Everything was in place.

As he glanced around the room, Algolagniar smiled at the circle of bodies that surrounded him. Three men, two women and four children, all in various states of disarray, were lined equidistant from his position at the center of the macabre circle. He had striped them of their clothing and only the unconscious bodies of the children had escaped defilement at his hands. No, they were to be unspoiled in order for the H'anak Dou to be successful. That notwithstanding, the children would probably be scarred for life after witnessing the purple skinned demon take the others in the most gruesome of ways. What he had done to the two women and the man who had dared fight back…no one could un-see the violations Algolagniar had perpetrated on them and the demon was quite proud of his ability to distill so much damage and yet leave the victims alive. Comatose, quite possibly, but alive nonetheless. Oh, how he wished them to awaken and relive his desecration of their flesh for their remaining years--that was the most fulfilling part of inflicting pain upon others.

Too bad they would all be dead in minutes.

It matters not, the beast thought. I will have endless puppets to play with once my Master arrives. Algolagniar smiled deliciously at the prospects of exacting revenge from the three man-demons he had fought earlier. Especially the vampire.

The demon growled as he lit the candles in front of him and his mind returned to the single reason he had not finished the three warriors in the field of the dead. His knee, which the blood-drinker had shattered, still burned, sending the intoxicating tendrils of agony through his limbs. Kneeling only intensified the pain, which, in turn, strengthened him and his resolve to make the vampire pay. But for now…

"Gods of Darkness, Denizens of Evil; I, Algolagniar, beseech your services in the services of Gabriel, Lord of the Hellmouth." Algolagniar closed his eyes and inhaled the pungent scent of air that lacked the exhilarating redolence of death that salted the atmosphere of Quortoth and the Earth from whence he had traveled. It didn’t matter, though, considering that that particular oversight would be rectified soon.

Palms out, the demon tipped his head towards the sky and continued his unholy supplication in the long-dead language. "The strength of three, I give you." He glanced towards the men's bodies. At first there was nothing but he felt the minute change in the atmosphere and immediately thereafter the three male bodies were engulfed in a purplish-red flame. The flesh sizzled and contorted for several seconds before the bodies collapsed inwardly, melting into a viscous pool of reflective silver.

"Two that receive the seed and give life." The two unconscious women slowly rose into the air, the tattered remains of their clothing billowing in the wind that sprung up from the three glistening pools of silver. The gale slowly increased, swirling around Algolagniar with the force of a hurricane. He closed his eyes and reveled in the gusts as it cut across his flesh. He sensed the two bodies ripped apart by the relentless hurricane though nothing else in the room was disturbed.

When he opened his eyes, Algolagniar squinted at the dual pulsating bluish-green lights that danced before him. They were twice as big as the bodies that they had once been and swirled with the grace of dancers well versed in seduction. It took the hulking demon a moment to clear his thoughts as the lights called to him, whispered promises of death and destruction, pleasures beyond all imagining.

Using all of his energies, the Quortoth beast focused on the crystal at the center of the triangle candles in front of him. Its dull tint now shone with the faintest of glows; it flickered on and off like a distant shard of lightning and with the same unmistakable power. Still, the ritual was only two-thirds complete. It was time for the final incantation.

"Blood of the young, flesh of the innocent. I offer it up to you…" he was interrupted when the room was flooded with an intense white light. There was no preamble as the four young bodies disintegrated into a heavenly radiance that tore at the demon with rage that was enough to mute his bellowing protest of agony. Every nerve and tendon sizzled as the light intensified to immeasurable levels, burning his retinas through the skin of his eyelids. His two hearts seized, constricting to half their normal size and he felt the blood pour freely from invisible wounds along his wrists as he held them out to the side, parallel with the ground. His limbs shook with the effort of keeping his arms upright and Algolagniar tried to concentrate on his final task.

Despite his reluctance, the demon opened his eyes. The brilliance of the light had softened enough for him to catch a glimpse of the once opaque crystal hovering before him. It expanded and contracted in time with the palpitations of his hearts and that knowledge assisted him in focusing on his final call.

"I grant you access to thought and mind, intent and will; take as it is yours." The crystal dimmed to the point of its prior inactivity before it filled with the triumvirate of colors that had lined the circle--silver, blue-green and the purest of whites. He saw a minute span of black in the center of it and, before he could prepare, the crystal burst into a thousand jagged pieces that embedded into his flesh.

