Chapter 1

The redhead swept from the passageway into the waiting area of the airport, completely unaware of the numerous glances she was receiving. Not that she would have minded; she knew she looked good. She had allowed Dru to dress her for the flight, once the darker girl had explained that she would be met by a driver, and her every move would be observed and reported on to the Master of Seattle... her clothing would be only the first thing to be taken into consideration. So that's how Willow Rosenberg had ended up there, just outside the first class lounge, wearing a dark sapphire blue silk dress which hit her just three inches above the knee, sheer black stockings, and strappy black shoes with high but chunky heels. She glanced about her, finally seeing the sign with her last name printed on it. "I'm Miss Rosenberg," she said quietly to the black-suited man. He nodded slightly, giving her a quick once-over as she began to slip into the long black coat that Dru had insisted she borrow from her. "My other bags have been sent to the hotel, so..." She smiled almost invisibly as his eyes widened in surprise, and gazed expectantly at him. "No," she said softly as he reached towards the one bag she was carrying, "The laptop stays with *me*." Her smile became a bit wider as he shrugged and led her through the airport and outside to the waiting limousine. "Thank you." she said quietly as he opened the door and handed her in. As the door shut between her and the cold air of the Seattle winter, she found herself regretting, for the first time, the tight, but still attractive, bun that Dru had pulled her long red hair into. Of course she looked more responsible and mature with her hair up, but she would have been *warmer* with it down. She stared out through the window at the overcast sky as the car pulled away, and wondered if the sun would be making an appearance that day.

Spike sat angrily at the bar and signaled for another drink. He was bored! He and Angel had arrived at the hotel in Seattle just before what passed for sunrise in the city, and they'd been sitting around, *waiting*, for what seemed like hours! Of course, he realized as he glared at the clock behind the bar, it *had* been hours. The problem, as it turned out, was that the hotel was booked solid for the Gathering, and even though Spike *knew* that there *had* to be at least a few open rooms, not even the hotel manager would admit it! Oh, well, at least the poof was working on it... if a room *could* be gotten, Angel would get it somehow... He tossed back the shot of whiskey the barkeep placed before him and signaled again for another. He was just glad that the bar had finally opened, or the boredom would have driven him into the sun by now... he grimaced at the thought. As if there was any sun for him to *be* driven into... He looked up, wondering why his skin was suddenly itching, as a *very* cute little brunette girl wandered in and sat herself at the bar, just a few seats away from him. He looked her over, noticing the way her long hair lay against her back and the way her spine arched slightly, thrusting her perky breasts forward against the thin fabric of her tight tank top. She seemed like a girl who knew how to have a bit of fun, he thought as his eyes traced the tattoo on her arm, but there was just something about her that made him... *twitchy*. He wracked his brain, trying to identify the familiar sensation, before finally deciding that he'd figure it out later. After all, he had his Sire's permission to drink himself into a stupor if he wanted to, and while he didn't really *need* that permission as such, at least he wouldn't have to listen to another of the broody one's lectures later. He gazed consideringly at the girl as she got a glass of wine and a shot of Jack Daniel's from the barkeep and slammed the shot before beginning to sip at the other glass. "You'll make yourself sick, mixing alcohol like that, y'know," he began, smiling at her when she turned to face him.

"Yeah, well, when I want your advice, I'll ask for it, Blondie," the girl said baldly, in a slightly husky voice, before turning back to her drink and ordering another shot.

"Rough day, pet?" he tried again, finding her rudeness amusing.

"Huh! Rough *life* is more like it!" the girl muttered, mostly to herself.

Spike chuckled and stood, moving towards her and settling in the seat beside her as he gestured again at the barkeep. "Well, pet," he said softly, "Why don't you tell Spike all about it?"

The dark haired girl stared at him for a moment before replying. "And I'm guessing that *you* would be Spike?" She frowned slightly and downed the shot in front of her. "Well, *Spike*, why do you care?"

The blond laughed and downed the new shot of whiskey. Reaching out, he grabbed the barman's wrist. "Why don't you just leave the bottle, mate? Put it on my tab." He waited until the man nodded and walked to the other end of the bar before answering the girl. "Why do I care?" he laughed again. "I *don't*, Cutie, but I'm bored, and thought some conversation might help to pass the time."

The girl nodded, smiling slightly at his honesty. "Well, it's a long story... and the name's Faith, by the way."

Spike grinned and poured them each a shot. "So, Faith... where are you from?"

Faith grimaced slightly as she drank the shot. "Boston." she said. She wished that she really *could* tell Spike her story, but... maybe if she just left out the Slayer-y bits? After all, he was a vampire... she didn't think that he'd really be able to appreciate her Slayer-type traumas, and besides... she'd never been one to moan and whine over things that couldn't be changed. "Boston," she said again, meeting his blue eyes. "It's an interesting town, y'know... at least it is if you have some money, and a little bit of class and breeding... Of course, since I had none of those things..." She found herself opening up more than she had planned to as she consumed shot after shot of good Irish whiskey, but it just felt so *good* to be able to talk to someone who was at least *listening*... even if he *didn't* care.

Spike grinned to himself as he listened to the girl talk. She had barely begun, but he could tell that it wasn't going to be a *happy* story. Oh, well, at least he wasn't *bored* anymore!

Angel was sitting on a couch in the hotel lobby, waiting for the manager to finally return, hopefully with good news, when he thought he smelled something familiar. He looked around him swiftly, but didn't see anyone he knew. It was puzzling to him, but he finally decided that he'd been wrong... after all, it *was* daytime, so it was highly unlikely that any new vampires were arriving. He looked at his watch, finally becoming impatient. He'd been waiting for the hotel manager for over an hour now, and the little man had yet to reappear. At last, he stood up and made his way to the front desk, finding himself becoming angry when he saw the self-same little man nervously trying to chat up the young woman who had apparently just arrived. He stood off to the side, trying to be unobtrusive as he listened to the little man talk to the woman... the quite *lovely* woman in the open long black coat. Angel slowly looked her up and down, from the tips of her shoes, up her stocking-clad legs, over the softly shimmering silk of her dress. He tried not to let his gaze linger on her silk-covered breasts, but being a man, well... his gaze continued up, suddenly stopping at the platinum and ruby choker around her neck, just above a *very* fresh bite mark. His eyes widened in shock as they flew up to meet her amused ones.

Willow hadn't been unaware of his perusal of her; in fact, she decided after getting a good look at him, she was flattered. She had known him for a vampire immediately, of course, all of her years on the Hellmouth giving her an almost Slayer-like ability to sense his kind. She waited as he looked her over, almost absent-mindedly replying to the little man behind the counter. She saw the stranger's reaction the moment his eyes reached Drusilla's bite and took in the sight of her necklace, and almost laughed aloud at the look in his eyes when they finally met hers. She smiled softly, remembering what Dru had said about being observed. "Can I help you?" she said softly, waving the little man, who had still been talking, silent. She stared into his still wide eyes and sighed gently. "Come," she said, taking his arm and leading him to a couch she saw nearby. She sat down, shrugging out of her coat. "Sit," she coaxed, waiting until he finally joined her on the couch. "Now... what can I do for you?"

