%%%

            “I’m ready to go out now, Spike,” a seriously sexy voice crooned in the bleach blonde vampire’s ear, waking him from a fitful doze.

            Brown eyes blinked open to look up into yellow tinged green eyes.  Spike blinked again, waiting for his eyes to focus.  Aliz pulled away, allowing the vampire to get the full effect of her new “look”.  Bleached eyebrows shot up in appreciation.

            Alizelle had forsaken Versace elegance for something in black leather, with a barely there halter top under a high cut jacket.  Black leather pants encased her legs, giving her the appearance of a battle ready biker babe.  Her dark auburn hair, which usually hung limp and loose, was swept back in an artful ponytail.  Light makeup accented an already beautiful face and there was a scent that clung to the half demon’s body that set the vampire’s chilled skin on fire.

            “Nice,” Spike drawled, sitting up and taking another long, appreciative look at his client.  “So what’re you trawling for?  Rich old men or horny young studs?”  As he spoke, he reached for his clothes, but Aliz’s hand stopped him.

            “There are some things for you in the bathroom.  Wear those,” her tone brooked no argument. 

            Spike opened his mouth to complain, but decided he would play along – for now.  In the bathroom, he found a red silk shirt and a pair of black leather pants.  His boots and jacket had been cleaned and oiled to a near mirror shine.  A nasty looking dagger had been affixed to a shoulder harness, which hung from a peg on the bathroom door.  He showered and dressed rapidly, catching a hint of the seductive fever that Aliz was feeling just from the steady beat of heavy rock music that threaded through the apartment.

            When he came out of the bathroom, Aliz gave him a long once over, pursed her lips and said, “You’ll do,” then offered him her arm. 

            Together, they exited the building.  A car was waiting for them below, and Spike helped Alizelle to get in, then climbed in next to her, checking the street before pulling the door closed.

            “Caritas,” Aliz ordered the driver in a soft voice.

            The drive was quick, ending at a large converted warehouse.  There was a long line of people waiting to get in, but Aliz breezed right past them and into the foyer of the club.  To one side, Spike could see a smoke-filled bar housing several species of demon and a human or six.  There was a man sitting on a stool, singing his heart out.  In front of him was a stairway up and to the other side, an elevator. 

            Aliz looked both ways, then grabbed Spike’s tie and dragged him onto the elevator. 

            “Going down,” she purred, sending shivers of sensation up and down Spike’s back.

            When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Spike was ready for anything, or so he thought.  What was revealed was a Mecca of indulgence.  Men, women, demons, vampires, any and all ilk that could gather together were in one room.  Music wove around, along with a myriad of perfumes and musks that all said one thing to Spike: Hunters. 

            The couple eased their way onto the dance floor.  Spike had to stop and gawk a time or six at some of the things he saw.  Things that made even his jaded eyes widen in surprise. 

            Aliz kept a strong hold on Spike’s tie though, and led him through the writhing crowd to a large bar at the center of the room.  Spike didn’t hear what she said to the bartender, but suddenly a smartly dressed little imp came up and began leading them off to another room.

            This was a dining room, with couples and groups seated in secluded tables, and dimly lit by small candles and mage lights.  The booth they were seated in was cozy, barely large enough for the two of them to sit pressed against each other. 

            Spike was just about to say something when another waitperson brought drinks.  A tall glass of O-Poz and something lime green were laid in front of them.  There were crackers on the table and Spike wasted no time in crumbling them into the still warm crimson liquid.  Aliz ignored him, whispering an order to the demon that had brought their drinks.  

            As he finished his blood, a bottle of Harp landed on the table, along with a chilled glass.  A plate of hot wings, a deep-fried onion and cheese-covered potato skins were also set in front of him. 

            The blonde vampire opened his beer and took a swig, then looked at the hearty repast.  Aliz ate from her own plate quietly, enjoying the blend of flavors that the stir-fry she had ordered offered. 

            “Is this some kind of seduction, or what?” Spike finally asked around a mouthful of chicken wing.

            “Eat your dinner, Spike.  I want to dance later,” Aliz replied in a cryptic tone.  Under the table, Aliz’s hand slid up Spike’s leather clad leg, indicating just whom she wanted as a partner.

            One bleached eyebrow skidded upward.  Tonight just might be interesting after all.

%%%

            “Okay, tell me again, why do I let you guys drag me into these things?” Cordelia asked in exasperation as she, Angel, Gunn and Wesley crept through a sludge-lined sewer.  After waking up from yet another one of her brain-busting, stomach-wrenching visions, Angel had determined that only the four of them needed to handle the nest. 

            Vanessa, Elise, Kate and Sarah stayed at the hotel.  The two Sunnydale cops were exhausted anyway, and Angel had seen no reason to wake them.  Sarah was fresh out of rehab – jumping right into battle might not be good for her and it was for that same reason that Angel asked Kate to stay.  The former Seattle detective needed a friend with her just now.

Of course, being a gang of four didn’t make Cordelia too happy about traipsing through the sewers at o-dark-hundred- “I so want hazard pay for this!” she griped, pushing her hair out of her face.

            “Shh!” the three guys shushed her.

            “Oh shh! to you too!” she groused back at them, trying her best to step around several unidentified floating lumps.  She tried hard not to think about what she was stepping on, nor about the skittering noises that had followed the gang since they had dropped down here fifteen minutes ago.

            “Cordy, please, do you want to alert the entire nest that we’re coming?” Wesley whispered harshly into Cordelia’s ear.

            “Sorry!” the brunette seer replied.  “I’m sorry that I’m not the perfect little guerrilla warrioress, unlike some unnamed slayer who shall remain unnamed because she is so in the dog house.”

            “Cordelia!” the three men hissed.

            Cordelia put her hands on her hips, but buttoned her lips. 