Algolagniar screamed to the heavens as the pain grasped him around the throat and slithered through his veins. It tore at him from the inside, unconscionable in its journey. It was like nothing he had ever felt and, for the first time, the beast that fed on pain wanted to beg for mercy if only the unspeakable torment would cease.

So absorbed in the torture that visited his flesh, Algolagniar didn’t see that same minute dot that had been in the crystal's center now hover before him. He didn’t feel its probing of his mind or its restless motions before him. But he was all too aware of the dazzling stab of white-hot anguish when it burrowed through his skull and into his mind.

After that, he knew no more.

Morrigann was absolutely breathtaking.

It may have been a clichéd expression but it was true nonetheless. In the physical sense, with her exotic features coupled with a body sculpted to perfection, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Even the radiance that had pulsated from Emerald paled in comparison to Morrigann’s supernatural magnificence and he knew that her mastery lie in the seduction of men. Were it not for the incalculable power that coursed through his veins, Gabriel knew that he would be at her mercy as well.

He watched from the bed as she danced for him. Her hips swayed rhythmically to a melody all her own and the liquid grace of her body was enough to draw Gabriel’s attention.

"To what do I owe this honor, my luscious Salome?" Gabriel asked as Morrigann slowly danced over to his bed.

"You are Gabriel," she whispered and her hand slipped underneath the waistband of her silk skirt. "And that is enough." The Lord Vampire growled as her delicate fingers traced the curls of her mound. The translucent material hid nothing from view and Gabriel took pleasure at the sight of her muscular legs flexing as she walked towards him. Her fingers trailed against the inside of her thigh and she gasped as one disappeared from view.

"That I am, woman," he murmured and sat up as Morrigann neared the edge of the bed. "And you will not forget that." His hand shot out with supernatural speed and he buried his fingers in the thick, motley-colored mane of the succubus before jerking her onto the bed, slamming Morrigann onto her back. He lowered his body to hers, prying her legs apart with sheer will and pinned her arms to the bed with his superior strength.

"Do you fancy yourself a tease, Bitch?" He spat and nipped at her jugular with blunt teeth.

"I am a succubus, after all, Master." The last word was coated with disdain and Gabriel knew the attitude was another one of her games. Still, he did not take kindly to even mock disrespect.

Clasping both her wrists in one hand, Gabriel used his free hand to unfasten the buttons of his leather pants with deft precision. In seconds he had pushed them down to mid-thigh, freeing his bulbous erection. He reached down towards the succubus’s powerful thigh and traced the soft cool flesh of her leg. Not only did it heighten her arousal but the thin fabric of the skirt was pushed up towards her waist and out of the way.

Morrigann threw her head back and squirmed when he teased her with his length, pressing it against her opening. Every nerve tingled with the anticipation of being filled, of sharing the power and memories of her angelic lover, even if it lasted a few moments. She raised her hips and whimpered, urging him to plunge into her. But he remained still.

Gabriel chuckled at Morrigann's desperate need. She was always like this when he slid between her thighs and the Lord vampire knew that, as much as her sex was her greatest strength, it was also her greatest weakness; one that he took pleasure in exploiting. "Look at me." His tone was hard and unyielding and the succubus found herself drawn to the power of his voice.

"You are mine," he said and punctuated his words with a vicious thrust, sheathing himself fully within her. "Mine to do with as I please. Understand?" He plunged deeper into her with every word, satisfaction twisting his features at the pleasure and pain he was giving her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he gasped when she locked her ankles together. It was enough of a distraction for Morrigann to wriggle out of his grip and her hands explored his naked body, her nails carving shallow tributaries into his flesh.

The pain and dizzying scent of arousal permeating the air drove Gabriel insane with lust. The lesson he had wanted to impart to her forgotten, the vampire quickened the rhythm and soon they were both lost in a hedonistic frenzy.

Morrigann was the first to come, screaming his name as her nails tore into the flesh of his back; it stimulated him more and, before he knew it, Gabriel followed her with his own apex, spilling himself into her blissful void. He retained enough control not to sample the addiction that was her blood, treating himself to the psychedelic assault on his senses that it had twice a week at most. He had not doubt that, were he to sample more, regardless of his power, he would never be able to think past the inviting pull of her sex.