Angel stared at her, taking in the sight of the greenest eyes he thought he'd ever seen, and hair that must be like a waterfall of flames when it was unbound. He sighed, wondering what it would look like spread out across her skin. He shook his head dumbly in answer to her question. He had no *idea* of what to say to her.

Willow sighed deeply. Apparently, the vampire wasn't overly bright... it was a shame, too, because he was certainly *attractive* enough. Of course, it was always possible that he was just stunned by her beauty... she snorted internally, she'd been told that by a lot of guys after she and Percy had broken up; she'd even tried going out with one or two of them, but she'd found that while they were *nice*, they just hadn't had the kind of... *fire* that she was looking for. She smiled kindly at the dark haired man before trying again. "It's OK... I know what you are. But what I *don't* know is why you're down*here*," she said, indicating the lobby, "Instead of in your room sleeping like a normal vampire would be doing, this time of day. So... what's the problem?" She was surprised at the affinity she felt for this man who was staring at her so intently with his deep earthy eyes.

Angel finally snapped out of his silence, realizing that he was coming off as an imbecile. "I... I'm sorry, Miss... Rosenberg?" he said questioningly. He wasn't *sure*, but he *thought* that was what the smarmy little man behind the front desk had called her. "It's just... I couldn't help but notice your... necklace? It's... you're *Aurelius*!" he said almost accusingly.

Willow smiled and nodded, glad that he was finally talking. "Yes," she said, sounding quite composed, "I have that honour."

"Who... who is your Master?" he asked, knowing that he shouldn't, but... the scent he'd caught earlier... it was coming from this woman, and it was somehow *familiar*. It wasn't anything he'd smelled *recently*, and somehow he knew that it was slightly... *off*, as well, but... he *knew* it.

"Does it matter?" Willow asked curiously, wondering why he cared.

Angel sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be getting the answer to *that* question anytime soon. "No... I suppose it doesn't. It's just that *I'm* of Aurelius, myself... I wondered if he was anyone I knew." He closed his eyes a moment, hating whichever lucky bastard had claimed this woman as his servant... whoever the prick was, Angel just hoped that he deserved her.

The redhead cleared her throat slightly, waiting until his eyes opened again. "So... as I was saying... the problem?"

The dark haired vampire looked away from her too penetrating eyes. "Oh, well... we, I mean my childe and I, hadn't really *planned* on coming here, so we don't have..." He trailed off as she giggled a bit.

Willow smiled through her chuckles. "You don't have a room. I *see*." She thought about it for a moment before making a decision that she only *hoped* she wouldn't come to regret. "Fine. You'll stay with *me*... you *and* your childe. It's OK," she continued softly as he began to argue, "We're *family*... and besides... *I* have a *suite*!"

Angel looked at her, confused for a moment before finally bowing mentally to her logic... it was probably the best chance they had for staying at the hotel anyway. "Are... are you *sure*? My childe is a bit... *unconventional*, at best..."

The redhead grinned widely before replying. "Well, Aurelius isn't exactly known for being the most... *stable* of orders, now is it? Go. Find your childe... and *Yes*!, I'm sure! My Master would never forgive me for turning away *family*!" She stood as he did, and smiled as he headed off towards the bar. She turned and went back to the front desk, drawing the attention of the slimy little manager-man. "The man I was just talking with," she said softly, "Is a relative of mine. He and his companion will be staying in my suite. See that they get keys." She felt her head becoming light as the man replied.

"Mister Angelus and Mister Spike?" the manager said, surprised, "Of *course*, Miss Rosenberg! I wasn't aware that they were *known* to you!" He turned away for a moment before turning back with two index-sized cards in hand. "Please ask them to fill these out when you get a chance?" He saw from her slightly glazed expression that she hadn't heard the disappointment in his voice, and was glad... after all, the *last* thing that he needed was to offend the Master of Seattle by making advances on a servant of that Master's own family... especially if she was accompanied by Angelus and William the Bloody...

Willow felt her heart almost stop when the little man said the names. (Angelus and Spike?) she thought, (No! It's not *possible*! How could they be here, and *together*, after... No!) She collected the cards that the man had passed to her and went away from the desk. Her glance darted almost feverishly around the hotel lobby before she spotted what she was looking for. Swiftly crossing the floor, she entered the Ladies Room, pulling out her cell phone and hitting number two on the speed dial. "Dru?' she said as the phone was picked up on the other end, "It's me... we may have a problem."

Chapter 2

Willow listened to her friend slowly losing her mind... not in the *permanent* sense, but still... Dru couldn't understand *how* Spike could be at the convention... and with *Angelus*, of all people! The redhead listened still more, before finally interrupting as the other girl began repeating herself for what *had* to be the fourth or fifth time. "Dru!" she said forcefully, "Dru!" again, louder. "DRU!" she finally shouted. Hearing the stunned silence on the other end of the phone, she continued. "I don't *know* what they're doing here! I didn't even know that they *were* here! I was only doing what you *said* to do... being polite and well-bred... Angelus saw the choker, said that he was also of Aurelius, and I invited him and Spike to stay in the suite with me. I didn't know who he was until the hotel manager mentioned his name!" She listened to the silence on the other end of the line. "I... I can't take back the offer, can I?" she said softly, her tone making it more of a statement than a question. She sighed as she heard the expected answer. "Well, then... I suppose that I have to just... try to make the best of it! Besides," she said after a moment's thought, "He didn't seem to recognize your... scent?... whatever, he didn't know it, or at least not well enough to identify it... No... no, he asked me who my Master was, but... *Really*? I had no idea that... well, but... yeah. Yeah, OK, Dru... Uh-huh... well, *that's* easy enough to explain! He wasn't *with* him! Believe me, if I'd seen that bleached head of hair anywhere nearby, I'd have figured it out!... I'm not sure, but it *looked* like he was headed towards the bar..." Willow laughed, hearing the amusement in her friend's voice. "Yeah... yeah, it *does* seem like a safe bet, considering what you've told me about your 'brother'... OK... yeah, OK, already!" She glanced at herself in the mirror, glad to see no signs of her earlier distress. "All right, love, I've got to go. Don't worry!" she exclaimed, cutting Drusilla's words off, "I'll be careful!" (And maybe,) she thought, as she flipped the cell phone closed, (Just maybe, I'll find out exactly what happened all those years ago... and why Spike is here with Angelus...) She grinned, hoping that she'd eventually have some good news for her friend, as she left the Ladies Room and headed towards the bar.