            In silence now, the foursome crept along, the only sound the occasional skittering of sewer vermin or the slight shush of fluid.  The water began to drain away as they moved uphill, leaving behind the rank fumes as well.  Soon, Cordelia caught the faintest hint of sea air and let out a huge sigh of relief.  Why they had to travel this way was beyond her.  Really.  It wasn’t as if the sun were still out, and even then, they could just buy a van, and black out the windows, right?  Well, of course the business wasn’t exactly flush, but still, there were priorities, you know?  So what if taking the sewers was faster?  So what if wading through the foulest sludge in the known world was a great way to sneak up on bad guys.  It stunk, and it was so gross, that the young seer knew she would have nightmares about using the bathroom for weeks.

            They exited the sewers as the moon slipped behind some clouds.  In front of them was an old warehouse, windows boarded up and the scent of decay clinging to it like a lover.

 “I am so taking a shower when we get back,” Cordelia exclaimed, getting a whiff of her body.

            Gunn clapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late.  The sound of shattering glass and breaking wood filled the air as two dozen rather irate vampires came outside to play.

            Cordelia tore herself away from the over protective young man and brandished her stake.  One of the vamps, a tall fellow with blue hair and a bright green nose ring grinned at her. 

            “Hey baby, wanna be my dark lover?” he swiveled scrawny hips suggestively, much to the delight and humor of his friends.

            “Oh please!  You couldn’t make a corpse scream,” Cordelia retorted, putting her hands on her hips and giving the vamp a cold shoulder.

            “How about me, baby,” a medium height woman slipped out from behind the tall vamp and looked at the gang with hungry, lazy eyes.  “I could make you sing, baby.”

            Angel sighed.  “Are we done with the posturing and threats, or shall we dance a little more?”  He looked around at the group of vampires, who gave him menacing stares back.  “Okay, then why don’t we get done with the killing and maiming?  I’ve got an appointment with a barber later.”

            The female vampire’s eyes flared a bright yellow and her face morphed.  “You’re an irritation.  I don’t like being irritated.  Please kill him, boys.”

            The others went to game face and attacked.  The female oozed over to Cordelia, reaching for her.  “Come on, beautiful, let me take you away,” she ran a deep red tongue over her fangs seductively.

            Cordelia’s face twisted up to look as though she had just swallowed a live goldfish.  “No thanks.  I’ve already got one girlfriend with issues.  I don’t need a bloodsucker as well.”

            The female vamp made a tsking sound.  “What’s the matter sweetness, you having lady troubles?  Well don’t you worry about that, I will take good care of you, I promise.”  She reached for Cordelia, who spun away and struck out with the edge of her foot, catching the vamp in the shin.  The move was one of the few Faith had taken the time to teach her, and she was pleased that it was effective.

            The vampire howled in pain and looked for backup, but her guys were all busy with Gunn, Wes and Angel.  She snarled and lunged for Cordelia, catching the seer across the shoulder with long, sharp nails.

            “Ow, damn it!  I should warn you, my girlfriend is the slayer!” Cordelia shouted, dancing out of the reach of the vamp.

            That information just brought another snarl as the vampire attacked again.  Cordelia backed up and accidentally tripped over a pile of broken wood.  Without thinking, the seer grabbed one long shard and shoved it up toward the vampire.  As luck would have it, her aim was true and she was showered by dust. 

            “Ew,” she wrinkled her nose and started to brush herself off.  She looked over at the guys, but they were done, brushing their own clothes down.  “Great, now that we’re all done here, let’s go home.  I stink, you stink and that stinks!”

            Once back at the hotel and showered, Cordelia found herself at odds with time.  Wes and Gunn vanished into the library and Angel wandered off to the gym, leaving her to sit at a desk and stare at a blank computer screen.

            She had just finished answering email to Amy, filling her friend in on the happenings here in L.A.  It was nice, Cordelia mused, to have a friend like Amy.  Someone who understood better than anyone else what it was like to have a girlfriend who was also a slayer.  Amy’s delightfully amusing emails were high on the list of what was keeping the seer from going crazy, waiting for Faith to make up her mind. 

            Amy had asked if she wanted the gang to come visit, but Cordelia had said no.  Her love life, even if it was a mess, was not a good enough reason to drag everyone out of Sunnydale. 

            But it sure would be nice to have the company, Cordelia thought, sighing again as the ticking of the clock, the dripping of a faucet and the distant sounds of cars combined to set her teeth on edge.  She hated these hours.  They were the ones that she usually spent bantering with Faith, but since she had thrown the slayer out, she had spent them alone. 

            Restless, Cordelia got up and began walking through the hotel, looking for something to do.  On the third floor, she found one of the unfinished rooms open, and Kate was out on the balcony.  The former detective’s back was to her, her shoulders set and a light breeze ruffling her blond hair as she looked out over the city.

            Cordelia leaned in the doorway and said, “You know, we do have finished rooms with balconies.”

            Kate spun around, nearly losing her balance. 

            “Hey, whoa, don’t you go falling now, okay?  I’d rather not have to explain to Angel why you’re smeared all over the driveway tonight.”  The seer rubbed her eyes and turned to leave.

            “Don’t go,” Kate said softly, stepping into the room after the brunette.  Cordelia stopped.  “You want to,” Kate shrugged slightly, “get a cup of coffee or something?  I’m kind of bored and you …” she broke off, not knowing how to say she felt bad for the young woman. 

            “I’m about as useful as a bucket in a sandstorm?” Cordelia finished with a wry grin.

            “I didn’t say that,” Kate immediately said, crossing the room all the way.

            “I know, I did,” Cordelia responded cheekily.  “I know that I’ve been kind of rattling around here like a stray something, and I know that’s driving the guys crazy.  So when I saw you, doing the stray something thing, I thought maybe you might want to talk, or something.”

            Kate smiled, her first genuine smile for the seer, and said, “As long as there’s coffee, I’m game.”