As they drifted from their high and Gabriel moved to roll of her, a sharp pain shattered his peace and the Vampire Lord clutched his head.

"My Lord? Are you all right?" Morrigann asked and rolled to her side. Gabriel sensed the genuine concern in her voice and accepted her gentle touch.

"I'm fine, Morrie," he chuckled, thankful that the pain had subsided as quickly as it had appeared but there was still a weighted sensation in his mind that refused to depart. That was when the memories started.

"Algolagniar," he whispered and tried to slow the images as they raced through his mind.

"My Lord?" Morrigann put a hand to his head and felt the warmth that radiated from his skull. "What is this?"

"Algolagniar performed the H'anak Dou. It is a ritual taught in Quortoth. With it, one may transmit one's thoughts to another, whether the distance between the two is dimensional or temporal. Right now I am seeing the images that our

vein-y warrior has seen. A preview, of sorts, of what to expect when we reach Sunnydale."

"Can it be shared? With someone other than the intended receiver?"

"Why do you ask?"

Morrigann scooted closer towards Gabriel and her fingers caressed the muscles of his thigh. "My Lord, being that I will lead the others through the portal and arrive nearly two months prior to your arrival, it would be…prudent for me to understand what I will face--would it not?"

The dark-haired vampire closed his eyes and re-focused on the images before him. Without warning, his hands shot out and clasped Morrigann's head tightly in his palms. She gasped, her eyes wide with surprise before those same color-shifting eyes glazed over and Gabriel knew that she was experiencing what he was seeing. He smiled before closing his eyes and concentrating on the three figures…

"Fuck!" Morrigann shouted as Gabriel released her from his grip. She massaged her temples for several moments before gathering her thoughts to face Gabriel. "Who were they?"

Gabriel smiled and pinned her with lust-filled eyes. "The first one was a nobody. Was in love with the slayer for awhile." His finger traveled the expanse of his jaw and she shivered.

"He didn’t look like a 'nobody' to me."

"Don’t know what to tell you. Guess he got all powered up or something."

"And the other one? The black guy?" She idly drew patterns on his chest.

"He's ahh…" Gabriel moaned, thankful for the distraction and the fact that she hadn't recognized him. "I don’t know who that was."

"Seemed like you knew him," she murmured. She leaned forward and caught the silver hoop that pierced Gabriel's nipple and pulled it with her teeth, eliciting another growl from him. "Come to think of it, his eyes…" But Gabriel never let her finished and his hand plunged between her legs. Morrigann spasmed and it took only seconds of deft ministrations with his fingers to push her over the edge once more.

The brunette vampire's hands roamed across the succubus's luxuriant curves, coaxing her from her climax but, at the same time, slowly building an even hotter fire within her.

"And the vampire?" She whispered and lathered his collarbone with her tongue.

"Oh, that wee lass is William," he said and laughed. "Always trying to bite off more than he can chew, that one. Should have put him down when he was a pathetic fledgling." His words knocked Morrigann from her explorations of his flesh and Gabriel sighed at his mistake.

"You knew him?"

"You could say that," he muttered and roughly squeezed Morrigann's ass. She jumped and reflexively maneuvered closer to him. He took advantage and tattooed her jugular with light kisses, biting down every so often.

"I want him," she moaned as one of his fingers violated her second opening. "I want to taste him and fuck him. He looks so delectable; I know he would be a pleasing lover."

"That he is," Gabriel said, chuckling as memories of a past time crept into his mind and overflowed his veins, causing his aroused member to throb with need.

"So," Morrigann said and ceased all movement. She pinned her Lord with imploring eyes. "Can I have him? Make him my slave?"

"Be my guest," Gabriel conceded and she smiled before assaulting his lips. Her tongue invaded his mouth and she pushed him to his back. In the transition, she had impaled herself onto his rigid cock and Gabriel cried out at the heat that radiated from her undead flesh.

"I'll fuck him like this, you know," she said and used all her unnatural strength to buck forward. Gabriel's hands found her waist and his nails dug into her flesh. The pain only aroused her further and she rode him harder, stopping every so often to swirl her hips in slow, concentric circles.

"Do me a favor before you do," he said and pulled her down for a deep kiss.

