Alex woke slowly, stretching himself out on the bed. Sleepily, he reached 
over, frowning when he encountered only cold sheets. He sat up, looking 
around. 

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he checked the time, not surprised to find 
it was almost noon. It had been a late night, and they hadn't gotten home 
until almost 3:00 in the morning. They'd had barely enough energy for a few 
almost chaste kisses before succumbing to exhaustion, curling around each 
other like puppies as they slept. 

Alex stumbled from the room, heading for the kitchen to procure some 
caffeine. An strong hand headed him off, leading him over to a table that 
held steaming waffles toped with butter and syrup, a dish of fresh 
strawberries, and a glass of ice-cold milk. Mumbling his heartfelt thanks, 
Alex proceeded to practically inhale the food. By the end of the meal, he 
had achieved full consciousness, and he gave Wil an abashed grin. "Sorry 
about the zombie act," he apologized. 

Wil grinned, shrugging in response. "S'ok. I woke up earlier, thought I'd 
fix you some breakfast. Good?" 

Alex wiped his mouth, licking the crumbs and sticky syrup off his fingers. 
"Very. You made these?" He looked dumbfounded at Wil's nod. "I didn't even 
know we owned a waffle iron." 

Laughing, Wil replied, "We don't. I borrowed it from Mellie; she gave me the 
recipe for the waffles, too." 

"That woman is an absolute saint." Alex managed to refrain from licking the 
plate, but it was a close call. "Remind me to let you cook any time." 

Wil smiled bashfully and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Go wash up. I 
thought we could have a quiet day before we start work tonight." 

"Yeah, good idea." Alex put his dishes in the sink, then headed for the 
bathroom. After a quick shower and change of clothes, he went back in the 
living room, where he found Wil lying on the couch, reading. With a soft 
laugh, he made himself comfortable in the chair, hands reaching for a pencil 
and mostly blank sheet of paper on the coffee table. Eyeing the blonde 
vampire, he hesitantly began to apply pencil to paper. 

This continued for a while, the 'scritch-scritch' of pencil on paper breaking 
the comfortable quiet of the room. 

Eventually, Wil glanced up, curious. "What are you doing?" 

Alex flushed, hastily covering the paper. "Um...nothing." 

Wil raised an eyebrow. "Alex," he said in a coaxing tone. "Show me?" 

Alex hesitated, but couldn't say no to the blatant look of pleading on Wil's 
face. With a sigh, he handed the paper over, waiting for the laughter that 
would soon follow. 

Wil gaped at the picture. "You...drew me?" 

Alex shrugged, embarrassed. "Ok, I know it's not that good, but I was 
just...doodling, and--" 

"You drew me." Wil gazed up at him, eyes shining. 

Mouth snapping shut, Alex fidgeted slightly under that adoring look. 

Wil smiled and pulled him close, kissing him. "I love it," he breathed. 
"Promise me you'll draw more?" 

"Oh, well I..." He melted. "Yeah. Sure. Of course I will." 

"Good." Wil stroked the paper, that devastating smile still playing about 
his lips. 

Desperate to change the subject, Alex cleared his throat. "So...what are you 
reading." 

"Hmm?" Wil looked up at him, questioning. 

"The book? What is it." 

"Oh." Wil reclaimed his seat after carefully placing the drawing on the 
table so it wouldn't get crumpled. "It's, um, it's a book Jenna loaned me." 
Now it was the vampire's turn to look embarrassed. "It's kind of...cute. I 
guess." 

"What's it called?" 

"Solo's Journey," Wil admitted. 

"What? Why are you acting like that? Is it porn or something?" Alex 
snuggled up beside Wil, trying to sneak a glance at the book. 

"No! It's...it's about, well, cats." 

Alex looked doubtful. "Cats?" 

Defensive now, Wil narrowed his eyes. "Yes, cats. Y'know, four feet, tail, 
furry, they meow and purr a lot?" 

Alex whacked him on the leg. "I *know* what a cat is, dummy! Why are you 
reading about them?" 

"'Cause I want to. Sod off." Pouting, Wil huddled away from Alex, shooting 
the human an icy glare. 

"Wil..." Alex sighed, stroking Wil's leg gently. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean 
to insult you." Will just sniffed, and Alex bit his lip, feeling somewhat 
ashamed. Then he brightened. "Is it good?" 

"Yeah," Wil muttered shortly, eyes firmly fixed on the book. 

Alex wiggled closer, slipping his arm around Wil's waist as he lay his head 
down on the vampire's chest. "Read to me?" 

Wil hesitated. 

"Please? You've got such a sexy voice." 

With a sigh, Wil relaxed, an arm coming up to hold Alex to him. In a quiet 
voice, he turned the pages back and slowly began to read. "Even in 
his...sleep, d-deep within the hid...hidden thickets, Solo could sense that 
som...something was wrong." Wil squirmed, bringing the book closer to his 
face as he squinted at the small print. "As he r-roused himself to the 
surface of...wakeful...wakefulness--" 

"Wil?" 

Jaw clenched, Wil set the book aside. "Yeah?" he asked shortly. 

Concerned, Alex stroked a sharp cheekbone. "Is there something wrong with 
your eyes?" 

Wil turned his face away, but the insistent fingers tilted it back. He 
heaved another sigh. "It's just...I can see fine when I'm all 'rrrr', 
y'know? But like this...things are kinda fuzzy up close." 

"Maybe you should get some reading glasses." 

Wil snorted. "Yeah, an' look like a bleedin ponce! No thanks!" 

"Well, you know, you'd only have to wear them here. No one else would see 
you in them. And then you'd be able to read without straining your eyes." 

"I...I'll think about it, ok?" 

"Sure." Alex laid his head back down. "If it's easier, why don't you change 
and read to me? I still want to hear your voice." 

Rolling his eyes, Wil let his vampire features settle into place. With his 
sight now sharp and clear, he picked up the book and started again. "Even in 
his sleep, deep within..." 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Frankie glanced up at the knock on his office door. "Ah, you’re here! 
Excellent." Hefting his bulk upright, he led Alex on a quick tour of the 
establishment. 

Alex took everything in eagerly and quickly. He blushed as a few of the 
dancers who'd come in early greeted him with fervent hugs and murmured 
thanks. It seemed as though the temporary bar help was ecstatic over being 
replaced. 

"Now, I'd like you to come in around 6:30 or so to start gettin' things ready 
for the evening crowd. Bar opens at 7:30 precisely, closes at 1:00 in the 
morning. You get two half-hour breaks, and no drinking on the job. What you 
do on your own time, though, is your business. I don't care if you mingle 
with the customers or other employees, but by the looks of your boyfriend, 
I'd say that's pretty much the last thing on your mind." 

Frankie shot him an appreciative leer. "You know, it sure as hell ain't 
gonna hurt business none havin' a coupla pretty boys like you working here. 
Ought to draw as good a crowd as my dancers do." He eyed Alex speculatively. 
"Hey, you ever think about--" 

"No." He shook his head decisively. "*Way* no. No offense." 

"Eh. Too bad. You look like you could put on a mean show." He shrugged 
though. "Anyway, I just have a few papers for you to sign, I'll need your 
boyfriend to sign his too when he gets in. Payday is every Tuesday, any tips 
you make are yours. No uniform, but try to dress...sexy. Draws the 
customers in." 

"Dress sexy. Right." 

"Good. Now, closing. All you have to do is wipe down the bar, put 
everything there away. Make sure it's clean. Usually the bouncers and other 
muscle take care of cleaning the rest of the place. Cash out the till, turn 
the money in to me. You'll almost always be out of here by 2:00. Shipments 
come in on the first Saturday of the month, I'll need you in early that day, 
noon will be fine. Place is closed on Sundays, give everyone a break before 
starting the next week. If you need a night off for some reason, try to let 
me know a couple of days in advance." 

Alex nodded, absorbing all this. He signed the papers that were handed to 
him, filling in the requisite information needed. 

"Great. Well then, familiarize yourself with the bar, get things ready to 
go. And Alex? Good luck!" Frankie gave him a wide grin, then lumbered back 
to his office. 

Alex glanced out the window, calculating the time until sundown, and how long 
it would take for Wil to arrive. Then he shook himself and began to get the 
bar set up. 