            Cordelia indicated the stairway.  “Coffee’s this way, Mac Duff,” she said lightly.

            It wasn’t too much later when both women were curled up in the office on a couch, drinking cups of hot coffee and sharing a package of super chocolate chunk cookies.

            Cordelia dipped her cookie and delicately nibbled off the moistened portion.  Kate watched her, fascinated, then soaked her whole cookie and slurped it down.  Cordelia’s nose twitched as she forced herself not to wince over the former detective’s manners. 

            “So, what happened with Faith, anyway?” Kate finally asked, after eating three more of the crunchy cookies.

            Cordelia set her cup aside and drew her knees up to her chest.  “We had a fight.  Or rather, I had a fight.  Or, well, I got mad at her because of that nest she took out.”

            “The one where she got stabbed?” Kate intuited.

            “Yeah, that one.  It wasn’t so much that she got hurt, because God knows the woman can’t walk outside some days without stubbing her toe, I mean, hello, Slayer, and clumsy?  Who’d of thought?  But anyway, so, I’m like, Miss Graceful compared to Faith.  So she’s always got some bruise or other, and that’s okay, because she happens to heal fast.  Slayer thing, again, you know,” Cordelia explained.  The words seemed to fly from her, as if they had been caged and Kate’s mild interest suddenly set them free.

            Kate nodded, feeling as though a large truck had struck her.  Yet she could also tell that the secretary needed to talk.  She took a sip of coffee and said, “So you had an argument.  What happened then?”

            “Well, I had just gotten so tired of her always running off to get hurt without even bothering to ask if I gave a damn whether or not she was risking her skin!  I mean, hello!  What are Wesley, Gunn and Angel for, if not backup?  Come on, and trying to get her to teach me some slayer fu wasn’t working, either.  But that might,” she stressed the word, “might be because I wasn’t such a good student, either.  I’m good with the balance thing; it’s the actual hitting something with my bare skin thing.  You know some of those demon things are like ick, and I don’t want to get anything on me that might do damage.  I worked long and hard to have this skin and I want to keep it thank you very much!  But anyway, so I tell her that she’s not thinking about us, and about how I want tomorrow, because I do.  I am so over that, ‘let’s just have casual sex, babe’ stuff.  I’m ready for the settle down and plant daisies thing, really.”  Cordelia clapped her hand over her mouth and giggled nervously.  “And boy, do I talk to much,” she added softly.  “So… tell me something, Kate.”

            “What?” Kate asked, surprised by the question.

            “Oh, anything.  You know, let’s do that open up and girl talk thing, so I don’t feel like I’ve just told you my life’s story.  Come on, there’s gotta be something in that cop head of yours that you want to talk about with another woman,” Cordelia cajoled.  “I can paint your toenails,” she added, jumping up and running over to the desk.  She pulled out a makeup bag that contained at least a half dozen bottles of nail polish.  “See?” she held up the bag.  “We’ve got, mocha storm, raspberry red, luscious lavender, passion pink, really red, and my favorite, crimson fire.”

            “Uh, Cordelia, I don’t think –“

            “Nonsense!  Take off your shoes and socks.  I’ll get a washcloth,” Cordelia vanished into the bathroom. 

            Before she realized what she was doing, Kate had a foot in the seer’s lap, where it was being delicately washed.  “You have nice feet, Kate.  You must have taken care of them when you were a cop, because you’re not flatfooted, like my uncle.”

            “I didn’t walk a beat long,” Kate said in an odd tone as Cordelia first filed, then buffed her toenails.  She had to fight back giggles when the seer passed a dry towel between her toes.

            “Now hold still,” Cordelia’s tongue slipped out as she carefully applied the first coat of polish.

            “You’re really into this girly stuff, aren’t you?” Kate asked as Cordelia applied polish to her toes.

            Cordelia looked up at the cop, whose cheeks were slightly red.  “Why yes, Miss Butch of the week, I am.  In fact, I’ll have you know that Faith lets me do her nails all the time.  Of course, I use clear polish for her, but after the first time I got scratched up by her – shutting up now.”  Now it was Cordelia’s cheeks that were flaming as she bent her head down to resume her task.

            The room suddenly went silent, broken only by the faint scraping sound of the polish brush and the whish of the overhead fan.  Kate’s gaze had strayed over to the stairway that led to the second floor, where she had shown Sarah a room she could sleep in earlier.

            Cordelia, focused on her task of coloring the former detective’s toes a perfect raspberry red, jumped when Kate spoke again.

            “When did you know?” Kate asked softly.

            “Shit!” Cordelia cursed when she looked down to see the streak of red polish that raked across Kate’s foot.

            Kate laughed when she saw the mark.  “It’s not that bad, Cordy,” she said, through her laughter.

            Cordelia gave her a hard look and harrumphed.  “Maybe not to you, Miss Butch, but that ruins my longest perfect polish streak ever!”

            Kate tried to stop laughing, but Cordelia looked so comical, that before she knew it, she was doubled over, helplessly laughing so hard that tears streaked down her cheeks.  “Oh Cordy, if you could only see yourself,” Kate said as Cordelia’s face just got darker and darker with frustration.

            The seer rolled her eyes and groaned.  “Shut up!  And don’t call me Cordy.  I hate that.  It’s so… so Sunnydale High School.  I’m Cordelia, damn it!”

            Kate stared at Cordelia.  She had never even considered the fact that Cordy-Cordelia-she reminded herself, would want to be called something other than what Angel and company tagged her with.  Though, if she thought about it, she had never heard Faith call the secretary “Cordy”. 

            “I’m sorry, Cordelia.  I wasn’t aware that you disliked your nickname,” Kate said apologetically.

