ghosteach

The song being sung for Lorne is "Danny Boy".

*~* Ghost Each Place I Hide *~*

"You two are in such big trouble." Willow snapped.

"But we weren't..." Dawn tried.

"Not yet!"

Dawn was putting her shirt back on... half thankful Willow and Professor Snape had busted them. If they hadn't
walked in, she and Harry would have had sex. They'd almost been there. The two of them had gotten
completely carried away with one another. Dawn was mortified. Not because she hadn't wanted to, no, she'd
wanted to. She was mortified because she hadn't done a thing in the way of protection. Neither had Harry, and
that would have been bad.

Harry Potter was completely horrified with himself. He'd very nearly... well, he'd almost... they'd almost. Sure,
the sound of Professor Snape's voice had doused most of his excitement, but not all of it. Dawn was still sort
of naked, and she was very nicely put together. He didn't even have any protection. What sort of a boyfriend
was he that he didn't make sure Dawn was protected? Not that he was diseased or anything, but Harry Junior
wasn't something he was ready for just now. He would have to get over his embarrassment and ask either
Hermione or Ginny if they knew any contraceptive charms. He would remember. Now that he knew how
carried away he and Dawn could get, Harry was going to make sure they were was safe as possible while
getting a little out of control.

Harry was looking anywhere but her as he gathered his clothing.

"Can you guys let us get dressed?" Dawn asked weakly to Snape and Willow.

Professor Snape nodded curtly and grabbed Willow's arm.

"No way. Like I'm really leaving them alone."

Severus gripped her arm tighter and pulled her close. "Would you want two adults standing there watching
YOU get dressed? A minute or two will not do any more harm. Plus, I do believe I've seen enough of Potter for
one night. I've no desire to watch him redress."

Then they were gone.

Dawn snuck a look at Harry. His mouth was in a thin line, and his cheeks were bright red.

"Harry..."

"Just don't."

"Harry." She placed a hand on his arm. Dawn thought he was angry with her.

Boy was she ever wrong.

Harry turned quickly and closed his mouth over hers. The both of them were mostly dressed, but Dawn could
feel how 'in the moment' Harry still was.

"We should wait." He breathed. "I know we should, but you turn me upside down, Dawn, and when I think of
that Glory thing trying to hurt you, I feel sick that it would take you away from my being like this with you."

Dawn smiled and tightened her arms around him. He made her tingle. Then Dawn remembered what Anya
had thought Willow had said about Snape and tingles way back when. She started giggling.

"What?" Harry asked.

"I have to pee." Dawn snickered as Willow and Snape walked back in.

"What are the two of you doing?" Willow snapped.

"Harry's making me wanna pee." Dawn said before she dissolved into helpless guffaws of laughter.

"Well, Potter." Snape said calmly. "I'm certainly glad any type of sexual involvement with you turns the girl into
a raving loony."

Willow elbowed him.

"Thank you, Dawn." Harry snapped.

He tried to stalk past everyone to leave.

"Harry, no, wait." Dawn hurried after him. "You don't understand."

"You're right. I don't understand. I tell you it makes me ill to think of bad things happening to you, and you laugh
and say I make you have to pee. How can I possibly misunderstand? It's all so clear what the meaning of this
should be."

"Harry..."

"Tinkle." Willow whispered quietly.

"What?" Snape said looking at her like SHE'D lost it now.

"Harry makes her tinkle."

Harry would have been offended but for the dreamy way Willow was looking at him and Dawn. "Is this a
Californian thing? I'm missing something."

"Dawn doesn't feel like she feels with you with anyone else."

Harry looked at Dawn. "But you laughed."

"It's such a funny way to realize things, don't you think?"

"All right. What does it mean?"

Dawn leaned into his ear. "It means that you make my body hum."

Harry smiled and leaned in to nuzzle the side of her neck. It was almost as if their one rash act of passion
tonight had opened the floodgates with him, and Harry could not keep from touching her. He'd never felt the
need to be assertive with anyone.

"You and I aren't finished here." He whispered, hoping she wouldn't deny it.

"I know."

Harry smiled against her throat.

"All right. All right. That's quite enough. The both of you are making me feel ill." Snape snapped.

Willow grinned as she watched Harry and Dawn. She thought it funny that Dawn had found her first taste of the
all-consuming fate-love like Buffy had with Angel at approximately the same age as Buffy had been. Maybe
when she told Buffy what she'd caught Dawn and Harry doing, Buffy wouldn't get violent if Willow explained
how much it seemed like the two of them liked one another. How well they seemed to fit... no pun intended.
Maybe Buffy would understand.

Then again, maybe she'd break both Harry's legs, castrate him, then rip off both his arms and beat him to
death with them.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Faith was pounding the hell out of the punching bag in her training room when Wesley entered.