He didn't realize how much time had passed when he felt a tap on his 
shoulder. He turned to find Jon sitting on the top of the counter, legs 
swinging. 

"Oh man, you came back! Thank all the gods that ever existed!" Leaping 
down, he pulled Alex into a hug. "Man, you are a total lifesaver. Never 
leave. *Promise* me you won't go away and leave me with this evil job again." 

"Um..." Alex patted Jon's back awkwardly. "Sure. Need money, not planning 
on going any time soon." 

"Good. Great. God, I love you!" He threw his arms around Alex again, 
kissing his cheek. 

A warning growl sounded from behind them, and Jon pulled back, glancing at 
the newcomer. He quickly yanked his hands away. "Not groping, just 
thanking! I *so* don't poach on someone else's territory." He walked over 
to Wil, who continued to glower at him. "Oh, give it a rest, sugar. You're 
the only thing that boy sees. Be good to him, yeah?" He kissed Wil's cheek 
as well, then bounced off to the dressing rooms. 

Wil stalked over to Alex, grabbing his head for a claiming kiss, sucking on 
plush lips until they were swollen, marking the other man as his. "Gonna 
have to slap a 'Do not touch' sticker on your ass, looks like." 

Alex laughed. "But then what would *you* do, Wil?" 

Wil smirked. "I'm a rebel. I rarely do what I'm told." 

"Mmmm." Alex stole another kiss while Wil freely groped his ass. "I think I 
like bad boys." He gasped at the sharp pinch. "Then again, maybe it's just 
you." 

"Damn right, mate." He petted those curved cheeks again, then paused 
thoughtully. "How about 'Property of Wil'?"

***********

The passage of days and nights had developed into a pattern for the tentative
lovers. Work in the late evenings into early morning, then home to hang out for
a while eating, watching movies, or reading. Going to bed around sunrise, and
waking in the afternoon with a few hours to kill before heading to work again.

Neither minded the seemingly odd hours. Wil was more comfortable since he was
able to be out and about at night, and Alex just enjoyed being with Wil. Plus,
the neighborhood sported quiet a few all-night places as a concession to the
mixed clientele, so getting groceries, renting videos, or performing any other
errands wasn't a hardship for them.

And their Sundays off had been designated 'date night'. Last Sunday, they'd
gone to a movie, choosing seats in the back row and holding hands through the
picture. Wil had even pushed up the armrest between them so he could get that
much closer to Alex. A few stolen kisses in the darkened theater had made the
outing perfect.

Now another Sunday had come. They'd just finished breakfast and were relaxing
on the sofa in what had become a familiar scenario. Alex was snuggled close to
Wil as the vampire read aloud to him from whatever the book of the day was.

Alex watched Wil's face as he read, smiling. He'd managed to convince the
blonde to purchase a pair of reading glasses by the simple expedient of dragging
him to the display at Wal-Mart and waiting until he picked one out. The fact
that seeing his boyfriend's wide blue eyes peeking up at him from behind the
wire rims made him break out in a sweat as his groin tingled may have influenced
said boyfriend's decision. Slightly.

Wil pushed his glasses back up on his nose as he read, then dropped the hand
back down on Alex's head. Fingers played gently with the slightly curled locks
of hair, mussing them deliciously. He could feel every breath that Alex took,
the warm puffs of air drifting through the thin material of his shirt. It
was...comforting.

A soft knocking at the door broke the mood, and Alex peeled himself away from
Wil with a sigh. He walked over to the door, opening it. "Hey, Mellie!" he
greeted the woman with a grin. "How's life?" He stepped back to allow her
inside.

Mellie smiled back. "Oh, just peachy." She entered, pulling a young woman in
behind her. "Hello, Wil," she chirped at the vampire who had risen to join the
group. "Those spectacles make you look even cuter than usual."

Wil laughed. "I don't think you're the only one with that opinion, pet," he
replied, nodding in Alex's direction.

"Oh boys, I just wanted you to meet someone." She gestured to her companion. 
"This is my daughter, Dana. Dana, Wil and Alex."

Everyone exchanged hellos, and the next few minutes were spent in pleasant
conversation. Then Mellie cleared her throat, and the others quieted. "Boys,
Dana here dabbles in magic, and I'm proud to say that she's quite exceptional at
it."

Dana blushed. "Well, my blood has a lot to do with that. I'm 1/4 Kcsterk, and
Kcsterki females tend to have a lot of talent for working magic. Mum's just one
of the exceptions."

Mellie patted her hand. "Nonsense. You'd be just as good if you were a
full-blooded human." She gave her daughter a quick hug, then turned her
attention back to Alex and Wil. "Anyway, we were talking this morning when Dana
came to visit, and she mentioned finding an old memory spell. I thought of you
two right off, and when I explained what had happened with the Grun-thak demon,
she offered to work the spell on you. If you want her to, that is."

The boys stared at their visitors blankly, mouths agape. Then Alex shook
himself. "Um, would you excuse us?" At their nods, he tugged Wil into the
kitchen. Biting his lip, he asked in a low voice, "You want to do this?"

Wil shrugged. "Dunno, pet. Don't like the thought of more magic, but...if it
helps..."

"Yeah."

Wil plucked at the hem of his shirt. "Will you...?"

Alex waited a moment, but nothing else was forthcoming. "What is it?" he
encouraged.

"I just...I..." Wil sighed, then asked softly, "Will we still be together? 
When we remember?"

Pulling the vampire into a fierce hug, Alex murmured in his ear, "I *like* you,
Wil. A *lot*. Remembering...Before…it's not going to change how we are
now. I won't *let* it!"

"Oh. Ok." Wil smiled and tilted his face up for a brief kiss, which Alex gave
him gladly. "I say we go for it then."