            Cordelia shrugged and started cleaning the polish off of Kate’s foot.  “It’s okay.  It’s just that I feel like such a kid.  My parents call me Cordy.  I want my friends to treat me like an adult, even if I don’t always act like one,” she said, grinning suddenly.  “Hey, how do you like the color?”

            Kate looked down at her bright red toes.  “It’s… different,” she drawled.

            “Oh yeah, you are so Miss Butch.  This is a gorgeous color on you, Officer.  It does wonders for your toes, which are quite nice, I might add.  But not as nice as Faith’s.  Yours are kind of short, whereas hers are long and I’m talking too much again, aren’t I?  Didn’t you have a question, somewhere back before I started babbling like Willow?”

            Kate’s smile trickled away, leaving behind a serious pensiveness that might have worried Cordelia if she wasn’t used to seeing the detective in a perpetual gloomy state.  “I, oh, never mind.  I think I should get some sleep,” Kate started to get up, but Cordelia stopped her with a hand on her leg.

            “Please stay.  I’m not tired yet and if you leave me here all by myself I’m going to start freaking out about Faith and I can’t do that right now because if I do,” Cordelia took a big breath, “I’ll just burst!”

            A smile quirked the corners of Kate’s mouth.  “Well, we can’t have that, can we?  I don’t think I want to be washing Cordelia bits off of the office all day tomorrow.”

            Cordelia mock glared at the other woman, and crossed her arms over her chest.  “That’s so gross, Kate.  Now, what is it you wanted to know?” she asked, oozing sincerity, though her demeanor was still one of irritation.

            Kate looked around the room, picked at the fabric of the couch and finally sighed.  “How – how did you know, about Faith, I mean?”

            Cordelia turned the former detective’s question over in her mind a few times before saying, “I’m not quite sure what you mean.  Are you talking Slayer stuff, or …?”

            Kate slumped down in her seat.  “Well, since there isn’t another slayer around here, I think we can pretty much assume the ‘or’ part.”  She took a deep breath and looked the secretary in the face.  “Are you a lesbian, Cordelia?”

            “Now that’s about as out of left field as a question can be and still have come from this planet,” Cordelia blurted in response.  Kate continued to look at her, making the seer squirm in her seat.  Finally, Cordelia sighed in exasperation.  “You probably know that I dated guys, right?  I mean, you’ve hung with the Scoobies, you have to know that I was with Xander.”  Cordelia’s eyes saddened slightly when she mentioned the young man’s name.  “And I had plenty of other boyfriends in high school.”

            “And?” Kate knew that Cordelia wasn’t finished yet, not by the way the other woman was rubbing her forehead contemplatively.

            “And I even dated for a while here in L.A.,” Cordelia chuckled and absently rubbed her stomach.  “At least until one of the guys I was with decided to impregnate me with the seed of a demon.  Then it was celibacyville for Cordelia.  I can’t even begin to describe how ‘ew’ that made me feel.  Anyway, you don’t care about baby demon spawn, do you?”

            “Only if I’m trying to fight them,” Kate said absently, distracted by the sound of footsteps upstairs.  Her gaze drifted upward and she saw Sarah wander down to the kitchen, then return upstairs with a can of soda.  God, she is so… Kate studied the way Sarah moved.  The brunette moved lithely, her feet carrying her with a sleepy grace that everything to do with years of martial arts training as well as something natural and undeniably “Sarah”. 

            Cordelia watched Kate watch Sarah and came up with six.  “You like Sarah, don’t you?” she asked softly, not wanting to embarrass the former detective.

            Kate’s ears turned bright pink.  Her tongue cleaved to the roof of her mouth as it went dry.  She felt her heart rate kick into high gear and could only manage a tiny nod in response to Cordelia’s innocent question.

            “I don’t know if I’m gay, a lesbian or Anne Heche,” Cordelia said seriously.  “But I do know that I care about Faith, and that every time I’m with her, she makes me feel more than any other person ever has.  And that’s really all that matters.”

            “Oh,” Kate couldn’t really think of anything else to say. 

            Cordelia stood up and stretched.  “How about a refresher on that coffee, Mac Duff?”

            “Sure,” Kate absently handed the cup up to Cordelia, who walked over to the pot and filled both cups. 

            After handing the former detective her coffee, Cordelia paced around the room.  “You know, right now, you’re going to be confused.  You’re probably feeling kind of strange – like parts of you don’t even belong to you anymore.  And that’s partially true.  But, if you take it easy and let things happen however they will, you’ll be just fine.”  You’d do well to listen to your own words, Chase, Cordelia told herself as she watched Kate digest what she had said.  After all, you are the one that’s been pushing Faith to get you a ring.  Or something, anything to prove that she wants more than just great sex with you.

            “I don’t even know if, what, I’m doing,” Kate’s hands fluttered nervously in her lap.  “I’m going crazy.  I feel like I’m stuck in the middle of a gun fight with a pop gun and a sling shot for weapons.”

            Cordelia chuckled.  “Well, that’s a first.  Miss Butch is human after all.”  The seer smiled gently.  “When Faith and I first got together, all I could do is freak myself out over it.  I mean, the Powers know that I, Cordelia Chase, never wanted to be gay.  Labels belong on clothes, and I like Versace, Dolce and Gabana and Fredericks, and not necessarily in that order.  But… gay?  Me?  I think I had six nervous breakdowns after the first time Faith kissed me.”

            “It didn’t seem that way,” Kate mumbled.  “How come I’m telling you all this, anyway?”

            “Girl talk, Mac Duff.  You’re starved for it.  You’ve never done the slumber parties with hairstyles, giggling and spin the bottle before, have you?” Cordelia asked, twirling a finger in her hair.

            Kate gaped at the secretary.  “No, don’t think so.  I mean, dad never said I couldn’t, but you know, I didn’t have a whole lot of girl friends in school.  Somehow I doubt my father would have been pleased by a co-ed slumber party.  And I know that my guy friends wouldn’t have been into the whole make up thing.”