Angel reluctantly left the lovely redhead and barely kept himself from looking back as he went to find his childe in the bar. He wasn't sure of exactly what it was about her, but he just couldn't seem to get her scent off of his mind. He knew that he knew her Master, but... for some reason, he just couldn't place him. He sighed slightly, pushing through the bar's lobby door. Pausing for a moment in the relative darkness, he finally spotted his childe's bleached blond locks bent towards a head of long dark hair. He was surprised for a moment that Spike had somehow managed to find himself a playmate at this hour, but decided that what with Spike being *Spike*, it was somehow to be expected, although... the *vibe* the girl was giving off... He groaned to himself, unable to believe that once again he couldn't identify something that was so *familiar* to him. He watched them for a moment, finally moving towards them. "Spike," he ground out, the dark haired girl somehow making him jittery, "It's time to go."

Spike found his attention pulled away from his new friend by the tense-sounding voice of his Sire. "Angel," he said, turning his head towards the other vampire, "This is Faith." He turned back to the girl, his blue eyes meeting her brown ones. "And Faith, this rude bastard is Angel... my Sire." He could feel Angel's surprise that he'd just blurted that out, but since the girl had, in the course of their conversation, let it slip that she knew he was a vampire, he didn't figure that it would matter if he told her exactly *how* he was connected to the King of Brood. "Faith doesn't have a room either," he stated, slamming back yet another shot of whiskey. "So I invited her to stay with us... that is, assuming that your poofiness has actually managed to get *us* one..."

Angel almost laughed at his childe's disrespectful attitude before the content of what he'd just said registered. "What?" he demanded through his suddenly tight throat, "Spike, she *can't*..." His comment was cut off, however, as the girl turned her head to face him, her chocolatey brown eyes meeting his for the first time. (Oh, god...) he thought, as his head began to swim, (She's...)

Faith felt her heart literally skip a beat when her eyes met those of Blondie's Sire. He was *perfect*! Her head was spinning, and she would be willing to *swear* that her soul was crying 'YES!'. But... he was a *vampire*... and *she* was a *Slayer*! She forcibly dragged her eyes from his and turned back to the bar, quickly downing the shot in front of her and pouring another before downing *it*, too. "It's OK, Spike," she said, feeling relieved as the dark haired vamp's words registered on her booze-soaked mind, "I can find somewhere else..." At least she wouldn't have to be in a room with that beautiful man... vampire... He called to her spirit, by his very existence, demanding that she throw down her sacred duty and find a glorious eternity in his arms...

Spike sat there for a moment, not saying anything, as he glanced back and forth between the girl and his Sire. He noticed the way that Angel was staring raptly at the girl, *and* the way that Faith was deliberately *not* looking at Broody. He felt the corners of his mouth starting to twitch as he realized that *somebody*, or to be more accurate, *two* somebodies, had a *crush*. "No, Faith," he said, knowing that he was about to make both her *and* Angel very uncomfortable, "I promised you a place to stay, and I am bloody well going to *give* you one!" He turned his attention back to the tall vampire, glaring. "And you *know* how I am about keeping my word, mate! I may be a demon, but I don't break my promises!" He smirked wickedly to himself, and reached out to run a hand slowly down the brunette girl's back. "Especially not when a girl like *this* is involved." He grinned widely as he heard the almost inaudible growl coming from his Sire's throat. "So whatever the problem is, Angel, you'll just have to find some way *around* it, 'cause I'm not leaving Faith here to fend for herself..." He could see the warring emotions in Angel's eyes, and spoke *very* softly, for his Sire's ears only. "Just think, mate... she's here, looking like she *looks*, with no room, no protection... how long do you think she'll remain unclaimed? And it's not like she'll have any *choice* in the matter..." He turned his head to hide his smug grin as he heard his Sire's answering growl.

All of Angel, both demon and soul, realized the truth of Spike's words as soon as they were uttered... if they left the girl's lodgings to chance, she'd probably end up bound to some rat-bastard of a vampire who just wanted a little *toy*. After all, the rules only said no fighting or killing... there weren't any rules about claiming, and although it was considered to be in poor taste to claim an unwilling human at the Gathering, well... with a prize like *this* before them... Angel sighed deeply, meeting his childe's eyes. "Fine," he said, sounding surly, "But *you're* going to have to explain it to Miss Rosenberg!"

Spike stared at his Sire in surprise. "And just *who* in the bloody hell is Miss Rosenberg?"

"That would be *me*." said the softly lilting voice from the doorway.

Willow looked on, amused, as she heard Angelus tell his childe that he'd be the one to explain things to her. She glanced at the dark haired girl that was the cause of the entire discussion. The girl, she thought wearily, was pretty enough, but she had a certain... *feel* to her... it reminded Willow of... Buffy? (Oh, gods,) she realized, (She's a *Slayer*!) She barely noticed when the blond... Spike... asked his Sire who Miss Rosenberg was, but she did. "That would be *me*." she said softly, her eyebrows rising as Spike's eyes flew to meet hers. (Oh, gods... they're so... *blue*!) She suddenly felt as if she were drowning, and somehow found that she didn't even *want* to come up for air. (No, Willow,) she told herself frantically, (He's a *vampire*! And more importantly, he's Dru's 'brother'!) She pulled her eyes from his and looked to Angelus, glad to see the poleaxed look from before gone from his eyes. "But, you know, you *can* call me Willow... seeing as we're going to be sharing the suite and all..." She grinned at the tall, dark vampire, studiously avoiding the gaze of the blond.

Spike felt himself starting to lose control of his demon as the enchanting redhead avoided his every glance. He wasn't sure of what it was about her, but... something in her called to him... to his demon. He took a deep breath through his nose, trying to catch her scent, and almost fell over as he realized that he had smelled her... or someone very similar to her, many times before. The smell was... *familiar*, but not readily identifiable... like it was someone he'd known long ago, who had somehow... changed. He put the thought from his mind as he concentrated more deeply and was finally able to draw in the unique raspberry and honeysuckle scent that was this young woman... Willow. He gazed at her again. Willow... the name suited her. Strong, able to bend, but not likely to break... His eyes rested on the bite mark on her neck, and he made a decision. Whoever her Master was, he would find him, after the Gathering, and *kill* him before claiming the redhead as his own. (Wait a minute... sharing a suite? With *her*? Oh, I *think* I can handle *that*!) He shook off his thoughts and spoke, trying to sound nonchalant. "Yeah, well, that's just what we were talking about, luv..." He smiled slightly in satisfaction as her warm green eyes were drawn back to him. "Y'see, I told Faith, here, that she could stay with *us*, but my bloody Si... um, *friend*... seems to think that you'd have a problem with that..." He felt his voice becoming softer against his will. "So... do you, pet? Have a problem, I mean?" He could have sworn that he actually felt his heart start beating again when she flashed him a brilliant smile. Of course, if it *had*, it would have stopped again as soon as she turned that same smile to his bloody poof of a Sire.

