The Slayer Chronicles: The Sunnydale Years

Chronicle Three: The Rat's Tale

Part Three

by

sHaYcH

(all previous dislaimers apply)

The remodeling of Chesley Manor was something of a gala event for Sunnydale socialites. Everyone who was anyone had wangled or finagled themselves an invitation to see how the old house had fared under the care of the two relatively unknown young women who had taken over its care.

Buffy and Amy arrived just in time to miss all the speechifying and photo ops that the local paper had taken yet not miss the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon that Xander and Anya had strung over the front doors.

"Just think, they’ll get to do this all over again after the final redecorating," Amy said quietly into Buffy’s ear.

Buffy shook her head. "No, this is it. They told the paper that they could send a photographer over to do a special shoot and I think one of the news stations is also going to send a camera crew over, but that’s it. They - we - want our privacy. And we don’t want everyone and their uncle knowing what kind of objects d’art we have or don’t have." Willow held out the ceremonial gold-plated scissors to Tara, who smiled and laid her hand over the hackers. "Here goes," Buffy whispered, nudging Amy, who had begun to study the crowd.

Amy smiled and returned her attention to the front doors. The two wiccans cut the ribbon and opened the doors. A murmur of appreciation rolled over the audience as the newly restored grand hallway was revealed. Slowly, by ones and twos, people flowed into the house, studying nooks and crannies and taking careful note of the locked doors with discreet "private - do not enter" signs affixed to them.

The procession continued down the all until they reached the double doors that sealed off the great dining room. Together, Willow and Tara opened the doors and let their guests look in.

Gasps of shock and no few giggles erupted, causing the two wiccans to turn and look inside. To their horror, Spaz, their cat, had climbed up onto one of the long tables and had fallen asleep in one of the bowls of chips. Willow ran into the room and grabbed the cat, while Tara hurriedly removed the bowl.

Buffy and Amy worked their way through the crowd to see if they could help. Willow was berating the cat in hushed tones. "Bad cat! Very, very bad cat. You gave your mommies heart failure! Don’t ever do that again," she said, all the while petting the cat and brushing off the crushed particles of potato chip.

Spaz looked up at Willow and slowly blinked his topaz yellow eyes, then yawned.

"Oh! You!" Willow sighed, then snuggled the cat close. She looked up to see Buffy and Amy approaching. "Hey guys. Wanna help me transform a cat into a dog?" she asked in a teasing tone. Tara gave the hacker a strange look, then smiled in amusement when she saw Willow’s sloppy grin.

Amy winced. "No, that’s really, really messy stuff. I can do without mess today, I think." Just this past week, she’d had her first opportunity to witness a real autopsy of a real person. Besides the instructor, she was the only person who didn’t faint when the first incision was made, but that was more because of her own steel willpower, rather than a lack of being grossed out.

"Okay, I officially declare this a ‘no mess day’ then," Willow said as they walked Spaz out of the room and set him down inside the kitchen.

"So, have you found all the secret little nooks and crannies yet?" Buffy asked, noting a section of carving that had been newly repainted. The device was simple and seemed to blend in with the rest of the abstract designs in the paneling around them, until one really examined it. That’s when the shape, of a stylized crescent moon, became apparent.

"No, not all of them, though yesterday Mr. Giles spent a lot of time with Mrs. Sum - your mom - cataloguing the occurrences of the crescent device," Tara said as she washed out the bowl and refilled it with pretzels.

Buffy groaned. Even her mom had more of a social life than she did these days! Yesterday had been the third night that week that Joyce had spent with Giles rather that at home, and Buffy was starting to suspect that things were sliding into coupledom for her watcher and her mother. She wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about it, either.

"You are coming to the after party, party, right Buff?" Willow asked as she poured some food into Spaz’s dish.

"The two a.m. pool party? Wouldn’t miss it. I’ll be here right after patrol, ready to swim," Buffy said.

"When is patrol tonight?" Amy wanted to know. She filched a couple of pretzels from the bowl as Tara carried it out to the dining room.

"Oh, Amy, you don’t have to go tonight. You should stay for the party…" Buffy started to say, but stopped when Amy’s face fell.

"If you don’t want me to come with…" Amy said softly, the half-eaten pretzel in her hand hanging loosely.

"No, of course not! I mean, yes, I want you to come with, I just don’t want you to feel like you have to. Especially since it’s only a short patrol. Faith and Cordy are taking the eight to eleven shift…I figured I’d go from eleven until one-ish, by then I should have taken care of all the newly risen vamps and the smarter ones will have fled indoors," Buffy said, catching the pretzel before it committed food suicide and ended up on the floor.

"I want to go," Amy said softly, accepting the pretzel back from Buffy. "I like patrolling with you. Really, honestly, I do, okay?" Amy said, holding Buffy’s gaze with her own for a long, hard moment.

Buffy smiled. "Okay, I get it," she grinned. "Sheesh. Women," she complained to Willow, who giggled and shrugged.

"I don’t have any idea what you are talking about," the hacker said innocently, opening the door to peek out at Tara, who was surrounded by reporters.

"Mmhmm, Miss, ‘Do we Have to invite the Whole neighborhood?’ who caves the at the first sign of a pouty lip from her girlfriend," Buffy teased, walking over to look out at the crowds of people. "Sheesh, is this a party or a funeral? Willow get out there and dance with your woman!"

The guests were not mingling well, each far too busy oohing and ahhing over the decor to get into the real reason they were at the manor, which was to dance and party. Willow heaved a big sigh and said, "The things I do in the name of being sociable," then walked out and tapped Tara on the shoulder. The hacker whispered something into her lover’s ear that caused the wiccan to smile hugely and nod.

Soon, music began to play and the two women led each other onto the dance floor and began to sway together. Xander drew Anya out next, followed by Giles and Joyce. Somehow, people began to pair off and instead of wallflowers, there was suddenly a room full of dancers.

"How about that dance you promised me?" Amy said, coming up and slipping her arm around Buffy’s waist.

The slayer turned abruptly, almost knocking Amy in the chin, then was brought up short by the electrifying sensation of another person’s arms around her for the first time in weeks. "Uh, okay," she said, unable to really think clearly. Get a grip Buffster, she chastised herself as they left the kitchen for the dining hall. You promised yourself some celibacy, remember? Her body protested loudly though, reminding her that she was young, and healthy and here was this beautiful woman who obviously wanted her. Oh shut up, Buffy thought harshly, squashing her overactive libido into a little ball of horniness and burying it deep in her heart.

The two young women let the music carry them around the floor until the song ended, then, laughing at the stunned looks of some of the guests, they found plates and served themselves. Two of the guests did not appear at all surprised by the amount of all female couples attending the party.

Detectives Richards and Manning had been doing their weekly grocery shopping at a natural foods co-op when Tara had approached them and quietly invited them to attend her "little party" as she’d put it. Naturally, they had been surprised, but pleased. Neither detective could have asked for a better opportunity to study Sunnydale’s finest at such close range. Nothing had developed on the body found in the park, other than an identity for the young man - Frank Edison. Edison was a drifter by all accounts, a man without family or ties, which made tracking down clues doubly hard.

So they came to the party, hoping against hope for a lead, and maybe even to have a good time. Surprisingly, after the dancing started, the good time was easy to find. The clues on the other hand, were just as evasive as ever.

***

Faith and Cordy arrived just in the nick of time, in Buffy’s opinion. Once they’d eaten, Amy had convinced Buffy to dance with her several more times, and each time, the slayer’s libido had done backflips trying to escape the little prison she’d locked it away in. Dancing with Amy was turning into the activity that Buffy hated to love. With Faith’s arrival, Buffy could take a much needed space break.

The two slayers met near the kitchen door to say their hellos and exchange gossip. "I nabbed two newbies and four older vamps, Buff," Faith said, leaning into Cordelia’s gentle embrace. "Sweet cheeks here got one too, didn’t ya, babe?" she nudged the actress’ shoulder with her head.

Cordy made a face and examined her hand. "Yeah, and I broke a nail, too. You’d think that they’d be more careful and stand still while you stake them."

Amy laughed and said, "Hello Cordelia. It’s been a long time."

Cordelia looked at Amy for a long moment, chewing her lip as she considered the face of the young woman before her. Then her eyes widened and she laughed joyfully. "Amy! You’re not a rat anymore!" she said, letting go of Faith to give Amy a big hug. "You look great! I mean, you don’t even have whiskers!" the actress said, winking, then smiling hugely.

Amy twitched her nose. "Nope, no whiskers, though I’ve been told I have an amazing ability to nibble."

Faith leaned over and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Nothing wrong with a good nibble, right sweet cheeks?"

Cordelia turned a lovely shade of pink and coughed. "No, not at all dear," she replied, hesitating slightly before turning her head and gently nipping the dark-haired slayer’s ear. "Nothing wrong at all," she reiterated when she’d finished.

