him. "You ok?"

Jon chuckled. "Better than that guy. Thanks." He pushed himself off the floor and to his feet, hand cradled gingerly in front of him. He was still very pale though, and his eyes were bright with pain. Noticing this, Wil gently led him back to the bar and seated him.

Alex ignored the next drink order, instead hurrying over to Wil and Jon. "You go, Wil," he said quietly, pride obvious in his tone. Then he looked at Jon. "Did he hurt you?"

Jon shrugged, holding out his arm. The wrist was visibly swollen, and already starting to darken with bruises. He breathed in sharply when Wil reached out to run his fingers lightly along the tender flesh.

"Nothing's broken," Wil said with relief. "Not even sprained, I don't think. Gonna be damn sore for a bit, though."

Jon groaned, frowning miserably at his injured wrist. "I can't dance like this," he complained. "I've still got one more set to do tonight. It's the last one of the night; the other guys have already pretty much bailed, so I've got no one to cover for me. Shit, Frankie's gonna be pissed."

"Pissed about what?" Frankie came up beside Alex, who moved out of his way so he could better see his dancer. The man scowled. "Is that what the fuss I heard was about?" He gestured at Jon.

Wil nodded. "Some demon, not a regular I don't think, tried to get a little insistent. I...convinced him he'd have better luck somewhere else."

"Frankie, I didn't do anything to encourage him," Jon said in a wavering voice. "I just tried to get away. And he did this," he wiggled his arm a bit, wincing, "and now there's no way I can do my last set!"

"Calm down, Jon," Frankie told him. "I know it's not your fault. We get someone like that every once in a while." He sighed heavily. "Don't know what I'm gonna do about a replacement for the night, though. Alvin just left a minute ago, and he was the only other dancer still here."

"Bummer. That's gotta suck." Alex shot Frankie a sympathetic look, then blinked as his boss stared at him measuringly. His eyes widened. "Oh no. No. Not happening. No freaking way." He started to back away, hands held up defensively in front of himself.

"Now Alex, you don't want to disappoint me, do you? Why, Jon here has tended the bar when he's had to; it's only fair you should fill in for him in his hour of need." Frankie gazed at the bartender levelly, and Alex cringed.

"I don't want to!" Alex threw Jon a panicked look. "Jon, you're good to go, right? You don't need me. Right?" He kept shaking his head. "I can't dance...I wouldn't know what to do!"

"I think he's right," Jon spoke up. He gave Frankie an apologetic shrug. "Alex is cute and all, but I don't know if he'd have what it takes to look good on stage."

Alex nodded frantically. "Yeah! Hey!" He glowered at Jon, not sure if he was being insulted.

"Now Wil on the other hand," Jon continued. "Frankie, did you see him move? He was like...liquid sex. It was almost beautiful watching him go at that other guy. I mean, for other than the obvious reason." He treated Wil to an appraising look. "Oh yeah, I definitely think you could do it. You'd have the crowd begging for more."

Wil stood there, taken aback by this odd turn of events. "You...want me to dance? On stage?" He glanced over to the platform where the dancers performed. "In front of everybody?"

"That's the general idea," Frankie said drolly.

"I don't..." Flustered, Wil looked to Alex for help. Alex just shrugged, leaving the decision up to him. Wil took a deep breath. "Ok," he agreed softly. "I mean...sure. Why not?"

Frankie beamed. "That's the spirit! Jon, take him back to the dressing room, find him a costume. There's about 20 minutes before he'll have to go on. And get some ice on your wrist." Satisfied that catastrophe had been averted for the evening, Frankie headed back to his office.

Jon clapped his hands excitedly, then almost whimpered as he jarred his injury. He shook it off, though. "Babe, I am gonna make you look fine. So, how naked do you wanna get on stage?"

"N-naked?" Wil squeaked. He tried to resist as Jon ushered him toward the dressing room. "Can I change my mind now? Alex!"


"Look miss, I just want to know if you've been missing any shipments of blood! It's not a difficult request!" Giles glared at the receptionist, who seemed remarkable unperturbed by his outburst.

"All medical information of any nature is kept strictly confidential," she informed his frostily.

Giles threw his hands up and spun around, walking back to where the witches were watching him.

"No good?" Willow bit her lip when Giles shook her head. Then, her face brightened. She whispered something to Tara, who nodded excitedly.

"What? What is it?"

Almost bouncing now, Willow answered, "I think I can -- we can get the information we need. If you can distract the ice queen, I'm pretty sure Tara and I can use our...special talents to search the computer database. They should have records of everything, including an inventory listing."

"Are you sure?" At their nods, Giles steeled himself. "Well then, let's have another go." Giles used his fingers to comb his hair back, then walked calmly back to the desk.

"Yes?" the receptionist asked coldly, her eyes hard.

Giles smiled. "I'm terribly sorry, ma'am," he said smoothly. "I've had a rough day, and I was taking my frustration out on you. I do beg your pardon. And I can certainly understand your position in this matter. In fact, I must commend you for your stalwart stand in assuring the well-being of this clinic and its patients."

While Giles continued to ply the unsuspecting receptionist with compliments, Willow grabbed Tara's hand and sidled up to the desk, staring intently at the computer monitor. The screen flickered wildly, then data began scrolling across in at an unbelievable speed.

In less than a minute, the witches broke off with a low cry, slumping slightly. Before the receptionist could voice any suspicions about their behavior, Giles deftly snatched her hand and gave it a kiss, then quickly gathered up his young charges and led them out of the building.

Once outside, Tara leaned against a wall to catch her breath, and Willow rested against her.

Giles watched them expectantly. "Anything?"

Wearily, Willow shook her head. "We found the information we were looking for, but...no luck. Wherever Spike's been scrounging up dinner, it hasn't been here."

"Damn." With a deep sigh, Giles pulled out his map and crossed off another dot.


"Hello? Hello! Anybody in there?" Cordelia pressed her face against the glass while she banged loudly on the door.

"I do believe they're closed." Wesley pointed to the small sign in the window that stated the hours of business.

"9:00? It's not 9:00! Hey, butcher man! You have customers!"

Wesley gently grabbed her hand before she could start pounding on the defenseless door again. "It's almost midnight, Cordy," he said reasonably. "We'll have to try back when they open in the morning."

"But I--"

"Cordelia."

Cordelia let out a shaky sigh. 'I know," she said in a soft voice. "But...what if tomorrow's too late? What if something happens to Xander tonight, and it's all our fault, because we couldn't get into some stupid, closed butcher shop!"

"Cordelia, calm down. Nothing is going to happen."

On a small, almost childlike voice, Cordelia asked, "How do you know?"

Wesley took hold of her shoulders, turning her to face him. "Because there are many people who care about him that are looking for him. People like you, who won't let anything stand in their way."

"Yeah?" She gave him a tremulous smile. "You think?"

"I most certainly do." He brushed her cheek lightly with the back of his hand.

"Oh. Ok." She stared at Wesley for a moment. "Um, you're not going to try that kissing thing with me again, are you?"

Wesley chuckled as he drew his hands back. "No, I think we've managed to fail spectacularly with that already."

"All right." She gave the door, which had remained obstinately shut, a final glare, suppressing the urge to kick it. "So, back to the Magic Box?"


Gunn peered down the dark alley dubiously. "Hey Angel, where are we? This isn't on the map, is it?" He squinted at the map, holding it close to his face so he could see in the dim light.

"No, it's not," Angel replied curtly. He stood still for a moment before shaking himself and striding toward a partially concealed doorway.

Gunn sighed. He folded up the map and hurried after the vampire. "Why are we here then?" he hissed when he caught up to him.

A muscle in Angel's jaw jumped as he gritted his teeth. "Spike might have...visited here."

Gunn continued to stare at him. "And?" he prompted after a moment.

Not meeting Gunn's eyes, Angel answered, "It's a...feeding spot."

"What, where vamps jump their victims? I thought he couldn't do that?"

"Not...exactly."

Gunn was getting a bit annoyed with Angel's evasion. "Look, just spill it already!"

Haltingly, Angel told him. "Some humans...crave what a vampire can give them. Enough that they'll willingly sell themselves for it."

Blinking in confusion, Gunn shook his head. "What, vamps are that good in bed? And I did not just ask you that."

"Not sex. Blood." He looked at the building. "They'll allow, even pay vampires to bite them. Feed on them."

"That's...really sick, man." A thought struck him. "You think this Spike guy might have been using them to get his meals?" At Angel's reluctant nod, he asked quietly, "Did you ever do that? Is that how you know about this place?"

Angel looked genuinely shocked. "No! I wouldn't...I never..." He tried to calm himself. "These places aren't exactly a secret. Not from vampires. Almost all of us know about them; news about them tends to spread."

"Ok." Gunn nodded. "So, let's raid this joint."


"Oooh, look who we get!" Buffy pointed excitedly at the map.

Riley looked over her shoulder. "Willie's? We already tried him, didn't we?"

"Well...sure. But we were asking about Xander that time. This time, we get to squeeze him for stuff on Spike." A feral grin appeared on her face.

Riley smiled and kissed her cheek. "You're so cute when you get that bloodthirsty gleam in your eye," he teased.

Buffy laughed softly, tilting her head so she could get a kiss on the lips. "Well, you're cute all the time," she retorted. "Although, when you do that thing with your--"

"Buffy!" Riley's voice was shocked, but his eyes glinted with humor. "You're a naughty girl," he growled playfully.

"Am I?"

"Oh yes. You know what that means, don't you?"

"Ooooh." Buffy wriggled against him, then pulled away. "After we see Willie," she admonished.

Riley sighed. "Right."


"...and I got there, and all his stuff was just gone! He didn't even have the guts to break up with me properly, he just left!" Anya sniffled miserably.

Harmony patted her arm in commiseration. "I'm telling you, men are the worst. I mean, look at me! I was so good to him; I fixed his place up, took care of him, and what does he do? He tried to kill me! Shoved a big ol' pointy piece of wood through my chest!" She thumped the top of the bar, making the empty shot glasses rattle. "And if that wasn't bad enough, he had the nerve to come back acting all manly like I was just going to jump at the chance to be with him again, and then he does nothing but go on about the damn Slayer!"

"See, when I was in the vengeance business, I would have never let a man get away with that! And what is it with people always going for Buffy? I don't know what Xander ever saw in her. I'm much prettier."

Harmony choked on her drink. "Xander? Xander Harris? You dated Xander Harris?" She started giggling uncontrollably.

Anya glared at her drinking companion. "I'll have you know Xander is a Viking in the sack! And he's got all these rippling muscles from construction work, and...and...well, like you could do better! Who were you dating?"

Harmony looked away, shrugging. "Spike," she said wistfully. "My little blondie-bear." Now it was her turn to start sniffling.

"Spike? The vampire with the terminal case of peroxide abuse? That Spike? You dated him?" Anya snorted, then started snickering.

"Shut up!" Harmony shoved Anya, almost tipping her off her stool. "You dated Xander!"

"Well, he's gone now, isn't he?" Anya snarled angrily.

"Yeah." Sighing, Harmony stared into her empty glass, then called for another drink. "I...I went to see Spike last night," she admitted quietly.

"Oh. Not go well?"

"He was...he was gone. The whole crypt was all dark, and smelly, and there were cobwebs and mildew everywhere." She pouted. "The jerk."