"Damn right."

~~~~~~~~~~

Mellie accompanied her daughter on the quest for the supplies needed for the
spell. Dana had agreed to perform it that evening, as neither Alex nor Wil
wanted to waste any time once they'd decided to go for it.

It was nearing dusk when they finally had everything they needed, including a
copy of the spell itself. It wasn't that things were difficult to find, but
Dana was quite picky about the quality and freshness of each component. 
Eventually, though, even she was satisfied, and the two women set off on the
walk back to the apartment complex.

They chatted amiably as they went, occasionally making a brief pause for a bit
of window-shopping. And Mellie couldn't help but dash into a candy store that
sported a large, chocolate castle in the window, stating that 'the boys are sure
to be famished, and they do so love their sweets!'

Dana just laughed and waved her on, used to her mother's behavior when she found
someone new to coddle. Of course, that didn't stop her from holding out her
free hand for a piece of the fudge that Mellie had bought.

They were only a few blocks from their destination when Mellie froze in her
tracks, clutching at Dana's arm to halt her as well.

Dana frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked, worried.

Mellie jerked her head toward the slight figure just up the street.

Confused, Dana watched as the young woman accosted each passerby, shoving a
piece of paper in front of them and questioning them intently. It was apparent
that she was growing more and more frustrated at each headshake she received in
response. Something seemed familiar about her...

Dana's eyes widened. "Isn't that the--?"

"Yes! What could she be doing here?"

"Grilling random strangers, by the looks of things. Does she really think
anyone around her will tell her *anything*?"

"Hush now," Mellie hissed out the side of her mouth. "Let me handle this." 
Then she shook herself and plastered on a beaming smile just as the Slayer made
her way over to them.

"Hi." Buffy gave them a weary grin as she flipped a strand of hair out of her
face. "I was looking for a friend of mine, have you seen him?" The paper
appeared again, and Mellie took it, examining it carefully.

She cocked her head, wondering why Alex seemed so sad in the photograph. 
Raising her eyes, she peered earnestly at Buffy and answered, "Oh my, no, he
doesn't seem familiar in the least. Is he a good friend of yours?" Not letting
Buffy get a word in edgewise, she heaved a beleaguered sigh and continued. "Oh,
it's such a shame when you lose track of friends like that. Then again, young
people these days are always getting it into their heads to go gallivanting off
to who knows where at the drop of a hat. Never a thought for anyone who might
worry about them and wonder where they've gone to." She shook her head, making
'tsking' sounds. "Why, in my day, children were brought up right. None of this
'finding yourself' nonsense. No, they learned the importance of family. Now,
it's all just 'me me me'!" Mellie shrugged. "Then again, that's just this old
biddy's opinion, and I'm sure you haven't much care for that. Would you like a
piece of fudge?"

Buffy had followed this rambling dialogue with a dazed look, nodding and shaking
her head at what seemed appropriate intervals. Blankly, she accepted the
proffered sweet, then looked down at her hand as if wondering where it came
from. Blinking, she glanced back up. "Um, so...you haven't seen him then?"

"No dearie. He's quite a handsome fellow, though. Is he your beau?"

Buffy wrinkled her nose. "Ew, no! He just a friend. He...went missing a few
weeks ago, and we've all been trying to find out what happened."

"Well, I'm terribly sorry that I couldn't be more helpful."

"That's ok, it's not your fault. Thanks anyway." Buffy took back the picture,
gave them a wave, and went on her way.

Dana waited until the Slayer was out of earshot before she spoke. "What do you
suppose she wanted with Alex?"

Mellie frowned, her forehead wrinkled. "I have no idea," she replied, "but it
certainly can't be good. The Slayer's 'friend' just *happens* to be our Alex,
whose boyfriend just *happens* to be a vampire, and both of whom just *happen*
to have been injured in a way that made them conveniently forget anything they
might haev known about the situation."

Dana gasped. "You don't suppose she had something to do with their injury, do
you?"

"I don't know. But something isn't adding up, and I *can* tell you that she's
going to have to go through a lot of people if she wants to get at either Alex
or Wil. And even the Slayer might have a tough time tangling with Sophie!"

"Now *that* fight I'd like to see!" Dana giggled. She sobered quickly, though. 
"Are you going to tell Alex that the Slayer is looking for him?"

Mellie thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I don't want to worry
either of them. I think we should do the spell first, the Slayer can be dealt
with once the boys can remember exactly what happened."

"If you're sure," Dana replied doubtfully.

"Positive."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Total bust."

Willow slumped down in her chair at this news. "You sure you tried everywhere?"

Buffy nodded. "Hoofed it all over town, not even *one* person has seen him
recently."

Both girls looked expectantly at the door as Riley entered. "Anything?" they
asked in unison.

"Depends." He gave Buffy a quick kiss. "Drove around, didn't find any sign of
his car. Then I got the idea to see if it had been impounded."

"And?"

He grinned. "Three days after he went missing, it was towed in. Had a bunch of
flats, quite a few parking tickets, but was in decent shape otherwise." His
face turned grim. "No idea where it was picked up, though. Seems they
'misplaced' the paperwork."

"So basically another dead end." Buffy kicked the wall, denting it noticeably.

"Well, I mean, at least we know he didn't leave town. Right?" Willow blinked
up at them hopefully, clutching Tara's hand with her own.

"U-unless he took the bus, or train, or...something." Tara shrugged
apologetically at her girlfriend. "Sorry," she whispered, wishing she could
wipe away the desolate expression.

"It's not your fault," Willow whispered back, giving her a tearful smile. "It's
just...what if something *bad* happened to him! He would never have left
without saying *something* to me. I can't stand this not knowing!"

Just then, Giles returned, and he wearily tosses his jacket over the back of a
chair.

Buffy perked up, almost bouncing. "Get anything out of the bleached menace? 
You didn't pay him, did you? It's so much easier on the bank account when you
just beat the information out of him."

Giles removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. "Yes, well, I imagine it
certainly would be more fun, but actually I did neither."

"What? You mean he just spilled? Why don't I believe that?"

"It's more bad news, isn't it?" Willow sighed resignedly. "I can take it. 
What'd he say?"

"Well, due to the fact that Spike's crypt was, shall we say, rather devoid of
any vampire inhabitants, I'm afraid I was unable to retrieve any information for
you at all."

"He wasn't there?" Buffy growled in frustration.

Giles shook his head. "It didn't even appear as if he'd been there any time
recently. There were cobwebs and dust covering everything...more so than usual,
that is."

"How typical. Wouldn't you just know he'd move and forget to leave his
forwarding address?" Buffy rolled her eyes and snorted. "Well, good riddance. 
Who needs the chipped freak anyway?"

"Don't say that!" Willow cried out. "What if...what if he knows something and
we can't ever find him? Or...what if *he* did something to Xander!"

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "Well now. That would put a whole new spin on things." 
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Ok, this thing has gotten way out of
hand. We need help."

"What do you mean?" Tara asked quietly.

"We should hire a private investigator. One who can help us find Xander, and
take care of Spike if it comes to that." Buffy grinned. "I think we should
call Angel."

***********

"This isn't gonna hurt, is it?" Alex warily perused the transformed living 
room. 

Dana frowned slightly, her brow wrinkling. "Not much. Well, not after the 
first few hours. And I'm sure that blood coming out of the ears is perfectly 
normal." She glanced up at Alex, who had inched his way behind the sofa and 
was staring at her in wide-eyed horror. She giggled. 

Wil glared at her as he pried Alex's fingers off his shoulder. "That wasn't 
funny, pet." 

"Oh, sure it was! Lighten up!" Dana rolled her eyes, then went back to her 
task of placing the candles in their proper positions. 

Alex stuck his tongue out at her before jumping over the back of the sofa to 
land almost on top of Wil. "Save me!" he pleaded pathetically as he burrowed 
his head against the vampire's chest. 

Wil snorted. 

Alex blinked up at him through tearful eyes. "But I'm scared...comfort me!" 
His lower lip poked out as he pouted. 

"Yeah? An' what kind of comfortin' are you lookin' for?" Wil pressed Alex 
close to him as he ran a thumb over the protruding lip. 

Alex smiled, kissing the finger. "What kind do you think?" he asked 
flirtatiously. 

With a growl, Wil tugged Alex's face up and proceeded to kiss the human 
breathless. 

Mellie sighed. "Boys." When that got no response, she barked out more 
sharply, "Boys!" 

They jumped, turning dazed eyes to her. Alex flushed and cleared his throat. 
"Yes?" His voice was husky with restrained passion. 