Willow smiled at the blond, but turned to Angelus before she could pass out from the look in Spike's eyes. She had no idea of why he was affecting her this way, and she wasn't sure that she wanted to find out. "No," she said softly, trying not to let her anxiety colour her voice as she spoke into Angelus' eyes, "I don't mind if Faith stays, too... after all, she's a friend of your childe's, so that makes her *almost* family... besides, from what I understand, it's a two bedroom suite, so..." She turned her attention to the brunette Slayer. "As long as you don't mind sharing with me?" She smiled her satisfaction at the girl's tired nod, "Well, then, that's settled! You two boys will have the one room, while we girls take the other! But," she elaborated as they finally left the bar after settling Spike's tab, "Since it's *my* suite, *we* get to choose our room!"

Spike grinned at the back of Willow's head. So she knew he was a vampire... that would make things easier... He'd have to find out what Angel knew about her, because... once he'd thought about it, he had recognized the look in her eyes earlier for what it was... desire... and *need*... So the little girl was playing hard to get... that was all right by *him*... he'd just have to play hard to resist! He grinned at his Sire, who was walking with him behind the girls, completely unaware that the other vampire was thinking the exact same thing, only with regards to a dark-haired beauty who made him *itch*.

Chapter 3

Spike grinned as he and his Sire followed the two girls down the hallway of the hotel, his grin becoming a smirk as he focused on the redhead's gently swaying hips. Damn, but she was lovely! He glanced at Angel from the corner of his eye, noticing that the older vampire was just as taken with the brunette as he'd been earlier. Spike wasn't entirely sure of how to feel about that... after all, for all his Sire knew, the dark-haired girl was the love of Spike's un-life. He rolled that thought around in his mind for a little while before finally deciding that it didn't matter... the more time that the poof spent with Faith, well, that would be more time for *Spike* to spend with *Willow*. He grinned again, thinking about the steps he'd have to take in order to successfully seduce the girl. His eyes narrowed, grin fading, as the redhead turned to say something to Faith and he saw, again, the fresh bite-mark on her neck... it might just be harder than he'd thought... the girl already *had* a master, and unless that Master was *stupid*... The blond slowed his steps for a moment, concentrating all his senses on the girl... No, he realized, as he took a deep breath, her Master *wasn't* a moron at all. The scent he'd just gotten from her left no doubt in his mind... the redhead was *not* a virgin. He grimaced a bit. He knew that if *he'd* been the one to find her first, she would have stayed pure for all of five minutes, but that didn't mean that he *liked* the idea of her having had a lover. Ah, well, he decided, his eyes once again drawn to her silk-covered buttocks, once she was *his* lover, she'd never think about anyone else... *ever* again! He was so caught up in his reverie that he didn't even notice Willow's pace slowing... not until he almost slammed into her, only to be stopped by his Sire's hand grasping a handful of his leather coat. "Hey!" he cried, glaring at the man before realizing what was going on, "Hands off the leather, mate!" He saw Angel looking at him in surprise as he realized that without the darker vamp's timely intervention, he would have flattened the object of his affections... and not in a *good* way. "Sorry, Sire," he sighed, running a hand through his own blond locks, "I was *thinking*..."

Angel laughed, knowing *exactly* what his childe had been thinking about. As caught up as *he'd* been in watching the brunette girl, he hadn't missed the way that Spike had been eyeing the redhead. He wondered how it was that he and his childe had both met women who were so *right*... The redhead had called to his demon as soon as he'd seen her, but not in the way that *Faith* did... and he was fairly certain that his childe felt the same way... that Spike thought that Faith was just... lovely, but nothing like the perfection of Willow. He sighed, hoping that the blond would be willing to share whatever Faith had said in the bar... he had a feeling that she was one that he'd have to tread carefully with... at least, if he wanted to *keep* her, which he most assuredly *did*!

Willow grinned at the girl beside her as they arrived at the door to their suite. *She* had noticed, even if the other girl hadn't, the way that Angelus was staring at the brunette Slayer. Of course, she had also noticed the way that Faith was ignoring each and every glance that the dark-haired vampire was sending her way. (Hmm...) she thought, as she slid her key-card into the electronic lock, (Angelus has a thing for a *Slayer*! Who'd've thunk?) She turned the door's handle as the LED light turned green, and led her three companions into the living room area of the suite. "Well," she said, glancing around her and trying not to show her awe, "This is it... think we can manage?"

Spike looked around him, his eyes taking in the very large main room with its two couches, three arm chairs, four end tables, coffee table and wet bar, before turning disbelieving eyes to the redhead he had been thinking of as *his*... just who in the *hell* was her Master, that he could arrange accommodations like *these* on short notice? It *had* to be short notice, he realized, as he glanced again at the freshness of the bite marks on her neck. He almost shivered, knowing deep down inside that anyone who could arrange *this* so quickly was probably someone who could kill him without even trying... He glanced at her quickly before turning away and walking to the heavily covered glass doors that led to the balcony. "Yeah, pet," he said, just loudly enough for her to hear, "I think so..." He hoped that he'd managed to control his voice enough that the two humans wouldn't be able to hear the anger and sorrow he felt at the realization that he was beneath her... she could do much better, and obviously, judging by this room, she *had*.

Angel looked at his childe, stunned. He *knew* that the blond wanted the redhead, but... he'd *heard* the defeat in his voice... and he honestly couldn't recall any time that Spike had given up so easily. His eyes became worried as the blond pulled back the curtains and slid the glass door open, stepping out onto the balcony. The dark haired vampire turned to the girls. "Why don't you two take a look at the rooms, decide which one you want?" He glanced again at his childe, leaning against the balcony railing with the only thing protecting him from a flame-y death the thick clouds overhead. "Just leave the door open on the one you *don't* want, OK?" He turned his eyes back to them, seeing the surprise in the redhead's eyes. "I need to talk to my childe." he said softly to her, knowing that she, as 'servant' to one of Aurelius, would understand about the Sire/Childe bond.

Willow had seen every emotion pass over Spike's face, and while she wasn't entirely sure that she'd understood them all, she'd found that she was worried about him... that was why she was so relieved when Angelus said that he was going to talk with him... maybe he would be able to find out what was wrong with Spike. She had just met him, but she was pretty sure that he wasn't acting normally. She nodded at the dark haired vamp before turning towards the door closest to her. "Will he be all right?" she asked softly, glancing back over her shoulder, "I mean, he's... OK, isn't he?"

Angel looked at the young red haired woman, surprised by the concern in her voice. Of course, she *was* bound to his order, but somehow, he didn't think that that was why she cared... "I hope so, Miss Rosen... Willow... I *hope* so." He turned from her and followed his childe's earlier path out onto the balcony of the suite as the petite redhead entered the first of the two bedrooms, the brunette girl in tow.

"So... Faith..." Willow said warily as she and the brunette entered the first of the two bedrooms. "Why are you here?" She could see the surprise in the darker girl's eyes and elaborated, "I mean, why are you *here*, at a vampire convention, what with you being a Slayer and all?"