"And what's that?" she asked, swallowing unnecessary breaths.

"Make sure you tell him I was here first." On her confused stare, he sighed and slammed into her stationary form. She jerked helplessly and Gabriel knew that she was at the precipice of gratification for a third time.

"Why?" she muttered as her body was wracked by her most intense orgasm of the evening.

Gabriel watched her breasts heave as she shook with pleasure and he could no longer help himself. Flipping her onto her back, he pounded into her with a renewed vibrancy and roared right before his fangs elongated and he sunk them into her flesh. As his orgasm claimed him, their gazes locked. Gabriel saw the brief confusion on her face before it melted into understanding. She had understood at least a portion of what she had seen but that didn’t stop Gabriel from voicing his motivation after he calmed down.

"Let's just say that dear old William has a predilection for sampling my sloppy seconds." Outrage flickered across the succubus's eyes but was quickly swallowed up by the eternal desire that burned within her.

"Is that so?" she asked. When he nodded, Morrigann slid a finger between them and rubbed the moisture that pooled at her sex. Her gaze never wavered from the brown eyes staring down at her as she seductively brought the wet finger to her lips. Her tongue darted out and she sampled the combination of fluids before her thick lips engulfed the digit. Gabriel muttered his satisfaction and obediently took the finger in his mouth when she offered it to him. The simple taste of her was enough to invigorate his flesh and Morrigann felt him harden inside her.

"Well," she said as he started once more to rhythmically move within her, "I guess I'll have to be the tastiest seconds he's ever had…"

Buffy awoke to a cool hand strumming invisible cords along her spine. Every stroke of his fingertips against her flesh elicited pleasured sighs from her nerve endings. She tried to fight the easy cadence of her limbs singing for encore after encore but her traitorous body ignored her protestations.

Spike rumbled beneath her and Buffy raised her head and looked him in the eyes. Her heart rate always escalated whenever she was around him and today was no different. Even with they had been mortal enemies, Buffy had never been to be in his presence without her heart doing the teenage fluttery thing. At times she loved it but all too often she felt so vulnerable that she instinctively went on the defensive.

"Something funny?" she asked him as she frowned.

Spike cocked his head to the side and offered her smirk 1.0, the friendly version. "Nothing funny, pet," he whispered and ran his hands up and down her sides, stopping just below her breasts each time. It took all of her collective willpower--which, with Spike, rarely lasted--not to jump him right there. Thoughts of riding him into oblivion and feeling him pulse inside of her…

Buffy's eyes widened when Spike sniffed the air and his smirk transformed into version 2.0, the cocky upgrade. He opened his mouth to speak but she beat him to it.

"Well, it sure as hell looks like something is funny to you," she said and pushed herself up from his chest. Before she could remove herself from atop of him, Spike grabbed her wrists and pulled her back down.

"Where you goin', luv?" he whispered and peppered her jaw line with the softest of kisses. Buffy gasped and started to grind her hips against him, the tinglies that now populated her lower regions taking over.

Buffy heard the deep inhalation Spike took while he nuzzled the crook of her neck and felt the insistent prodding of his hands as they stroked her flesh. "Know what I smell?" he murmured into her neck as his tongue slithered up and down the column of her jugular.

"Can't be good," she stuttered, "since I haven't brushed my teeth ye-et." The last word was a high-pitched wail as Spike attacked her earlobe.

"S'not what I smell, pet," he said and his hands slipped underneath the waistband of her jeans and cupped her ass. "What I smell is a tad bit lower than your mouth. But it has lips just the same." Buffy squeezed her thighs together at the innuendo and the vampire took advantage of her distracted state, slipping his tongue into her ear and a hand between her thighs.

"God, Spike," Buffy moaned and scooted up his body to allow him better access to her more intimate parts.

"That's it, luv," Spike whispered as his deft fingers stroked Buffy's slit from the back. His other hand unsnapped her jeans and slid down the front of her pants. He cupped her groin and sought out her clit. "Cor, luv. You are so wet. All for me right? All for me."

Buffy could only nod as Spike teased her clit, rubbing it in that way that drove her insane with need. Everything was forgotten save for the wicked performance of his hands and his baritone voice that gave shape to his lecherous thoughts.