Mellie shook her head fondly. "Plenty of opportunity for that later," she 
admonished good-naturedly. "Everything is set up here. It's time." 

"Oh." Alex reluctantly pulled away from Wil, running a hand through his 
hair. "Right. Guess we should, uh, do...that." 

Wil grabbed his hand. "We...we don't have t'do it, luv." 

Alex shook his head. "No, I want to." He brushed Wil's cheek gently. "I 
wanna remember everything about you that I can." 

Wil turned his face toward the caressing hand, giving it a soft kiss. "Let's 
do it, then." 

Alex pulled him up, leading him over to the circle of tall white candles. 

"I need you to sit in the center. Face each other and hold hands. Make sure 
to keep the brazier between you." Dana waited until they were in position, 
then nodded to her mother. Mellie flicked the light switch off, plunging the 
room into darkness. 

Wil held tightly to Alex, and both turned to face the flicker of light that 
appeared. 

Dana slowly lit each candle, until a ring of light surrounded the boys. 
Carefully, she stepped inside the circle and used a long match to light the 
contents of the brazier. Almost immediately, wisps of sweetly scented smoke 
began to curl up around the seated figures. 

In a whispered tone, Dana began the chant. 

"Mnemosyne, we beseech you. 
These, your children, have need of your power. 
Daughter of Heaven and Earth, 
Child of Uranus and Gaea, 
Bestow upon us your aid." 

Reaching in the hand-sewn, silk pouch, Dana removed a mixture of herbs and 
petals, scattering them over first Wil, then Alex. 

"As you gave birth to the Muses, 
So do we ask your loins to grant rebirth to these two. 
Gift them with your grace, 
Bless them with your power, 
Bring forth in them that which was sundered." 

She parted their clasped hands, depositing a small handful of the mixture in 
them before closing them together once more. 

"Heal the minds which were broken, 
Restore the memories which were stolen. 
Grant unto these supplicants your gift of Memory. 
Renew in them the knowledge they have lost. 
Make them whole once again." 

Dana pulled a small vial of oil from her pocket, unstoppering it and dabbing 
a drop on each of the boy's foreheads. 

"This we ask. 
This we plea. 
And as we ask, 
So let it be." 

The remaining oil was poured into the brazier, and a bright blue flame shot 
up. Alex and Wil both flinched back, but didn't let go of each other. A 
gasp escaped the vampire as all the candles were abruptly extinguished, and a 
brisk breeze swirled through the room. 

Then, the wind ceased, and there was silence. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

"Are you sure?" 

Buffy rolled her eyes as she spoke into the phone. "Angel, this is Spike 
we're talking about. How could he *not* have something to do with this?" 

"Buffy, I--" Angel sighed. "May I speak with Giles?" 

Buffy pouted, but handed the phone over to her watcher. 

Giles handled the phone distastefully, obviously not wanting to speak with 
Angel. But for Xander's sake, he was willing to make the effort. "Yes?" 

"Giles, could you just tell me what you know for certain? Without the 
speculation?" 

Giles took a deep breath. "Well, it seems Xander simply disappeared several 
weeks ago. He left behind no note, only an empty basement, a distraught 
girlfriend, and indifferent parents. We've neither seen nor heard anything 
from him, although we do know his car was impounded. Also, it seems that 
Spike has gone missing as well, apparently around the same time. At least, 
the last day he was seen was when Anya discovered Xander had left the 
basement. However, we don't know for certain that the two disappearances are 
related." 

Angel groaned. "But with Spike's history, you're assuming the worst." 

"Quite." 

There was a bit of muted conversation as Angel spoke with his associates, 
then came back onto the line. "Look, we don't have any cases going at the 
moment, so I can be there sometime tonight." A screech as heard in the 
background, and Angel amended his statement with a sigh. "*We'll* be there." 

"Wonderful," Giles muttered, then thrust the phone back at Buffy. 

"Angel? So, you're coming? Great, we'll fill you in on all the details when 
you arrive. Bye!" She hung up the phone and beamed at everyone. "This is 
great. We'll sic Angel on Spike, and have Xander back in no time. Who's up 
for a latte?" 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Alex and Wil sat on the couch, holding hands. They watched as Dana poured 
the bits of mixture they'd held into the silk bag, then sewed it shut. 

"I don't feel any different," Alex complained. "And I still can't remember 
anything." 

"Don't worry," Dana told him calmly. "It'll come back slowly. Otherwise, 
your brain would get too swamped with information and overload. But it 
*will* come back to you." 

"Everything?" 

Dana nodded. "Every last little detail. Hope there was nothing you'd 
repressed during your childhood." She grinned, handing over the pouch. 
"Now, tie this to your headboard. Keep it there until your memories are back 
to normal." 

Wil took the proffered item. "So, how slow is slow? Are we talking months 
here?" 

"Oh no! A few days, a week or two at the most. You'll be as good as new in 
no time." 

Mellie finished putting everything away, and gave the boys a hug. "Now, 
we'll just be heading back to my place. You two get a good night's sleep and 
come visit tomorrow before you head to work. Let us know how it's going." 
Smiling, she hurried Dana out of the apartment. 

Wil snuggled up against Alex. "You sure we did the right thing?" 

"Yeah. We'll be ok. You and me...we belong together." 

"You think?" 

Alex kissed him. "Definitely." 

"Hmmm." Wil stroked along Alex's chest. "So, think we should...go to bed 
early?" 

Alex didn't even pause to think about it, he simply stood and led the way to 
the bedroom. The two of them undressed to their boxers. Wil tied the pouch 
to the head of the bed, then Alex shut off the lights. It was early for them 
to be sleeping, but it was past dark, and the day's excitement had tired them 
out. 

They cuddled up together under the covers, exchanging long, lazy kisses. 
Hands that stroked along bare flesh soon slowed and stilled, and the boys 
fell into a deep slumber. 

***** 
Ander gritted his teeth in pain as he dragged himself upright. He looked up 
at the steep hill he'd managed to stumble down, knowing he wouldn't be able 
to make it back up. Not with his leg hurting like it did. 

Almost fearfully, he examined the leg. He could tell it was bruised, and 
there was a liberal amount of blood visible, but he could only hope that the 
bone hadn't given. He remembered the last hunter who'd ruined his leg that 
way; the man had been reduced to relying on his mate to scrounge enough food 
for them. He hadn't lasted through the harsh winter, and the woman he'd left 
behind had promptly been joined with another unmated hunter. 

Ander had no mate to provide him with even a cursory amount of care, and any 
hunter who was going to be a liability to the clan was expected to...remove 
himself. After all, who would want to be mated with a crippled man unable to 
provide for those in his care? 

Grunting, he tried to lever himself up the hill, giving it up when the pain 
overwhelmed him. He fell back, panting harshly. He closed his eyes, 
shivering as the sun began to set and coldness descended. 

Knowing that to fall prey to the sleep of cold was to invite eternal slumber, 
Ander struggled to gather together any nearby kindling. However, he gave a 
low cry of frustration when he discovered his flint pouch had vanished, lost 
in the fall that had injured his leg. 

He huddled into a ball, hoping another hunter from his clan would find him 
soon. 



A twig snapped, and Ander forced himself to wakefulness. He held his breath, 
listening closely, but was unable to detect any signs that one of the larger 
predators in the region had found him. Sill, he reached for his broken 
spear, taking hold of the sharp end. 

There was another cracking of wood, then a man emerged from the underbrush, 
approaching warily. Ander bared his teeth, raising his bit of spear 
menacingly. 

The man stopped, crouching low to the ground. He glanced around and, seeing 
no one else nearby and nothing to indicate that there even *was* anyone else 
around, he crept forward. 

Ander snarled weakly. This man was unknown to him; not of his clan, and 
therefore a potential enemy. There was much competition between clans for 
food during this time of little rains and scarce game. It was even rumored 
that some clans had taken to eating their own dead. 

The stranger came close, examining the pile of wood that would have been a 
fire. He peered closely at Ander, noting the immobile leg that was encrusted 
with blood. He cocked his head. 

Ander's hand began to tremble as he held the spear, and his breath was coming 
harsher. He didn't think he could stay awake for much longer. It was so 
cold, and he was so tired... 

There was a spark, and another, then a tiny flame appeared. The stranger 
bent over the new ember, blowing on it gently until it flared up and consumed 
the tinder, soon growing to a tiny, welcome blaze. He snuck another peek at 
Ander, then scooted closer. He touched his hand to his chest. "Illam," he 
said softly. 

Ander jerked back, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. He stared at the fire, 
then back at the man...Illam. The man didn't appear to be a threat, and 
Ander knew he'd be unable to defend himself at the moment even if Illam 