Faith could feel her eyes growing wide at the redhead's comment... how did she... "A *what*?" she demanded, throwing herself at the girl and knocking her to the floor. She wrapped her hand around the redhead's throat, squeezing tightly as she tried to harden herself to what she *knew* she had to do... Willow was a *servant* to one of the most vicious clans ever... the girl just *had* to die. She stared down into the redhead's bright green eyes, seeing no sign of panic. Well, she could change *that*! Her hand began to tighten on the girl's throat, tighter and tighter, until she could *see* the flush in the girl's face as the blood was stopped from circulating... she only *hoped* that she had the fortitude to see this through. She stared at the girl a moment longer, picturing her former watcher, Gwendolyn Post, telling her that she had to be *hard*... *strong*... *merciless*. Then, of course, she remembered Gwen's betrayal, and allowed her grip to loosen. This girl, she realized, hadn't done anything but be *kind* to her... The dark haired Slayer slowly released her hold on the redhead's throat and sat back. She sighed, not knowing exactly how to make things right with her new 'friend'. Finally, she decided that against all of her instincts, she should try something unique... the *truth*. "I... I'm sorry, Willow, it's just..." She fell silent as the girl slowly sat up, apparently none the worse for wear.

"I know," Willow said slowly, not entirely sure of how she *did* know. "You were *scared*," she said, softly rubbing at her throat with her hand, "Of what it might mean that someone marked as a servant of Aurelius knew that you're a Slayer..." She looked into the girl's eyes for a moment before tearing her gaze away. "Well, it means *nothing*, Faith." She stood and crossed the room, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Since I know *your* secret, I suppose you should know *mine*," Willow said softly as the girl slowly settled herself beside her. "I'm *marked* as a servant, but I... I'm not, really..." She sighed deeply, finding the explanation *much* harder than she'd feared. "I... I'm here looking for information. There's this *prophecy*, you see... and my friends and I... well, that's what we do... We stop prophecies from coming to pass... the *bad* ones, anyway..." She glanced at the other girl, still finding an almost frightening degree of confusion and distrust in her eyes. "One of my friends... she's the other Slayer... I kind of wondered who would be called after Kendra died at Graduation..." Willow more or less muttered the last bit to herself, but knew that Faith had heard her from the Slayer's swiftly indrawn breath. "What? They didn't *tell* you? Oh, wait," she answered herself, "Of course they didn't... it would have been de-moralizing for them to tell you about the Slayer who went bad..." She collected her thoughts, knowing that she'd said too much to stop now, but not wanting to frighten or hurt the newest Slayer... "Kendra was good at what she did... her problem, though, was that she looked at being a Slayer as a way of life, instead of as a *job*... and it *is* a job. Sure, only one... or... now, two... girls can fill the position, but it's a job none the less... She was smart enough, certainly, but... her parents gave her to the Watcher's Council when she was five or six, so... she never had the chance to understand that evil is something that can never *really* be defeated!" Willow smiled sadly, remembering the beautiful mocha-skinned girl who had come close to being her best friend. "It was hard for her, you know... being sent to the Hellmouth and told to 'stop the dark power from rising'... she *tried*, don't get me wrong, she really *did*, but... she had been so sheltered by the Council that... when she finally realized that she could never *win*, she allied herself with the darkness... she tried to kill Buffy, she's the *other* Slayer... and eventually died herself when Principal Snyder, from Sunnydale High, tried to become a demon at graduation." The redhead glanced again at the dark haired Slayer, seeing that the girl was beginning to accept everything she'd just told her. She was relieved, but only for a moment, as the girl asked a question of her own.

"So," Faith said quietly, thinking about what the redhead had just told her, "What's this *prophecy*, Red?"

(Oh, gods,) Willow thought to herself, (I was *hoping* she wouldn't ask me that!) She looked almost beggingly at the Slayer, finally answering when she saw no mercy in the girl's eyes. Her own eyes tearing up, she said in a *very* bad Jamaican accent, "A *very* dark power is about to rise..." She just couldn't help it... after just talking about Kendra, she'd *had* to try the accent... of course, she knew that she'd *never* be good at it! "So," she said, trying to lighten the mood, "What do you say we check out the *other* bedroom? After all, it wouldn't do to let our men have the better room..." She felt her eyes growing wider as she realized her little Freudian slip, but since Faith hadn't seemed to notice, she decided to ignore it. (*Our* men? What was I *thinking*?) She deliberately chose to ignore the little voice in the back of her head that was saying that *it*, at least, knew *exactly* what she was thinking...

Spike remained standing and staring out across the city of Seattle, even after he felt his Sire follow him out onto the balcony. He watched the vague indication of the sun behind the clouds as it slowly slipped towards the horizon. Finally, he decided that he'd had enough of the silence and spoke. "What?" He knew that he sounded angry, but *damn it*, he *was*! He had waited all his life... and *un*life, to meet a girl like this... *Willow*... and now that he *had*, well, now that he had, he found that he was too late... one of his own kind had found her first! He turned his mind back to his Sire, realizing that the other vampire had yet to say anything. "What is it, Sire? Y'want to tell me that I don't deserve her? That she's too good for me? That whatever *bastard* has claimed her as servant can kick my ass?" He finally turned, his eyes meeting Angel's. "Well, I already *know* all of that, mate! I *don't* deserve her! She *is* too good for me!" He looked away from his Sire's all to knowing gaze, and finally said what was really bothering him. "Her Master can give her all of *this*!" His hands waved towards the rooms on the other side of the glass doors. "How can I compete with that?" He knew that he sounded like he was begging, but he didn't care... it was only his Sire, after all... "How can I compete?" He turned back to the city-scape that he'd been perusing earlier. "I can't." he answered himself, "I *can't*." His voice became quieter as he spoke to himself, forgetting that Angel was even *there*, much less able to hear him. "And why should I even try... I'm outclassed from the very beginning..."

Angel sighed to himself as he left Spike on the balcony... he'd have to find out, somehow, about Willow's relationship with her Master... He knew that it would be difficult, but... whatever it took. His blond childe hadn't been *truly* happy in a long while, and *he* was willing to do whatever was necessary to see that ecstatic look on his boy's face again... even if that meant *buying* the redhead from her Master... he was pretty sure that *no-one* would refuse an offer from *Angelus*. He gasped as he re-entered the room, finding himself face to face with the redheaded object of his childe's affections. "Willow?" he said softly, knowing that Spike wouldn't hear him over his continued rants, "What's wrong?" His eyes went even wider when she called him 'Angelus'.

The two girls had gone and looked at the second room before deciding that that was the one that they'd take... it was slightly larger, and there was a truly *amazing* tub in the bathroom... it had water-jets and directional sprayers, and *everything*! Willow was exploring the bathroom for a while, and when she came out, she found Faith asleep, fully clothed, on the bed. She looked at the exhausted Slayer for a moment before deciding that she should find her bags and dress both herself and her new friend for sleep. The redhead wandered out of the room she had chosen, expecting to find no-one around. She almost froze as she heard the voices from outside the glass doors. She didn't *mean* to listen, but it was almost as if she didn't have a choice... She listened to him when he said that he didn't have a chance... that he was out-classed... and she felt her eyes tear up as she wished that he really *meant* it... there was just something about him... She wasn't sure of exactly what it was, but the sleek blond vamp made her feel things that she'd never really felt before... She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Angelus appearing right in front of her.