"Let’s go dance before I take you right here, all right?" Faith growled when she’d gotten her voice back.

"I’m all yours," Cordelia said, smiling roguishly. "Have a good patrol, Buffy."

"Yeah, have fun. Looks pretty dead out there, if you get my meaning," Faith said, taking her girlfriend’s hand and heading out to dance.

Buffy shook her head and smiled. "Those two…hormone central, I swear."

"Oh, I don’t know…I think they’re kinda cute," Amy said, watching Faith and Cordelia enviously, then she turned to Buffy and said, "I’ll go get the bag o’ death, okay? Meet you at the Mystery Machine."

"Gotcha," Buffy said, heading toward the front door while Amy ducked into the kitchen and retrieved her duffel bag of weapons.

The keys to the Mystery Machine were on a hook inside of the garage. Buffy retrieved them easily, unlocking and climbing inside the van to wait for Amy. She couldn’t drive to save her life…while others were getting their permits, she was saving the world, but Amy, surprisingly enough, had gotten hers just before becoming a rat. A little time behind the wheel and the girl was quite competent enough to drive them around town. Monday they were going to take Joyce’s car and go get Amy’s permanent license, but for now, her temporary one would allow them to patrol in comfort.

Amy arrived only minutes later, carrying a dark blue duffel bag. The young woman climbed into the driver’s side and stowed the bag in the back. "Ready?" she asked, giving Buffy a quirky grin.

"Yeah, let’s take a slay-ride," Buffy quipped, buckling up as Amy revved the engine.

***

"So," Buffy said after they’d driven around for awhile, "Faith and Cordy look happy - hormonal, but happy."

Amy chuckled. "Oh, I don’t know. I bet they’re having more troubles than they let on. I mean, I doubt they’ve done anything more than kiss at this point."

Buffy turned and looked at Amy. "How can you tell? I mean, it’s not like they’re wearing smoochie buttons or anything."

"No, no smoochie buttons," Amy shrugged, turning the van toward one of Sunnydale’s favorite make out spots. "It’s more like…well, did you notice how Cordelia hesitated ever so slightly before biting Faith’s ear?"

Buffy blushed. "Um, no, I was, um…"

"More interested in watching Faith’s reaction?" Amy guessed, smirking knowingly.

"Um, yeah, that. Guess I’m the hormonal one around here, hey?" Buffy said, unbuckling her seat belt while Amy parked the van.

"Something like that. Stake or crossbow?" Amy said, reaching for the bag.

"Hmm, stake. I feel a need to be physical right now," Buffy muttered, looking over at a car where a vamp was just about to make a meal out of a rather drunk young man.

"One stake, coming right up," Amy said, reaching in and locating Buffy’s favorite stake, Mr. Pointy, a twisted bit of wood she’d inherited from another slayer named Kendra.

Buffy took the stake with a grim smile and slowly edged her way over to the pair of men. "Hate to break up the little love fest here guys," she said, yanking out the vamp by his curly brown hair, "but you’ve just committed a serious offense."

"Oh yeah? What?" the vamp sneered as his face rippled and his fangs grew.

"Parking while dead," Buffy said bluntly, stabbing him in the chest with the stake.

"Shit!" the vamp had time to blurt before turning to dust.

Buffy leaned into the car and checked over the now unconscious young man. Two small puncture wounds marred his neck, but he still had a strong pulse. His breath reeked of alcohol, probably a result of the empty bottle of tequila in the passenger seat. Buffy wrinkled her nose and climbed out of the car. "Amy, why don’t you call 911 and give them an anonymous tip about a drunk in a parked car out here."

"Will do," Amy said, reaching into the bag and pulling out the cell phone. She made the call while Buffy quickly scoped out the remaining cars, making certain that their occupants were of the human variety.

Once they were done with lover’s lane, they continued on to the next vamp hot spot, the Bronze. Two kills in the alley later, they were on their way to the first of five cemeteries.

"Just another night in Sunnydale," Buffy said as they slowly walked among the decaying headstones.

Amy nodded. "Yup. At least you don’t have to save the world tonight."

"That’s a plus. Though these vamps are starting to get on my nerves," Buffy complained idly as they stepped over a newly opened grave. "What’s this? Could this be a sign of something entertaining?" Buffy said, stopping to investigate the turned earth.

The headstone had been toppled over during some kind of struggle. Fresh blood spattered the marble surface as well as the ground below.

"Buffy, back out slowly, I want to look at this," Amy said, a tone of command in her voice that had never before manifested itself.

Startled, Buffy did and watched in amazement as her friend set down the duffel bag, opened it and removed a variety of articles. Out came a white lab coat and a camera. In the coat pocket were a pair of sterile gloves, a magnifying glass, a small flashlight, a box of microscope slides and a bottle of saline solution. Amy quickly donned her gloves, then snapped three rolls of film from various angles around the headstone. Afterwards, she carefully took samples of the blood, dirt and other bits of things from the area, all while managing not to muss the site any more than their casual footsteps already had.

"You learned all this in just a few weeks?" Buffy asked, in awe of her friend.

Amy stood up and stretched, back popping noisily. "Well, sort of. I’ve always been interested in mysteries and things like that, so I spent a lot of time watching cop shows and the like, but yeah…Professor Miriani has been really good about giving me extra stuff to read." The young woman was careful not to mention all the extra hours she had stayed awake, pouring over forensics texts that should be way above her current level of study. The promise she had made to herself drove her to be the best she could be, even if it meant losing a little sleep.

"So…why all the stuff," Buffy gestured to Amy’s little kit. "I mean, I’m just going to find whatever did this and slay, right?"

Amy shook her head. "Maybe. But what if it’s human? I mean, we could be dealing with just your garden variety psycho instead of something of the supernatural type. There’s also the ‘find’ portion of your statement. What if I can find the perp using some bit of evidence I scraped off of that rock, over there," she said, pointing to a blandly normal looking stone. To illustrate her point, she bent over and gently flipped the rock, revealing the faintest hint of a shoe print. They continued to walk around the cemetery while Buffy considered Amy’s statement.

After a few moments, Buffy finally spoke. "I guess I see your point, but, do you really think that this guy is just a garden variety psycho?" the slayer laughed scornfully. "In Sunnydale? Home of the Hellmouth, vampires and demons, oh my? Yeah, right."

"It could happen. Besides, this is good practice. Some day, I really will be doing this at a real crime scene. It never hurts to perfect my technique," Amy said absently, stopping to tie her shoe.

A low growl was the only warning Buffy had. "Amy, look out!" she yelled, pushing the girl over and leaping to intercept a leaping form.

Slayer and creature met in mid air, grappling for a hold on each other. They fell to the ground, rolling around and trading blows. The animal - demon, really - was vaguely canine in shape, but was neither a werewolf nor a hellhound. Instead, the creature’s body was whippet thin, covered in tiny green scales and its paws ended in horridly sharp claws. Its eyes were a sickly luminous green, and its teeth were sharply pointed.

"Buffy!" Amy shouted, pushing herself up and digging into the bag to locate the slayer’s dagger.

The creature looked up at Amy and its eyes flared brightly. "Witch," it crooned softly. "I have not eaten a witch in thousands of years."

"And you won’t be eating one tonight," Buffy said, grabbing the demon’s head and twisting it so hard that her shoulders popped. A terrible ripping sound filled the air as Buffy tore the beast’s head off, then hurled it away. Carefully, she pulled herself out from under the carcass, then kicked it.

"Are you all right, Buffy?" Amy ran up and began examining the slayer for signs of injury.

"A few bumps and bruises, but I’m okay otherwise," Buffy said nonchalantly. She wasn’t about to mention that her arm hurt something fierce and that there was a shallow cut that ran from the inside of her thigh all the way down to her ankle. "What about you?" she returned, grabbing Amy’s hands and looking her over.

Amy shrugged. "I’m fine. He missed me totally. I think, though, that I’d better get back into the spell casting stuff - if only to relearn enough to shield my aura. That was a mana hound. They hunt by sensing magickal energy."

"Okay, but no body switching, transformations or messing with your homework, right?" Buffy teased as they picked up their things and headed back to the van. It was time to head on to the next cemetery.

"You got it," Amy replied, smiling.

***

"Willow, could I, ah, talk to you for a moment?" Cordelia Chase asked quietly, having finally gotten the hacker alone.

Willow looked a little surprised, but shrugged and said, "Sure, why don’t we go into the kitchen? It’s a lot more quiet in there."

The two young women wended their way through the crowds to the kitchen doors, then pushed through. Tara and Faith were also back here, heads together and talking quietly. Willow raised an eyebrow at the sight, but moved to another part of the kitchen where she and Cordy could have some privacy.

"So what’s up?" Willow asked, finding two stools and dragging them over to where she and Cordelia could talk.

The actress hitched herself up on the stool and folded her hands together in her lap. "Well," she said, shrugging, "I…oh…gosh, this is harder than I thought it would be," she sighed and looked over at Faith, who seemed to be having a much easier time talking to Tara.