"Spike's gone, too? Huh, that's strange. Both him and Xander disappearing like that." She straightened, her eyes growing large. "You don't think...?"

"What?" Harmony's forehead wrinkled.

"Maybe...they're together?"

"Yeah? So, what if they are?" She continued to frown, then gasped suddenly. "You mean together? Like...together?"

"Like...together. Leaving us poor, mistreated girls behind so they can have naked, sweaty orgasms with each other."

The two women stared at each other, unblinking, as those images ran through their heads.

After a silent minute, Anya swallowed. "I need something stronger to drink," she choked out.

Harmony nodded frantically. "Yeah."


Alex brushed his hair away from his face, wondering idly if he should get it cut. It was starting to get a little long, but Wil seemed to enjoy running his fingers through it so much. Alex smiled.

"Here, let me get these. You go...take a break." Frankie reached for the bottles Alex was holding.

"Huh?" Alex looked at the bottles, then at his boss. "Oh, no, I'm fine. I already had my breaks for the night."

Jon seated himself at the bar, ice pack held carefully to his wrist. "Listen to the man, Alex. Just take a break like a good boy." He smirked. "You're gonna need it. Trust me."

"No, really, I'm fine, I--" Alex broke off as the stage lights dimmed and throbbing, sensual music began to play. His mouth dropped open as Wil came out on stage.

Frankie chuckled and grabbed the bottles as they slipped from Alex's loosened grasp. "Go. Get." He shooed the dumbstruck bartender away.

In a daze, Alex moved from the bar, pushing his way to the edge of the stage. He stared at Wil in awe as the vampire began to sway his hips, unable to believe what his boyfriend was wearing.

A harem boy. Wil was dressed as a harem boy.

A small vest with sheer sleeves covered his chest. Barely. It was laced up the front so it left an inch-wide patch of bare flesh, and it covered about half of his torso, ending a few inches above his stomach.

The pants were also sheer, but they were open at the sides, allowing tantalizing glimpses of more smooth, pale skin. Apparently, the flimsy material was held in place only by thin strips of cloth tied around the ankles and lower hips. And underneath the material, the...naughty parts were obscured by what was possibly the smallest excuse for underclothes Alex had ever seen.

The entire outfit was in shades of blue, complementing Wil's eyes, which were heavily rimmed with kohl. The darker than usual shade of his lips hinted at the possible application of lip-gloss. Somehow, the makeup served to accentuate Wil's sharp cheekbones, making him seem almost fragile.

As if all this weren't enough, Jon must have decided to heighten the effect with jewelry. Around Wil's neck was a delicate silver choker, dangling with small chains, to which were affixed tiny blue stones. A matching chain circled his waist, with a large blue stone centered directly over Wil's navel. With every slight movement Wil made, the chains swayed hypnotically, bouncing against his skin.

Alex was drooling. He knew he was drooling, but quite frankly, he didn't care. His head moved with every graceful motion Wil made, following each twist and bend with hungry eyes.

And Wil saw him. His face lit up with a seductive smile, and he began to unlace his vest. He watched Alex with a heavy-lidded gaze, tongue slipping out to moisten his lips. He didn't even notice the rest of the screaming, cheering crowd gathered around the stage, begging him to come closer so they could touch. He danced solely for his lover.

As the laces that had held Wil's vest together dropped to the floor, Alex's eyes remained glued to Wil's chest. He couldn't help but gasp when he caught a glimpse of the glinting bits of metal that adorned Wil's nipples. He was sure he must be seeing things.

Then Wil knelt, head thrown back in simulated ecstasy as he slowly peeled the vest away and let it slide down his arms.

Alex's attention was totally riveted by Wil's tiny nipples, which were indeed sporting rings of silver and blue to match the rest of his jewelry.

Wil could smell Alex's arousal. The scent sharpened considerably when he began to play his hands over his chest, circling his bejeweled nipples. With a moan of matching lust, Wil dropped forward and began to crawl across the stage towards Alex.

Alex began to pant harshly as Wil drew closer. His eyes were dilated hugely, and his fingers tightly gripped the edge of the stage. Then, Wil was directly in front of him.

Wil growled softly at Alex, then darted forward and licked him across the mouth. He moved away before the man could grab hold of his head, kneeling up again. He inched forward, swiveling his hips teasingly just in front of Alex, and again began to touch his upper body.

Alex wanted to touch. That was all he could think of. He wanted to reach out and stroke that smooth, silky, compact body that was on display for him. And then he wanted to toss Wil over his shoulder, carry him back to their apartment, and thoroughly ravish him until they were both exhausted.

He stretched out an arm to follow through with that train of thought, but it was rudely blocked by another grasping hand.

Snarling, Alex knocked the hand away from its target, turning to growl threateningly at the one who had dared try and touch Wil. The offending individual gaped at him in astonishment, then backed away hastily. Just to make sure, Alex fixed the other people gathered nearby with a deadly glare, the promise of a painful, bloody end written clearly on his face.

The noise of the crowd died slightly, and many trembling hands were drawn back from the stage. Satisfied, Alex fixed his attention once more on Wil, who had continued with his dance during the brief interruption.

The only difference was, now he was on his back, legs drawn up towards his butt, hips thrusting shallowly. Wil fingered the sides of his pants, plucking at the laces that held the ankle cuffs in place.

Alex watched breathlessly as slim fingers deftly untied the laces. The material they had held in place slipped away, pooling on the floor as they revealed his well-formed legs. He almost whimpered when Wil tugged at the laces that secured the pants around his hips.

Wil was totally absorbed in his dance, if it could still be called that at this point. His mind was replaying images of the night before, making him shudder with arousal. He pulled open the last laces on his pants and, arching his back off the stage, shoved the material away from himself.

Alex could feel his heart stop, then restart, pounding wildly in his chest. Wil, his Wil, was laying there, practically naked, adorned only by bits of jewelry and a tiny, shimmering scrap of cloth. And he was still thrusting, shamelessly displaying his body to Alex's avid gaze.

With a low cry, Alex surged up onto the stage, covering Wil's body with his own as he crouched over the vampire. Blue eyes snapped open, piercing him with the intensity of their gaze. Groaning, Alex lowered his head and sealed his mouth to Wil's.

Wil wrapped his arms and legs around Alex, jerking the man down on top of him. Their hips were grinding together as they devoured each other, careless of anything around them.

Finally, the whistles and catcalls broke through the haze of Alex's thoughts, and he released Wil's lips, much to the other man's dismay. Alex shook his head. "Get dressed," he said firmly, his voice strained and husky.

"Hmm?" Wil blinked up at his lover, not understanding.

"Get off the stage, and go get dressed." Alex kissed him again, briefly. "Then, I'm going to close the bar and let Frankie kick everyone out. And then, I'm going to take you home and spend the next few hours with you in bed. Not sleeping."

"Oh." Wil grinned. "Ok." He wriggled, groping around for the bits of his costume.

Alex clenched his jaw shut, closed his eyes, and pulled back. He watched as Wil scrambled for scattered pieces of material, hurrying off the stage with them.

Then, he very calmly stood, brushed himself off, and jumped down off the stage. When he reached the bar, he came face to face with the very smug looking Jon.

"You know, I've had that costume for ages, and it never did fit me. And blue's not one of my best colors, anyway. I just knew it would look stunning on Wil, though. And of course--"

"Jon."

"Um, yes?"

Alex grabbed Jon by the shoulders and pulled him close, kissing his forehead. "I really, really like you, Jon."

"Oh." Jon grinned. "Cool. You owe me, huh?"

"You will never know how much."

"Eh, I'll take a rain check." Chuckling under his breath, Jon walked back to the dressing room to collect his things.

Alex stepped behind the bar, reflexively taking the towel Frankie handed him.

"Not bad, huh? Boy's got talent."

"Hmmm." Alex smiled dreamily as he began to mechanically wash down the countertops.

Frankie let out a bellowing laugh and smacked Alex on the back good-naturedly. "Guess somebody's gonna get lucky tonight."

Recovering from the blow, Alex looked at Frankie very seriously. "Not tonight. Every night. Every moment we're together."

Frankie sighed happily. "Ah, young love. It's a wonderful thing." He went back to his office, leaving Alex to finish up at the bar.

Alex's mind drifted once more to Wil's performance, and he finished up his shift on automatic, a blissful, faraway look in his eyes and a dopey smile on his face.


Somehow, Alex managed to sedately follow Wil back to their apartment. Calmly, he closed the door behind them and locked it securely. Taking a deep breath, he turned around to find Wil giving him a shy grin, clutching a small duffel bag to his side.

Alex frowned. "Wil? When did you get a duffel bag?"

Wil blinked and stared at the bag as if he'd just noticed that he had it. "Oh. Um...Jon gave it to me."

"Uh-huh. Why?"

Wil peered up at Alex through lowered lashes, his grin turning just a touch seductive. "To bring my costume home in."

Alex swallowed hard. "Your...costume?" he rasped out, proud that he kept his voice from squeaking.

Wil nodded and unzipped the bag, pulling out a bit of silky blue material. "He said I might as well hang onto it."

"Oh god..." Alex started panting, his eyes riveted on that scrap of cloth. He shook himself, then moved swiftly forward. In seconds, he had Wil crushed to his chest while he kissed him, not stopping until he had to gasp for air.

"I guess...you think that's a good thing?" Wil looped his arms around Alex's neck, kissing a line over his jaw and down his neck.

"Oh, hell yeah." He held Wil to him, running his hands up and down his back.

"Mmmm." Wil hummed happily, then pulled back. "Why don't you go wash up, and I'll go to the bedroom and get undressed."

Alex pouted. "I'd rather watch you get undressed," he said, leering.

Wil rolled his eyes and gave Alex a push towards the bathroom. "Do as you're told," he whispered mischievously, his eyes twinkling. "Good boys get rewards."

"Rewards?" Grinning now, Alex gave Wil a last kiss and grope before heading to the bathroom.

In what was possibly record speed, Alex had his teeth brushed, his hands washed, and even managed to get that black smudge off his face. Who knew bartending could be such dirty work? Whistling softly, he walked quickly to the bedroom, stepping into the dimly lit area.

"Gaaahhh..."

Wil grinned at Alex from the bed as he played idly with the ring attached to one of his nipples. "Like?"

Confronted with Wil lying on top of their sheets, clad once again in nothing more than that shimmering, skimpy underwear and a pair of nipple rings, Alex nodded frantically. Then he pounced.

Wil's delighted laugh was cut off when Alex sealed their lips together once more. Moaning, he squirmed, trying to peel off Alex's shirt.

With a gasp, Alex pulled back and yanked the shirt off over his head, tossing it across the room. He bent again, hands gliding along Wil's sides.

Wil arched his back, hissing softly when Alex's fingers ghosted over his adorned nipples. "Aleeex..." A breathy cry was pulled from his throat.

Alex licked down Wil's chest, pausing at the rings. "Are these...?" He tugged gently at one. After an initial bit of resistance, it slid off into his hand. "Oh." Alex sounded almost disappointed at finding out that Wil hadn't gotten spur-of-the-moment nipple piercings. With a shrug, he decided to make the best of it, and bent his head to soothe the pinched flesh.

Wil began to pant lightly as he held Alex's head to his chest. A warm, wet tongue tickled around the sensitive nubs of his nipples, and blunt teeth caught the tender flesh in soft nibbles. Grunting, Wil spread his legs, allowing Alex to settle between them so he could better continue his self-appointed task.