Chapter 4

She slowly began to turn and go back to the room she was now sharing with Faith, when she was suddenly confronted by a very large, hard body. She gasped slightly, although after spending the last five years with her best friend, she should have expected vampires to move quickly and quietly. "Angelus!" she exclaimed breathlessly, "Don't *do* that!" Her heart was pounding so loudly in her ears that she didn't even hear his surprised gasp when she called him by name. "Oh," she added softly, gazing up at him as she remembered his question, "Nothing's wrong, I just... wanted to see if you guys needed anything before I go take a nap... It's been a long day for me, and..." She trailed off, wondering what the odd look in his eyes was. "What?... You're looking at me funny, and... that can't be good..."

Angel continued to stare at the girl as he ran every minute through his head, from the time they'd met to this exact moment, and... he *knew* he hadn't been wrong... neither he *nor* Spike had ever told the redhead their names. Sure, *Faith* knew, but since Spike had introduced him to the girl as *Angel*, he somehow didn't think that that was where the redhead had gotten *Angelus* from. "I... I'm sorry," he finally stammered, trying to think of a diplomatic way of asking just how she knew his old name. After a few moments, though, he realized that there *wasn't* one. "I was... *wondering*... how did you know my name?"

Willow swallowed hard and took a step back from him as she remembered all the stories Dru had told her about her Sire... she *really* didn't want him to be angry with her, but she also wasn't *about* to tell him the truth... not until she knew exactly *why* he had left her friend, only to show up *here*, over a hundred years later, in the company of the *other* childe that he'd abandoned. "I... Faith told me!"

Angel slowly shook his head, letting just a bit of his demon show through. "No..." he said slowly, "I don't *think* so, little one... Faith knows me as *Angel*, not Angelus. Try again?"

The redhead felt her eyes going wide as her mind raced a mile a minute, searching for an answer that would satisfy him without her having to betray her friend. "Umm... well, Faith told me that *he*," she said, unaware of the way her voice softened when she mentioned the blond, "Was Spike, and that you're his Sire... and I'm connected to Aurelius, and *everyone* who knows *anything* about Aurelius knows that Spike was Sired by Angelus, so when she said your name was Angel, I just *assumed*..." She glanced swiftly into his eyes, trying to see if he was buying her hastily concocted explanation, and sighed in relief as the suspicion in his eyes disappeared. (Good,) she thought, (He's *not* going to kill me!) She almost giggled to herself before recalling what she had overheard being said between Sire and Childe just a few minutes earlier. "Angelus?" she almost whispered, "About Spike... is he OK? I mean, I kind of heard what he was saying, and... is he... I mean, well, is this *normal* for him? 'Cause he doesn't really strike me as the angst-ridden broody type..." She was completely shocked when the subject of her comments came dashing in from the balcony, crossed the living room, and swiftly passed through the door to the hallway. "Angelus?" she asked, seeing the equal surprise on the dark haired man's face, "What's going on? Is he... did he hear me? Is he mad at me?"

Angel almost smiled at the distress in the girl's voice when she thought that his Childe might be angry with her. At least now he knew that whatever it was the boy was feeling for the redhead, *she* was likely feeling something quite similar! He schooled his expression into one of confusion as he turned his eyes back to hers. "I don't know, Willow, but I don't *think* he's angry... or not at *you*, anyway... If anything," he said, answering the question in her green eyes, "He's mad at whoever claimed you as servant... he's probably jealous of your Master... Well, *you* heard what he said outside." He turned away for a moment, gesturing towards the still-open balcony door. "He's a proud man, my childe is," Angel said, completely unaware of how pleased he sounded about that fact. "It can't be easy for him to see all of *this* and know that *he* could never even give you a *quarter* of it! And when you add on to that the fact that we wouldn't have anywhere to stay if it weren't for you..." The vampire shook his head sadly, looking back at the redhead. "It's just like he said... he feels..."

"Outclassed." Willow finished for him, her voice so soft that even he, with his enhanced hearing, almost missed it. Her eyes fell to the floor as she felt what she supposed could only be a small degree of the despair that Spike was feeling. "But he's *not*, Angelus..." She stopped for a moment, trying to put what she was feeling into words. "He's not," she repeated, crossing the floor and sitting down on the nearest couch.

"What *is* he then, Willow?" He sighed as he joined her, sitting down beside her as he continued. "He's *right*, you know. He can't give you the things you obviously expect... he's not able to. This room, that necklace, the fine clothes... they're beyond him right now..." He found himself pulling away from her as she turned towards him and she saw the fury in her eyes.

"Expect?" she hissed, her green eyes blazing fire at him, "You think that I *expect* these things? That I *care* about *any* of this?" She flew up from the couch and began stalking angrily in front of him. "All of this," she cried, "It's all just... *things*! And sure, it's nice to *have* them, but they're not something that I *expect*! It's not about *money*, Angelus, or *power*! Money is a *tool*, and power is an *addiction*! How can you have been around all these years and not *know* that?" She turned her back on him and crossed to the mini-bar, reaching inside and pulling out one of the small bottles of gin. She continued as she poured the contents over a few ice cubes, not seeing the surprised, yet pleased smile hovering at the corners of his lips. "You know, I'm finally beginning to understand something... I should have seen it *years* ago! Men are all the same! It doesn't matter if you've been dead for centuries, you all *still* think that it's about possessions! That all women are money-hungry whores! That we're all attracted to power and who's got the most expensive *toys*! Well, guess *what*, Angelus?" she said even more intently as she turned to face him again, and quickly drained her glass. "I don't give a rat's *ass* about any of this! I've had my own money ever since my mother died; I could live like this *all* *the* *time*, and it means *nothing*! I don't want someone to keep me in the 'finer things' in life, and I don't *need* someone to make themselves crazy with buying me expensive *baubles*! I need..." she cut herself off, finally noticing the amusement in the dark haired vampire's expression. "What?" she demanded.

Angel had found himself to be pleasantly surprised at the redhead's tirade... of course, she wasn't *looking* for money or power, but he had initially been convinced that that was because her Master already provided those things to her... but as she'd gone on and on, he'd realized that those were really the *last* things on her list... No, *this* girl hadn't let herself be claimed as servant because of the status of her Master... In fact, he was fairly sure, now, that she had allowed it out of *love*. Which kind of begged the question: "What, indeed, Willow... what exactly *is* it that you need?" He flung himself from the couch and caught her suddenly limp form as she collapsed.