Willow was amazed at the change in Cordelia. As she gazed at Faith, her face softened, a smile crept out of no where and lit up her entire face, including her dark brown eyes. The actress sighed, then turned her attention back to the hacker.

"It’s about me and Faith," she said softly, pursing her lips slightly. "Don’t get me wrong, things are great between us," she said hurriedly, "but…well…" Cordelia made a face, "I’m not quite sure how to get things to go beyond the first base stuff."

Both of Willow’s eyebrows rose. "Are you asking me for advice on how to get Faith into bed, Cordy?"

The actress turned three shades of scarlet. "Yes, I mean, no, I mean, I don’t know," she said, shrugging uncomfortably. A glum look settled over her face and she slumped down on the stool. "It’s just that, we do the kissing thing great, I mean, really, really great, but when it comes to the next part, I get…I don’t know, kinda scared and all. I mean, I don’t even know what to expect. At least with guys it was easy. They were all grope, touch, boing-boing, and it’s over." Cordelia accompanied her description with hand gestures that made Willow cover her mouth to keep from laughing.

"And you think I can help you because?" Willow asked when the actress had finished with her gestures.

"Well, because you’re, you know…with," Cordelia stressed the word and widened her eyes, "Tara."

"Oh, and that makes me Willow the ‘all knowing, all helping’ sex therapist?" Willow asked, stifling another laugh. Cordelia started to get annoyed, and stood up.

"Well, if you can’t help, just say so!" she said angrily and turned to walk away.

"Wait, Cordy, I’m sorry," Willow called out, causing the brunette actress to stop and cross her arms.

"Yes?" she said, tapping her foot.

"Oh Cordy, think about what you are asking me," Willow said softly, coming around to face the actress. "I mean, it’s not like we were ever the best of friends or anything. Call it my shallow self wanting a little bit of fun at your expense. I am sorry. I do want to help. I don’t know how I can, but I do want to."

Cordelia seemed mollified by the hacker’s explanation and returned to her stool. "Apology accepted. And, it’s probably my turn to offer one. I was a real bitch to you in high school…well, forever, really. Recently I’ve learned that the things I cherished then aren’t so important anymore. But Faith is, and I really do love her and well, I…" she blushed again, "want to be with her in every way I can."

"Well, I’m not sure what to say other than you just sorta do what feels right, and stop when it doesn’t," Willow said, after a moment’s consideration.

The actress looked surprised. "Really? There’s nothing, um, special I need to buy?"

Now it was Willow’s turn to turn as red as her hair. "Uhm," she coughed, "no, not if you don’t want to. That’s kind of," the hacker licked her lips slowly, "extra, you know?" Willow fidgeted with the edge of her shirt and looked down at the floor, unable to look at Cordelia.

"You haven’t bought anything," Cordelia decided, cocking her head to study Willow, who blushed even darker, "but you have gone all the way." She decided, and when Willow’s face was covered by a goofy grin, she laughed. "Congratulations, Will," she said with a tiny smirk, "you’re now more experienced than Cordelia Chase at something."

They both shared a laugh, which caused Tara and Faith to look up and wander over to see what was so funny.

"What’s so funny, Cordelia?" Faith wanted to know as she walked up behind her girlfriend and wrapped arm around her waist.

"Oh, nothing much, really," the actress said nonchalantly, dropping an arm around Faith’s shoulders.

"Yeah, sure," Faith drawled, stepping front of her girlfriend and lifting herself up to kiss the brunette actress.

Similar smoochies were being performed behind her as Tara greeted her lover. The two couples were so involved with each other, they did not hear the kitchen door open.

"Looks like we found make-out corner," Vanessa Richards said quietly to her partner.

Elise Manning ran a hand through her short cropped blonde hair and chuckled. "I guess so."

Four very embarrassed young women pulled apart to look at the detectives.

"Can we help you, detectives?" Tara asked, finding her voice first. Willow snaked her arms around the wiccan’s waist, pulling her back against her chest.

Cordelia looked at Willow, then copied her actions with Faith, who tilted her head up in surprise, but said nothing.

"We were looking for a restroom, actually," Richards said, smiling at the girls.

"Yes, this place seems to be full of nooks and crannies, but no bathrooms," Manning added in a slightly mournful tone. "And we’ve both had a bit too much to drink, soda-wise."

"Oh, it’s right this way," Tara said, stepping away from Willow and leading the two detectives out to the bathroom.

***

"Interesting kids," Richards said, leaning up against the bathroom counter while her lover washed her face.

"Yeah, I kinda like ‘em," Manning replied, drying her hands on a towel, then hanging it back up on the rack.

Vanessa stepped in front of the mirror and ran wet fingers through her shoulder-length caramel colored curls, then shook her hair out. "Yeah, well, don’t let your opinions cloud your judgment. My weird-o-meter is off the scale with these kids. I mean, they’re so young, yet they have all this stuff?" She gestured around the well-appointed bathroom with one elegant hand.

Manning shrugged and replied. "Inherited money. I asked around. Tara is the daughter of one Professor Margaret Walsh, some big hoity toity behavioral sciences geek who used to work for Dow chemicals."

"I take it that she’s no longer with us?" Richards asked as she put her hair into a ponytail and touched up her make up.

"Nope. Died just this year - some kind of freak accident that happened while she was working, or so says the grapevine. Anyway, besides her mother’s bucks, Tara inherited from her maternal grandmother, who was decently well off," Manning said, wrapping her arms around her thin partner and resting her head against the taller woman’s shoulder blade. Richards covered her partner’s pale white hand with her own darker brown one, linking their fingers together. The two women snuggled like that for several long heartbeats before Richards sighed and released Manning's hand.

The dark-skinned detective turned around and held her lover close, kissing the top of her blonde head. "Okay, so she comes by the money in a not so unusual way. That still doesn’t explain the fact that they were awfully complacent about the Edison case."

"Oh, I dunno," Manning said softly, looking up into her partner’s chocolate brown eyes and smiling. "I would think that living around here would make them rather inured to weird murders. Haven’t you read any of the old newspapers?"

"A few. Not enough, I guess," Richards said, kissing her lover softly. "Read them to me later?" she asked, a smile teasing the corners of her mouth.

"Of course," Manning replied, hugging the taller woman tightly. "Now, let’s go say our good-byes and go home. I’m bushed. Late parties are for the young."

***

Tara was walking down the hall toward the tower she and Willow shared when she felt hands wrap around her waist and pull her into the shadows.

"Hey!" she cried out, but was quieted by a mouth covering hers forcefully, demanding passionate kisses.

It was a mouth she loved so well. She returned the kisses, sighing happily and sliding her arms around her lover.

"Hi," Willow said when she’d finished her greeting.

"Hi," Tara returned, smiling sensually and resting her forehead against Willow’s. "What brought that on?"

"I just wanted you," the hacker said diffidently, running her hands up and down the wiccan’s arms slowly. "I want you now, but there’s just not enough time to do all I want to, so I have to satisfy myself with a little bit of you."

Heat flared in Tara’s belly and she growled softly. "Willow," she said in that deep, deep voice she knew her lover adored. Then she nudged the hacker’s head up, exposing her neck. Tiny pinpricks of pain flared along Tara’s lower lip and she knew her face must be shifting slightly, but she didn’t care. The lust she felt, rising thick and powerful in her pushed aside her normal reticence and she tipped her head down and began to kiss and nip a slow path of fire from the base of Willow’s ear to the quickly pounding pulse point in the hacker’s neck.

"Goddess Tara!" Willow panted, burying her hands in the wiccan’s hair and slipping a leg between her thighs. She could feel the other woman’s fangs - just barely unsheathed, skimming along the surface of her skin.

It felt good, so good - wicked and very, very hedonistic. Of course, Tara would probably feel just a little guilty for releasing her hard won controls, but Willow didn’t care. She would just reassure her lover that she was in love with - that she desired - every single aspect of her, even the vampy ones. Especially the vampy ones that included these fangs that did such amazing things to her heartbeat. The bright flash of teeth against her earlobe made her exhale explosively. Oh, yeah, amazing.

Their mouths found each other again and they met in a hot connection of need and desire that almost culminated with them ripping their clothes off right there. If it wasn’t for Xander, of course.

"Holy Mother Mama, I have found God," Xander’s voice interrupted.

Blushing hotly, the young women pulled apart. Even Anya, who normally would have kicked Xander’s butt was speechless, staring at the two women with an appraising look.

"Did you need something, Xander?" Willow asked, first to recover.

"What?" Xander said, after a few minutes.

"We came to tell you that everyone has left and that Buffy just called. She and Amy are on their way. Are we still going to go swimming? Or did you two need to take a cold shower first? And if you do, can I watch?" Anya said while Xander stared back and forth between the women.

"If she gets to watch, then I want video rights," Xander finally blurted.