should prove to be an enemy. He sighed. "Ander." 

Illam flashed him a wide grin. He crawled over to Ander and, after pulling 
out a bladder of water, gently began to clean the wound on Ander's leg. 

Ander watched in the flickering light, grateful that the injury proved to be 
small and not as serious as he'd feared. He grunted his thanks, inching his 
way closer to the small warmth that the fire provided. 

Illam frowned as he watch Ander shiver. Swiftly, he unrolled the pack he'd 
carried in, shaking out a fur-lined skin. He draped it over Ander. 

Ander fingered the soft skin, then looked back at Illam. He blinked, then 
lifted the edge. Another wide grin met this action, and Illam scooted up 
behind him, spooning against his back. A hand brushed his hair away from his 
ear, and a voice whispered, "Sleep." 

Enclosed by the warmth of the skin and the other man, Ander slept. 
***** 

Alex sat up with a gasp, his arms coming up to gather around Wil, who had 
also started awake. They stared at each other incredulously, somehow knowing 
that they'd shared the same dream. 

"What the hell was that?!" 

****************

They gaped at each other wildly for a few seconds, then Alex closed his eyes briefly, struggling for control. "Ok, calm down. It was just a dream, right? Dreams are normal." 

Wil scooted closer to him. "Yeah, but, the same one? At the same time? And what was with the jungle thing?" 

"I don't think that was a jungle," Alex corrected with a grin. "Jungles are warmer than that." 

"It was still weird," Wil retorted with a slight pout. 

"It was a fluke. That's all. Let' just...go back to sleep." 

"You sure?" 

Alex pulled Wil to him, hugging the vampire close. He kissed the top of his head softly. "What else could it be?" 

Wil sighed. "'Kay then." He yawned and let his eyes drift shut. 

***** 
Al tied his horse up to the hitching post outside the tavern, then walked down the dusty streets of the small town toward the mercantile. He was short on supplies, but flush with...newly appropriated wealth. He figured he could make a quick stop someplace where he most likely wouldn't be recognized, load up on the necessary goods, then hole up somewhere until things cooled down a bit. 

He moved through the cluttered aisles of the shop, methodically picking out food, clothing and ammunition. Quickly, eyes kept downcast, he paid for his things, then strolled casually back outside. Al figured he could stop for a quick drink before heading out of town, and his mouth began to water at the thought of getting himself a few pints of decent whisky. 

A commotion across the street momentarily drew his attention. It was just enough time for him to miss seeing the other person walking his direction. The young man, also focusing on the scene across the street, plowed right into him, sending Al's supplies tumbling to the dirt. 

Al cursed under his breath as he bent to retrieve them. 

"Oh dear, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't see you. Are you all right? Let me help with that." Slim, uncalloused hands began to scoop up Al's things, making a neat pile of them. 

"Yeah, sure, no problem. I'm fine. Thanks." He buried his annoyance and looked up. His breath caught. Something...something about the earnest, blue-eyed boy tugged at his heart, sparking a pang of recognition in him. But he'd never met this youth before, he was certain of that. Irritated with himself now, he shook off the feeling. Grabbing back his things, he stood and started to walk briskly away. 

"Sir? Um, Sir?" 

Al stopped with a sigh, waiting for the young man to jog up to him. "Yeah?" 

"You, um, you...dropped this as well." He held out a small leather pouch that clinked loudly as the coins inside shifted around. 

"Oh. Thanks." Al juggled his armful of supplies until he could take the pouch, making sure to tuck it securely away. "I'm...rather surprised you returned it. Most wouldn't have." 

"But that would be frightfully dishonest," the boy replied. A grin broke out on his face. "It wouldn't do for the mayor's son to be caught doing anything remotely unsavory," he told Al with a sparkle in his eyes. 

"Ah." Al studied him for a moment, then made as if to continue on his way. 

"Can I buy you a drink or something? To make up for running you down like that? Oh, I'm Willard, by the way." 

Al sighed, then shrugged. "Sure, why not. And it's Al." 

Willard smiled again and strolled next to Al as they headed for the saloon. "We don't get a lot of stranger coming through here," he told Al conversationally. "Still, the sheriff has been sending his deputies on extra patrols ever since that...incident up at Broken Ridge last week. Have you heard about that?" 

Al bit back a groan. "I...may have," he responded, his jaw clenched. 

"Oh, everyone's been talking about it," Willard continued excitedly. "They say it was an entire gang of outlaws, and they stole every last penny in the entire town! Why, they even--" 

"Well, well. What have we here?" 

Al froze at the sound of several guns being cocked. Very slowly, he turned around, groaning inwardly at the sight that met his eyes. 

"Sheriff Creed!" Willard turned his cheerful grin on the foreboding man and his deputies. "Why, I was just mentioning to Al here that--" He broke off, eyes wide as he saw the guns leveled at his companion. "Sheriff Creed?" 

"Back away, Willard. No need to concern yourself here." 

Willard's eyes flickered between the lawmen and Al. "I-I don't understand..." 

The sheriff dismissed him, glaring at Al. "So...Albert Wilcox. We meet again. I assume you remember me?" 

Al glared back just as strongly, giving the man a tight nod. "Creed. Or the Angel of Death, as you were so fondly known among...my sort." 

A predatory grin lit up Creed's face. "And I just *hate* it when scum like you try to avoid your proper fate." 

Willard stood stunned, unable to move. "A-Albert Wilcox?" he breathed in horror. "But you...you...oh dear god..." 

"Now, you just come along quietly, Wilcox, and we'll make this as painless as possible." 

Al cocked his head. "You know, I'd *really* love to, but I just *hate* doing things the easy way." In a lightening move, he flung his armload at the sheriff, distracting him for the crucial second he needed to make his move. One hand went for his gun, drawing it smoothly, while the other reached out to drag Willard in front of him. He calmly pressed the barrel of the gun to Willard's head. "Now," he said evenly, "I do believe Willard here mentioned something about being the mayor's son? Well, I don't suppose the good mayor would take too kindly to having his child's brains splattered all over this street, now would he?" 

Creed snarled in annoyance, and his own weapon wavered slightly. 

Chuckling bitterly, Al began to back up, pulling his captive with him. He positioned himself with his back against the wall of the saloon so no one could sneak up behind him. "Why don't you have one of your deputies be a gentleman and fetch my horse for me?" His finger tightened on the trigger, warning Creed not to try anything stupid. 

Reluctantly, Creed motioned for one of his men to go for the animal. Once it had been brought back, Al nudged Willard into taking the reigns. 

"Now, I want all of you to walk very calmly into the saloon there and have yourselves a drink. Because if I see you coming after me, then..." he rubbed the gun down Willard’s neck. 

Teeth gritted with fury, Creed nonetheless complied, walking stiffly around the building and leading his men inside. 

Quickly, Al holstered his gun and tossed the boy up into the saddle. He swung up behind him and dug his spurs into the horse's flanks. "Now, you behave yourself, and everything will turn our ok for you," Al murmured in Willard's ear as they raced out of town. 



"Damn it." Al glared half-heartedly at his horse. The poor animal was limping pitifully, having picked up a stone that wedged itself into the fleshy part of a hoof. There was no way the nag would be able to carry the both of them any further, even if he could manage to pry the offending object out. 

Eyes narrowed, Al whirled around, pulling his gun and cocking it. "I wouldn’t do that," he warned. 

Willard halted, one foot still in the air from his attempt to make an escape. 

"Get over here." He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for the boy to do as he was told. 

Scowling, Willard trudged back toward his captor. "What?" he muttered sullenly. 

Al unbuckled the saddlebags, tossing them toward him. He snorted in amusement as Willard staggered under their weight. "We have a bit of walking to do," he informed the boy. "Best get started." He motioned for Willard to start moving, following him with weapon still drawn. 

It was only a couple of hours before they came upon a small, rundown shack. Although he didn't like having to stop, he'd started to form blisters that he knew would need to be taken care of. Besides, the boy looked ready to keel over if he didn't get a rest. 

Al ushered Willard into the welcome shade of the building, Almost immediately, Willard dropped the saddlebags with a groan. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor. Al eyed his unmoving form for a moment, then sat and removed his boots. He rummaged through the bags, retrieving some ointment and bandages, which he used to doctor his blisters. Boots on once more, he dug out his canteen and took a deep swallow of the warm water inside. He again glanced at Willard, who was sprawled out on the floor, panting. He chuckled. 