Spike grimaced to himself as he started on yet another bottle of whiskey in the hotel's bar... at this rate, he'd probably be bloody stinking pissed in another hour or so, but he just couldn't find it in himself to care... He slammed back the shot he'd just poured himself, admitting that what he'd heard the girl... Willow... say just before he'd flown the proverbial coop, was, indeed, true... he really *wasn't* the angst-y, broody type. So why, he asked himself, was he *here*, sitting alone in the bar, while the only girl he'd been *truly* interested in in a long, *long* time was upstairs, probably moving her warm little hands and hot, full lips all over his bloody *Sire*? He sighed again, pouring himself still more whiskey. It wasn't as though he could *blame* the girl, though... Angel was much older, and still had the whole 'bad-ass' reputation going for him... not that Spike *didn't*, but... Why would a girl like that ever be willing to settle for him when his Sire was around, and so clearly available? Spike sighed again, more deeply this time, wishing that he'd been right about Angel's interest in Faith. He grinned slightly as he remembered meeting the dark haired girl earlier that day in that very same bar. She'd sure lightened up his bout of boredom! They'd had a pretty good time just sitting there drinking while she'd told him some of the story of her life... it had been obvious that she was leaving some of the more important things out, but who could blame her? He was, after all, a complete stranger... He'd actually been *enjoying* himself, even after Angel had come in... but then, well, *then* he'd met *Willow*. He groaned, lowering his forehead to the cool wood of the bar. He'd felt like a thousand stars were shooting through his veins the first time his eyes met hers. If he'd had a heartbeat, he was sure it would have stopped right then... and she'd *seemed* to be interested as well. Or at least, he reminded himself, that's what he'd chosen to *believe*... until he'd seen the *suite*. He raised his head, eyes hardening slightly, as he vowed, then and there, to stop *thinking* about it. He'd come back to the bar in order to cheer himself *up*, not so that he could practice for the 'Broodathon Olympics'... He smiled suddenly as he realized that no matter how much he *did* practice his 'brooding skills', his great bloody poof of a Sire would *still* win, hands down... Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cigarettes and snaked one from the pack. As he looked for the barkeep, intending to ask for a box of matches, he was surprised by a strong hand being thrust before his face, holding a lit Zippo. "Thanks, mate," he muttered as he lit the smoke from the offered flame. Taking a deep drag of the nicotine laden smoke, he finally turned to face the one who'd made it possible. He was somewhat surprised by the sight that met him. The other vampire, for he *was* a vampire, appeared to be no more than seventeen or eighteen, which was rather young for a human to be turned... *most* vampires were at least in their early twenties, but looking at *this* lad, Spike would have been surprised if the boy had even been shaving regularly when he was Sired... and to top it off, it was obvious that the boy *had* been Sired, and not just *made*... there wasn't even the slightest taint of 'minion' about him.

The young dark haired vamp smiled at the blond, his brown eyes twinkling. "You're welcome... *mate*," he said, his almost sarcastic tone of voice softened by the wide and delighted grin on his face. "You're Spike, aren't you?" Seeing the look of surprise and confusion on the blond's face, he elaborated. "William the Bloody? Favoured childe of Angelus? One half of 'the Scourge of Europe'?" The young man smiled in satisfaction as he saw the acknowledgement in the much older vampire's eyes. "I *thought* so! Man, I've been wanting to meet you for *years*! But," he pouted slightly, glancing slyly away from the blond, "You weren't at the last Gathering!" He looked back again, meeting Spike's blue eyes.

The blond vampire found himself caught between amusement and outrage at the younger man's presumption, finally deciding that in his current mood, amusement would do him more good. "Yeah," he said, laughing as he leaned forward and snagged another shot glass from the other side of the bar, "Well, it's *been* a while!" He pored out shots for himself and his new 'friend'. "So, why'd you want to meet me?" he asked as the young man nodded his thanks for the whiskey. He drank his own shot as the boy responded, almost spraying the booze across the bar as what he said registered.

The dark haired lad considered for a moment, and replied. "Well, up until a minute ago, I wanted to meet you because you're a *legend*, and my Great-Grand-Sire respects you, but now... *now* I'm wondering just *how* you know Willow Rosenberg." He grinned to himself as he heard Spike almost choke on his drink, and reached out, slamming his own shot. "I can smell her all *over* you..."

"Wh... what?" Spike sputtered, trying to clear a bit of booze from where it had lodged somewhere up in his nose, "What? Who?" He stood suddenly, catching the other vampire off guard as he grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "All right, mate," he said low and dangerous as he let his demon come to the fore, "Just who in the bloody hell *are* you, and how do you know *Willow*?" He tightened his grip, prepared to *kill* the whelp if he didn't get answers he *liked*, rules be *damned*!

The young dark haired vampire smiled up into the enraged eyes of the blond. "I'm Xander... and Willow used to be my best friend..." He felt the older vampire's grip loosening before finally letting go. "I'd recognize her scent *anywhere*," he said sadly before adding, "She smells *good* on you."

Spike sat back down beside the vampire named Xander and poured them both some more whiskey... he had a feeling it was going to be a long, *long* night.

Chapter 5

Angel saw the girl's eyes begin to roll up, and flew from his place on the couch, barely reaching her in time to keep her from impacting harshly with the floor. Lowering them both more comfortably to the wooden surface, he thanked whatever powers might be listening for the vampiric speed that had made it possible. "Willow," he said gently, lightly patting her cheek with one large hand as the other sought, and found, her steady pulse, "Willow!" He looked more closely at her face, seeing her eyes twitching behind her closed lids. He pried one eyelid up, seeing only white. He frowned, considering. If he didn't know better, he would think that she had fallen asleep and was in the heart of a dream. The dark haired vampire sighed frustratedly. He wasn't sure if he should call down for the hotel doctor or just let her ride this... whatever it was... out. If she'd been *his* servant, he'd have gone the doctor route, but as it was... He looked up at the sound of a swiftly indrawn breath. "Faith..." he barely managed to say as his eyes met her glorious and sleepy brown orbs.

Faith had woken up a few minutes earlier, not sure for a moment of just *where*, exactly, she was. She sat up, glancing around the room, the memory returning to her as she heard the redhead's raised voice through the closed bedroom door. Oh yeah... she was at the Vampire Gathering in Seattle... And she was staying in a room with two vampires and one human girl who was apparently friends with the other Slayer... and with a...*vampire*? She shook her head, confused for a moment over just how that could *be*. But the redhead... *Willow*, she reminded herself, *was*. Now that she thought about it, though, she wondered... the vampires that were staying with them... Angel and Spike... hadn't seemed that bad... a little wicked, but... The Slayer grinned, thinking about all the times that the same had been said of *her*. Her smile faded a bit as she heard the low rumble of the darker vampire's voice. Why did he affect her so much? She'd just *met* him, after all! She rolled from the bed, crossing the room and flinging the door open as she heard the sudden silence and the low cry of 'Willow.' She stepped out into the living room, only to be greeted by the sight of the redhead, laying on the floor, her upper body across Angel's lap, his arms wrapped around her slight frame. (Oh...) she thought, taking a swift, shallow breath, feeling for a moment as though she would die, (I'm *interrupting*!). She was about to step back into the bedroom, leaving the two apparent love-birds alone, when she was stopped by the worry and relief in the vampire's voice as his eyes met hers and he said her name... 'Faith...' "Angel?" she said softly, finally realizing that it wasn't a lover-y position that she'd caught them in, "What's wrong?" She crossed the living room and knelt down beside them, still caught in his eyes as he began to explain. Her eyes widened a bit, and she looked down at the redhead, seeing the signs he'd mentioned. "You're right, Angel," she said, still speaking softly, "It *does* look like she's dreaming... and it *is* weird that it just... *happened*." She sighed, her eyes flying to his again. "Is it... is it something to do with that whole 'servant' thing?" She thought for a moment, remembering something the other girl had mentioned in passing earlier. "Or maybe... do you think it might have something to do with her being a witch?" Her hand flew, too late, to cover her mouth as she saw Angel's eyes widen in surprise. Maybe she wasn't supposed to tell anyone about that... oh well... too late now!