Tara’s face was a deep scarlet, but Willow had been dealing with the young man for too many years. "Sure, but I want all the copies. Even the masters," she said, dead serious.

"Ah Will, you never let me have any fun," Xander complained.

"Darn tootin! At least when it comes to my girlfriend," she added, then said, "besides, you can always rent something more interesting than your two best friends rub-a-dub-dubbing it."

"Oh, yeah, she’s right, Xander. We can rent that one with the six women and the mreph!" Xander shut Anya up with a kiss.

It was now Tara and Willow’s turn to giggle and walk past the couple toward the dining room.

***

"W-w-w-w-Willow," Tara stammered, fear crawling through the wiccan’s tone. The group was gathered on the rooftop of the manor, getting ready to enjoy their late night swim. Xander and Anya were already sitting on the edge of the pool, soaking their legs while Giles and Joyce sat at a small table, talking softly. Buffy, Amy, Willow and Tara were standing outside of the rooftop bathroom. Tara had just opened the door and turned on the light.

"What is it hon?" Willow asked peering inside the bathroom. "Oh ick. Buffy, this one’s yours," she said, stepping aside and sighing sadly. Silently, she said a quick prayer.

Buffy looked inside and cursed. "Amy, get your kit. Giles, come here," she said, loudly enough to get her Watcher’s attention. "Mom, would you go and tell Faith that I need her up here, please?" The other slayer had stayed below to spend some quiet time with her girlfriend, but had promised to come up later.

After seeing the inside of the bathroom, everyone raced to do as asked.

"All right. Giles, we need to learn more about this Magus Vampyr guy because I’m just sick of this," Buffy said, gesturing to the doorway where Amy was busily sketching the scene on a pad of paper. Inside the bathroom, spread out on the floor, was most of a human female. Strange symbols had been inscribed on the walls and floor using the woman’s blood. A muscle in Buffy’s jaw twitched as she ground her teeth together, thinking about the woman who had lost her life while hundreds of people partied not more than one hundred feet away.

"Yes, I agree," Giles said, taking off his glasses and cleaning them with a handkerchief. Faith was pacing up and down the pool deck, curling and uncurling her fists. Cordelia and Joyce stood just a little ways away from the dark-haired slayer, watching the young woman with deepening looks of concern on their faces.

"I hate this!" Faith suddenly exploded. Cordelia jumped and was immediately at the slayer’s side, reaching for her. Faith pulled away. "I was here! Damnit, I should have known! I could have done something - anything," she whispered, staggering back and collapsing against the retaining wall on the rooftop, tears streaking unhindered down her cheeks.

Cordelia fell with her, drawing Faith into her arms and rocking her. The brunette actress looked at Buffy pleadingly, but the blonde slayer could only shrug noncommittally.

Amy looked up from her drawing and rubbed her eyes. "I need glasses," she announced without preamble. Then she closed her sketch pad. "Okay, call 911, I’m done." She stood up and stretched, then walked over to Faith and put a hand on her shoulder. "Faith," she said softly, also looking at Buffy, who appeared to be battling her own demons, "you couldn’t have done anything for her. She wasn’t killed here. The scene is too clean for that."

"The cemetery," Buffy muttered and Amy nodded.

"Possibly. We might never know. The thing to remember is," she squeezed Faith’s shoulder and gazed sternly at Buffy, "is that neither of you could have stopped it."

Between them, Amy and Cordelia managed to coax Faith up and then Joyce stepped in to help escort the distraught slayer to a guest room. Amy then moved to Buffy’s side, stopping herself just inches away from touching the blonde slayer.

"Buffy," Amy said softly, but the slayer just squared her jaw.

"Later, Amy, please?" Buffy said through gritted teeth.

"I called Elise and Vanessa, rather than 911," Tara announced, cradling the phone in its hidden nook. "They’re on their way."

Buffy nodded and sank down into a chair. "What are we going to tell them?"

Xander shrugged. "How about the truth? That we just came up here to go swimming and found," he sighed sadly, "her."

"You know, I remember the days when I enjoyed a good dismembering," Anya said, while everyone else rolled their eyes. Then she shivered and rested her head against Xander’s chest. "Maybe it’s something about being Human, but I’m sort of terrified right now. Xander, how about we get into the car and go away for a while? Visit the East Coast, maybe? I’ve always wanted to see Fifth Avenue."

Xander wrapped his arm around his girlfriend and hugged her close. "An, haven’t you learned by now that running isn’t the answer?" he asked softly, bringing her around to look into her eyes. Softly, he stroked her cheek with his fingers. "I’m staying here, with my friends. I hope you’ll stay with me."

Anya sighed and bit her lower lip. "You don’t play fair," she complained, then hugged him. "You know I can’t go a day without an orgasm from you."

"That’s my Anya," Xander said, as everyone groaned.

"Would anyone like some refreshments?" Willow chirped from the stairway. The hacker had gone down to the kitchen to get drinks and donuts.

Buffy sighed. "I don’t like this," she complained, slapping her hands down on the table. "I’m ‘Action Buffy’, not ‘wait until the bad guy shows up’ Buffy."

Giles looked across the table and held the slayer’s gaze. "We’ll figure it out, Buffy. I have a few books in mind that I plan on studying in great detail tonight."

"Research party?" Willow said, after kissing Tara hello, "Tara and I would be happy to help," she offered and Tara nodded in agreement.

"We can come by tomorrow afternoon," Tara added quietly. She and Willow found chairs and pulled them up to the table. Amy stood behind Buffy, gently massaging the slayer’s shoulders.

Giles watched the interplay between Amy and Buffy and sighed. "If anyone needs me, I believe I will be downstairs, talking to Joyce."

"Giles," Buffy said, looking up as her friend stood.

"Yes?" he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"If you hurt her, I’ll rip your arms off," Buffy said in a voice that brooked no argument.

"Oh yes, I’m quite sure you would," he said, blushing deeply, then he escaped to the relative safety of the manor.

"Giles and Joyce?" Xander said disbelievingly. "Excuse me while I do a double take and go, ‘huh’?"

"Hey, at least it’s not your mother," Buffy said, rubbing her face. "At least it’s a normal thing in amongst all this not normal stuff."

"That’s it Buff, look at the bright side," Willow said, while Tara chuckled.

"Oh yeah, my mom and my Watcher are doing the horizontal mambo - again," Buffy quipped lightly, forcing herself not to turn her head and look into the harshly lit bathroom behind her. "I hope this time I don’t get an attack of the mind readies…I really don’t need to know that much information about my mother!"

Willow and Xander giggled, remembering when Buffy could read minds. Xander laughed nervously. "Oh yes, I am ever so thankful for that lack of slayer power, trust me!"

"But Xander I thought we already knew every detail of your sex life," Willow said with a smirk, looking at Anya, who shrugged.

"I haven’t told you about the-" Xander put a hand over the former demon’s mouth.

"And you won’t, because you love me, right sweetheart?" he begged with his eyes.

Anya rolled her eyes. "All right, I’ll be good."

"Thank you dear," Xander said, relieved.

"But you owe me major orgasms later," she warned, reaching for a can of soda and opening it.

"Does anyone else think it’s rather macabre to be discussing orgasms while there’s a corpse less than twenty feet away?" Willow asked suddenly.

Buffy, Amy, and Tara all raised their hands. Xander looked like he wanted to, but Anya glared at him.

***

"I’m okay," Faith said reassuringly to Joyce, who insisted on making the dark-haired slayer a cup of cocoa. "Really. It just hit me really hard. I mean, it wasn’t too long ago that I might have been responsible for something like that," she looked toward the ceiling.

"I don’t believe that," Joyce said, handing the slayer a cup of steaming cocoa. "I mean, I know you did some terrible things, Faith, but I don’t believe you would have ever hurt someone like that."

"I agree with Mrs. Summers," Cordelia said, stepping behind her girlfriend and slipping her arms around the slayer’s waist. "And I know what you did do, remember?"

Faith looked into the cup of cocoa and sighed. "Yeah, whatever." She took a drink, then set it down on the kitchen counter. "Cordelia, I know you want to believe so much good about me, but really, I was - am - capable of that kind of violence."

"No," Cordelia said quietly, kissing the back of Faith’s head. "You’re not. Not anymore."

A wash of pain smoothed over Faith’s face, causing her to look ten years older than she really was. "Think about it, Cordelia. Think about Wesley. I wasn’t finished with him when Angel found me. If he hadn’t come…then I don’t know-" Faith said, hanging her head and staring at her hands. So much blood - it’ll never come off.

"But he did come and you’ve worked so hard since then to turn away from the darkness," Cordelia said softly, trying to soothe Faith’s fears. "Think about how much you and Angel have talked and how much good you’ve done since then."

Faith lifted her head and turned to look at Cordelia. "It’s not enough, sweet cheeks, it’ll never be enough," she said, stuffing her hands in her pockets as if she couldn’t bear the sight of them.