"What's up?" She asked with even breaking her stride much less looking up.

"There might be trouble."

"Oh?"

"Buffy's going to be here tonight. As well as some wizards Dumbledore knows."

That gave her pause. Faith stopped punching and turned. "What is it?"

"Something's wrong with Tara."

Faith's brow furrowed. "Like what?"

She liked Tara. A lot. And her pops was a nice guy. Yeah, he was a werewolf, but so far every wolf she'd met,
all two of them, had been a super guy. Faith didn't like to think of either of them suffering.

"We think she may be possessed, or-"

"So exorcise her. I know YOU know how."

"OR" He snapped. "That she might be crazy."

"Tara's not crazy. You get whatever's in her out of her. I meant it." Faith turned back to her bag and started
punching harder.

"Faith..."

"She's NOT crazy, Wes. I know from crazy, ok. She ain't it."

Wesley sighed. Faith could so make up her mind about things sometimes. She was so set that there was no
telling her it might be another way.

"Well, at any rate, I thought I should prepare you for Buffy's being here tonight."

"What do you think I'm going to do, Wes? Poison her boyfriend? Oh wait... maybe I'll just shag her boyfriend...
no no, maybe I'll steal her body. Yeah, that's it. I'll steal her body."

"You're not funny."

"I wasn't trying to be."

"Maybe what you should try not to be is Buffy."

Faith stopped and spun back to face him. "What?"

"You'll never be her, Faith. You should stop trying."

"Fuck you."

"I didn't mean it like that." He said taking a few steps towards her. "But it's true. You'll never be Buffy.... and
thank God for that."

Faith made a face at him. A confused face.

"I would not have my slayer be any way but how she is."

Faith blinked. Her throat was suddenly all scratchy and full of a lump, and her eyes stung a little. Was she
gonna cry? Because of Wes? Because he seemed like he was liking her for who she was?

No way.

Then she shocked herself, and Wesley, by throwing her person into his arms. Well, into him anyway. Faith
wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Too tight." He rasped.

Faith loosened her grip a bit. Wesley wrapped his arms around her.

"Normally, I'm too dignified to hug, but since you started it..."

Faith pulled back. She was looking at the floor and... blushing. Wesley was shocked. He didn't know she even
knew how to be embarrassed.

"People care about you, Faith, and it has nothing to do with Buffy. It has to do with who you are, and that is
nothing like Buffy."

She looked up at him. "Why?"

He didn't have to ask what why. "Because I know you can be great. I know if things had gone differently, that
you and Buffy would have made an unstoppable team... because the both of you were so different in so many
ways. The best teams always think rather differently in my opinion. But I have faith in you, Faith. You're trying
so hard, and I want you to succeed almost as much as you do. The endless guilt about what happened
between you and Buffy doesn't suit you. Yes, what you did was very very wrong. It was horrible and bad and all
of that, but you were not built to brood, Faith. Perhaps you should let up on yourself a little."

He nodded at her before ducking out. Faith stood in stunned silence.

Someone believed in her.

She was still standing and staring where Wesley had been some time later when Oliver walked in.

"Faith?"

She shook herself as if she was snapping out of a trance. "Yes?"

"Are you all right? You looked sort of... odd when I walked in."

"Just having thoughts."

"Things are getting... stressful, hmm?"

"Yeah, they certainly are." She said almost ruefully as she headed to where her towel was hanging and began
to pat the semidried sweat from her face.

"I could help you with that."

Faith's head snapped around quickly. "What?"

His answer was to yank his shirt off.

"Oliver?"

Then he pulled off his shoes.

"Ollie, what are you doing?"

He undid his corduroy pants and let them fall before stepping out of them. Faith was mesmerized. He was in
good shape, this guy.

"Oliver, for real... what in the hell are you doing?"

He looked affronted... in this little kicked puppy way. "I'm trying to offer myself to you."

Faith laughed. She couldn't help it. "Wh-what?"

"I didn't know the idea of my having sex with you was so hilarious." Oliver snapped as he reached down to pull
his pants back on.

"WHAT?!" She was certain she had been mistaking him until now.

"I want you, Faith, but apparently you're not available."

"Oliver..." Faith said as she walked over to him.

He tried to shrug away from her, but Faith grabbed him again.

"Oliver!"

"What?" He snapped.

"It is hilarious."

"Ok thanks a lot then."

"Hilarious that you would even consider letting me touch you. Jesus, Ollie, do you even know what I am?"

"Of course I do. You're a vampire slayer."

"Oliver, do you know why the watcher's council is after me?"

He looked away.

Faith grabbed his chin and turned him to face her. "I'm a murderer."

Oliver swallowed audibly. "We all have our faults."

"You do not know what it is that you are asking for."