Abandoning the tempting nipples for the moment, Alex licked a path down to Wil's navel, dipping his tongue into the tiny indentation. He wriggled down further, until he was confronted by the tiny triangle of cloth that barely covered Wil's erection. The material was stretched and bulging almost obscenely, hidden parts almost begging to be freed.

Alex hesitated only a second before grasping the elastic at Wil's hips and pulling the bit of clothing down. Slowly, almost reverently, he bent each of Wil's legs up so he could remove the underwear totally. Then, he just stared.

Wil felt totally exposed, on his back, legs drawn up, with Alex lying so still between his thighs. "Alex?"

Alex shook his head, drawing in a harsh breath. "You're so beautiful, Wil. Everything about you, so pale and soft and...precious."

"Oh god..." Wil felt a lurching in his chest, a pricking of tears in his eyes. He blinked rapidly to clear them. "I don't..." He reached a hand down to caress Alex's cheek.

Alex smiled, turned his face to kiss the palm of Wil's hand, then leaned down.

Wil let out a shocked cry at the tentative lick across the head of his cock. "Alex!"

Alex tilted his head, considering the flavor, then licked again. Evidently deciding that he could handle the salty, slightly bitter taste, he started to lick more purposefully, laving Wil's cock from base to tip.

Wil tried to hold perfectly still, not wanting to jostle Alex and perhaps dissuade him from what he seemed determined to do. He couldn't help the shallow thrusting of his hips, however, and when Alex finally settled his mouth over just the head and sucked gently, he bucked upwards.

That was more than Alex had prepared himself for, and he gagged, choking on the flesh that tried to force itself down his throat. He pulled away, coughing.

Mortified, Wil sat up, clutching at Alex's shoulders. "Alex, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to--"

Alex covered Wil's lips with a finger, smiling. "I know." He removed the finger and replaced it with a kiss. "Now, lay down again. I wasn't finished."

Wil licked his lips, picking up a hint of his own flavor. He nodded, and lay down, body tense.

Alex sighed. This wasn't turning out quite like he'd thought it would. He wasn't going to give up now, though. He bent his head again, then pulled up short at Wil's voice.

"You should finish getting undressed."

Alex frowned. "Now? I was going to--"

"If you undress now, we could..." Wil paused, and Alex could just about hear his blush when he continued. "I mean, maybe we could...y'know...at the same time?"

Alex froze, his mind blanking at that thought. "Gahhah." He lurched upright, pulling ineffectually at the fly of his pants. There was a chuckle, then a smaller pair of hands pushed his aside and undid the fastenings. Alex nodded his thanks, then shifted around, kicking the offending garment off. He turned back to Wil. "Ummm..."

Wil cocked his head in thought. He let his eyes wander over Alex's body, humming in appreciation at Alex's obvious arousal. He lay on his side, facing Alex. "You could...with your head down that way?"

"Right. That works." Alex lay on his side, facing towards Wil's feet. Once more, he was treated to an up-close view of Wil's leaking cock. He touched it softly, then began to lick it again.

Following suit, Wil stroked Alex's cock a few times before working up the nerve to lap at it with his tongue. The wet touches on his own erection spurred him on, and he soon became bolder in his licking, until he had started a tentative suction on the dripping head.

They were both being careful not to thrust too forcefully, aware that neither of them was exactly skilled at this as yet. At least, not that they knew of. Better safe than sorry, though, and so they spent long minutes learning each other, tasting, teasing, testing their limits.

It was when Alex started playing with Wil's balls, rolling them in their sack and applying the tiniest bit of pressure, that Wil lost it. His body stiffened, and he gasped out, "Alex! I..."

Eyes wide, Alex moved his head away, breathing a gust of air across Wil's saliva-slick cock. He watched, fascinated, as it shuddered and twitched, then spurted a long stream of semen up over Wil's quivering stomach. He stroked Wil's thigh until the shuddering stopped, then pressed a gentle kiss to the softening organ.

He'd almost forgotten about himself until Wil gathered himself together enough to resume his own sucking. Alex's let his head fall back, groaning loudly as the suction became more powerful.

Wil was determined to make Alex feel as good as he had, and worked his mouth wider until he was able to take in the top half of Alex's cock. He swirled his tongue around the head, then pulled away, letting his teeth scrape ever so lightly along the tightly drawn skin.

Alex let out a low shriek and convulsed. He pressed his face to Wil's thighs as he shook with his orgasm, twitching at the feeling of Wil's tongue lapping the underside of his cock.

Wil could feel Alex's seed trickle down his chest, and he grinned. He let Alex rest for a moment, then tickled his side.

Alex squeaked. "Wil!"

"Turn around so I can kiss you, git," he prodded affectionately, wrapping his arms around Alex when the other man did as he was instructed.

"Was that good? I mean, I liked it, and I assume you liked it, because...well, you know. But...was it good?"

Wil kissed Alex before he could start babbling even more. "Loved it, pet." He snuggled in closer. "Love you."

"Mmm." Alex sighed in relief. "Good. Love you too." He shifted. "We're gonna stick again."

"Good."


Willow scowled and kicked half-heartedly at the leg of the coffee table. "Didn't anyone find out anything useful?" All she received in response were a few shrugs and mumbled apologies, and she sniffled. "It's not fair."

"Well," Giles said, trying to inject a note of optimism, "Buffy and Riley have yet to report back. Perhaps they managed to gather some information. And if not...well, we'll just try again. And keep trying until something does turn up." He nodded decisively.

"Thanks, Giles," Willow said softly. "I just wish it didn't take so darn long!"

"Well, we--" Cordelia was cut of mid-sentence as the door was opened and Buffy strode in with Riley, grinning and giving them the thumbs up.

"You found something? You did! You found something!" Willow hugged Tara, squealing excitedly.

"Woah, chill a little, Wills." Buffy gave her friend a tolerant grin. "Yep, we found something." She frowned a little. "Ok, maybe not the best something, and lord only knows how useful it'll be, but...we still found something! Which is way better than we've been doing!"

"Argh! Spill! Tell me!" Willow bounced in front of Buffy eagerly, and it was fairly obvious that she was barely restraining herself from shaking the other girl.

Buffy rolled her eyes and made her way to the couch, were she settled herself with a yawn. "Ok, so we hit Willie's again, and managed to wring...um, I mean, we asked him if he knew anything about blood supplies and who buys it and stuff. He took a little convincing, but finally told us that there's this hush-hush delivery of blood every couple of weeks, and it has one major buyer. He figures a lot of vamps probably go through this supplier for their stores, and that would be our best bet for finding Spike."

Willow nodded. "Makes sense. So, who is it?"

"That's where the non-usefulness thing comes in. The only thing Willie would say is that I should, and I quote, 'Take it up with Sophie. I ain't gonna get on her bad side by ratting her people out.' And then he just clammed up."

"Sophie." Giles shook his head thoughtfully. "The name doesn't ring any bells for me. Anyone else?" There were headshakes and noises of negation all around. Giles sighed. "Well, it's still more than we've had to go on before now. We should get some rest and reconvene here in the evening. Willow, you and Tara try and find anything on your computer about this Sophie person. I'll look through my books here."

"I'll stay and help," Wesley offered, with Cordelia adding her support.

"I'm going home. I miss my bed, we've been separated too long." Buffy yawned again, and stood, stretching until her back cracked.

"Me too," Riley added.

Angel watched with hooded eyes as Buffy and Riley left, trying to force the tension from his shoulders. "I'm going back to the hotel," he said quietly.

"Sounds like a plan." Gunn clapped his hands together. "Sleep is one of my favorite pastimes."

Already leafing through a stack of books, Giles waved distractedly as everyone except Wesley and Cordelia left.

Cordelia looked around at all the shelves of books, and sighed. "Xander better appreciate this," she muttered. "I feel like I'm back in high school."


Lel yelped at the sharp noise, leaping into the air and spinning around. The scent of blood struck him, and he loped back through the underbrush. He slowed down, dropping to his haunches and creeping closer to the acrid, metallic tang that almost overpowered the scent of his mate.

The distressed whimpering finally pulled him from his cover, and he slunk out into the open, eyes and ears working to detect any intruders.

There was only his mate, limping towards him, hind leg tucked close to his body. Lel growled deep in his throat, bypassing his mate to nose at the strange creature that had attacked him. He batted it with a paw, springing back as it clattered loudly.

His mate yipped softly from behind him, and he left off his suspicious examination of the hard, toothy thing. He padded over to his mate, snuffling his silver fur. Coming to the injured limb, he licked carefully.

His mate growled at him, jerking the leg away. Lel watched closely as his mate gently set the foot back on the ground, testing his weight with a few limping steps. Satisfied that the injury wasn't too bad, Lel followed his mate back to their den.

Lel waited for his mate to settle down, circling carefully before curling up with his tail tucked around him. He dropped down onto his belly and squirmed close, lapping along his mate's muzzle. His mate nipped back playfully, then lay his head down, panting.

Yawning, Lel moved around behind his mate, cradling the smaller body with his own. He lay his head down on the thick fur around his mate's neck, snorting contentedly.

Lel and his mate dropped into a welcoming sleep.

Alex's eyes flew wide, and he froze, realizing he was humping against Wil's leg.

Wil shifted beside him. "Why'd you stop?" he asked in a sleepy voice.

"That was just...weird. And kind of ick. And I'm going to pretend I didn't just dream that." Alex shivered a bit.

Wil laughed. "Well, don't let a little thing like that keep you from enjoying yourself now."

Alex smacked him playfully. "Oh, come on! You can't tell me that didn't give you even the mildest case of the wiggins! We weren't even human!"

Wil rolled Alex onto his back, straddling him. "Prat. I don't care what kind of body you were in, I'd still wanna shag you blind."

Alex blinked. "Yeah?" He smirked.

Growling, Wil bent and nipped at his ear. "Damn right." He nipped again, then nuzzled into Alex's neck.

Alex hummed and tilted his head back, baring his throat to Wil's lips.

Wil growled again, then pressed his mouth to the tender column of flesh, sucking at the pulse point. He bit down a little, sucking harder.

Alex clutched at Wil as the pressure on his neck grew. He gasped out soft endearments, twisting his head to the side to give Wil better access.

Wil felt something fierce roll up within him, swamping him with its intensity. All he knew was the scent of his lover, and the seductive thumping of Alex's heartbeat. His growl grew louder, and something...changed.

With a desperate cry, Wil wrenched himself away, covering his face in horror.

Confused by his lover's abrupt withdrawal, Alex reached for Wil.

"Don't touch me!" Wil sprang off the bed, backing towards the door. "Stay away!"

Alex froze in shock. His breath caught as he stared into Wil's hungry, golden gaze, and his eyes were wide in disbelief and confusion as he saw the ridges that had formed on Wil's delicate features.

With a strangled cry, Wil flung the door open and rushed out of the room.


"So, when did he say he was going to be back in town?" Mellie passed a tray of cookies to Sophia before taking a sip from her tea.

"Thank you, dear." Sophia nibbled at a cookie before replying, "Daniel told me he'd drop by the day after tomorrow. He didn't mention how long he'd be around this time, but I'm hoping I'll be able to convince him to stay for a while." She sighed wistfully. "I do miss that boy something dreadful. He's just so...refreshing!"