Cordelia brought her hands up and cupped the slayer’s face gently. "Maybe not today or tomorrow, or even the next day, but some day - some day Faith, you’re going to look inside yourself and see that you’re not the person you think you are. I know, because I can see who you are and who you are is someone that I’ve fallen in love with." Slowly, carefully, Cordelia brought the other girl’s face to hers and kissed her softly. Her kiss did not demand, rather it offered healing and love.

Tears flavored Faith’s lips as she leaned into Cordelia’s kiss, wrapping her arms around the actress and holding on for dear life. "I love you, sweet cheeks," she whispered so softly that Cordelia wondered if she’d said it.

"Love you too, Faith," she whispered back, stroking Faith’s back.

Joyce silently laid her hand on Faith’s shoulder and said, "I’ll be in the sitting room, if you need me."

Cordelia nodded and said, "I think we’re going to go lay down for a while. Wait for the cops and all."

"Oh God, cops!" Faith said suddenly, jerking away from Cordelia. The slayer’s eyes were crazed with fear. "I can’t be here! I gotta go!" she babbled.

"Faith, calm down, please!" the actress said, reaching for the slayer, who evaded her grasp easily.

"No. Oh no! Don’t you see? If they find out who I am, then they’ll put me in jail - and how can I do good if I’m in jail?" Faith said, her voice rising with hysteria.

"So running away is the answer?" Joyce said, stopping, turning around and pinning the slayer with an intense look. "Isn’t that what the old Faith would do?"

Faith froze as if she’d been slapped. Then her head and shoulders slumped and she sagged against the counter, leaning on it for support. "I can’t run, can I?" she whispered, running a hand through her hair raggedly. "I have to face whatever happens now, or I’ll run forever." She seemed to be having a conversation with herself. The slayer closed her eyes and cocked her head slightly, as if listening. "All right, I’ll trust you then," she said, sighing and looking at Cordy. The actress smiled as if she were used to hearing the slayer talk to herself.

"Come on Faith, let’s go lay down. I’ll give you a back rub," she promised.

"Ooo, now there’s something a girl just can’t turn down, right Mrs. S?" Faith said, a little of her old humor returning.

"Indeed not," Joyce said with a gentle smile.

"See ya," Faith said, taking her girlfriend’s hand and wandering off.

***

Giles found Joyce curled up on one of the old bordello couches in the living room. The slayer’s mother looked exhausted, yet beautiful as she dozed against the faded red velvet cushions. Rupert removed his glasses, cleaned them, and then continued the rest of the way into the room.

"Joyce," he said softly, reaching out to shake the woman gently.

"Hm? Yes?" she said, coming awake slowly and sitting up. "Oh, Rupert, hello," she said warmly when she saw who had awakened her.

Giles sat down in a chair that was at an angle to the couch and sighed. "I’m sorry that you had to see, ah…" he looked up with his eyes.

"Oh," Joyce’s face paled for a moment as she recalled her brief glimpse of the carnage in the swimming pool bathroom. Then she sighed. "I suppose it’s nothing terribly new for Buffy, or the rest of you. I don’t see why I should miss all the fun."

Giles shook his head. "You shouldn’t have to be exposed to that part of Sunnydale, Joyce." His face softened and their eyes met. "The thought of that evil touching you is…" he faltered, unable to finish his sentence.

"Thank you," Joyce said, reaching out and placing a hand on his knee.

Slowly, he covered her hand with his own and their fingers wound together. "Entirely my pleasure, I’m sure," he said shyly.

Smiles slowly appeared on both of their faces, then blossomed into grins.

***

Detectives Manning and Richards arrived about thirty minutes after Tara had first called them. They made their own survey of the crime scene before calling in the forensic unit. While waiting for the team to arrive, the questioned everyone carefully. The stories were all the same: the group had gone up to the roof to go swimming after the party had ended and had discovered the body. No, they hadn’t heard anything and no, they didn’t know the victim.

On their way downstairs to question Buffy’s mother and the other two guests who had retired to their room, Richards turned to her partner and said, "I don’t like this ‘Lise, something just isn’t kosher, you know? Grandmama would have killed an entire flock of chickens by now."

Detective Manning nodded, and chuckled wryly. "Yeah, I know Van, but their stories pan out so far. Let’s just stay with it and see what develops. We know they aren’t going anywhere. Okay, why don’t you take the mother and I’ll take the other two - Faith and Cordelia, I think they said."

"All right. I’m going to call Kate, too. See if she can get that friend of hers - what was his name? Angel! Yeah, Angel to put his ear to the ground. This one is starting to make my creep-o-meter go off big time," Richards said as they split up to do their interviews.

On the roof, Amy Madison paced around, taking an occasional glance into the now taped off bathroom. She wanted to tell the detectives about the scene in the graveyard, knowing that important clues might be found there, but she knew that doing so would be cause for more questions. Questions that she knew the slayer couldn’t answer without giving away her role in this.

It frustrated the budding scientist in her, knowing that there was information missing from the puzzle the cops were slowly building. She sighed and looked at Buffy, who sat at the table, head pillowed on her arms. The slayer’s eyes were closed and her shoulders were slumped in total defeat. Amy, perhaps more than anyone, knew how much Buffy hated inactivity when it came to fighting the Big Evils that Sunnydale spawned. This was why she had started the road she was now traveling, educationally. She wanted to be able to provide clues and help in fighting the bad guys when Giles’ books and Willow’s computer savvy failed. Today was the first time she questioned her devotion to the slayer.

The first lesson Professor Miriani taught her classes was dedication to the law and to seeking the truth, no matter who it hurt. By not turning over all the evidence, Amy was going against that teaching and it was tearing her up inside.

Buffy sat up and stretched, then rubbed her eyes. "Have they come and cleaned up yet?" she asked Amy, who was the only other person on the roof with her. Amy shook her head negatively and Buffy sighed. Giles had come back up after spending time with Joyce, but had left after his interview. Willow and Tara had retired to their tower, wanting some time away from the gruesome sight of the bathroom. Xander and Anya were also downstairs, no doubt engaging in their favorite pastime. Only Amy and Buffy had stayed, acting as guardians to the evidence.

That was weird too, Amy realized. Police procedure dictated that a uniformed officer stay with the body until the forensic unit arrived, but since Manning and Richards were the only two on the scene, they had deputized Amy and Buffy.

"So, how do you like being one of Sunnydale’s finest?" Buffy asked, walking over to where Amy stood, gazing into the garden on the other side of the manor’s roof.

Amy shrugged. "I feel strange, but good," she said absently, reaching out and stroking a velvety soft leaf. "I wonder if anyone has been inside of this garden since the house was bought?" she suddenly asked.

"I think Will and Tara have, but I’m not sure. We’ll ask tomorrow." Buffy yawned. "I am so tired. I hope this is over soon, I need my beauty sleep."

Amy turned her head and looked at Buffy. "No you don’t. You’re already so beautiful that I-" she stopped and looked away. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Buffy put a hand on Amy’s shoulder. "Don’t be. I know how you feel - and it’s nice, you know, to know that someone cares that way." Even if I can’t return those feelings.

Can’t, or won’t? A tiny voice asked, but Buffy ignored it. The slayer moved closer to Amy, sliding her hand down the girl’s arm, then resting it on her waist. Amy shivered at the gentle touch. "You shouldn’t," she whispered haltingly, "touch me like that, Buffy," she finished, turning around to face the slayer. "It gives me hope."

Perhaps it was because she was so tired, perhaps she was tired of ignoring what had been building inside of her ever since Amy had admitted to liking her that allowed her to speak her heart. "Maybe I want to give you hope," she whispered in return, stepping even closer, so close that she could feel the heat from Amy’s skin mingle with her own.

"Buffy…" Amy said, wavering slightly, leaning toward the slayer. Buffy’s lips were only a breath away…

"Hello? Anyone up here?" A man’s voice called out. Both girls spun as if struck. The forensic unit had arrived.

***

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Willow asked her lover. Tara looked up from slipping a number of bills into an envelope.

"Yeah, I do. I think he might actually learn something about himself out there, Willow," she said, lips curving into a tiny smile. "Maybe he’ll learn to accept his fate - like I did." At Willow’s disbelieving look she shrugged and added, "It could happen."

"But still, giving Spike five grand? Aren’t you just sorta paying him to go away for a while? I mean, you know he’ll be back when the money runs out," Willow said, not quite ready to believe Tara’s story about Spike’s desire to go on a spiritual journey.

"And that would be so bad? I mean, it’s not like I don’t have the money, right? Maybe it’s my way of giving him some restitution for what mother did to him," Tara said, putting the envelope into her pocket.

"But Tara, what Professor Walsh did to Spike was good! It kept him from biting me!" Willow protested.

Tara walked over and kissed her girlfriend. "And for that, I’m eternally grateful. But that doesn’t nullify the fact that she took a rather important part of another person’s life away from them - all in the name of science. It’s not like she was doing it to find the cure for vampirism - you saw those files that Adam had."