"Want you," she murmured and ground against him harder. She was so close to coming. It had been too long and although she wanted him inside her when she did, the sensations were too much for her to tell him much less stop, if even for a moment. Instead Buffy opted to allow the bliss to wash over her and worry about stiffer things later.

When Buffy heard the knock and subsequent opening of the door, she was too far-gone to do anything but ride her orgasm out. She ran her fingers through Spike's hair and buried her face into his neck, screaming into his flesh as her body exploded into countless pieces before slowly reforming.

She stayed that way for several minutes, clinging to him as if her very life depended on it. Finally, Buffy lifted her head and peeked at Spike through her curtain of hair. She couldn’t help but laugh at his amused expression and she buried her head in his chest.

"Tell me someone didn’t just walk in on us," she said, her muffled voice causing the vampire to shake with laughter.

"I could tell you that, luv, but it'd be a lie." On her embarrassed groan, Spike dislodged his hand from underneath her pants and stroked her silken hair with his knuckles. "No worries, Slayer. It was just Glinda. She won't say a thing."

"That's just great. So now that's twice that she's caught us in the act."

"That it is." When Buffy sat up, Spike wriggled his eyebrows at her. "Course, she didn’t see my stiffy this time around."

"Yeah, but I can sure as hell feel it." Buffy slid her hand between their bodies and gripped the bulge in his pants roughly.

"Buffy," Spike moaned. "As much as I wanna have a go with you, we need to get downstairs. Glinda said the others are awake."

"But I want you inside of me," she whined.

"Cor, luv. You don’t know how much I want that, either. But we don’t 'ave enough time." Buffy stuck her lip out, hating that Spike was right. But just as quickly as the frown appeared, it disintegrated into a devilish grin. "Buffy…" Spike said as he eyed the slayer suspiciously.

"You're right, you know," she said and slid down his body until her face was even with his groin. "We don’t have time for Hide-the-Spikey." Her tiny hands unbuttoned his jeans and she caught his zipper with her teeth, ushering it down. His cock sprang from its prison and Buffy eyed it hungrily.

"But," she said and flicked her tongue across the tip, loving how his eyes rolled back in his head, "we do have time for this." As she engulfed him fully within her mouth, Buffy couldn’t help but smile at herself. It made her feel so good to know that she had such an effect on a being whose life had been about sex just as much as violence. It was during these times, their moments of physical bonding, that Buffy realized with certainty that Spike was hers--wholly and completely. But it was not something that was mutual. She still saw his insecurities whenever they made eye contact. His life had been full of pain and disappointment and, despite her words of love, she knew he still remembered the knives she had twisted in his gut during their trysts all those months ago.

As he called her name, Buffy slid a hand between her thighs, timing her second orgasm with his first. Her only coherent thought as Spike came was that, somehow, someway, she would convince him that she was never going anywhere. It didn’t matter how long it took because they did have eternity, after all.

*&*

By the time Buffy and Spike made it down the steps, the latter still hobbling from injuries, the living room was populated by the Scoobies plus one. Willow, Tara and Dawn sat on the couch, several tomes spread out on the table before them. Buffy noticed her daughter playing cards (quite amicably, she observed) with Faith. The latter had her hair twisted in a tight ponytail that resembled Dawn's handy work.

"Spike," the youngest Summers said as she hopped over the table and crushed the vampire in a desperate hug. "You're awake."

"That I am, Niblet," he said and stroked the girl's silken hair with one hand as the other held her close to him. He nodded at Willow and Tara, smirking at the blush that populated the latter's cheeks, before turning his attention back to the bundle in his arms. "But I won't be for long if you don’t ease up on tha grip." Dawn's arms dropped to the side and she gave her best friend a shy smile before backing away, her place immediately filled by Jay.

"Whoa, there, Bitlet. Gonna give your pops a sodding heart attack, you know."

"If it beat," she said with her voice muffled from her face being buried in his chest. Buffy watched all of this from the side and she fought back the contented tears that threatened to spill from watching the family reunion. Though the others--save for Faith--were just as much a part of the family as she could ask for, Buffy had no doubt that her, Jay, Spike and Dawn was something she had always wanted. Blood, love and devotion bound them and that was something no one could ever take away from them.

"So," Buffy said after kissing her daughter on the cheek, "where are the others?"