Mellie nodded. "But he does have that streak of flightiness, haring off all over creation in search of the elusive 'answers'. Still, it's understandable, I suppose. He's not exactly had the easiest life, you know."

"Oh yes. The poor dear. He just needs to come back home where he belongs. I'd take proper care of him."

"Mmm, yes, I imagine you would." Mellie's eyes twinkled merrily.

Sophia grinned back and opened her mouth to retort. A frantic pounding on the door interrupted her, though, and she held her tongue as Mellie got up.

"My, who in the world could that be?" Mellie shot Sophia an apologetic glance as she made her way to the door. She opened it, then stepped back in surprise as a barely dressed Alex stumbled inside. "Alex? Whatever is the matter?"

Alex clutched at Mellie despairingly. "Wil. Is he here? Have you seen him? I can't...I have to find him!"

Mellie frowned. "Why, no. He hasn't been by here. Why, what's happened?"

Alex shook his head, backing away from her. "No, I have to find him. It's...it's daytime, he wouldn't have gone outside, would he? Oh god, I don't know where he is, Mellie. It's wrong, something's wrong, I have to find him!"

Concerned, Sophia stood and approached the distraught young man. "What is it, Alex?" she asked in a gentle tone. "What's wrong?"

"I don't...” Trembling, Alex collapsed to the floor. He leaned into Mellie's arms as they wrapped around him, rocking. In a tiny, almost childlike voice, he said, "I don't know. Mellie, he ran! Everything was so nice, and we were...and then he just changed. He was all vampy, and the he just ran. I have to find him. What if he's hurt? God, what if he ran outside, and he's all burned, and hurting, and, and, and..." He gasped for air, his eyes wild with terror.

"Hush, now." Sophia knelt next to him, stroking his back to calm him down. "You'll be no good to him in this condition. Take a deep breath. That's it. Everything will be fine."

"But--"

Mellie's head jerked as her phone started to ring. She made no move to answer it, and after a few more rings, the answering machine picked up.

"Mellie? Are you there? Um, ok. It's, um, Jenna. I just...well, Wil's here, and he's really upset, and I was going to call Alex but he won't let me, so I called you instead. I don't know--"

Swiftly, Mellie picked herself up off the floor and grabbed the receiver. "Jenna? You said Wil's there?" With her other hand, she fended off Alex's determined scrabbling for the phone.

"Uh-huh. I see. Oh, wait a second, dear. I'm going to put you on the speaker, all right?" She pressed the button, then hung up the receiver.

From over Mellie's shoulder, Alex shouted toward the phone, "Wil? Are you there? Talk to me! Is he there, Jenna?"

"Yeah, he's, um...hold on a sec." There was a muffled noise and a few clicks as Jenna switched over to her speakerphone.

Very faintly, Wil's voice could be heard. "No. I can't...tell him to stay away. I won't hurt him!"

"Wil! Wil, talk to me. Damn it, I'm coming up there." He turned with every intention of going to Jenna's apartment and retrieving his boyfriend, even if he had to carry the stubborn vampire out to do so. He was stopped only by Wil's sad, miserable voice.

"Alex? Please...don't. I'll hurt you. I don't want to hurt you. I couldn't...I couldn't bear it if I..."

Alex's face crumpled. He allowed Sophia to lead him to the couch, where he sat as close to the phone as he could get. "Wil," he whispered brokenly, "you wouldn't hurt me, I know you wouldn't. Please, just...come back home, ok? I...I need you there."

Wil growled in frustration. "I would hurt you! You don't know what was happening, what I was going to do! I wanted--" He broke off with a strangled cry.

Confused, Jenna asked, "Why do you think that, Wil? I can't imagine you ever hurting Alex. Everyone in the whole building knows how much you two love each other."

Wil let out a bitter laugh. "I'd think you of all people would understand. You know what we are! We...we're freaks! Bloodsucking, murderous freaks! How can we even be capable of love?"

The sound of a hand striking flesh seemed loud in the silence that followed that impassioned statement.

"How dare you?" Jenna hissed. "How dare you?" Her voice was thick with unshed tears. "I loved Alicia with all my heart, dead or alive. She was...she was my everything. And you tell me I'm not capable of love? That what we had wasn't real?"

"Jenna, I--"

"No. No. I won't stand here and listen to you say things like that. I am not a monster, Wil. You are not a monster. We may not be human any more, but damn it, we can still feel! We can be happy, and sad, and hurt, and-and in love. Being a vampire doesn't take that away. Everyone...everything is capable of love! And don't you ever say otherwise!" Jenna was so upset by this time that she was panting harshly, on the verge of bursting into tears. In almost a whisper, she finished, "I would give anything to be with Alicia again. Wil, don't screw this up. Don't throw away what you and Alex have just because you're afraid he might get hurt. That's a chance we all take when we fall in love."

There was a moment of heavy quiet, then Wil said, "You don't get it. I'm not afraid he'll get hurt. I'm afraid I'll hurt him. Me! I can't do that!"

Alex let out a groan of frustration. "Why do you keep saying that? You won't hurt me, I know it!"

"Sweetie, let me talk to him, ok?" Sophia nudged Alex away from the phone. "Wil? It's Sophia, you remember me, don't you?"

"Yeah," Wil grumbled. His voice hardened. "Keep your bloody claws off my Alex, you hear?"

Sophia chuckled softly. "If you insist. Wil, can I ask you a question?"

There was a pause, then, "S'pose so."

"What happened that made you think you'd hurt Alex here? From what I've seen of you two, I find it very difficult to imagine you causing him any pain."

A distant thumping sound came over the line, as if someone was rhythmically kicking a piece of furniture. Finally, Wil responded, "We were...I was kissing him, y'know? An'...I started sucking on his neck, nibbling just a bit."

Alex flushed and reached up to cover the faint mark on his neck.

"Um, I just...my teeth were there, and I could hear his pulse, an' I wanted...I wanted to bite. And I could feel something happening to me, and then I had fangs, an'...an' I knew if I didn't get away, I'd...bite him. Hurt him." Wil almost choked on the words, but forced them out, "Kill him."

Alex turned pale from shock. "No," he breathed. In a firmer voice, "No. You wouldn't do that. Never. I don't believe it!"

Wil snarled. "You daft git! How the bloody hell can you--"

"Oh...my...god." Jenna snorted softly, then started to giggle.

"What is so funny?" Alex demanded angrily.

"I'm...I'm sorry, it's just...I think I understand now."

"Understand what?"

Jenna calmed herself. "Wil," she asked patiently, "how did you feel? When you wanted to bite Alex, tell me what you felt."

Wil didn't see how that mattered, but humored her request. Thinking back, he struggled to put into words the emotions that were running through him at the time. "I felt..." He sighed loudly. "I dunno...possessive? Protective? Um...completed?" Another sigh. "That doesn't make sense. If I felt like that, why'd I try an' hurt him?"

"You didn't try and hurt me, Wil! Jenna, he didn't--"

"Alex, would you stop--"

"Both of you, shut up!"

Stunned, they obeyed, waiting to see what she had to say.

"Wil, Alex is right, you didn't try to hurt him." She held up a hand to forestall any further protests. "Trust me on this one, Wil, I've been there. What you felt wasn't a desire to...well, to kill prey, it was a desire to claim your mate. To mark him as yours. To...to marry him."

Alex gasped. "M-marry?"

"Mmm. That's basically what it amounts to. If Wil had bitten you then, while you were...um...you know...well, it would have left sort of an imprint, a-a signature. You would have had a visible sign that a vampire had claimed you as his mate, his...consort. And very few people have the guts to mess with a vampire's consort."

"Of course." Mellie smacked her forehead. "How silly of me. We should have known something like this would happen and prepared the two of you. It's not like we haven't all seen bonded vampire/human couples before."

"Y-you have?" Alex stared at her and Sophia.

"Well, it's not exactly common, but it's certainly not unheard of," Sophia told him.

"I wouldn't have killed him?" Wil's voice was pleading, begging for affirmation.

"No, dummy," Jenna said affectionately. "You would have wed him. And he would have been yours. Forever."

"Oh."

Sophia heaved an aggravated sigh. "Well, what are you waiting for, you silly vampire. Get down here and make an honest man of Alex. Or I might just snatch him up while you're not looking."

There were rustling noises, then a door slammed. "Oh, thank you," Jenna breathed. "You boys have fun making up. I'm going back to bed. It's not even noon yet!"

"Sleep well. And thank you." Mellie smiled and hung up the phone.

Alex stood hastily. "Um, I have to..." he waved his hand toward the door.

"Of course you do. Shoo!"

With a grateful smile, Alex opened the door and backed out. When the door closed, he turned and leaned against it, staring intently down the hall. A moment later, the door to the stairwell opened, and Wil timidly poked his head out.

"Hi." Alex folded his arms over his bare chest, watching the vampire nervously.

Wil crept a little closer. "Hi." He shuffled his feet as he walked slowly, coming to a halt inches away from Alex.

Alex held out a hand, sighing in relief when Wil took it. He squeezed it, then leaned forward. "I love you, y'know. Even if you are a dummy," he whispered, then kissed him.

The tension drained from Wil, and he kissed back eagerly. "Love you," he mumbled when their lips parted. "An' I'm not a dummy!"

"Oh yeah?" Alex let go of his hand and started walking backwards toward their apartment. "I'm still not an 'honest man'. Maybe I should go back and talk with Sophia. I think she has a few openings..." He trailed off at the look on Wil's face. Grinning, he turned and darted back into their apartment.

With a matching smile, Wil raced after him, growling playfully.


Anya groaned and flopped over onto her side. She smacked her lips, grimacing at the cottony, sour taste in her mouth. Not even close to being ready to get up, she burrowed her way back under the covers. One of her legs brushed against something soft and cool, and she pressed closer.

"Ugh. Who was playin' hockey with my eyeballs?"

Anya froze as the cool thing she was curled against began to move, limbs tangling with hers.

"Oh god, tell me I didn't pick up some loser freak at that bar." The covers were pulled back, and Harmony gaped at her rather frazzled looking bed companion.

"Um, hi?" Anya waggled her fingers at the vampire.

Harmony's brow furrowed. "Hey, aren't you--?" She smacked her forehead, then yelped and rubbed it tenderly. "Anya, right? Xander's girlfriend?"

"Ex-girlfriend," Anya clarified. She sat up gingerly, and the sheets pooled around her bare form.

Harmony stared at her, then looked down at her own unclad body. "Oh no. Way no."

Anya cleared her throat. "Um, did we...?" She waved a hand between them.

Sniffing delicately at the bed, Harmony nodded. "Smells like. Huh. Well, that's new."

"Damn it." Anya lurched from the bed and hobbled across the cold stone floor.

"What? It wasn't that bad...was it?" Harmony frowned, trying to piece together her hazy, scattered memories of the previous night.

"That's just it; I don't remember!" She growled in frustration. "I mean, that's my luck, isn't it? My first experience with lesbian sex, and I don't even remember it! It's not fair!" Hands on hips, Anya glared at the vampire who was still sprawled indolently on the messy bed.

"Oh." Harmony eyed Anya's heaving chest and let her eyes wander down across a trim belly to the swell of thighs and... "Um, we could always give it another go." She licked her lips.