Angel's eyes flew wide open... Willow was a *witch*? He considered that little bit of knowledge before finally nodding at the beautiful brunette who was staring so raptly into his eyes. "Yeah," he said softly, wondering what *else* his Faith might know about the girl, "It might at that..."

Spike smirked at the young vampire seated beside him, enjoying the faint alcohol haze he was currently enveloped in. "OK, Xander... so what you're telling me is..." He began to repeat the details that the boy had provided about the redhead's past life, just to make sure that he had them clear in his mind. "The two of you grew up on a *Hellmouth*... and you were best friends. You got even closer after her mother was killed by a vampire... that same vampire actually *turned* the woman, Willow went after her, and *staked* her own mother... not to mention also doing for the bloke who'd done the deed... So the two of you started, at the age of *twelve*, to try ridding your home town of the things that growl and bite in the night." He shook his head in amazement as the young man just nodded and drank more whiskey. "And she *changed* after all that, you said?" he asked, knowing that having experiences like that *would* change a young girl, but he was kind of curious as to in what ways.

"Yep," Xander said bluntly, almost tired of talking about the girl. He hadn't seen her in over five years, after all, and although he had *heard* that she was still well, he hadn't been willing to go back to Sunnydale to see for himself... He'd been told that there was a *Slayer* there, and while he didn't think that *Willow* would stake him, necessarily, he wasn't willing to bet on any Slayer choosing not to stake a vampire. He sighed, seeing the expectant look in Spike's eyes, and finally continued. "After she took out her mom, she got a lot more... self-confident, I guess... Stopped caring about what other people thought... It was just me and her and Jesse for a couple of years then... I didn't even notice it happening, but Jesse and I, we started feeling the same way, I guess, and the next thing we knew, we had a whole *group* of us! It was me, Jesse, this cheerleader Cordelia and her friends Aura and Harmony... Percy the jock, big gay Larry, and this quiet little guy Oz... and we all took our orders from Willow. She was the commander, and we were the troops, but she wasn't one of those 'in charge but not in *danger*' types... " He found himself smiling almost wistfully as he remembered that time in his life. "No, Will would always be right out there on the front-lines... She never asked any of us to do anything she wasn't entirely willing to do herself. I think that's why we all followed her... well, that and the fact that she was smarter than the rest of us put together! Of course," he said smiling more widely, " *Some* of us followed her a bit more... *closely* than others..." He stopped for a moment, taking a drink, and continued when the blond vampire growled impatiently. "Oz and Percy both had a thing for her, y'see. Oz even asked her out a few times. For a quiet guy, he sure was persistent! Eventually she said yes, but nothing really came of it. Then she was with Percy for a while... *he* was her *first*," Xander said, smirking as he caught the scent of anger coming from the other vamp, "But *definitely* not her *last*! Not that she was a big *ho* or anything, it's just... there we were, facing death and worse on a nightly basis... Sometimes you'd need a *release*... something to remind you of why you were fighting the good fight to begin with." The boy glanced down at the bar, draining his glass. He didn't mind talking about the past too much, but it made his demon twitchy to be reminded of the things its human host had done before.

Spike looked at the younger man for a moment, seeing the emotions chasing each other across his so-very-young face. "And *you*, Xander?" he asked slyly, "You two ever..." He waggled his scarred eyebrow, trying to lighten the mood... after all, he *did* want the boy to keep talking!

Xander turned his brown eyes back to the blue ones of his companion, confused for a moment, until he realized exactly what Spike was asking. "Eww! No!" he shuddered slightly at the very idea. "Don't get me *wrong*, Spike... Will always *was* a looker, but... that's just *gross*! I mean, I've known her since I was *five*! She's like a *sister* to me..." He shuddered again, reaching out a shaking hand for the whiskey bottle.

"So... what happened?" Spike asked in an effort to keep the boy from seeing what he was thinking. (Good... I kind of *like* the boy... I didn't want to have to kill him for touching my girl...)

Xander slammed back a shot, still disturbed by the imagery. "Oh... Percy died about a month after Will dumped him... some demon or other got him, and the dumb jock was just too stubborn to call for help... Jesse's parents finally realized exactly what kind of a town they were living in and took off for the east coast when he was sixteen, Oz... well, Oz ended up becoming a *werewolf*, if you can believe *that*... he's in charge of the local pack; big gay Larry is now the proud owner of Big Gay Larry's Big Gay Sports Bar in L.A...." He closed his eyes for a moment as he considered what he might have left out. "Oh, as far as I know, Cordelia's still on the Hellmouth, probably helping the Slayer by now, and as for Aura and Harmony, well... they're dead..." he finished lamely. "What?" he said forcefully as he saw the amusement in the other vampire's eyes, "I was *hungry*!"

Spike laughed loud and hard at the annoyance he heard in Xander's voice. "Were they good?"

The young man thought about it for a minute before turning his now dancing eyes to the blond. "Actually... they tasted kinda like *chicken*!" His eyes caught with Spike's blue ones for a moment before they both began laughing so hard that they almost fell off their stools. After a few minutes of trying to regain control of himself, Xander drew in a shaky breath and said, still slightly chuckling, "Oh, *hell*! The stars are singing!"

"What?" Spike demanded, suddenly serious, "What did you say, boy?"

The brunette stared at the blond for a moment, startled by his sudden shift in attitude. "Nothing... it's just something my Sire used to say when she was feeling loopier than usual..." He looked on as Spike's face took on the sort of expression that Xander imagined would be worn by someone who'd just been hit in the back of the head with a board before turning away to gaze shamelessly at the auburn-haired beauty who'd just wandered in to the bar... she was dressed *entirely* in dark blue leather, from the toes of her knee-high boots to the bustier-covered swells of her breasts... he *knew* she could feel his eyes on her... mostly because she turned and slid her glasses part way down her nose and winked at him over the top edge. "See you, Spike," he muttered as he stood and walked towards the girl.

Spike felt his eyes going round, not even noticing Xander's departure. (Dru... he's one of *Dru's*?) He flashed back on something the young vamp had said earlier... (His *Great**Grand**Sire*? Oh, *bloody* hell... *Darla*!)

End.

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