With a groan, Willard rolled over and sat up, grunting painfully. "It's not funny," he rasped out. 

Al rolled his eyes. Wordlessly, he offered his canteen to the boy, who took it and drank, a look of bliss covering his face. Without asking, he tugged off Willard’s boots, causing the young man to start in surprise. 

"What--?" 

Ignoring any protests, Al slathered more of the ointment on the raw, blistered skin of Willard's heels. 

Willard watched as Al sealed stored the container of medicine. "Why did you do that?" he questioned. 

"Why not? Feels better now, don't it?" 

Willard's face twisted into a grimace of anger and hurt. "Why would you care? You're...you're just a thief and a murderer! Everyone in the territory has heard about the things you've done, Albert Wilcox! And you kidnapped me, and dragged me halfway to the next county, and now I'm supposed to be *grateful* to you?" 

Al glared. He snatched his canteen back and, while putting it away, removed a length of rope from his bags. 

Willard gasped and tried to stand, but his tired muscles protested, and he crumpled again. He whimpered as he was callously manhandled against the wall, his hands and feet bound securely. 

Satisfied, Al reclined a few feet away. He saw the boy's mouth open again, and spoke first. "One more word, and I'll cut your tongue out." He ignored the twinge of conscience that informed him he'd do no such thing. 

Not doubting the outlaw would do as he threatened, Willard shut his mouth with an audible click. Glowering at the smirking man, he shifted awkwardly, trying to find a reasonably comfortable position. 

Al tuned out the soft rustling, falling into a light doze. 

It wasn't much later when his eyes snapped open and he bolted upright. "Shit." He crawled over to Willard, covering the boy's mouth with his hand. He listened with growing dread to the noises outside. 

"We know you're in there, Wilcox!" Creed's voice bellowed. "Where's the boy?" 

Willard bit down on Al's hand, managing to free his mouth long enough to yell out a quickly smothered cry for help. 

"Give it up, Wilcox! There's only one way out of that building, and we're here waiting for you!" 

Al cursed as he realized that Creed was right. He hadn't even checked for another exit, and that oversight was about to cost him. He let go of Willard and crept to the door, opening it a crack. 

He ducked, and the bullet that had been fired splintered the wood just inches above his head. Taking a chance, Al returned fire, but his gun was quickly emptied of rounds. There was a lull in the gunshots from outside, and Creed spoke up again. 

"You're out of ammo, aren't you? We found the stuff you bought and left behind. A man like you ought to know better than that." His voice was thick with amusement. "You just come out of there *real* slowly, and we can settle this without any bloodshed." 

Mentally, Al weighed his chances of getting out of this encounter alive. But he knew Creed; after all, there was a reason the man had been given the nickname 'Angel of Death'. Besides, he *was* wanted 'Dead or Alive', and Creed would be able to collect the bounty either way. 

Things didn't look too bright for him. 

He sighed heavily. Well, no one had ever said this was an easy way to make a living. He did have a hostage to use for leverage, though, so perhaps all wasn't lost quite yet. 

Of course, with his luck, Creed wouldn't care and would simply shoot the boy himself, then blame the murder on him. Actually, that was a real possibility, especially since there were no witnesses other than Creed's posse of 'deputies'. 

He glanced over at the trembling boy huddled in the corner of the small shack. Something inside him twisted at the thought of him dying. "Aw, fuck it," he muttered, then crossed the room. 

Willard cringed and squeezed his eyes shut when Al pulled a knife out. He prayed silently, knowing he was about to die. Then he felt a tugging at his wrists, and peeled his eyes open again. 

Al quickly cut through the ropes that bound Willard, and the boy stared at him in complete shock. 

"A-are you going to...to k-kill me?" 

Al snorted. "Nah kid. It'd be a crime in itself to mess up a pretty face like yours. Besides, I may be a murderer, but I ain't never killed children. That's more Creed's style than mine." 

Willard scooted himself farther away from Al, flushing with anger. "I'm not a child!" he snapped. 

"No," Al mused, "I don't suppose you are." He shook his head. Quickly, he checked his weapon again, hoping insanely that more bullets had miraculously appeared in the chamber. No such luck, though. He eyed the door. 

"W-what are you going to do then?" Willard asked timidly, confused by this bewildering reversal of behavior. 

Al shrugged. "Go out there and make the best of it." He grinned crookedly. "It's what I do." 

Willard flicked a glance toward the door, knowing that outside waited several of the best sharpshooters in the county. "If you go out there, you'll die," he whispered, wondering why that notion upset him. 

Again Al shrugged. "Everyone dies sooner or later. Nothing a man can do if his number's up." He steeled himself. "Well, guess this is goodbye, then." He tipped his hat at the boy. 

"A-Al?" Willard timidly crept across the floor toward him. 

"Yeah?" 

"I...I don't think you're a bad sort. Not really." 

Hardly knowing what came over himself, Al knelt in front of Willard. He gently cupped a soft cheek, inhaling sharply as long eyelashes fluttered against his fingers. "You have yourself a good life, kid," he said gruffly. Before he could reconsider, he pulled Willard to him and pressed a fierce, passionate kiss to his lips, tongue darting briefly inside as the boy's lush mouth opened in astonishment. Then, he stood abruptly, turning his back on the wide-eyed boy and striding out the door. 

Willard sat, stunned, his lips tingling. His breath came in whimpering little pants, and he raised a hand to touch lips that felt hot and swollen. 

The sound of multiple gunshots snapped him from his reverie and, with an anguished cry, he jumped up and stumbled from the building. 

It was quiet now, and clouds of dust were settling in the stillness. Willard let out a soft cry when he spotted the bloody, shot-riddled body on the ground. He jumped as a hand settled on his shoulder. 

"You all right?" 

Willard shook Creed's hand off him, and he stepped numbly to where Al lay. He dropped to his knees, startled to hear a gurgling breath come from Al. "Al?" 

Al's eyes flickered open briefly, and he offered up a tortured smile. Gasping out the words, he spoke haltingly, "You make...a...much...p-prettier..." He coughed up a lungful of blood, then continued, "A-Angel of...Death that C-Creed...ever did." A shaking hand rose and ghosted lightly over Willard's lips, then fell limply back to the ground. Al gave one last, shuddering breath. 

Willard felt the tears well up in his eyes. "Al?" he whispered quietly. He sniffled when he got no reply, then gasped as something wrenched inside him. It felt like his very heart had been ripped out. Without knowing why, Willard began to weep. "Al..."l woke, a horrified scream stuck in his throat. He frantically fumbled for the light, then rolled over to face an equally horrified Alex. "Oh god," he whimpered, running his hands desperately over Alex, searching for any trace of injury. 

"I'm ok, I'm ok," Alex panted. 

Wil gave a sob of relief and pressed his face to Alex's chest. "You were...god, you were..." 

"Shhh, I know. It's over now." He clutched the Wil to him, seriously rattled but still trying to offer comfort to his lover. 

"Something's wrong, Alex. Something's really, *really* wrong. An' I don't like it!" He pulled away from Alex, glaring at him fiercely. "And if you *ever* do something that bloody stupid, I'll damned well kill you myself!" 

"I won't leave you, Wil. I *promise*." 

"Yeah. Well, you better not." He sniffled. "What are we gonna do, luv? What...what's happening to us?" 

"It's *got* to have something to so with that spell." Alex ran his hands through his hair nervously, then sighed. "That or we're going crazy." He clambered out of bed, tugging Wil after him. "C'mon, we're going to see Mellie and Dana *now*." 


************
At the knocking on his door, Giles yawned and clambered to his feet. He peered through the peephole, then opened the door, stifling another yawn as the obnoxiously wide-awake group of people filed in. "Excuse the...state of affairs," Giles said as he waved a hand at the people in various states of wakefulness around the room.

It was obvious that everyone had been there for a while. Pizza boxes were stacked in a corner, and the coffee table and surrounding floor were littered with pretzels and other snacks.

Tara and Willow were huddled in a large chair, going through a stack of book on automatic. Their eyes were glazed enough to prove that they really weren't reading much at all. They blinked and gave the four newcomers tired smiles when they finally noticed the intrusion.

Buffy had stopped her mechanical pacing, and was staring at Angel wistfully.

"Buffy," Angel greeted her quietly.

Buffy nodded jerkily. "Angel. It's...good to see you."

Angel shifted awkwardly. "So, where's...um...” He waved a hand.

Buffy gave him a tiny grin. "Riley had to get back to his place. He, um, has some stuff he needs to get done."

"He wanted to avoid me, huh?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Sorry."

"I'll live. Or...not, as the case may be." He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "So, what were you all doing before we came in?"

"Honestly? Sleeping. Or trying to."