Willow closed her eyes and sighed. Tara was right, as much as she didn’t want to agree with her, she was right. The Initiative had implanted Spike with the chip not to try and cure him of his vampirism, but to see if he, and by extension, others like him, could be controlled as weapons. "All right, but if he comes back in six months wanting more money for his little ‘quest’, tell him to go ask the government for it!"

Tara smiled sadly and brushed her lips over Willow’s temple. "I’ll be back soon, I promise."

"Be careful. I don’t want to live in this great tower all by myself," Willow said, smiling at her lover.

"I will, and you won’t. I will always be with you, Willow," the wiccan said softly, and oddly, the hacker believed her.

***

"Five thousand dollars?" Spike stared at the money in his hands, more than a little disturbed that the wiccan had so willingly given him the money. The two vampires stood outside of the manor, near the garage and out of the view of the prying eyes of the police and Scooby gang members.

"It’s what I had on hand," Tara replied softly, leaning against the wall and glancing around nervously.

Spike lit a smoke and took a long drag. "Wow, I’m not sure what to say. I mean, this is rather new for me and all, gratitude, wot." He shrugged uncomfortably and ran a hand through his hair.

Tara smiled. "You’re welcome, Spike. Try not to spend it all in one place."

"You do know that I could use this to hire someone to come up here and make trouble, right? You’re taking a bit of a risk, trusting me with this much cash," he said, ashing his cigarette.

"You won’t do that," Tara said with such finality that the vamp wondered if she’d read his mind.

"No, I won’t. As much as it twists my knickers to say this, I’ve come to like you sods rather much. Even Buffy, and she kicks my ass on a far too regular basis." Spike sighed. "Maybe I’m getting too damned old to be a vampire, but killing, maiming and torturing just doesn’t have that shine of adventure it once did." He started pacing and talking, almost more to himself than to Tara, who listened anyway. "Maybe it’s just that bloody chip talking, but recently I’ve been wondering why the hell I’m still here." He turned and looked at Tara. "Why am I still here? Do you know? Of all the chances that Blondie has had to run me through with a sharp one, she never has. Do you suppose she has thing for me?"

Tara stifled a giggle and replied, "No, I think it might fall under the heading of ‘kicking you when you’re down’ for her."

"That’s all I am, anymore," he said, kicking a rock. "Just the bloody butt of someone else’s joke. Well I say it stinks! I don’t want to be the poor de-fanged sap who can’t even hunt for his own supper anymore! Maybe I should just find me a nice, quiet place and fall on a stake. Yeah, that’s the ticket. No more Spike, no more fucked up head!" he babbled crazily, waving his arms around like some deranged bird.

Tara just watched him, knowing that he wouldn’t really do it. Her own instinct told her that the vampire just needed a chance to unload before he put his feet on the path that the gods had laid out for him so long ago. She sighed, knowing his road was going to be a long one, but, if he stuck to it, the reward at the end would be worth it.

Spike was gleefully dancing around the area they had met in, kicking rocks and bouncing off of walls when he finally came to his senses. With more aplomb than Tara would have guessed he possessed, he dusted off his jacket and said, "Well, sorry about that. I suppose I’ll just be going now. Do give my regards to the others and all." He waved, then stuffed his hands in his pockets and ran off into the shadows.

***

Faith closed the door as the detective left, then turned around and slid down against it, cradling her head in her hands. "I am so close to losing it, sweet cheeks," she said, looking through her arms over at Cordelia, who paced the room.

"Yeah, I can’t believe that woman! Thinking that I would actually do something so crass as to touch the body!" the actress said bitingly, then made a face. "Like, ew. Not on your life."

Faith’s head fell back against the door with a slight thump. "I can’t believe she didn’t run my name," she said, referring to Detective Manning. "She just sat there and took her little notes and didn’t even ask for our full names. What kind of cop is she?"

Cordelia shrugged. "A good one, according to Kate and Angel. Of course, you might not remember, since you were pretty loopy on pain killers. She’s one of the pair of cops that helped Angel shut down that Boris guy."

Faith frowned, then nodded in memory. Just after they had returned from battling Adam here in Sunnydale, a vampire named Boris Valetenov had arrived in Los Angeles and went on a killing spree with the single-minded intention of drawing Angel and Faith out into a fight. With Kate’s help, they had tracked him and his cadre of followers down to their hideout. Boris had escaped, so Faith stayed behind to take care of the nest while Angel, Kate and two unnamed detectives went racing after Valetenov.

Oh God, I remember them now, the slayer thought to herself, groaning softly. That was the night I had to kiss a ghost’s ass.

After slaying all the vamps in Valetenov’s nest, Faith realized she’d been injured - rather badly. Somewhere along the way, someone had gotten in a lucky shot with a baseball bat and three of her ribs were cracked, causing her some unfriendly pain. The slayer winced. Not to mention the little hurts - the cuts, the bruises, the broken fingers from when that one guy had stomped on her hand…

"Oh yeah, I need a doctor," Faith muttered, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets and trudging wearily down the street. But there was no way that she was going to show up at some ER, not with Wolfram and Hart just drooling over a chance to get to her. So she’d gone to Cordelia’s hoping her new girlfriend would be able to help.

Lucky for her, Cordelia had the remains of a vicodin prescription laying around. Of course, she’d had to get inside of the actress’ swanky home, first. That had required a loud, heartfelt apology so that Dennis, Cordy’s resident ghost, would hear how sorry she was for decking Cordelia and kidnapping Wesley.

"But the pampering afterward was worth it," Faith muttered to herself, then louder, said, "Oh yeah, I think I kinda remember. Huh. I wonder if she remembers us?" The slayer lifted her head up in time to see Cordelia pull out her night shirt. She stood up. "That’s got to be my cue to find a spot to crash."

"Huh?" Cordy looked over her shoulder at Faith, then frowned, biting her lip. "No," she said suddenly, putting the shirt down. The actress walked over to Faith and put her hands on the slayer’s hips. "Stay with me, tonight," she whispered, leaning into Faith and kissing her slowly. "Please?"

"Cordelia…" Faith whispered, running her fingers through Cordy’s soft hair and kissing her slowly, sweetly.

Cordelia nuzzled the slayer’s neck, nipping the skin she found there lightly, then kissing the spot just under a tiny earlobe. "It’s all right," she whispered, continuing her gentle assault on Faith’s senses by slipping her hands up under the slayer’s top and stroking the soft skin of Faith’s stomach. "I want you to stay."

Faith let out a slow moan and pulled Cordelia’s lips up to hers, kissing her deeply. "All right," the dark-haired slayer whispered as they made their way to the bed, "I’ll stay." The words had a finality to them that seemed binding.

***

"Okay, so what’s the likelihood of running into Angel’s secretary and his partner here in Sunnydale?" Richards asked, after she and Elise had finished comparing notes. They were sitting in their car, waiting for word from the Unit. Once the body had been removed, both women wanted the chance to go back over the scene without the victim’s body lying there, silently begging for justice.

"I don’t know, but I really want to find out. I’m calling Kate right now," Manning said, pulling out her cell and punching in a number.

"Detective Lockely is not going to appreciate being rousted out of bed at 4 am in the morning," Richards said with a chuckle.

Manning shrugged. "Tough. I have the distinct feeling that she neglected to mention several key items of interest about Sunnydale," she said, holding the phone up to her ear and listening to it ring.

A few minutes later, a sleepy voice said, "Lockley, what is it?"

"Kate, it’s Elise. Sorry to wake you, but I’ve got a situation that requires some answers from you right now," Manning said while her partner watched from the driver’s seat.

"Okay," Kate yawned, "shoot."

"Why don’t you start by telling me why the hell your ‘friend’ Angel’s partner, and his secretary would be at a party in Sunnydale?" Manning wasn’t going to tango around the subject, it was too early and she was too tired.

Kate laughed. "How the hell should I know? I don’t control the lives of Angel or his associates."

"Well, it might be a good time for you to find out," Manning said. Richards’ radio squawked at them. "I have to go look at a scene. Call me later with that information, would you? Here’s my number."

"Will do. And Elise…I hope you and Van have found Sunnydale…interesting," there was a definite tone of amusement in Detective Lockley’s voice.

"Oh, we have, Kate, we have. You’ll have to come up here some time so we can show you our appreciation for the recommendation," Manning said, a little gleam of mischief sparking in her eyes.

"Just say when," Kate replied, then said, "later, Manning."

"Later, Lockley."

***

Buffy and Amy hovered over the detectives as they went over the crime scene, looking for any more clues. The scene, forensically, was almost identical to the one in the park, lacking even the most simple bits of trace evidence, which frustrated Richards to no end.

"I don’t get it Elise, even that thing in L.A. left trace," she said from her position crouched near where the body had lain.

Manning shrugged. "Maybe our perp uses magic," she joked.