"Xander and CJ are still in bed," Willow informed her best friend. "Angel and Cordelia are still at the hotel and said they would be by later. And Giles dropped these books off for us to look through while he contacts some of his more private-y resources."

"So he thinks it's that bad?"

"He just wanted to take precautions, find out everything he can about whatever it was that attacked Spike and the others," Tara said.

Spike shrugged. "Rupert's probably wastin' his time. Nothin' special about the overgrown Barney that's runnin' loose out there 'cept…"

"Spike, what is it?" Buffy put a hand on his shoulder for support and waited for him to continue.

"Don’t rightly know. It's just that--I've taken so shots before. Hell, tortured by a soddin hell god for hours can…"

"Wait a minute," Faith interrupted, "did you say hell god?"

"Yeah," Dawn said.

"When was this? And why didn’t anybody tell me?" The brunette slayer stood and Buffy saw her face twist in annoyance--and was that hurt?

"It happened last year, Faith," Buffy informed her sister slayer, "and if I'm correct about things, you had a prior engagement; something I believe is called prison." The other slayer flinched at the words but said nothing and drifted into the background again.

"Mom," Jay started and Buffy silenced her with a look. "Fine," she said although her tone brokered no argument that they would definitely talk about this later.

"You were saying?" Buffy said and pulled Spike further into the room. She noticed the smiles Willow and Tara tried to hide as they watched her with Spike and though she knew they were already cool with Spike, she was still relieved to see their open support.

"Right," Spike said and sat in the recliner. Buffy sat on the arm, her legs splayed across his laps and one arm slung around his neck. "Like I said, at a hundred and twenty, a bloke gets used to a little rough and tumble. Ya know? Anyway, when this blighter hit me, it was like…"

"Everything was on fire," Willow supplied.

"Right. How did you know?"

"Before he passed out last night, Xander said something about his nerves being on fire."

"He did, did he?" Spike said and caught Willow's gaze. Buffy saw something pass between them before Willow ducked her head. Spike glanced up at her and saw the suspicion in Buffy's eyes and he gave her leg a reassuring squeeze. Buffy smiled and decided to leave it alone. For now.

"Well," the vampire continued, "the wh--he's right 'bout that. Every time it touched me was like a thousand shocks going through my system. Like nothing I've ever faced before."

"No one ever has." Everyone turned towards the voice and saw CJ holding onto the wall, his legs visibly trembling.

"You okay there, kid?" Faith asked and took a few steps in his direction but Dawn beat her to it.

"What are you doing out of bed?" she asked and put her arm around his waist. Buffy watched the display impassively, a direct opposite of her lover; Spike tensed when CJ leaned against Dawn's body and she was afraid that he would pounce at any moment. Buffy stroked Spike's tousled hair, thankful when the demon that was close to surfacing relaxed--even though it was still waiting for CJ to give it a reason...

"Sorry, baby, but as much as it was a privilege to be in your room, those posters were really starting to give me the willies."

"What's wrong with my posters?"

"Face it, Dawnie," Jay said and helped Dawn walk CJ towards the couch, "your taste in music sometimes has much to be desired." The teen huffed and it roused several chuckles from the audience.

"See if I ever let you in my bed again," she grumbled and pushed him down to the couch.

"Ouch," he groaned. "The lady doth injure me with her callous hands and harsh words. Were I not to be invited to your bed, I'd…"

"Be bloody well grateful that I was alive, mate," Spike interrupted. CJ looked at the platinum blonde and, as much as he wanted to appear benevolent, he couldn’t hide the challenge that sparkled in his brown eyes.

"Spike," Buffy whispered, catching the other man's challenge at Spike's words. "Play nice."

"Always 'ave, pet," he replied without taking his eyes off the other man. Buffy sighed, knowing that if she didn’t do something soon, things would get out of hand. She stood from her seat on the recliner and was thankful when Spike's gaze fell to her as she blocked his view of CJ.

"Look, we don’t have time for this," she said and though everyone heard her words, only Spike saw the pleading gloss of her eyes. The anger on his face dissipated and he gave her a lopsided smile before nodding.

Surprised that he had capitulated so quickly, Buffy kissed him chastely on the lips. She pulled away quickly, sensing the ignition of desire flame between them at the simple gesture. She sat on the floor and leaned against the recliner between Spike's legs. As tense as the room was, with aggression and concern, simply touching Spike made everything else fall into place.