Anya blinked. Oddly enough, her headache seemed to have become much less debilitating. Slowly, she studied Harmony's lush curves, noting the slim hand that had slid through golden curls and started a steady stroking. She nodded curtly. "Good idea."


Back in the sanctuary of their apartment, Alex and Wil settled next to each other on the couch, hands linked together. After a moment, Alex chuckled softly and peered up at Wil. "So...wanna get hitched?"

Wil gave him a tremulous grin and squeezed his hand. "Think I pretty much killed the mood for now, pet," he answered with quiet regret.

"Oh." Alex tried to hide his disappointment. "Well, how about some breakfast, then?"

Wil blinked at the change of subject. "Um, ok." He let Alex help him up, and they made their way into the kitchen.

While Wil busied himself scrubbing out the pans they'd never gotten around to washing the day before, Alex scrounged through the refrigerator. "Wil? We're out of milk. Did you use the last?"

Wil rolled his eyes. "I'm not much of a milk person, Alex. You finished up the last yesterday when you just had to have a glass of chocolate milk before we left for work."

"Oh yeah." Alex sighed. "I suppose I should go pick some up."

"How's the blood supply?"

Alex shifted a few things around. "Um, down to two packets. I can swing by Sophia's, see if she has any good stuff in."

"Ta. Here, let me make you a bagel to eat while you're out." Wil leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Wouldn't do to have you withering away from lack of proper food. You want cream cheese on it?"

"Oooh, yeah." Alex grabbed the container of cream cheese from the fridge and opened it. Shuddering, he held it at arms length as he walked to the trashcan. "On second thought, make that butter."

"What's wrong?"

"In case you ever wondered, cream cheese is not supposed to be green and fuzzy."


"This is ridiculous." Cordelia slammed her book shut. "How are we supposed to find out anything about this Sophie person if we don't even know what kind of demon we're looking for? Or if she even is a demon? Or if she even is a she?" She glared at the book as if to force it to give up its secrets.

"Well, we can't very well just give up, now can we?" Giles leveled his best authoritarian look at her, and she sighed and opened the book again.

In Cordelia's opinion, the day of researching had not gone well. Leafing through Giles' collection of books was like looking for a specific needle in a haystack-sized pile of other needles. She glanced around the room. "What's holding up Willow and her girlfriend? Weren't they supposed to be surfing the net to find stuff?" She wrinkled her nose. "On second thought, I don't really want to know what's holding them up."

Gunn looked up from his book with a wide grin. "I do!"

"Shut up, Gunn," chorused Cordelia and Wesley, and even Angel spared him a withering look.

Giles sighed. "I'm sure they--" The bell above the door jingled, interrupting him. Tara and Willow walked in, flushed and smiling.

"Bad mental images. Bad mental images." Cordelia thumped her temples repeatedly, refusing to look at the witches.

Willow blinked in confusion. "Did we miss something?"

"Ah, no," Giles answered quickly. "Did the two of you find anything?"

"Um, maybe?" Willow held up a small printout. "We looked through all the city records we could find, but nothing turned up. Then, we tried newspapers, magazines, stuff like that." She handed the paper to Giles.

"Interesting," he murmured as he scanned the article.

"What? What is it?" Cordelia waited impatiently for a response.

"Well, we didn't find any referenced to 'Sophie', but we did manage to turn up an article about the mysterious death and dismemberment of a prominent businessman." She reached around Giles and pointed. "See? One of the people questioned was a, um...Madame called Sophia."

Cordelia scowled. "Madame?"

"Proprietress," Wesley clarified.

"Pimp," Gunn offered, then wilted under the glares he received. "What?"

"What else does it say about her," Angel asked.

"Nothing. That's it. Well, it does mention that she was living in East End at the time."

"East End." Angel shook his head. "The demon side of town. It won't be easy to find her there."

"Excuse me?" Buffy stared at him, eyes narrowed. "The 'demon side of town'? As opposed to over here where we live blessedly demon-free?" She snorted. "I was over there not too long ago asking about Xander, and I didn't notice anything strange."

Angel stared at her in disbelief. "Buffy," he explained calmly, "just about everyone who lives there is non-human. Most of them look normal, but they're demons. And they're a very close-knit group."

Buffy gaped. "You're serious, aren't you?" At Angel's nod, she whirled to glare at Giles. "And why didn't I ever know about this? Aren't you supposed to tell me these crucial bits of information?"

Giles spluttered, trying to form a response, but Buffy had already turned away.

"But..." Buffy looked confused. "All of them? Demons?"

"The majority."

"But...she was so nice. And she gave me fudge!"


"Well, that was...interesting."

Wil glared at Alex, smacking him on the chest. "Shut up," he muttered.

"What?" Alex grinned. "It was! You practically have a cult following now, 'harem boy'." He leered at his boyfriend.

"Shut up!"

Laughing, Alex pulled Wil to him and spun him around the room in a brief dance. Wil resisted only briefly before giving in with a small chuckle.

Breathless, Alex led Wil into their bedroom and tumbled him onto the bed. He lay beside him and wrapped his arms around him. "I know you were a big hit filling in for Jon last night," he said, "but I don't think you should dance any more."

Wil frowned. "Why not? Liked it, didn't you?"

"That's the point!" Alex groaned. "I almost stripped you bare and-and humped you onstage! And everyone wanted to touch you." He shuddered. "They can't touch you, Wil. They can't."

"Git." Wil snorted in amusement, then grabbed one of Alex's wandering hands and kissed it. "Think I want them touching me? Undressin' me with their eyes like they did tonight?" He growled. "Don't know how Jon stands it."

"Well, for one, Jon isn't half as hot as you are." He kissed Wil's nose. "Then again, at least his hair is natural."

"Hey!" Wil shoved at Alex's chest, glaring.

"Mmm, I love the way you look, though." Alex nuzzled the sensitive spot behind Wil's ear. "Your roots are really showing, now," he commented offhandedly.

Eyes wide, Wil reached up and pulled at his hair in horror. "It looks that bad?" he asked.

Alex cocked his head. He shivered. "Looks damn sexy," he growled. "Dark at the roots, turns blonde, then almost white at the tips. Just a bit of a curl..." He growled again, then nibbled on Wil's earlobe.

Wil gasped. "Oh...oh, yeah..."

Releasing the bit of flesh with a slurping sound, Alex propped himself up on an elbow. "Wil? You wanna...you know, try that marking thing again?"

"I..." Wil toyed with the buttons on his shirt. "I s'pose we can try," he said softly.

"Ok," came Alex's equally soft response.

With trembling fingers, Wil reached over and pulled Alex's shirt off. He stared for a moment at the other man's chest, letting his gaze slowly move up to his exposed neck. He swallowed.

Alex arched his back and let out a tiny whimper when cool lips descended and began caressing his throat. Then teeth began to nibble, and he bit back a gasp.

Wil licked and nibbled at the salty skin, sucking at times until faint marks arose. Alex tasted delicious, and Wil never wanted to stop running his tongue over his boyfriend's quivering flesh.

Alex writhed under Wil for long minutes. A strangled cry escaped him when Wil finally pulled away.

"It's not working," Wil informed him dejectedly.

"Hmm?" Alex shook his head to clear it. "Oh. No biting?"

Wil shook his head.

"Well...that's ok. We can still cuddle." Again, Alex felt a slight sting of disappointment, but he knew how much Wil had been freaked by it happening the first time. He wasn't going to rush the vampire. It happened once, it was sure to happen again. Eventually. He hoped.

"Mmmmm, an' kiss?" Wil wiggled out of his own shirt, then spooned his body up beside Alex's.

"Kissing is of the good. And licking too. I like licking." To prove his point, Alex licked the sharp line of Wil's cheekbone.

"Oh yeah, I like licking."

"All over licking is a good thing, too." Alex snickered and licked the bridge of Wil's nose.

"A-All over?" Wil squeaked out.

"All over."


A cough wracked Velius' body, and he huddled deeper into the small cave, trying desperately to conserve some warmth. The tiny fire he'd managed to produce wasn't doing much to heat the area, but it was better than nothing. Barely.

Alone. Gods, it was so quiet. The sound of the blizzard outside should have been deafening, but all Velius could hear were his own raspy breaths and thumping heartbeat.

He'd had a feeling about this campaign. Something in him knew things would go wrong. Who needed an oracle to give tidings of impending doom? He'd been able to figure it out just fine for himself.

Velius let out a bitter laugh. Just his luck, though. Here he'd only come on this campaign to keep an eye on his younger brother, and what happens? He ended up being the one separated from the others, forced to hole up in this wretched crevice, sick and slowly freezing to death.

A twig snapped, the sharp sound echoing loudly through the enclosed space. Shivering, Velius stared wildly into the swirling whiteness outside. Something was coming.

A dark, bundled shape loomed in the opening. Velius gripped his short sword tightly, uncertain who -- or what -- would be about in weather like this.

The figure moved inside, shaking itself. A limb came up, pushing back the hood covering its face.

"By the gods, it's cold out there!"

Velius gaped, his sword slipping from nerveless fingers. "Aecus? How did you--? What are you doing here?"

Aecus grinned at his brother. "You thought I'd let you slip away from me that easily?"

Velius shook his head. "You fool," he muttered.

Offended, Aecus retorted, "Fool? Who's the one who got trapped in the middle of nowhere in the worst snowstorm I've ever seen?"

"Both of us, now!" Velius glared. "Why didn't you stay with the others? You were safe!"

"Yes, well, you're welcome." Aecus crept across the uneven floor and settled next to his brother. "Gods, you're cold. Here." He removed his coat and draped it over the two of them.

Against his will, Velius relaxed as his brother's body heat and the insulation of the coat warmed him slightly. "Thanks," he said softly. Another cough shook him, but it wasn't as severe as the previous one.

"You would have done it for me too, you know." Aecus moved his arm around Velius, pulling the other man closer."

"Of course I would have. That's what older brothers do." He twisted his head and tried to give Aecus another glare, but it was rather half-hearted. He sighed. "You do know we're both going to die now, right?"

Aecus shrugged. "Probably," he admitted softly. Then, in a lighter tone, "Well, at least the good senator doesn't have to worry about having someone to follow in his footsteps; he still has Primus and Quintus just waiting to fill his sandals."

"Don't talk about father that way," Velius admonished. "You know he cares for us."

"Ah, of course." In a mutter, he continued, "As much as the man can care about two sons who went against his wishes and became common soldiers."

"Stop it."

"Sorry Velius."

They huddled together in silence, shivering as the cold seemed to grow more intense.

"Do you really think we're going to die?"

Velius sighed. "Most likely. The snow isn't letting up, and we haven't got much fuel for the fire. Chances are, we'll freeze before too long."

"Oh." Aecus drew in a deep breath. "I love you, Velius."

Velius smiled. "I know. I love you as well, Aecus."

"Velius..." Aecus set cold fingers on his brother's face, turning it towards him. "I really...love you." Before he could change his mind, he pressed his lips to Velius'.

Velius held himself rigid. Then, with a low groan, he reached up a hand and brushed it along Aecus' face, moving back to tangle in his hair. "Ah, Aecus," he sighed. He returned the kiss with another, then pulled Aecus' head down to his chest, stroking his hair gently. "I love you too, Aecus," he murmured, staring again into the unforgiving wall of snow outside. "I love you, too."