            “Not unless you went to school with Ru Paul,” Cordelia quipped, yawning at the end of her statement.  She looked at her watch and smiled sleepily.  “Hey, what do you know, it’s almost five a.m.  Guess I can get some sleep after all.”

            She stood up and gathered her things, cleaning up the tiny mess made from nail polishing and munchies efficiently.  She yawned again and said, “I hope you don’t mind, Kate, but I am really tired now.  But, and this is probably the only time you’ll hear me say this - I enjoyed our chat.  I know that things will come clear for you, and if they don’t, well, I’m not a fortune teller!”

            Kate stood and stretched, running her hands through her platinum blonde hair as she did.  “Thanks,” she said drolly.  She looked down at her feet and shook her head at the garish clash the bright red nail polish had with the paleness of her skin.  “I guess I’ll just go find an empty room and crash.  See you tomorrow night.”

            The two women went their separate ways.  Kate ascended the stairs and wandered up and down the halls, attempting to make a decision on which room she wanted to sleep in, but could not make the choice.

            She was about to head back downstairs and sleep on the couch in the office when a door opened up.

            “Kate?” Sarah’s voice carried softly down the hall.  “Is that you?  Why are you still up?”

            Kate stopped and looked back over her shoulder.  Sarah stood in the hallway, dressed only in a man’s white tank top and a pair of loose fitting boxers.  Streetlights cast the hall in shadows, hiding Sarah’s face, but Kate could hear the stress in her friend’s voice. 

            She turned around fully and took a step toward Sarah, worried.  As she approached, she noticed that her friend’s shirt was soaked through with sweat.  “Yeah, Sar, it’s me.  I was just about to crash.  You doing okay?”

            Sarah looked down the hall at her friend.  She wanted so badly to say, “no” and have Kate come up and hold her close.  She remembered the feeling of the former detective’s arms around her.  That was the only good memory of the aftermath of Michiko she had.  Sarah was attracted to Kate.  She had been since their academy days when Kate’s single-minded drive and determination had carried her to the head of their class. 

            “Sarah?” Kate stepped closer still, until they were within touching distance.  Now she could see that Sarah was shaking.  Tiny tremors disturbed the peace of her friend’s body.  Dark circles under blue eyes spoke of Sarah’s sleepless night.  Kate Lockley was not, by nature, a touchy-feely person, but Sarah Matthews had always brought out the need to comfort with some small gesture or touch.  Tentatively, Kate held out her arms and Sarah collapsed into them, the tremors now full blown quakes as exhaustion took its toll. 

            They stood in the hallway, embraced, until Kate said gently, “Let’s get you to bed,” and then walked her friend into the room.

            It didn’t take long for Kate to tuck an exhausted Sarah into bed.  The smaller woman had not let go of her though, so she ended up lying on top of the covers while Sarah snuggled up against her side.

            What the hell am I doing, here? she asked herself silently, as Sarah drifted off into a deep sleep. 

            Sarah moved in her sleep, dropping her hand down onto Kate’s stomach.  Kate watched in shocked fascination as sleeping fingers gently stroked her belly.  Chills skittered up and down her spine and she was almost ready to jump out of the bed when Sarah sighed happily, patted Kate’s stomach once and fell into an even deeper sleep.

            Kate’s skin still tingled, and yet, when she actually thought about getting up, every muscle in her body seemed to cramp at once.  Slowly, Kate dropped her hand down to cover Sarah’s, and drifted off to sleep.

%%%

            “Everything seems okay,” Elise yawned into the phone again as Vanessa snuggled up against her.  The two detectives were in the room that Angel had graciously given them to stay in.  Vanessa had fallen asleep immediately, but Elise had decided to make good on a promise.

            “You’re sure?” Rupert Giles’ cultured, British accent flowed through the cell phone’s tinny speaker and into Elise’s ear.

            “Mmhm, they went out hunting earlier, but everyone came home fine,” she blinked, stifling another yawn.  “Faith’s still AWOL, but everyone assures me that it’s temporary.”

            “Well, that does concern me – is there any chance you can stay until she returns?” he asked softly.

            “Can try.  Captain might give us a few more days off.  If not, I’ll ask Kate to keep her eyes open and give us a call when the kid shows up, okay?” Elise said muzzily.  She was losing her battle to Morpheus.

            “All right, I’ll settle with that for now,” Giles said.  “Good night, Detective.”

            “’Night, Giles.”  Elise had just enough presence of mind to shut off the phone before dropping into a deep sleep.

%%%

            Faith woke up to find herself coated in sand and a blanket made of some light, gray fabric.  Time had not seemed to pass, as it was still night and Gran was still sitting on the edge of the lake, watching over the dark haired slayer. 

            The slayer stood and stretched, shaking to knock free the major clumps of sand on her body.  “How long?” she asked groggily, but Gran only smiled.

            “Here,” the older woman said, offering up a simple wooden cup of water.   Faith drank deeply, then nearly spit out the liquid.

            “Gah! What’s in this stuff?” she gagged, sniffing the cup.  Suddenly, the world went all funky and she found herself falling into the lake, unable to stop herself.

            Shit! was all she had time to think, as even her tongue betrayed her by refusing to work.

            The water was cold, but not as cold as it had been the day before, which was strange to Faith.  However, she had a lot more on her mind than water thermodynamics.  Such as breathing.  Her arms and legs were as frozen as her tongue and she was starting to starve for air.

            “Well, well, well.  Look at how the mighty have fallen,” a snide, British accent tinged voice said.

            Faith’s head drifted to the right.  There, standing in the water as if it were nothing, was Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, her former watcher.  His face was battered and bleeding.  There were numerous cuts and bruises all over his body, including one gaping wound in his shoulder.  She knew every single one of those wounds.  She had put them there, as carefully as if she had been painting a masterpiece of art.