Buffy and Amy looked at each other with identical expressions of surprise on their faces. "I feel so stupid," Buffy whispered to her friend, while Amy just nodded. "We should have Will and Tara look over the scene, right?"

Amy shrugged slightly. "I can do it," she whispered back.

The thought of Amy even coming within psychic touching distance of the creep that had committed the horrible crime made Buffy’s skin crawl. "I really think we should let Willow and Tara do it," she said softly as the two detectives continued to pick over the scene.

Amy’s jaw tightened imperceptibly. "Whatever you want, Buffy."

Buffy didn’t hear her though, because the two detectives had just made a grisly discovery in the trash can. One side had a large post-it note stuck to it, which read: "Soon I will reap what I have sown. Soon, all will know, all will know. When the harvest moon nourishes the earth, He will arise and claim His birthright. I have been chosen to spread word of his coming, so hear my words and weep, mortals. Your day is drawing to a close."

Inside the trash can was the slashed-apart remains of the victim’s uterus.

"Manny, did you guys get this?" Richards yelled out to the officers still milling around the pool area, taking photographs.

Special investigations officer Manuel Mendoza looked up from his inspection of the rooftop garden and yelled back, "What? The stuff in the can, yeah, we got it. What a wacko."

Richards sighed and put the can back down, noticing that Buffy and Amy were still hovering near the doorway to the crime scene. "You know, you girls can go on downstairs and wait, you don’t have to be here," she said gently.

Buffy shrugged and smiled winningly. "I’m okay. I mean, if it’s okay with you, because this is kinda neat to watch and all…"

"Yeah," Amy nodded in agreement with Buffy. "This is what I’m studying in school anyway…"

"Oh, all right. Just don’t blame me if you have nightmares, okay?" Richards said exhaustedly.

"I dream about demons and monsters, Detective Richards," Buffy whispered under her breath, "I doubt one little crime scene is going to affect them any."

***

"…drawing to a close. That’s what it said," Buffy told the rest of the group that had gathered after the detectives had left. A uniformed officer was stationed on the roof of the manor until the police decided that it was okay for the area to be cleaned so Buffy gathered the Scoobies in the library on the third floor.

Faith shrugged and looked at Giles. "So, no big. You’ve got some time. It’s what? July second now? When’s the harvest moon?" She hopped off the table she’d been sitting on and began looking around the oddly constructed room, climbing the stairs to the balcony level and blowing dust of the old books. Cordelia looked up at her girlfriend and frowned. Faith shrugged apologetically and slid down the banister to rejoin them.

"September thirteenth," Tara said quietly while Giles nodded in agreement. The blonde wiccan was toying with Willow’s hair, scratching her fingers up through the little hairs at the base of the hacker’s neck. Willow turned and gave her girlfriend a contented smile while petting Spaz, their cat. The huge orange striped beast was spread out on the table, casually flicking his tail and blinking his eyes placidly, purring loudly.

"Yes, apparently, we do have time," Giles said, pacing around the room and stroking his chin in thought.

"Okay, who’s for the idea of heading off Armageddon early this time?" Xander quipped, holding up his hand and grinning sheepishly.

"I have a better idea. Why don’t we just go away until next year? By then it should all be over and life can be normal again," Anya said unhappily. The former demon had been asleep when Buffy had knocked on their door to ask if they wanted to join in on the Scooby meeting. Since Xander was going, she had reluctantly agreed to put on some clothes and come with him, though she wasn’t sure how much help she would be, since she had never personally heard of the Magus Vampyr, or any other vampiric messiah.

"Tara and I could try scrying into the future," Willow suggested softly.

"I haven’t had any visions," Cordelia said in amazement. "Maybe this guy isn’t as much of a problem as he seems. Either that, or he’s so big, that the Powers can’t figure out how to send me enigmatic yet horrifically painful images," she said with a shrug. "Look, Faith and I are going back to L.A. tomorrow, so we’ll talk to Angel. Maybe he knows something about this undead David Copperfield."

Giles stopped pacing and cursed. "Bollocks! If only I still had access to the Council’s archives!" He kicked an overstuffed chair, then grabbed his foot and winced. Joyce hid her face behind her hand to keep from laughing. "Oh fine, go ahead and laugh at my pain," he said through gritted teeth. Joyce pulled her hand away and smiled, reaching out and putting a gentle hand on the watcher’s leg. He smiled and put his foot down, then cleared his throat while cleaning his glasses nervously.

Buffy frowned. "Okay, this is bad when my watcher starts cussing. I’m so not having a happy right now about this Copperfield vamp. Can we please come up with a way to slay it so we can go on with our lives? I’d really like to spend some of my time in college actually learning." The slayer was lying on the only couch in the library, her feet resting on the arms of the sofa and her head in Amy’s lap.

Amy spoke up quietly. "Maybe there’s something in one of my mom’s old books? I know she had lots of them." She was trying hard not to look down at Buffy because she knew if she did, she’d be tempted to touch her.

"Hey, didn’t Mr. Madison give you all of Catherine’s stuff, Giles?" Willow said, getting up to start looking through the titles already stored on the library shelves.

"Yes, but most of it is still in storage. We’ll have to get it out tomorrow," Giles said sadly, also gazing forlornly at the bookshelves. He and Joyce shared a look and Buffy’s mom smiled sweetly.

"I’ll be happy to help you out, Rupert," she said softly. "Just call me in the morning."

Giles’ ears turned a delicate shade of rose pink and he stammered, "Yes, I think I’ll do that."

When Tara purchased Chesley manor, the library had come fully stocked with books and Giles had yet to take the time to inventory them, then replace them with his own collection. Willow continued to read titles, impressed by the varied interests of the former occupants of the house.

"Whoa, looks like the Chesleys were into some of the occult-type stuff too, look at this," she pulled out an old copy of Starhawk's The Spiral Dance. It was in decent condition, but the creases in the binding showed that the book had been read at least once.

Giles limped over to Willow and took a look at the bookshelf. He followed the titles for about a foot before he stopped and said, "Buffy, could you get your flashlight and a weapon please?"

Buffy leaped up and ran to get the requested items. She returned carrying her maglite and an axe. "Always happy to be Action Buffy," the slayer announced cheerfully.

"Is there room for me on this little mission?" Faith asked, drawing a wicked looking .9mm semi-automatic handgun from a holster at her back.

"Whoa, when did you start packing heat?" Buffy asked while the rest of the Scoobies just stared at the blued steel weapon.

Faith shrugged. "Since Angel called in a few favors with some alchemist friends of his." She smirked and stroked the barrel of the weapon, then spun it around to hand over to Buffy. "The bullets are real nifty. Silver and wood mixed in a holy water solution and cased in titanium jackets. It out performs stakes by a long," she chuckled, "shot."

Buffy took the gun and examined it slowly, removing the clip and marveling at the construction of the weapon. With a low whistle of appreciation, she handed it back to Faith. "So, why the heat?" she shrugged. "Stakes work fine for me."

Faith looked away and chewed on her lower lip. Cordy coughed and said, "It’s my fault. I yelled at her because she kept running off to take out vamp nests all by herself. The last time it happened, she ended up with three broken ribs and several broken fingers. So I told Angel that I wasn’t ready to make friends with yet another slayer in this lifetime. He did the rest."

Faith flushed and said, "Besides, it’s just cool."

Meanwhile, Giles, Willow and Tara were over by the bookcase, carefully studying the shelves.

Willow ran her hand over the wood and nodded. "Yeah, I feel it too…there’s definitely a crack there."

Tara closed her eyes and extended her senses, but could feel nothing unusual about the room. She shrugged. "I think we should go ahead and see if the tripwire still works. I mean, I’m not getting anything unusual about it."

Giles nodded and motioned both slayers to join them. They did and he took hold of one book while pressing down on a shelf. Everyone held their breath and then there was a groan of metal on metal, followed by the creak of wood. The shelf jutted out just slightly. Enough so that together, Buffy and Faith could pull it open and reveal a dim passageway that, when the flashlight was shined down it, led to a stairway.

Cobwebs and dust also filled the hall, so cautiously, the two slayers went in and cleared a path. They climbed the stairs, amazed at how sturdy they were, even though they were obviously as old as the house.

"Old Matthias musta been one hell of a weird one to have built all this," Faith muttered from behind Buffy as the blonde slayer led the way up the stairs.

"Maybe. Sometimes I have the oddest feeling that he did all this for a purpose and that I’m just a heartbeat away from understanding that purpose." Buffy shrugged and brushed away a cobweb. "Ick. Anyway, that usually happens right before I fall asleep though, so I never figure it out."

Faith laughed. "Yeah, I’ve had that happen to me too, though in my case it usually involves lottery numbers." They both laughed at that.

The stairway led to another door. This one seemed to have an ordinary handle and old-fashioned lock mechanism. First Buffy, then Faith tried to jimmy the lock, but neither was successful. Neither was Giles when he gave it a go a few minutes later. Xander suggested battering the door down, but Tara nixed the idea.