Wil woke curled up against Alex, and he smiled. Slowly, he stretched his limbs out and sat up. He pulled the covers down, then just lay there and stared at Alex. Everything about this man was beautiful. His perfectly muscled chest and arms, that little indentation at the base of his collarbone, that lock of hair that constantly fell in front of his eyes.

His eyes. Oh, those were the best of all, the way they sparkled when he laughed, and the little crinkles at the corners when he squinted. The look of love and wonder in them whenever he saw Wil. They way the turned almost black with passion when Wil kissed him. And the way they sought him out in the dim light when Alex was still muddled from sleep...

"Wil?"

With a smile, Wil leaned over and kissed Alex. "Afternoon, luv," he said quietly.

Alex grinned at him sleepily. "S'dark. Can' see."

Wil laughed and reached over to turn on the bedside lamp. "Better?"

Blinking to clear the spots from his eyes, Alex nodded. "Mmm, I can look at you now," he said appreciatively. Moving lazily, he pulled Wil back towards him, nibbling on his lower lip when it came into range.

Wil groaned as Alex's tongue teased against his lips without ever slipping inside. When Alex pulled back, Wil stared at him heavy-lidded. "You taste delicious," he said, eyes sparkling with pleasure.

Alex gave him a nervous grin. "Wil? Do you think you...I mean...would you..." Alex paused and cleared his throat. "Do you want to...you know...do it?"

Wil stared at him blankly. "'Do it'? Do what?" He watched in fascination as Alex's face turned bright red.

"You know. Uh...f-fucking? You, um, d-do me?"

A strangled noise escaped Wil, and he bolted upright. "Y-you mean...with the...and the...?"

Alex nodded. "I mean, we don't have to, if you don't want to. It was...I was just thinking, I might...want you to?"

"Oh." Wil stared at him in awe. "You'd let me...do that? You want me to?"

"Well, yeah. Sure." Alex blushed again. "I, um, like the thought of you touching me...there."

Wil whimpered. "O-ok," he whispered. "If-if you want."

Alex let out a relieved sigh. "Yeah," he said with a tender smile. "I want."

"Right." With shaking hands, Wil stripped out of his sweatpants, then reached to tug off Alex's. "Do you...um...how should we...?"

Alex rolled onto his stomach and tucked his knees up under him. "Will...will that work?"

Wil snapped his mouth shut, wiped the drool off his chin, and hastily said, "Yeah. It's...it's fine." He took in a lungful of air to steady himself, then crawled up behind Alex. He crouched over him, a hand on his back. "You're sure?"

Alex snorted. "I'm sure." He twisted his head so he could see Wil out of the corner of his eyes. "I want this. I want you."

Wil closed his eyes briefly. Bending forward, he began to kiss the back of Alex's neck, moving down until he was licking right between his shoulder-blades, making him squirm.

"Wil!"

Grinning, Wil stroked a hand over Alex's ass, probing hesitantly between his cheeks until his fingers brushed over the tight ring of muscle. He groaned softly, lining the head of his cock up to the tiny opening.

Alex hummed happily as the first tentative thrust skittered along the sensitive nerves. He arched his back a bit.

Growling, Wil tried again, gasping at the intense heat the gripped his erection when the head popped in.

Alex gasped as well, then turned his face and bit into his arm. He hadn't thought it would hurt like this. It burned, like a thousand needles pricking inside him, and he couldn't help tensing. Another thrust sent a searing pain up his spine, and he was unable to completely muffle his agonized cry.

Wil froze. "A-Alex?" He swallowed hard, shuddering at the vice-like grip around his cock. "Are...are you ok?"

Alex panted hard, trying to still his shaking. "I'm fine," he gasped out, squeezing his eyes shut.

Wil frowned. He moved slightly, and his eyes widened at Alex's whimper. He was positive it wasn't a good whimper, either. "Alex?" He pulled back a bit, and a new scent teased at his nose. So very familiar...

"Oh god." With a low cry of horror, Wil wrenched himself away. Stunned, he stared at the trickle of blood that followed his exit. He shook his head and stretched out a trembling hand. "A-Alex, I...oh god, you're bleeding." He snatched the hand back and scuttled away, almost falling off the end of the bed.

Biting back another cry of pain, Alex forced himself to roll over. He reached out a hand imploringly. "Wil, don't...don't leave. Please, don't run again."

Wil's face crumpled in despair, but he reluctantly crept back to Alex. "I hurt you," he muttered, grief-stricken. "I'm so sorry, Alex, I didn't mean...I never wanted to...oh god." He curled up next to Alex, head on his chest. "Please, I'm sorry, I'm sorry Alex," he chanted, fighting to hold back tears.

Alex wrapped himself around Wil, wincing at the stab of pain from his nether regions. "Wil, it's ok. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. It's not that bad, really. I'll be ok."

"I shouldn't be allowed to touch you," Wil mumbled. "I should--"

"Wil, listen to me." Alex tilted Wil's face up so he could stare him in the eyes. "Look, something went wrong. We screwed up. It's my fault as much as it is yours, ok? I shouldn't have asked you to do this when we weren't ready yet. Don't go all broody on me; we'll figure this out. We probably just need practice or something."

Wil said nothing, just continued to clutch at Alex.

Alex sighed, then forced a smile. "You know what else we need practice doing? That showering together thing. Remember? I think we should give that another try."

Wil sniffled. "I'll probably just hurt you again," he answered despondently.

"Won't know until we try it!" Alex retorted brightly. He sat up, winced again, then jerked Wil up as well. "Come on!"


Alex walked into the club, staring around the deserted interior. "Hello? Frankie?"

Frankie walked out of his office. "Alex? You're early."

"Yeah, um...I had some things to do. Wil's gonna be in later."

Frankie nodded, then went back to his office.

Quickly, Alex walked towards the back, hesitating when he came to the dressing room. He took a steadying breath, then pushed inside.

The three men inside paused their conversation and turned to stare at him curiously.

"Hey." Alex blushed. "Um, Jon? Can I talk to you for a sec?"

The redhead nodded and walked over, waving at his companions to go back to their conversation without him. "What's up? Where's your sexier half?" He grinned.

"I...kinda wanted to talk to you about that. Sorta. Is there, um, someplace private we can go?"

Jon studied the tense young man. "You're not going to make a pass at me, are you?"

"What? No!"

Jon snorted. "Ok, crush a guys dreams." He chuckled as he led Alex to a small room down the hall. He ushered the other man inside. "So, what's the scoop?"

Alex looked around the mostly bare room, then pulled out a chair and sat at the table. "I-I wanted to talk to you. It's...it's about...uh, sex."

"Sex." Jon blinked. He turned, locked the door, then walked over and sat on the edge of the table. "Shoot."

Alex's face turned pink. "Well, see, Wil and I, we tried...that is, we wanted to...oh man." He steeled himself, then blurted it out. "Wetriedtohavesex."

"Tried?" He leaned forward, eyes twinkling.

"It didn't work too well," Alex mumbled, not meeting Jon's steady gaze.

"How exactly did it not work?"

"It...it hurt. And...there was some blood."

"Ok. Um, what can I say, it does hurt a little sometimes. Wouldn't think Wil would mind the blood, though, being a vampire and all."

"No, see...he freaked! And it hurt a lot! Like, talking agony, here!"

Jon arched an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh, come on. It couldn't have been that bad. I mean, it's not like he just tried to shove himself in dry."

Alex groaned and covered his face.

"You...you're..." Jon sat there for a moment, taken aback. "You're kidding. He did?"

Face still hidden, Alex nodded.

"Damn. That's...geez. Even I would think twice about doing that, and I'm certainly not a blushing virgin here." Jon shook his head.

Alex dropped his hands and glared. "Well, what were we supposed to do? It's not like we came with instruction manuals!"

Jon chuckled. "You want instructions?" He tought about it, then nodded sharply. "Ok, just make sure Wil doesn't come kill me when he finds out you talked to me about this." He settled back into a chair of his own, making himself comfortable. "Well, first off, anal sex can be one big party, but it's definitely BYOL."

Alex blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

Jon sighed good-naturedly. "Bring your own lube. Nature didn't exactly equip us to take something the size of a cock up our asses on a regular basis.

A picture flashed in Alex's mind of Wil opening the nightstand that first night, unearthing a jumble of lubes and condoms. He could almost smack himself. "Um. Ok. Lube. Got it." He stared fixedly at the far wall, not really having the guts to look Jon in the face. "What about...condoms?"

"General rule, always use 'em. I dunno, though. You won't have to worry about STDs or anything since vampires are technically dead and can't carry or transmit diseases. Might want to use them to avoid any...er messes, though."

"Messes?" He snuck a glance at Jon, who gave him an amused grin. Light dawned. "Oh!" His face heated so much, Alex was surprised his eyeballs didn't melt out of their sockets. And that imagery was enough to distract him, giving Jon the opportunity to continue Alex's impromptu sex education.

Jon found himself starting to enjoy this lecture, as well as Alex's reactions. "The key is relaxation. No matter how much you prep your partner, if he's not relaxed, it's not gonna work."

"Relaxation." Alex considered that. "Ok, I can see how that's a good thing."

"Uh-huh." Jon snorted. "Also, there's no such thing as too much lube. If you're not sure, add more. Now, you're probably going to want to start with just a finger. Once you can move that in and out pretty easily, you can try for two. When you can get two inside, the real stretching starts. Just keep scissoring your fingers apart gently to loosen the muscles. Some people also use rimming to help with this."

This got Alex's full attention, and he stared at Jon quizzically. "Rimming?"

"Tongue, Alex. You use your tongue instead of fingers."

"Oh. Oh!" Alex blushed fiercely and let his head drop onto the table with a thud. "You do realize that after this I will never be able to look you again, don't you?"

Jon laughed loudly. "Whatever. Anyway, however you start, you'll probably want to work up to three fingers. Keep adding lube if you need to, and be gentle." He paused and eyed Alex speculatively. "How big are you?"

"Excuse me?" Alex squeaked.

"Your dick, Alex. How big is it?"

"That's...that's kind of private, man." Oh look, there was the nice wall again.

Jon sighed. "Look, I'm just trying to help here. If you're bigger than average, you're going to need to be extra careful, maybe even try and get four fingers inside him before you try anything else. And if you're...not so large, you could maybe be able to get away with just a little stretching later on."

He laughed at the expression on Alex's face, and continued. "Position. Let's see. Spoons would be your best choice. It tends to make for slower lovemaking, and the penetration isn't quite so deep. Not a bad idea for the first time. Not that there's anything wrong with hot, hard, sweaty sex..." He licked his lips, eyes taking on a far off look. Then he shook himself. "For something like this, though, you're going to want something slower and gentler. First times are special, man, no sense in rushing things. Plus, it's really easy to cuddle in that position. And it takes a lot of strain off the other guy because he doesn't have to support your weight. And you don't have to worry about crushing him."

"That's...that's good." He almost wished he'd thought to bring something to take notes, but figured it would be hard to write while staring at the wall like he seemed intent on doing.

"Hey." Jon reached over and tapped Alex's arm, waiting until the other man looked at him. "Don't be embarrassed, man. I wish I'd had the guts to talk to someone about this stuff before I started. You guys will be fine. Just take it slow. Don't rush things. And if either one of you is uncomfortable, take a break. It's not like you have a time limit or something."