            She tried to struggle, to break free of whatever magicks held her bound, but all she could do was manage to shake her head weakly.

            “How’s it feel to be on the receiving end, Faith?  How does it feel to be helpless and dying?” Wesley purred nastily.

            Faith wanted to shout, to scream her apologies at him.  How many times was she going to have to say she was sorry to the man before he got it?

            “How many times have you forgiven yourself, Faith?” a soft voice she did not recognize said.

            “What?” Faith blurted, inhaling a lungful of water at the same time.  She tried to choke, and then found that strangely, she could breathe easily.

            A child-like shape created of water and shadow stepped out from behind the accusing form of Wesley.  “I said, Faith, how many times have you forgiven yourself?”

            “Never,” Faith gasped, forcing herself to stare at her handiwork.  “I could never forgive myself for what I did to him.  He didn’t deserve my hate; he should have had my respect.”

            The watery shape solidified some, gaining some distinguishing details.  Skin tone, dark with summer’s tan.  Long, wavy hair, highlighted red layered over a darker brown.  Purple, green, and blackly yellow splotches began to appear on the child’s body. 

            Faith tried to reel away in horror as the wounds began to echo the ones on Wesley.  Blood began to flow weakly from a newly formed nose.  The scent of burnt flesh washed through Faith’s body as tiny burn marks began appearing all over the child’s body. 

            “No,” Faith cried weakly, trying to close her eyes, to block out the sight of memory made real.  “I can’t.  I can’t see this,” she sobbed, fighting against her invisible bonds.

            “You have to Faith,” the girl said in her child-like voice.  “You have to remember and then forgive yourself.  It wasn’t your fault.  You didn’t make her do it.”

            “Why didn’t she love me?” Faith whimpered, finally falling to her knees, landing on soft sand.

            “Oh mommy, you didn’t love me why didn’t you love me?  You made me hate, mommy.  You taught me how to hurt someone in ways that no one should hurt.”  Faith screamed out her anger and hurt, hearing her own voice echo around the lake.

            Tears streamed from her face as she looked down into the lake and watched as the form of Wesley rose from the water.  As her former Watcher and now co-worker broke free, his wounds vanished, replaced by the clean, handsome features she had grown to respect.

            “I’m so sorry, Wes,” Faith said hoarsely.  “Please forgive me,” she added, looking down at her feet.

            Wes stepped away from the water, touching down on the land.  At first, his face was filled with wonder and curiosity.  As a Watcher, he had been trained to recognize the lands of Faerie, but he never thought he would be invited in.  Not especially since he no longer worked for the Council. 

            Hearing Faith’s tortured, tear filled words was both a balm, and a wound to his heart.  How could she think, after all this time, that he still harbored a grudge?  The answer came from deep inside.  Because I did, until now.  Seeing her naked, weakened body and hearing the pride completely gone from her voice did something to ease the final shadows of the wounds.

            “Faith,” he called softly to her, reaching a hand out. 

            Faith looked up, a hint of fear crossing her face.  Slowly, she stood, not even bothering to draw the forgotten blanket up around her body. 

            Wes took a step toward Faith, his feet crunching solidly in the sand.  Faith’s jaw dropped.

            “You made a sound!” she blurted, looking over at Gran, who nodded imperceptibly.  “You… are you here?  I mean, really?  You’re not just a vision?”

            Wes replied, “I should think I’m here.  I feel here.  Am I here?”  He looked around, not seeing Gran, who was invisible to him.

            Faith turned and looked at her ghostly mentor.  “Is he here?  For real?  Like, he’ll remember what I tell him when I go home?”

            “I suspect that he is dreaming, so yes, in a way, he is really here, Faith,” Gran replied softly, not wishing to call attention to herself.

            “Who are you talking to, Faith?” Wes asked, reaching out to pick up the blanket and drape it modestly around the slayer’s shoulders.

            “A friend,” Faith replied, smiling slightly. 

            “Ah, well, I’m glad you have a friend in this place, Faith.  It is very dangerous here,” he said, sitting down on the dry sand. 

            Faith sat down next to him, finding the small pile of rocks Gran had made earlier.  She picked one up and tossed it at the lake, smiling as it neatly skipped twice.

            “Nice, let me try,” Wes said, searching around until he located a nice, flat stone.  He stood and gauged, then let the rock fly, letting out a cheerful whoop when the rock skidded across the surface four times before sinking.

            “Not bad, English,” Faith said, echoing Gunn’s pet name for their research specialist.  She scooped up another rock, stood and hucked it.  Six satisfying skips later, she turned and flashed him a winning smile.

            “Is this a challenge, Miss Faith?” he smiled, knowing that it was.

            “Oh yeah, let’s go!”

            Hours might have passed as she and Wes skipped rocks, talked softly of inconsequential things and generally began to feel comfortable in each other’s presence.  Finally, when all the flat rocks, and most of the rounded ones, were gone, Wes turned to Faith and said, “Faith, I thought that I had been able to forgive you the abuse you heaped on me…”

            Faith’s shoulders drooped and her eyes immediately sought the ground at her feet.  “I know.  You can’t forgive me.  It’s okay, English.  I’ll… I’ll try not to get in your way too much.”  She turned away and began walking back up the beach toward Gran.

            “No, Faith, wait!” Wes called out, running to catch up to her.  He put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.  “You didn’t let me finish,” he said, when she turned to look at him.  “I forgive you, Faith.  It’s the past, now.  Let’s focus on the present.  Friends?” he held out a hand.

            Faith looked down at the man’s hand, remembering the fingers she had broken, remembering the sound of the bones as they crunched between her hands, and then looked up into Wes’ clear brown eyes.  There was no hint of fear, or hatred there, not like there had been so many times before.  All that remained was honest concern and the offer of friendship.