"Sure I do.... I'm askin' for you."

"Oliver..." She tried to walk away.

Oliver got a bit angry then. He grabbed her arm and turned her back to him. "I dinna care what ye've done. I
dinna know ya then. I know ya now. I'm wantin' ta know more a'ya now."

Then he kissed her... and Faith let him. In fact, she wrapped her arms around him and decided if God or the
Goddess or Buddha or Allah or whomever was giving her this gift, she was going to grab him with both hands
and hold on until her knuckles were raw.

"I'm difficult." She breathed when he finally pulled back to give them both air.

"I like me a challenge."

"Then you're gonna love me." Faith joked.

"Yeah, I'm thinkin' I just might."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Remus was sitting by Tara's bed listening to her mumble nonsense in her sleep. Every so often he caught a
word or two, but most of it was gibberish.

"Remus, please go get some rest. Eat something. Shower." Anya said softly. She couldn't bear to see him
suffer like this.

"I can't leave her."

"I'll stay with her."

"I don't..."

"You won't do your daughter any good if you're too tired and weak and stinky to function. Go. I'll stay until you
get back. If she wakes up, I'll send for you."

Remus looked at Anya with sad eyes. "Thank you, Anya."

He moved to hug her, but Anya held up and hand to stop him.

"Hugs after you've bathed.... and shave please. Or is that facial growth the result of the approaching full
moon?"

Remus chuckled in spite of himself. She was so brash. He liked that about her. They tempered each other
nicely.

"It's not funny. You're unpleasantly hairy."

"I'll see you in a bit."

"I'll be right here." Anya said as she sat in the chair he'd vacated next to Tara's bed. "And brush your hair."

Remus walked slowly to the doors. He paused to look at her again. Anya made a shooing motion at him. Then
he noticed she placed her hand over one of Tara's and started talking to her. His daughter could do worse for
friends than Anya Emerson.

"Remus is worried. You have to come back, Tara."

"You know, you're different than I thought you'd be."

Anya looked up at Cordelia Chase.

"I think my heart almost stopped when she said Doyle earlier."

"Right. Angel's first seer."

"Yeah, but it can't be the same Doyle, right?"

"Why not? We're all gathered here somehow. Doyle was sent to Angel before. Maybe he's being sent again...
just through a different channel this time."

Cordelia cover her mouth with her hand and sat down next to Anya. The former vengeance demon could see
Cordelia's legs trembling so hard her knees were knocking together. She waited until the seer had composed
herself a bit.

"Then I suppose I have a hundred things I need to say to him." Cordelia finally said.

"Like what?"

"I miss him. I was angry at first, but I'm honored that the only thing he had to give he chose to give to me. And I
could have loved any face he had. And that's just for starters."

"Here or not, maybe he heard you anyhow."

"What?"

"Don't you know the dead can hear our thoughts sometimes?"

"True, princess." Tara mumbled.

Cordelia's eyes shot to her. "Doyle?" She whispered.

"The good fight, yeah?"

She jumped to her feet. "ANGEL! ANGEL!"

"What on earth is all the commotion?" Poppy Pomfrey snapped as she came out of her office.

Cordelia just stared. Anya shrugged. She didn't know what was going on. Not really. Oh she had an idea, but...

It was quiet for a few agonizing seconds before the infirmary doors were flung open, and Angel stalked in.
Gunn and Lorne were right behind him.

"Cordy? What is it? What's the matter? Why were you shouting?"

Cordelia pointed at Tara. "She's not crazy. Doyle. Doyle's in there! He... he talked."

Angel gave her a look.

"Doyle?" Cordelia leaned over Tara's body. "Doyle, Angel's here. Don't you wanna say hi or something?"

It was quiet for a very long time. Angel gave Cordelia another exasperated look.

Then Tara mumbled. "I'm very much human... on my mother's side. We all got somethin' to atone for."

"Doyle?"

"How's the quest for redemption workin' out for ya, mister sensitive mouth with yer overhanging forehead?"

"Oh my God." Then Angel paused. "Wait. How do I know you're... you?"

"Suspicious bastard, aren't ya? Get big green ta read me then."

"What?"

"The green demon. He's reads yer aura or somethin' when he hears a tune off ya, right? I'll just sing a bit."

Angel motioned Lorne forward. Anya stood up and moved closer to Tara.

"Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling from glen to glen, and down the mountainside. The summer's
gone and all the roses falling. It's you, I must go and I must bide..."

"Great googly moogly..." Lorne whispered. "There's a little Irish guy in that girl's body.... and a bunch of other
stuff that's not as nice."

"Yeah." Doyle said. "My girl's in some real trouble here."

"Does she know that she's..." Lorne started.

"Pregnant? Nah, man. Not a clue. Not yet anyhow."