"No. There’s something…something behind that door that wouldn’t appreciate us breaking in uninvited," she said, eyes glazing over a little. "All we need is the key."

"But we tried all the keys that they gave us hon," Willow said sleepily, yawning.

The hacker’s yawn started a round of them and Joyce said, "Why don’t we all get some sleep. It’s almost dawn. I’m sure we’ll think better after a few hours of rest."

Buffy yawned, then shook her head. "No, I’m tired of leaving a job half done. We’re close to the answer, I can feel it. Giles are there any spells that act as keys?"

The watcher scratched his head and said, "Buffy there are hundreds of spells that do that, but knowing which one is the right one for that door…"

"It’s not a spell," Tara said, pacing around the room nervously. "I can sense that much." She stopped and hugged herself, shivering. "This is so strange. It’s almost as if someone is whispering to me, but I’m just too far away to hear them clearly."

Willow reached out for her girlfriend and the two shared a quiet embrace. "Why do you say that?" the hacker finally asked.

Tara shrugged and shook her head. "I don’t know…it just feels like the right way to describe it." She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples in frustration. "I’m so close…I can almost…" The wiccan’s body went limp, forcing Willow to catch her. Faith was closest, so she helped the hacker carry Tara back to the library. Carefully, they laid the wiccan down on a couch. Willow pulled her lover’s head into her lap and gently smoothed Tara’s blonde hair away from her face.

"What’s wrong with her?" Buffy asked, sitting down in one of the overstuffed chairs.

"I think she’s gone into some kind of trance," Willow said, her voice tainted with worry. "At least, I hope that’s what it is."

***

Tara opened her eyes and sat up. She frowned in concentration, trying to remember what was going on. The library looked different somehow, but she couldn’t quite figure out why.

"Don’t worry, little sister, it’ll come to you," a pleasantly voiced woman said.

Tara spun her head to see who spoke. A woman in her late thirties dressed in a 1920’s style man’s pinstripe suit stood near the bookcase. "W-who are you?" she asked.

The woman smiled. "I like you. You get right to the point, don’t you. Good. The house needs someone like that. I’m Mariah Chesley, but you can call me BJ."

"BJ? How do you get that from Mariah?" Tara asked, realizing that she must be dreaming…or something like it because it dawned on her that the room looked exactly as it must have when the Chesley family still lived in the house.

BJ laughed. "My given name is Bette Jean…Mariah is my stage name."

"Where am I?" Tara asked, getting up and walking around the room.

"Currently? You’re in the library, sleeping on my couch. But if you’re asking where this place is, then my best answer is, you’re in a place where life and death overlap, but never meet," BJ said enigmatically. "And it’s about time you got here, too, because I’ve been having a devil of a time trying to contact you, Tara Walsh."

"Me?" Tara asked, stopping in front of BJ and staring at the bookcase. The secret passageway was open, beckoning her in.

"Yes, you. I am so tired and when you finally came along and wanted to buy this place I nearly jumped for joy. See, there’s a secret to Chesley manor that only a very few know." BJ opened a humidor and took out a cigar. She lit it and inhaled lovingly. "Oh, I’m so glad I figured out how to make these. Anyway," she reached into the humidor again and pulled out a key, "follow me, I want to show you something…"

***

Tara sat up blurting, "Willow where’s the box that Buffy gave us?"

"It’s in our tower, where we put it earlier, why?" Willow said confusedly, while the others stared at the wiccan in concern.

"I know how to get into that room, could you get it?" Tara said, getting up and pacing the room.

"Whoa, sure hon, just give me a few." Willow ran off to get the box. She returned shortly and Tara quickly opened the box and fumbled around inside of it. A section of the wooden liner moved and a key popped up out of a secret space.

"Yes!" Tara exclaimed, grabbing the key and running off to the doorway. The others followed, curious yet disturbed by the wiccan’s behavior. All of that was forgotten when they reached the room that the door had hidden. Even Spaz, who had waddled along behind the humans, seemed impressed, curiously sniffing the air in the room.

The chamber was round and the plants of the rooftop garden could clearly be seen crowding around the cut glass dome roof. In the white marble floor, someone had carved a pentacle and at each of the five points of the pentacle were elaborate candlesticks. The room had an aura of deep peace and when the door clicked shut behind Joyce, everyone could see the shimmer of a magickal shield settle into the walls, making them glow a soft blue.

"Tara? You wanna tell us about this?" Willow asked, awed.

Tara smiled and laughed gleefully, spreading out her arms as if to embrace the room. "Just watch," she said, winking seductively. "Okay, BJ, I’m here and I’m ready."

Buffy’s flashlight went out, plunging them into a gray darkness, lit only by the light that trickled in through the sunroof. Then, a soft bluish glow began to suffuse the pentacle beneath them. Tara began to chant softly in a strange, rhythmic language that seemed to have no words, only tones. The light brightened until the room was clearly lit.

Willow and Amy staggered together, overwhelmed. Joyce held up Giles while Buffy and Faith leaned against each other. Anya’s eyes took on a strange, amber glow and she pirouetted in place.

"I know what this place is," she yelled in ecstasy. "This is a nexus point!" she laughed and grabbed Xander, kissing him passionately. "I looked for so long to find this place when I was a demon and it was under my nose all along!" The former demon continued to laugh as if a huge joke had been played on her.

Giles gasped. "We should be dead," he whispered in amazement.

"No, my grandfather made sure of that," said a new voice. The group looked toward the head of the pentacle, where a figure of a woman had materialized. She walked over and touched Tara’s shoulder, then smiled at the group. "Hi, I’m BJ. My grandfather was Matthias Chesley. He and my grandmother built this place to keep it from falling into the wrong hands." She walked among the Scoobies, laying a ghostly hand on each of them.

Buffy cocked her head weakly and looked at her. "So what are you? A ghost?"

BJ shrugged. "Something like that. I gave myself to the house so that there would always be someone here to look after the nexus." She explained how, on her deathbed, she had cast a spell that bound her spirit to the house and how she had sadly watched the house fall into disrepair when no one else moved in. "But now, I have help," she smiled at the group. "If you’re willing, that is. I won’t force you into it."

Buffy and Faith both shrugged. "Sure, why not?" Buffy said. "Can’t be any worse than slaying."

"Not sure how much help I’ll be seeing as I live in L.A. most of the time, but I’ll go ahead and be a joiner," Faith said with a wry grin.

One by one, the Scoobies agreed to help the spirit.

"Wonderful. I am not unaware of the events of the mortal realm, and while I did not see who committed the atrocity that took place on the roof, I think I know a place where we can begin our investigation," the spirit gestured and a ghostly chair appeared.

"How come you didn’t see it? I mean, aren’t you like ‘one with the house’ now?" Faith asked, pushing herself up to go sit by Cordelia.

The ghost hung her head sheepishly. "I am ashamed to say that I was distracted. Someone attacked the house’s shields earlier, quite probably at the same time that poor woman was being attacked."

"You couldn’t have done anything," Giles said comfortingly.

The ghost smiled her thanks at the watcher. "In any event, I am growing fatigued, and need to go dormant soon. I just wanted to mention that each of you is keyed to this room. You will not need the physical key to unlock the door, unless you are bringing someone new into the room. For those of you who practice magic, please feel free to use the room. The shields make it an excellent workroom."

"It’s also a hell of a battery," Anya said in happy amusement. The group looked over to the former demon who had created a tiny ball of energy and was playing with it. "What?" she asked, shrugging innocently. "I get my kicks my way, you get yours your way."

"Works for Slayers, too," Faith said, cracking her neck loudly. "I feel like I could take on a dozen vamps blindfolded with one hand tied behind my back."

"Only a dozen," Buffy said with a grin. "Together we could wipe out a whole nest without breaking a sweat." The two slayers exchanged grins.

"Yes, the room does have an energizing effect, but there is an equal price to pay. You will need to eat and sleep enough to replenish the energy your body has burned off," BJ warned, getting up and walking toward Tara. The two exchanged a hushed conversation with Willow adding a comment every so often until finally, BJ vanished.

The door clicked open and Tara said, "We should sleep now. BJ has informed me that she won’t be available again for several days."

They all stood and stretched. "All right, we should meet later tonight and start our research."

"Faith, do you and Cordelia really need to leave tomorrow?" Joyce asked as they all trouped back to the library.

Faith shrugged. "Well, not really Mrs. S, not unless sweet cheeks has a vision, why?"

"I was thinking that we should have a bar-b-que in honor of the fourth, and I wanted to invite you two," Joyce said thoughtfully.

Xander perked up. "Scorched food on a grill and fireworks? I’m there."

"Yeah, sounds like fun Mom," Buffy said, kissing her mother’s cheek. "Okay gang, sleep now, research later and BBQ at mom’s tomorrow?"

Everyone nodded, then went off to sleep.