            Slowly, almost disbelievingly, Faith took his hand, shaking it softly.  “Friends,” she said, her voice catching in her throat.

            The sun began to rise.  Wes smiled and began to fade away. 

            “Wait!” Faith called, trying to halt time.  “Tell Cordelia that I love her, please!”

            Wes said something, but Faith couldn’t hear it.

            “What?” she shouted.

            Faintly, she heard, “Tell her yourself!”

            “I wish I could.  Oh sweet cheeks, I wish I could,” Faith whispered softly.

%%%

            Xander wrapped his arm around Anya and pulled her in for a sticky, cotton candy kiss.  “Mm, bubble gum sugary goodness, just what my honey should always taste like,” he mumbled into her lips.

            She giggled and took another bite of the rapidly dwindling confection.  Xander’s mouse ears were slightly askew, and her own drooped down onto her forehead dangerously.  “I am having so much juvenile type fun, Xander.  This is the Magic Kingdom.  There are many brightly colored objects with which to distract me,” she said, looking around the Tomorrowland entrance.

            Xander smiled winningly.  “So how about going on Space Mountain with me, babe?” he offered cheekily.

            After the Matterhorn, Anya had loudly declared that she would never, ever, get on another one of what she called a “gravitational torture device” again.

            Anya smacked her boyfriend in the stomach, causing him to let out a soft “whoof” of air.  “No!  I am not going to allow you to drag me into one of those modern day hellrides again.”

            Xander made puppy face at her.  “Please?” he begged softly, bumping her hip with his.

            “No,” she said, but those big brown eyes were having an effect on breaking her resolve.

            “Please,” he said again, in a much deeper tone, dipping his head down and pursing his lips in a perfect pout.  “It gets so nice and dark…” he added, nudging her again.

            Anya wound some of the pink spun sugar on her finger and stuck it in her mouth, sucking on it contemplatively.  She enjoyed this game.  Xander looked so delicious when he was begging.  It was almost time to take him back to their hotel and go on some really wild rides.  But… perhaps just one more roller coaster, for his sake.

            “Oh, all right.  But if I vomit, there will be no nookie later,” she promised harshly.

            “I swear on my honor as a Scooby, there will be no chucking of up,” Xander raised his hand and said sincerely.

            They stood in line for about twenty minutes, and then got into their seats.  Xander was right.  She didn’t puke.  She didn’t like the ride, but she didn’t hate it, either.  Especially after he started kissing her so sweetly when the lights went out.

            As they walked toward the exit, Anya looked behind her and made a disturbed sound.  “Xander, there’s a giant mouse following us.”

            Xander glanced and laughed.  “Hon, that’s just Mickey.  He’s probably heading over there,” he pointed over to a door that said, “Employees Only” in bright blue letters.

            They continued toward the exit, and Anya continued to watch Mickey.  “He’s still following us,” she said out of the side of her mouth.  “What if he’s not really Mickey?  What if he’s some kind of demonic impersonator that ate Mickey and now he’s looking for his next meal?”

            “An…” Xander said, trying not to laugh at his easily irritated girlfriend.

            “Really, Xander.  Just because we’re not in Sunnydale doesn’t mean we left all the bad things behind.  There are more places than the Hellmouth that draw demons.  Disneyland is a big favorite.  Lots and lots of wonderful things for a demon type to get a real craving for.  Like ex-demons and their hunky boyfriends.  We should call Buffy,” she said worriedly.

            “Honey, relax.  Look, he’s probably just going over to the snack bar, okay?  Mickey Mouse gets hungry too,” Xander said reassuringly.

            Anya gave him a long look, trying to see if he was making fun of her, but his eyes remained serious.  “Okay, but, if I wake up tomorrow as mouse doo, I’m never speaking to you again.”

            “Yes, dear,” Xander said, kissing her on the cheek.

            They reached the exit, and the Mickey was still behind them.  Finally, Anya could not take it anymore.  She turned around and said in a clear tone, “You, mouse thing, shoo!  Go away.  I am not tasty, or delicious.  My hunky boyfriend is mine and all mine.  Now go away, shoo!” she fluttered her hands at the thoroughly confused actor, who was just turning away to meet up with the woman who wore the Minnie suit.

            Satisfied that she had deterred whatever demon lurked under the plastic and polyester, Anya took Xander’s hand and pulled him out of the exit.

%%%

            “I’m so proud of you, honey,” Tara whispered into Willow’s ear as her fingers danced over the ties to the hacker’s shirt.  She was very happy that Willow and Anya had seemed to bury the hatchet.  It meant more time could be spent doing other, more interesting things.

            Willow grinned and kissed her lover’s chin.  “Yeah?  I did good?”

            Fingers slipped in and began to paint mesmerizing patterns over bare flesh.  “Oh yeah, very good,” Tara whispered, kissing Willow softly.

            “I guess I should be a good girl more often, then,” Willow said, moaning as Tara’s fingers found a particularly sensitive spot.

            “Maybe,” Tara drawled, then covered Willow’s lips with her own, forestalling any further talk.

%%%

            “I still wanna go to Disneyland,” Buffy pouted from the bed while Amy sat at her desk, working on her homework.

            Amy looked up at her lover and smiled softly.  “You have such a one track mind, love.”

            Buffy took hold of Mr. Gordo, her favorite stuffed animal and nuzzled his pink nose.  “But… it’s the Magic Kingdom.  The land of the happy and the carefree.  I want to be happy and carefree!  I don’t want to be the big bad slayer all the time.  Boring!”

            Amy set her pen down and walked over to the bed, taking Mr. Gordo from unresisting fingers.  “Honey, I know.  And, I promise, I will take you to Disneyland soon, okay?”

            “Just you and me?” Buffy asked, reaching out and grabbing hold of Amy’s waistband.

            “Uh-huh, just you and me,” Amy replied, letting her gentle smile widen. 