"So, CJ. How are you feeling?"

The black man shrugged. "Like I've been hit by a truck; twice. And then thrown off a roof before being bulldozed three more times and then set on fire."

"Wicked imagery," Faith said from her position against the fireplace.

"It's the truth though," he said. "I can't even breathe without feeling like I'm about to pass out. I couldn’t even tell ya how I got down the steps."

"You should have stayed in bed," Dawn said. No one missed the concern in her voice and Buffy pre-empted any snarky reply on the lips of her vampire lover by grabbing his hand and laying it on her shoulder.

"To be honest, I think you're right," CJ conceded. "I don’t even know how I'm gonna stand up again, much less walk up the stairs."

"So, CJ," Spike said and Buffy caught the patronizing tone of voice, "we're all glad that you're all right. And I, for one am impressed by the stones you showed last night. But, curiosity has the best of me and I just can't help but wonder what you were doing in the cemetery so late at night. And with quite the nasty weaponry on you, I might add."

The younger man shrugged but couldn’t hide his discomfort at the question. "Heard some bad things about this town. Better to be safe than sorry, right?"

"Still--that was quite a sophisticated sheathe you had strapped to your arm. Looked a little more like the 'searching for trouble' variety if you ask me."

"Well, glad I didn’t ask, huh?"

"You a mite bit talkative, son."

"I'm not your son…"

"And you were right about this town," Spike said and leaned forward over Buffy's head, "there are bad things here. Everywhere you go. Sometimes in places where you least expect them."

"Expect the unexpected is my motto."

"Hmmm. For a minute there, I thought that it was 'I like to bite off more than I can chew', what with me havin' to save your arse last night."

"Boys, boys, boys," Faith interjected. "Can we put the pissing contest on hold for awhile. Maybe you can wait till Angel gets here, make things more interesting." She pushed off the wall and stalked towards the middle of the room. "Pardon my language, but get the fuck over it. Whatever's up your asses. We've got better things to worry about than you two comparing cock sizes."

"Faith's right," Buffy said and stood alongside her sister slayer. She didn’t bother to hide her colored cheeks from the thoughts that Faith's words had invoked. She was glad that she wasn’t the only one blushing, considering that all the women's cheeks were flaming red and CJ lowered his head bashfully.

"We cant keep fighting each other and getting in contests of…measuring." She turned to the man on the couch. "CJ, you said that no one has ever faced anything like what you guys saw. How do you know that?"

"I…I don’t know. It's--it was just a feeling I had when I saw it fighting… Xander? I knew I couldn’t make it in time so I called out the first thing that came to mind."

"And what was that?"

"Algolagniar."

"Is that a liquor?"

"Uh, that would be a negative, B," Faith said and turned to CJ. "Algolagniar. That sounds familiar. Like it's a…"

"Lover of Pain," Willow interrupted. "Algolagnia is Greek for 'love of pain'. It's a common term used in S & M circles." The red head paled when all eyes turned to her. "Or so I've heard."

"Okay, then," Spike said and smirked at Willow. "Guess Red is bold and daring after all." He chuckled when her cheeks flamed an even darker shade of red than her hair. "But that's beside the point. Still not getting why Morpheus here would say that."

"He's right," Buffy said. "Why did you say that?"

"Like I said, it was the first thing that came to mind. Can't really argue about it; it worked."

"What do you mean?" Jay asked.

"I was heading home through the cemetery when I heard the fighting…damn it!"

"What?" Dawn asked as she tenderly stroked his arm.

"I've been gone all night. My aunt's gonna be worried sick."

"It's okay," Jay said and fixed him with a pointed look, "I called her earlier this morning, took your number off the caller ID. Told her you were okay, just staying with a friend." Buffy caught the accusing eyes of her daughter sparkle at the young man though Jay remained silent. Yet another silent conversation she had to discern later.

"Thanks," CJ mumbled. "Anyway, when I got to the fight, I saw the demon about to end it all for Xander. I knew I couldn’t get there in time so I called out its name. It stopped and gave me a chance to save Xander."

"Its name? Are you sure that was its name?" Tara asked.

"The Good Witch is right," Faith said. "CJ here just could be a closet S & M fan and that was his new vocabulary word for the day before taking the whips & chains 101 exam. It doesn’t mean that it was anything significant."