Alex sighed and gave him a shaky grin. "I know. Thanks. It's just...I feel like we should have been able to figure this our for ourselves."

"No prob. That's what buds are for. Besides, now you're somewhat better informed, the two of you should be able to have a grand old time." Jon leered.

Alex blushed again, but smiled. "Really, thanks. But, um, don't take it personally when I avoid you for the next couple of years, ok?"

Jon laughed. "Who, me?"


"No."

Alex sighed as Wil turned over. He reached across the space between them, letting his hand settle on Wil's hip. "Wil, come on. It'll be better this time. We just skipped a few steps, is all."

Wil rolled back over and glared at Alex. "I hurt you. An' I'm bloody well not gonna try it again!"

"But..." Alex looked away, jaw clenching. "Ok, fine," he said in a quivery voice. "I just...I really want to share that with you, Wil."

"Uh-huh." Wil studied his bedmate. "You still sore?"

Alex twitched at the question. "A little," he admitted.

"And you want to try that again? Are you insane?" He sighed at the look of utter desolation that covered Alex's face. "Fine. Ok? Fine. But I'm not gonna hurt you again." He kicked off his pants and rolled onto his stomach. "You do me, then."

Alex stared. He hadn't actually considered it this way. "Wil?"

"Look, if it goes wrong, at least I heal up faster. An'..." He sighed. "I dunno, I kinda wanna know what's it's like, too. So long as it ain't too awful."

Alex closed his eyes, fighting back the surge of arousal that had overtaken him. "I can...I can do that," he managed to say. Sitting up, he yanked off his clothes and fumbled for the drawer to the nightstand, wrenching it open and spilling most of its contents onto the floor. He scooped up one of the unopened tubes of lubricant, then turned back over to Wil. "Um, could you...just a little..." He used a hand on Wil's hip to guide the vampire onto his side, then scooted up behind him.

Wil tensed a little as he felt Alex's warmth along his back. He struggled to remain calm.

Alex wanted to get Wil relaxed before he started, so he began petting and licking along his back. "I love how you taste," he said. He gently kneaded bunched up muscles, smoothing out the knots of tension. "I love touching you, and kissing you, and running my tongue across your skin."

Wil moaned and felt his entire body loosen. He pressed back, bending his head forward so Alex could get at the spot on the nape of his neck.

Alex grinned and went after it, nibbling and nipping, then soothing the tormented flesh with tiny licks. He moved a hand down, pushing at the back of Wil's thigh until his upper leg was bent up against his stomach. He sucked on Wil's earlobe as he struggled to open the tube, losing the cap somewhere in the tangle of sheets.

Wil sighed as a slippery fingertip rubbed against his opening. It wasn't so bad, felt kind of nice, actually. He wiggled his hips as the finger continued to play around the wrinkled ring of flesh, never pressing inside. The light touches were hardly enough to be satisfying, and were driving him up the wall.

Alex took a deep breath, then pressed his finger cautiously inside.

Wil stilled. He squeezed his muscled around the intruder experimentally. That was...odd. But...not bad. He pushed back.

Relieved at Wil's smooth acceptance, Alex pushed his finger in deeper, moving slowly and carefully until it was in as far as it could go. Gently, he slid it back out.

Wil frowned. "I liked that," he complained. "Put it back."

Alex gave a breathless laugh. He squirted more lube on his finger, then replaced it, rocking it gently in and out. He listened to Wil's tiny moans and grunts of pleasure, glad he was doing this right. Again, he removed his finger, ignoring Wil's protests so he could apply more lube to it and its neighboring finger.

Wil felt more than the one finger seeking entrance this time. He stilled, then pushed back questioningly. The fingers slipped inside a little, and Wil hissed at the slight burn that accompanied the intrusion.

"Is this ok?" Alex asked anxiously.

"Hang on." He lay still for about a dozen of Alex's heartbeats, then relaxed again. "Ok," he whispered.

Ever so slowly, Alex let his fingers burrow deeper inside of Wil's tight opening. He imagined that cool, slick tightness around his cock, then firmly banished that thought before he could lose it.

Wil couldn't believe this was working. There was the smallest moment of discomfort when Alex started to scissor his fingers apart, but he soon became accustomed to the stretching sensation. Only a slight twinge of pain accompanied the addition of a third finger, and Wil was surprised to find himself thrusting back, almost desperate to get the fingers inside him every time they withdrew.

Finally, Alex removed his fingers from the snug, but no longer impossibly tight hole. He squirted out another healthy amount of lube and rubbed it over his cock, then he slid his arm around Wil's waist. "I'm gonna try, now. You ready?"

Wil moaned and nodded, wanting to experience that full, tingly feeling the fingers had given him again.

Alex held his breath and let his cock nudge up against Wil's ass. Ears attuned to any sounds of discomfort Wil might produce, he made a small thrust forward, and the tip of his cock slipped inside.

Wil gasped, his eyes flying wide. That was...big. Bigger than the fingers. He let the sensation wash over him, then wiggled his hips. "Ahhhh..." He couldn't help the drawn-out groan than escaped his lips when Alex's cock began to slide into him.

Alex's groan matched Wil's. He was amazed at how smoothly this was going, how simple it had turned out to be once he knew what to do. He halted his advance, fighting to catch his breath. Oh, he couldn't wait for Wil to do this to him. This time, with the lube.

Wil felt so full. So...complete. He felt the brush of wiry pubic hairs against his ass, and realized that Alex was as deep as he could get in this position. It was...heaven. He smiled, reaching down to squeeze Alex's hand. "Move," he coaxed softly.

With a laugh that almost sounded like a sob, Alex did as he was bid. He rocked his hips back the smallest amount, then thrust forward again. Judging by Wil's whimper and moan, this was a good thing. Alex did it again.

Wil grunted softly each time Alex pushed into him. He was being invaded, taken over, consumed from the inside. He loved it. With a sigh of utter enjoyment, Wil arched his back a little.

Alex did his best to keep the tempo slow and steady, not wanting to hurt Wil in his eagerness. Then, Wil let out a high-pitched yell, and he went still, heart pounding in fear. "Wil?"

Eyes wide, Wil stared at the pretty sparkling lights that had appeared. "Again," he groaned. "Do it again!"

Alex frowned, but complied. Again, an almost feminine shriek sounded. Shaken, Alex once more forced himself to stillness. "Wil, what's wrong?"

"Wrong? You stopped! Bloody keep moving!" Wil jerked himself forward, then back, shuddering as that...something inside him was prodded again.

"It doesn't hurt?" He was still unsure, but Wil seemed intent on continuing, and didn't seem to be in any discomfort.

"Feels...bloody fantastic. Move, would you!" He wanted that again, wanted that spot stroked.

Alex thrust tentatively, feeling his cock scrape past a tiny lump inside of Wil. He pulled back, then tried nudging the spot repeatedly.

Wil spasmed helplessly as what felt like sparks of lightening danced up and down his spine. This was better than orgasming...almost. He convulsed as Alex decided to try rocking harder, which of course drove his cock even more forcefully against that wonderful, amazing, fanfuckingtastic spot that Wil was really wishing he'd discovered much earlier.

More confident now, Alex resumed his slow, steady pace, putting just a tad more force behind his thrusts. He was really enjoying the way Wil shivered and twitched whenever he hit that nub of flesh, and made sure to do it often. He pressed feverish kisses to Wil's damp shoulders. Then, Wil's cock bumped against his hand, and he grinned.

Wil yelped as the warm hand enclosed his erection. Head shaking with the intensity of what he was feeling, Wil jerked himself back and forth between Alex's cock and his hand. "Oh god...oh...Alex, I..." Gasping, he stopped moving, and a low, keening cry rose in his throat.

When Wil became still, Alex gave one last thrust, then just held on in wonder as Wil jerked and shook, spurting sticky fluid out over his hand. The rippling sensation around his cock was unbelievable, and he kissed the side of Wil's neck fervently as the vampire continued to whimper and writhe.

It was the most amazingly intense orgasm Wil was certain he had ever experienced, and it seemed to last for hours. When it finally ended, and he was wracked by only a few lingering, minor convulsions, Wil swallowed to moisten his throat. "That was...real good, pet," he said hoarsely.

"Glad to hear it," Alex responded equally hoarsely. "Um, can I...?" He made a tentative thrust.

Wil realized that Alex was still hard inside him, and he smiled. "Go ahead," he whispered, "but don't get too disappointed if I just lay here and catch my breath."

Alex laughed a little. "You don't breathe," he retorted, then started thrusting again.

"Mmmm." Wil stretched a little, enjoying the easy movements inside him, shivering a little whenever Alex brushed over that exquisitely sensitive spot. After a few minutes of this, an evil thought came to his mind and he clamped down, squeezing the muscles of his ass as tight as he could.

Alex grunted loudly. "Ah!" Wil did it again, and again, and Alex couldn't stop it. He buried himself as deep as he would go and came, clutching Wil close to him as he shuddered his way through orgasm.

Wil sucked in a breath at the warmth that seemed to gush into him. As Alex relaxed against him, he once more twined their hands together. "Like that, huh?"

"You...are truly...evil," Alex panted.

"Uh-huh. In a good way though, right?" He let out a hiss as Alex slipped out of him, clenching his cheeks against the empty feeling he was left with. With a sigh, he wiggled around to his other side facing Alex. He kissed the other man's chin. "I really did like it, pet. Lots."

"Yeah?" Alex returned the kiss. "Me too." He yawned.

Wil waited until he was done yawning, then pressed a tender kiss to his lips. "Can we do it again when we wake up?"

Alex yawned again, nodding sleepily. "Lots an' lots," he murmured. "I get a turn, too."

With happy, satisfied sighs, they soon drifted off into a contented sleep.


X'an deftly plucked the little octopus from its hiding place. With a swift movement, he partially crushed its head with a rock. The creature spasmed a few times, then died. X'an swam with his catch to a large flat rock that was mostly concealed by gently waving fronds of seaweed and ferns.

He settled himself on the rock, tail curled beside him. With a sharp claw, he plucked an eyeball from the octopus and chewed on it thoughtfully.

He felt odd. The pod was in its usual yearly frenzy, and things wouldn't settle down until one of the males finally caught and mated with the matriarch. And B'fi wasn't making the chase easy.

He didn't see what all the fuss was about, personally. B'fi was nice and all, but why such a commotion just because she was in season? X'an shook his head, confused. He nibbled on a tentacle, grinning as a small school of bright silver fish zipped by him. They were safe for the moment; the octopus was enough to slake his hunger.

Sensing movement in the weeds behind him, X'an jerked around. His eyes scanned the covering of plants, trying to pick out what had alerted him.

There. A flash of red. X'an tensed. With a flick of his powerful tail, he launched himself off of the rock, streaming with the fluid grace of a predator through the weeds. This section of the ocean floor was practically a jungle, overgrown with a lush abundance of plantlife. Colorful anemones waved gently at his passing, and he slipped through an opening in the coral.

He pulled up short, fins fluttering to hold him in place. "Hello?"

The smaller male, obviously not one of X'an's pod, bared his teeth, chittering threateningly. His tail moved stiffly, sending him back a few lengths.

X'an's eyes widened at the long, thin scratches that wound their way across the stranger's chest. They crossed over his gills, and disappeared into the bright red of his tail. "Are you...are you all right?"