            Buffy pulled the student down onto the bed beside her.  “And we can stay overnight?  No patrol?  Just you,” she touched Amy’s chin, trailing her finger down the skin to the open collar of her shirt.  “Me, and a room all to ourselves?” she ended in a whisper, dragging her hand over to cup a soft breast.

            A raggedly inhaled breath answered her.

%%%

            Faith watched the sun rise and wished she could share the moment with Cordelia.  She thought her sometime actress, sometime secretary, full time seer of a former girlfriend might enjoy the absolute peace and beauty of the Faerie valley in the morning.

            “You are so full of yourself, you know that Faith?”

            Faith shrugged.  “Yeah, I know.  Hey Buff.  You decide to come by and give me shit, too?”  She glanced sidewise to see the blonde slayer grin wickedly.

            “Nope, just here to deliver this,” she kicked Faith in the butt, hard.  “And to remind you that today isn’t everything.”

            “Ow,” Faith said, rubbing her bottom where the other slayer’s foot had connected.  “I suppose I deserved that,” she said, grinning in remembrance.

            “You sure as hell did, now drag your ass out of that pity party and go finish what you came here for.  You’ve got a lot waiting for you at home, little missy,” Buffy admonished seriously.

            “Yes, ma’am!” Faith mock saluted her … what was Buffy to her, anyway?  “Hey B, we friends?” she called out before the other girl could leave.

            Buffy smiled at the dark haired slayer.  “You bet, Faith.  We don’t try to kill each other anymore.”

            Faith laughed.  “Okay, B.  Thanks.  Um, you know, I never did tell you how much I’m glad I didn’t kill you, you know?”

            “I know.  I’m just far too likable for you to kill me, Faith,” Buffy said, and then vanished.

            Faith shook her head, chuckling softly.  “Well, guess she was busy or something.  Who’s next?”

            “Hey stranger.  Got time for me, or am I just an inconvenience in your all too busy schedule?”

            “Cordelia?” Faith lifted her head to see her former lover standing not more than two feet away, arms crossed and one foot tapping the sand impatiently.

            “We have name recognition, folks.  It’s a miracle.  Holy hallelujah and praise whatever!” Cordelia said disdainfully.

            The words twisted in Faith’s stomach, making her ache even more for the beautiful brunette. 

            “You… you changed your hair,” Faith said dumbly, cursing herself for not saying what her heart was screaming.

            A hand snaked out to touch a mop of hair that now rested at shoulder level.  Fingers separated out a blonde highlighted streak.  Tears crept down golden cheeks.  “Took you long enough to notice,” Cordelia said in a whisper so soft, Faith had to strain to hear.

            Memory flooded Faith’s mind.  “Oh God,” the slayer whispered as she realized that Cordelia’s hair had been that way for nearly two weeks before she had been kicked out of the house.  She buried her face in her hands.  It had been that long since she had really looked at her lover, really seen beyond the fierce need that overcame her after a long night’s hunt. 

            Faith felt her legs give way, but she didn’t care, accepting the sharp pain as her ass hit the earth.  “I am.  Such.  A shit,” she declared brokenly, pulling her knees up to her chin.

            “Well, now that just takes all the fun out of my carefully planned and well thought out diatribe.  Damn you, Faith!” Cordelia spat nastily. 

            The dark haired slayer said nothing, just kept her eyes focused on a tiny shell that sat just inches beyond her toes.

            “Don’t you care, Faith?  Doesn’t it matter to you that I love you?  Doesn’t it mean anything that I want to spend every day, waking up and seeing your face?” Cordelia shouted.

            The words rained down around Faith and hit the sand, shattering almost visibly.  Faith closed her eyes and started to rock.

            “Damn it all to hell and back, Faith!  You made me love you and now you can’t even look at me?  You can’t even let me into your life as more than a cheap whore?  Is that all it ever was?  Fucking?  Sex?  Well fuck you, Faith.  Fuck you very much.” 

            The seer turned and walked away, leaving Faith to stare at the insides of her eyes.

            Cordelia was sleeping.  Her long brown hair was tangled; spread over the pillow like the old shawl Faith remembered her grandmother used to wear.  Her lips were pursed, as if waiting for a kiss to descend and grace them, but Faith held back, watching her beloved sleep.

            This night had been bad.  She, Angel and Gunn had fought hard against a Teknar devil, and she was tired, slime covered and sore.  But coming home had been a priority, because there was no place else Faith wanted to be, nowhere else she could go and see what she was looking at now.

            Cordelia stirred and turned in her sleep, revealing the dark circles under eyes that had stayed open far too long, waiting for Faith to come home.  Faith watched as Cordelia reached out and patted the bed, frowning in her sleep as she did.

            A part of Faith ached to leap into bed and fill that spot Cordelia searched, but she knew she still had to shower, and change, and by then, it would be daylight, and her lover would be awake.

            Sighing once, she ran a dirty hand through even dirtier hair and whispered, “Sorry, sweet cheeks,” and headed off to the shower.

            The memory was sharp, like a paper cut that didn’t heal.  She watched herself walk away from her lover, watched as Cordelia opened her eyes, rolled over and began to cry.

            It was the tears that got to her.  To know that she had caused her lover that much pain tore Faith apart.  It’s my fault, she thought weakly, keening softly.

            Without warning, the armor around her soul cracked, fell away and left her raw.  “I need you, Cordelia.  Oh, God, I need you so much,” she sobbed, forcing herself up.  She could still, barely, see the shape of her lover through her tears.

            “Cordelia!” she cried out.  “Don’t go!  I need you, please, I need you!”

            Suddenly, Cordelia was in her arms and they were both crying.  Tears and lips mingled.  “I need you.  Please don’t go.  I’m sorry.  I need you,” Faith whispered over and over, kissing her lover softly.