Buffy rolled her eyes at the other slayer. "Faith's right…"

"Wow, B. That's twice in ten minutes you've said that."

"What CJ said may have been insignificant," Buffy said, ignoring the slayer's comment, "I mean, if you said that to me, I guess it would have been a distraction."

"Yeah but…" CJ conceded and hesitated for several seconds. When he glanced up into hazel eyes, he shivered at a memory that had flashed through his mind too quick to make out. Shaking it off, he inhaled and lowered his head into his hands.

"But what?" Spike asked.

"But…" he looked up and stared into ice blue eyes. "But he recognized me. Said I was…"

"Said you were what?" Dawn asked.

"That it couldn’t be. That I was dead."

"That doesn’t mean anything," Dawn reassured him. "You may just remind him of someone he killed."

"But that's not all, is it?" Spike asked and he stared at the young man, his blue eyes unsympathetic at the truth they really saw.

"No," CJ whispered, "it's not."

"You holding out on us, Denzel?" Faith asked.

"No, it's just that…"

"Just that what?" Buffy demanded.

CJ shook his head; not caring about the pain that stabbed his nerves at the slight movement. Last night, when he had called the creature's name--and he knew that Algolagniar was it--he hadn't had much of an opportunity to think about the familiarity he had had fighting the creature. But he had laid in bed for the last two hours, listening to the bustling activities downstairs, his mind filled with dreams of blood and death that where meted out by his hands. It had frightened him more than anything ever had and if he told them that…it he told the truth, he wouldn’t be able to dismiss them as only dreams. But lying could put Dawn in harm's way and that was something he would not do.

"It's just that…" he stopped when Dawn's hand covered his. The pain was still fresh but he didn’t care, thankful for the strength she lent to him and when she smiled at him, he could have sworn that the pain had lessened. Filled with a new resolve, CJ gave substance to the thoughts that had plagued him all morning.

"It's just that I recognized him--it--, too."

Before anyone could question him, the front door flew open and Giles stumbled into the living room, his arms filled with several books. When he saw everyone in the room, he dropped the books to the floor, oblivious to the several surprised glances that greeted him. He removed his glasses and buffed the lenses with a handkerchief before he placed them back on his face.

"I am afraid," he said, his voice as calm as Buffy had ever heard it though his eyes were wide in apprehension, "that we may very well have an apocalypse on our hands."

TBC…

The transition from darkness to light was an arduous journey, filtered with several false starts, his body’s discomfort luring him back into the peaceful depths of unconsciousness, where time and feeling had no meaning. He had no doubt that the peace was fleeting and that he would soon have to leave it behind. He had a job to do, friends to help and no way was he going to be caught sleeping on the job—figuratively, and literally, speaking.

The atrocious pun was enough to jar him the rest of the way awake. At first, everything was fine. His body was somewhere down there but his attention was on the intricately carved patterns of, well, the nothing that lined the ceiling. Okay, Xander, quite stalling, he thought and sat up in bed, now well aware of his vigorously protesting muscles. The pain that shot up his spine was terrific and it reminded him of the agony that had ripped through him when he had been infused with the Elwvenian spirit. That pain had been welcomed, as it blocked out the grief of Anya’s death.

"Well, good, cause after last night, you should feel like one." He tensed at her words and Cordelia tightened her grip. Angel forced himself to relax, something that was difficult considering the slight arousal he had noticed wafting from Cordy as her breasts crushed tightly against his back. It had the same effect on him as well, his excitement pressing uncomfortably against the denim of his jeans. Think bad thoughts, think bad thoughts, he coached himself; the last thing he wanted was for her to discover his…situation.

Spike…Buffy and Spike…Buffy and Spike naked…Buffy and Spike naked, having sex…

As much as the thought of the two blondes having sex pissed him off, the image of their beautiful bodies moving rhythmically as one only intensified the burn in his lower abdomen. To top it off, Cordy's hand was moving dangerously close to the redline as her fingers idly thrummed past his waistline.

"Cordy…I, uh, I wanted to apologize for last night." It took the self-discipline he had acquired in being around Buffy without having her that kept his voice respectably steady. Still, the urge to turn over and ravage the seer refused to diminish.

No matter how perfect it felt.

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