"Sorry about the time," Angel apologized. "We got here as quickly as we could." He gave Cordelia a pointed stare.

"What!? I had to pack!"

Wesley rolled his eyes, sharing a long-suffering look with Gunn, who was trying hard not to start laughing out loud at Cordelia's tone of righteous indignation.

"Hey, you plan on dragging me back to *this* town, you better believe I'm gonna pack the essentials!"

"You didn't actually *have* to come," Angel reminded her.

Cordelia snorted indelicately. "Look, I may be a little self-centered, but I want to help Xander as much as the rest of you."

Buffy stared at her strangely. "And why is that? I mean, it's not as if you actually *like* him."

With a frown, Cordelia struggled to explain. "He's...he's...he's *Xander*!" Glaring petulantly at Buffy, she sat down stiffly on the sofa.

"Look guys, all this...discussion is really fascinating, it is, but...hello? That's not why we're here!" Willow glared around the room, daring anyone to argue.

Angel nodded. "She's right."

"Very well." Wesley moved to the center of the room. "Why don't you tell us what you know so far?"

"Short version?" Buffy took up residence in an empty chair. "Anya went to Xander's, found him and all his stuff gone. His dad, who is *seriously* creepy by the way, has no clue where he is. His car was abandoned and impounded, but we have no way of knowing where it was picked up. We've spent the last couple of days showing his picture around town, but so far, no one is talking. *And*, Spike also seems to have mysteriously vanished." As she ticked each point off on her fingers, her expression grew more and more worried.

Willow raised her hand. "Oh! Tara and I stopped by Xander's work, and it turns out he was fired just before his d-disappearance." Her face crumpled as she sniffled softly, and Tara patted her arm, trying to provide some comfort.

Wesley looked around, noting the lack of a certain individual. "Where is Anya, anyway? One would think she'd be quite eager to retrieve Xander."

"Don't know, really. She told us she was going to leave town for a few days, try to get over any impulses for vengeance she might have." Willow frowned slightly. "She thinks Xander did this because he wanted to break up with her, but he would *never* just...go away. Not without telling anyone!"

Angel spoke again. "You're certain Spike has something to do with this?"

Buffy gave him a *look*. "Doesn't he always?"

Angel conceded the point. "Usually, yes." He sighed heavily. "All right, then. If you've had no luck finding Xander, let's focus on locating Spike instead."

"Ok, see, how are we planning on doing that exactly?" Gunn asked as he sat on the arm of the sofa next to Cordelia.

Angel shrugged. "He's got to eat, which means he must be getting blood from somewhere. So, we check out all the sources, find out where he's buying from."

Gunn nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Of course, it might speed things up a little if *someone* could...give us some inside information." He tapped his head and winked at Cordelia.

Cordelia glared back. "It's not like I can *control* it! Trust me, if I could, I'd make sure they were a lot more helpful, and a *lot* less painful!"

Gunn held up his hands. "Woah! Back off, I was just joking! Geez."

Giles stepped in, hoping to stave off the bloodshed that Cordelia's flashing eyes promised. "It's almost sunrise now, and most of us have been up the majority of the night. Perhaps we should all get some sleep and start fresh in the evening. We can reconvene here and decide what to do."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh dear."

"'Oh dear'? What do you mean, 'Oh dear'? 'Oh dear' is *not* good. Alex, tell me she didn't just say 'Oh dear'."

Obligingly, Alex responded, "She didn't just say 'Oh dear'."

Wil groaned and slumped down onto the floor. "You're a pathetic liar, Alex. Shit. This *sucks*!" He glared at Dana. "I thought you were s'posed to be this great and powerful witchy type person. How could you screw this up?" He was shaking slightly now. "So what, we're just gonna go bonkers or something?

Dana gasped. "Oh, no! Of course not! I mean, the spell *did* work...really! It's just...um..."

Alex waited while she searched for the words. "Well? Spit it out!"

"Ok, so, you remember how I said that Kcsterki females are usually pretty powerful magically? Well, um, see...I kinda...” She chuckled nervously.

"You...what?" Alex glared at her coldly. "If Wil gets hurt because of something you neglected to tell us...” He left that sentence hanging threateningly.

"Alex! I'll thank you not to take that tone of voice with my daughter!" Mellie hovered protectively over Dana, hands on hips as she matched Alex glare for glare.

Alex wilted. "I'm sorry, Mellie," he said as he gathered Wil to him. "I just...I can't stand the thought of something happening to him. To *us*."

Dana cleared her throat and inched forward. "Look, *nothing* bad is happening. I just...sometimes have these little...*burps* with my magic. And things end up with a little extra...oomph."

"*Oomph*?" Wil blinked at her hopefully. "So, we're not goin' nutters?"

"Not at all! The spell was just a bit more powerful than I originally intended, and now it looks like you getting...all your memories back. *All* of them." She made sure to emphasize that point.

"What, exactly, do you mean by that?"

Dana settled into an overstuffed chair and wiggled around until she was comfortable. "Everything. You...I dunno, I guess you could call them soul memories...they're all coming back to you."

Alex pondered this. "So were talking, like, reincarnation and stuff?"

Dana nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Those dreams you shared...they're memories of previous lives, other incarnations that your souls, your...spirit essences...have taken on since they existed."

"That's...a lot of memories."

Wil was back to looking worried. "Are you sure our brains aren't gonna explode or something? 'Cause that's a *lot* of stuff that's gonna try to cram itself back in."

"Well, most of it will probably fade, just like normal memories. I mean, *I* certainly don't remember, say, learning to walk or talk. It's natural, really, otherwise we all probably *would* go insane."

Alex shuddered. "Somehow, that wasn't quite as reassuring as I'm sure you intended it to be."

"Oh. Sorry."

Wil picked at a stray thread in the carpet. "So, we have no choice, huh? Can't just get back the normal memories, we gotta take everything."

"Well, not exactly." Dana played with a lock of her hair. "You could get rid of the bundle I left with you. Without that to sustain the spell, your dream memories should stop."

"But then we'd never remember, right?"

"No. Probably not."

"So, it's all or nothing." Alex nodded. With a sigh, he stood and pulled Wil to his feet. "Look, we just...I mean, you know, thanks. For trying. Even if it turned out different then we thought it would."

Mellie sighed sadly. "So, you boys are going to call it quits with the spell?"

Alex shrugged, glancing at Wil. "Dunno. We'll have to talk about it."

"Of course. Sensible of you." Mellie walked them to the door. "Well, good luck with whatever you decide."

"Thanks Mellie." The boys hugged her. "And thanks again, Dana."

When the door closed, Wil practically dragged Alex down the hallway and back into their apartment. Once inside, he slammed the door shut, locking it securely. Then he turned and eyed Alex.

Alex gulped. "Um...Wil? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Wil growled low in his throat. "I thought I'd lost you, Alex. That dream...memory...whatever. It was...*real*. And I thought. You. Were. Dead!"

Alex rushed forward and enfolded Wil in his arms. "It's ok, Wil. I'm here, I'm alive. We're ok, both of us."

Wil shuddered, then relaxed against him. "I need you, Alex," he confessed softly. "Please...I just...I *need* you."

Alex pulled back a little, examining his lover. He nodded. "Yeah," he breathed. "Let's...ummm..." He jerked his head toward the bedroom.

Wil eagerly tugged Alex into the bedroom, then shoved him down on the bed. He crawled up over him, bending down to kiss him forcefully.

Alex groaned into Wil' mouth, arching his body up to press his burgeoning erection against the similarly hardening mound in Wil's pants. He pulled his mouth away briefly and gasped out, "Clothes!" then resumed the kiss, dueling with Wil's tongue as the other man plundered his mouth.

Wil squirmed out of his pants, never removing his lips from Alex's. Not wanting them to part for even the briefest moment, he settled for simply tearing off his shirt. Alex's was next, and he moaned as he pressed against heated flesh.

Reluctantly, Alex removed his hands from where they had wandered on Wil's body. He frantically shoved at his own pants, shoving them down his legs and then kicking them off into the corner. Clad only in boxers, the two writhed against each other, rolling across the surface of the bed.

Wil was in heaven. He was finally getting to touch and taste his fill of Alex, and he was rapidly becoming addicted to the tangy, slightly sweet taste of his skin, the way it felt gliding hotly against him. He kissed his way down Alex's chest, smiling when his lover groaned sharply at the light contact to his nipples. Quickly, Wil bent to taste this new bit of his lover.

Alex whimpered as a cool tongue played over his aching nipples. Teeth nibble softly, making him arch his back in pleasure. He tugged at Wil's head, pulling the vampire up and once more engaging him in a wet, heated kiss.