The merman glared at him, shaking his head to send a cloud of his black hair covering his body. "Go 'way," he rasped out.

"I'm not going to hurt you," X'an said softly, drifting closer to the skittish male. He halted when the spines along the merman's flanks lifted in warning. Then he looked closer. Several of the spines appeared to be damaged, shorter than normal and not tapering to their usual dangerous points. Like they had been broken. "What happened?"

The red and black male gave a high pitched, keening cry that made X'an wince and back away a bit. This only steadied his resolve, though. Determinedly, he began to move in again. This time, he noticed how the other merman's eyes followed the movements of his hand. He looked, realizing that he still held the octopus. Tentatively, he held it out. "Are you hungry? I don't mind sharing."

The male twitched, his mouth dropping open a bit to taste the water. With halting, jerky movements, he drew closer to X'an, drawn by the promise of food.

X'an tore off a tentacle and held it out, watching in bemusement as the smaller male snatched it and began to gnaw at it desperately, gulping it down in only a few bites. "More?"

A hesitant nod met this query, and X'an held out another tentacle. "What's your name?" he asked as he watched the second tentacle disappear as quickly as the first.

Cool blue eyes studied him carefully as the last bite was swallowed. "S'ke," he answered after a long moment, then held out a somewhat shaky hand.

X'an grinned. He handed over the rest of the octopus, then drifted to the seabed. "I'm X'an," he said. "Why don't I find us something more to eat? And then I want to hear all about where you come from and why you're here."

Still eating hurriedly, S'ke watched the blue-green male swim away, already stalking the unlucky lobster that had scuttled by.


"Danny! Welcome home!" Grinning widely, Sophia enveloped the smaller man in a tight hug, almost making his bones creak in protest.

"It's good to be back," came the breathless response.

Sophia finally released, then gave him a critical once-over. "Blue streaks? Daniel, streaks are so passe. Now, maybe if you had done just the tips blue instead...” She fingered his dyed hair musingly.

"Sophia, you'd be perfectly happy if I shaved my head bald, admit it."

"Oh, no! The hair must stay, Daniel. But, maybe something lighter next time?" She ushered him into the elevator. "Come now, we have so much to catch up on!" She beamed to the other passenger in the elevator. "Mellie, you remember Danny, don't you?"

Mellie smiled and patted his hand fondly. "Of course I do. I may be getting up in years, but I'm not senile." She too looked him over. "My dear boy, you need to eat more! You're positively scrawny!"

"Well, if your pie is anywhere near as good as it used to be, I'm sure that won't last long."

"Oh, isn't he a dear?" She pulled him into a quick hug. "Do drop by and visit me when you get settled. My daughter Dana is visiting too, and I'm sure the two of you will get along famously!" The elevator jerked to a stop and dinged. "Well, here's my floor." Mellie hugged the bemused young man again, pecking his forehead in a motherly manner. "Don't be a stranger!"

As her friend stepped into the hallway, Sophia called out, "Mellie, don't forget to call with that recipe you promised me yesterday!"

"Oh yes. I'll get that for you right away." She waved, then turned to walk to her apartment. "Wil, Alex. For heaven's sake, you'll wrinkle the laundry if you keep that up! Put the basket down before you start making out in the hallway." Giggling softly, she stepped into her apartment.

Daniel Osborne cocked his head and frowned as the metal panels of the elevator closed, blocking his view of the two strangely familiar men who were still ardently kissing.


Alex finally managed to fumble their door open, and he about fell inside, pulling Wil and their basket of laundry in with him. He laughed breathlessly when the laundry went tumbling to the floor and they followed close after. "Wil!" he panted out, trying to nudge the door shut with his foot. "Door!"

Wil growled and kicked the door, closing it with a loud bang. Then he went back to nibbling the inside part of Alex's wrist, something he'd discovered drove the other man wild.

Alex squeaked, watching wide-eyed as Wil worked his tongue up the tender skin of his arm until he was sucking at the bend of his elbow. He let out a low cry, his body jerking with pleasure. "Wil...please. I want...” He spread his legs apart.

Wil stilled, pulling back and looking at Alex seriously. "You sure you wanna try that again, luv?"

Without hesitation, Alex nodded. "You won't hurt me. Please, Wil. I need you."

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Wil nodded. "Right then. Best get into the bedroom." He smirked. "The floor inside the doorway can wait to be christened until we get more...practiced." He stood and pulled Alex up, shoving him in the direction of the bedroom.

Alex stumbled across the room, eyes crossed in remembrance of the practicing for the shared shower experience. Dear lord, how would he survive? His knees bumped into something, and he stared with glazed eyes at the bed, which was still somewhat soiled from their sexual explorations upon wakening. He knew they'd forgotten something when taking the laundry down...

"Less clothes would probably be best." Wil chuckled as Alex stared at him blankly, then began to undress.

"Right. Right!" Alex bobbed his head eagerly, stripping quickly out of his clothes. Once naked, he spread himself out on the bed.

Wil stared in wonder at the man who was so easily and fearlessly offering himself to him. What had he ever done to deserve him? He shook of those musings andcrawled onto the bed. Remembering the lube this time, he grabbed the tube off the nightstand, quirking an eyebrow at its half-empty state. Looks like they might have to start investing in the economy-sized tubes.

Alex tried to turn onto his stomach, but a hand on his hip stopped him. "Wil?"

Wil licked his lips as he touched Alex's body. "Like you like this, pet," he said in a husky voice. He let his finger travel lightly across Alex's swelling cock.

"Oh." Alex wiggled, slightly embarrassed by the frank, admiring gaze that was being directed at him. "Um...do something?"

The soft, pleading words broke through Wil's reverie, and he nodded. "Yeah. Just...you're so bloody gorgeous." He laughed weakly at himself. With fumbling hands, he squirted some lube from the open tube, wondering absently if they would ever find the cap to the blasted thing. Not that looked like it would last long anyway...

Alex frowned, then bent his knees up towards his chest, holding them there. He felt somewhat exposed in this position, but it was worth it to see Wil's eyes darken with desire.

Wil tried to ignore the way his hands shook as he reached slippery fingers towards Alex, trying to prepare his lover as carefully and gently as he had been prepared.

Alex fought the urge to tense in remembrance of the pain he'd felt previously. He was glad he had when the finger slid painlessly into him, wiggling around as if seeking something.

Wil knew it had to be there. He wasn't exactly sure what 'it' was, but reason stated that if he could be driven out of his skull with pleasure by having a certain spot inside him stimulated, then Alex would surely posses a similar spot.

Alex barely had a chance to remember that nub of flesh he'd discovered inside of Wil the night before when Wil found his. He gave a very unmanly shriek, his back arching up off the bed as his eyes opened wide in disbelief. That's what it felt like??? There was no way he was going to survive this!

More sure of himself, Wil played with the spot he'd found, prodding just around it until Alex was keening helplessly, then letting the tip of his finger scrape over it. Feeling daring, he tried for two fingers, applying more lube to help ease the way. It was more of a stretch, but he did it, turning Alex's startled gasp into a moan of pleasure by burrowing in to rub over that fleshy protrusion.

Alex tried to open himself more, pulling his legs higher up. "Wil...please!"

Wil shook the beads of sweat off his face, adding more lube and a third finger, carefully stretching the tight muscle, feeling it slowly yield to his advances. He stared, fixated on the sight of his fingers disappearing into Alex's body. He trembled, unable to wait much longer. "You...you ready?"

"God yes!" Alex squeezed on the fingers inside him, then cried out as they left. Cool hands coaxed his fingers from their death-grip on his legs, and he blinked in confusion.

Wil smiled gently as he lay down next to Alex, turning the other man towards him and lifting a leg over his hip.

Alex quickly got the idea, and he let his leg curl around behind Wil's. He couldn't help thrusting forward as their cocks bumped together.

Wil hissed. "Keep that up, and you might not get what you were asking for."

Alex pouted at him, but stopped thrusting. For the moment.

Wil kissed him, then awkwardly moved his arm around so he could squeeze out more lube. He reached down and rubbed it over his aching erection, then hitched Alex's leg higher up on his waist. "Breathe, Alex," he whispered, then aligned himself and pushed forward.

Alex groaned as he felt himself stretching even wider. He gasped in a deep breath of air, staring into Wil's eyes as he felt his lover sliding slowly into him. "Oh...god...” He quivered helplessly when Wil shoved in that last little bit.

"Good?" By god, he hoped so, because he didn't want to know what would happen to him if he stopped now.

Alex gave him a jerky nod, then squeezed his eyes shut so he could concentrate on the fullness inside him. "Wil...so much...god, you fill me." Blindly, he started to press kisses against whatever part of Wil was closest to his mouth. "More...give me more," he breathed.

At those words, Wil bucked, causing Alex to yelp in pleasure. His hands stroked down Alex's back to cover his ass, dipping down to brush against where they were joined. Alex seemed to like this a great deal, if his whimpering and increased sucking on Wil's neck were any indication.

When Wil started to move gently, rocking back and forth inside him, Alex thought he'd pass out from the sheer intensity of what he was feeling. He had to find out more about that spot Wil kept rubbing over, because it was definitely a happy, happy thing. Oh yes, very happy. He rubbed his cock against Wil's stomach as the vampire sped up a little, pulling out almost all the way before plunging back inside.

Wil dragged a hand up to Alex's head, latching onto his hair and gently but insistently pulling his head back. He kissed Alex's nose, then his chin, then his mouth, inviting his tongue out to play. He pulled back from the kiss, not really wanting to end it, but wanting...needing something more.

Alex squirmed as Wil nibbled at his neck. Remembering what Wil had done last night, he squeezed down around Wil's cock, enjoying the growl that escaped his lover's throat. He felt something odd against his skin, and reached up a shaking hand to touch Wil's face. The hard ridges that met his questing fingers made his eyes fly wide open. "Yes...Wil, yes..."

That was all Wil needed, and he gently bit down on the curve where Alex's neck and shoulder met, feeling his fangs carefully slice through flesh. And then it hit him. The scent, the taste, the texture. He could taste Alex's arousal in the blood that filled his mouth, and it was better than anything he could have dreamed. It was rushing through his veins, filling him with the very essence of Alex. Of his lover. His mate. His.

Alex panted harshly, shivering with desperate need as Wil suckled. Vaguely, he wondered why it didn't hurt, but Wil chose that moment to start thrusting harder, and all thought was driven from his mind.

Wil withdrew his fangs and felt his face settle back into its human features. He hummed contentedly as he licked up the few drops of blood that welled from the punctures. He felt strong, whole. He crushed Alex to him as he thrust even more vigorously.

Alex cried out as his cock was trapped between their bodies, sliding along sweat-slicked skin. He shuddered, burying his face against Wil's neck and biting down as he came, spilling his release between them.

When Alex bit him, Wil was slightly shocked. Then the convulsions of Alex's orgasm shook his body, milking his cock almost painfully in its tight sheath. With a strangled moan, Wil buried himself as deep as he could and let go of his control, cumming inside of his mate.

Alex snuggled close to Wil as his breathing started to slow. "You did it," he said in a soft, awed voice. "You bit me."

Wil looked at the marks that were already starting to close. "I did," he whispered back. He grinned. "You're mine now. Forever."

"Forever and always." Alex kissed his lover, his husband. "My Wil."





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