Wil thrust down on Alex. "Please..." he groaned. "Alex...I...” He thrust again, grinding himself into Alex's heat and hardness.

"Will...yes!" They continued like that for a bit until, frustrated, Alex pushed Wil away from him. He sat up and quickly peeled his boxers off, leaving himself bare to Wil's hungry gaze.

Wil devoured the sight of his naked lover. He too skimmed out of his boxers, then crept back into contact with Alex. Hesitantly, he reached out and stroked Alex's cock.

With a strangled shout, Alex fell back against the bed. He stared wide-eyed at Wil as his lover concentrated on touching him. Cool, exploratory fingers danced down his length, then back up again to circle the leaking head. "Wil!"

Wil was delighted with this part of his lover. There was *no* way he was going back to the previous policy of 'hardly ever look, and rarely touch' that had been established. They had been going slow enough up until today, and now it was time to have fun!

Alex dimly realized he should be doing something for Wil other than lay there passively. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but some reciprocal action would probably be appreciated. He reached up and pulled Wil on top of him.

Wil lost his hold on Alex's cock, and pouted briefly. The pout immediately turned into a satisfied moan when his own aching hardness slid over sweat-slick skin to nestle in next to Alex's. He stared in shock at Alex for a moment, then thrust experimentally.

Alex gasped and clutched at Wil, meeting his lover's wondering gaze as their cocks bumped each other. He rotated his hips, almost whimpering as he stroked against Wil's wiry bush of pubic hair. The sensation was maddening, but so *very* good, and he did it again. Evidently, Wil was liking this too, as he set up his own rhythm.

Soon, the two were grinding against each other in concert, and the room filled with low, husky moans and whispered endearments. The bed began to squeak softly as their movements sped up.

Alex spread his legs further apart, and Wil settled in between them. This pushed their cocks even closer and tighter together, and they each gave a broken cry of delight. Alex watched in amazement as Wil's blue eyes flickered with golden fire. Then, those eyes fluttered shut, and lips were once more descending to meet his. He let his own eyes close and wrapped his arms tight around Wil as they continued to thrust frantically together.

Suddenly, Wil stiffened. He released Alex's mouth and flung his head back. He howled Alex's name as he shuddered, cumming in violent pulses against his writhing lover.

Alex felt the wetness spurt up between them. He gasped and dragged Wil's head back down. The vampire hung onto him lovingly as he kept grinding desperately against him.

Wil laid a series of soft kisses on Alex's face and neck. He was nearly limp with pleasure, but continued to make tiny circular movements with his hips, coaxing Alex on. He reached between their sticky bodies and just barely scratched over the head of Alex's cock with his fingertip.

That simple touch was enough for Alex, and he cried out loudly, clutching Wil tight as he shuddered and came. Then, the room was quiet but for Alex's ragged panting.

It seemed like ages that they lay there, with Wil sprawled out contentedly on top of Alex. Their only movement was the gentle stroking of hands along quivering, sensitive skin. Then, Wil mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "...you were gone."

Alex sighed. "I'm here, Wil," he whispered. "I'm not going anywhere."

Wil kissed him possessively. "Promise me. Promise you won't leave me like that. I...I couldn't stand it."

"Shhh. I promise." He stroked Wil's back. "We're gonna stick, you know," he said with quiet humor.

"Don't care. Stay." Will snuggled in even closer against Alex.

Securely entwined, the two lovers drifted off into a light doze.


****************

Alice shivered as she crossed the room, rushes crackling under her bare feet. She dove onto the bed and quickly pulled the linens up to her chin. "Hurry up, Bella! I'm cold!"

Isabella rolled her eyes, but made short work of putting on her dressing gown. She snuffed out the candles in the room, then joined her sister in bed. The two girls lay comfortably together, sighing happily as their bodies slowly warmed.

Giggling softly, Alice pulled the coverings over her head. With a smile, Isabella ducked under as well. "Guess what?" Alice asked in a whisper.

"What?"

"Father says I have a suitor."

Isabella made noises of appropriate awe. "Who is it?"

"I'm not sure, but I overheard Father telling Mother that if things go well, I might be married by summer. Oh Bella, isn't it ever so exciting? I'll finally get to leave this musty, draughty old castle." Alice sighed dreamily. "I'm sure he'll be handsome, and charming, and absolutely wonderful!"

"Oh, I hope so." Isabella sniffled almost inaudibly.

"Bella? What is it? Why are you crying?"

"I don't want you to go, Alice," Isabella confessed. "If you get married and go away, I'll never see you again!"

Alice pulled her sister into a fierce hug. "Of course you'll see me, silly. Why, maybe my suitor will have a brother or cousin who's looking for a wife too, and then we can both get married and still be together."

"Really?"

"Well, why not? We've always been together." Isabella's voice was determined. "We were born together, and grew up together, and I'm sure that someday we'll even die together."

"You promise?"

"Of course I promise. We're twins. That means we were meant to be together forever. Never, ever parted"

Isabella smiled and gave Alice a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Alice."

"Love you too, Isabella."
*****

Alex opened his eyes to smothering darkness. His hands clawed out, pulling the clinging material away from his face. Beside him, Wil sat up with a distressed sound and began patting himself. After a reassuring glance down at his own body -- masculine, thank whomever -- he sat up as well, reaching out for Wil.

"I was a girl!" Wil exclaimed with something akin to horror. He turned on the lamp and twisted around to stare at Alex. "*You* were a girl!"

Alex shuddered. "I know. It was just another dream...memory. Whatever. We're still us."

"Yeah." Wil heaved a sigh of relief. Then he snickered.

"What?"

"You were *such* a girl!" He clasped his hands over his heart and feigned swooning. "'Oh, he'll be so handsome, and charming, and come sweep me off my feet!' Bloody hell, what would you have done if he'd been an old, balding, toothless git?"

Alex glared. "Easy. I'd have tricked you into trading places with me. You always fell for stuff like that."

"I never! Besides, *you* were the one who got blamed for nicking Mother's embroidery needles when I was the one who lost them. Shows *you* who's dumber."

Alex's jaw dropped. "I *knew* that was you! Mother made me stand in the solar for *hours* and recite Bible pasages because of that. You little bastard!" He yanked a pillow off the bed and whacked Wil over the head with it.

"Ow! Oh, like you never made me take the fall for *your* stuff. Leave off!" He rolled to the side, misjudging the distance and crashing to the floor.

Alex dropped his pillow. "Wil? Are you ok?" He leaned over the edge of the bed to find Wil rubbing his hip with a grimace. He grinned. "I like you like that."

Wil glared up at him. "What, wounded? Pillock."

"No. Naked. And on the floor."

Wil flushed.

Alex watched, groaning, as the faint tinge of color crept up Wil's entire body. Licking his lips, he reached down and hauled Wil back up onto the bed.

Wil blinked as he abruptly found himself sprawled halfway on top of Alex. Then, he flushed even harder. "Um...” He swallowed, his eyes darting around.

"What, bashful *now*? Little late for that, isn't it?" Alex smiled as he ran his fingers through Wil's tousled hair.

"S'pose so." Wil settled against Alex, listening to the soft thumping of his heartbeat.

"You realize what we were doing, don't you?"

Wil snorted. "I may not remember having sex, but yeah, I do think that what we did qualifies."

Alex's body shook as he laughed silently. "No, you idiot! Not *that*! The...just now. We were acting like that dream about us was real."

Wil thought about that. "Well, it was, wasn't it? Maybe a long time ago, but it *did* happen."

"Yeah, but we were being...almost comfortable with it. Like it was no big deal."

"Oh." Wil tilted his head to look at the innocuous little bundle that still hung from the headboard. "So...you think we should keep it? Let our memories come back?"

With a sigh, Alex hugged Wil close. "Can it hurt? I mean, we can always take it down later if we change our minds."

"Yeah."

They lay quietly for a while, neither wanting to disturb this newfound intimacy. Then Alex gave a grunt and shifted away from Wil, scratching his stomach with a frown. He grimaced at the flaky bits of dried fluids that came off. "I need a shower," he told Wil curtly.

"Hmmm." Wil let a hand play over his own stomach. "So do I."

"I call it first!" Alex wiggled away from Wil and out of bed.

"Alex?" Wil grinned lecherously at Alex's body as the other man turned to stare at him inquiringly. "Wouldn't you rather share?"

Alex gulped. "Oh, *hell* yeah."

~~~~~~~~~~

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."


********

update

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, Spike 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. The 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 
snarl 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.


TBC...