"Are you ready?"
 

"I didn't get dressed like this for the fashion show," Cordelia said, gesturing down at her camouflage.
 

"I think you look cute as Camo-Cordy," Angel teased, handing her a crossbow.
 

"This coming from a man who thinks black was a color designed by God," she replied, following him into the sewers beneath the streets of Los Angeles. "Which is why I never take you anywhere."
 

"And here I though you loved me for my sense of style," he said.
 

"Who said I loved you at all?"
 

"Ouch! Perfect shot to the heart," Angel said, clutching his crossbow to his chest. He and Cordelia had been together for over three years now. She had shown up one day at his home, red convertible piled high with luggage, and asked in her forthright way to move in with him. From day one, she rearranged not only his furniture, but his life. Instead of throttling her like he wanted, he turned her restless energy into training with him.
 

She was an excellent fighter. After a year of intense workouts with him learning various martial arts moves, kickboxing, and dirty fighting, she was ready to try her hand at becoming a vampire hunter like him. She whined, argued and was scared to death, but she dusted their opponents with the skill and finesse of a warrior. They had been partners ever since.
 

It took much longer for them to fall in love. Both had been burned when it came to love. When Cordelia had left Sunnydale, she was running from past demons straight into the arms of another. The incident between Xander and Willow had hurt her deeply. She had given up everything she had known to be with him, and he broke her heart.
 

Angel and Buffy had also decided to go their separate ways. Too much had happened when he lost his soul, and though they still loved each other, they couldn't have a relationship again. The pain and guilt from both of them blocked that choice, which didn't change when his soul was permanently anchored to him by a member of the same clan who cursed him originally. Cordelia had saved her life from vampires, and in return, was asked what she wanted in repayment. The former May Queen asked for Angel's soul.
 

They became closer after that day, and inevitably fell in love, but neither would reveal their feelings for fear of being hurt again. It took a close brush with death for them to admit it to each other. They learned that life was too short not to grab hold of love when it was given.
 

"Dead guys, dead ahead," Cordelia said quietly to him as they approached the opening above a junction in the sewers. They were on the trail of a master vampire by the name of Marcius. The information they were able to glean pointed them to this ‘meeting' of his best minions to discuss the takeover of a neighboring vampire faction.
 

"We only get one shot, so make it count," Angel instructed, getting into position on one side of the opening.
 

"Yes, master," she replied, taking a position across from him.
 

He rolled his eyes, then turned his attention to the crowd of vampires below. Their target came into view, walking with a tall, blond vampiress rumored to be his lover and second in command. "Get ready," he whispered, taking aim. The vampire turned his back in their direction to talk to the female. "Now."
 

Cordelia had already hit the trigger on her crossbow. The two bolts whizzed through the air before embedding in Marcius' back, sending him to hell in a cloud of dust. The female vampire's eyes were wide and her mouth hung open as she stared at where the master had been. Her head raised and her gaze pinpointed on Angel.
 

"Hmm," Angel said, looking over at Cordelia with a grin as a loud shriek echoed in the room below. "I think she's mad."
 

"It's a possibility," Cordelia said, striking a thoughtful pose.
 

Angel chuckled, and grabbed her hand. They ran down the sewer from whence they came laughing like children, then burst out into the street. The ensouled vampire tossed his crossbow in the back of Cordelia's convertible, hopped on his motorcycle and, with a jaunty salute, took off with a squeal of tires.
 

Cordelia jumped over the door into the driver's seat, revved the engine, and peeled out in a different direction as she did each time they hunted. They had learned after the first fire that by separating, they had less of a chance of being followed. Hair flying behind her, the former cheerleader pushed a CD into the player and cranked up the volume, the hard, pulsating music breaking silence of the night.
 

Part One

Four Months Later
 

"Angel, get your undead cute butt out here," Cordelia called out from the freight elevator. The warehouse where they made their home for the past year was located in an abandoned area of the city. Three floors and an underground garage made up the building. The first floor was left empty, used sometimes when Angel wanted to work on his bike or for storage.
 

The second and third floor windows which lined the building, were covered from the inside by heavy, black, velvet drapes, protecting the occupants from the sun. A freight elevator and a set of stairs were the only access to the upper floors of the warehouse.
 

The second level was used as a state of the art gym and housed their tools of the trade. The floor was polished wood, a few mats scattered around, waiting to be used. Exercise equipment of every type was spread over the large, open space and in one corner was a steel cabinet and workbench for their weapons.
 

The third level was where the couple made their home. Two large bedrooms with baths took up half of the floor, each decorated similarly with king size beds, dressers and matching night stands. The rest of the level was used as an open living room/office/kitchen. Twin couches sat at right angles, with a square coffee table in front of them. An entertainment center lined the far wall. Next to the elevator was the small kitchen area. A table separated the two areas.
 

"You bellowed?" Angel said, exiting the master bedroom.
 

"This came for you," Cordelia said, kicking a large box by her feet. "And it's pretty damn heavy. I had to have a guy at the post office take it out to the car. A pimply faced geek who drooled on my new shoes."
 

"Poor baby," he replied, picking up the box and setting it on the table. Taped to the top was a letter addressed to him via the post office. After the last time they were burned out of their home, they decided it was safer to have a PO box. Opening the letter, he quickly read the single line on the page before looking at the box and the envelope for a return address.
 

"Who's it from?" Cordelia asked.
 

"It doesn't say," Angel answered.
 

"Well, what does it say?"
 

"Family and Friends will be no more. Family down to one and Friends down to four."
 

"Cryptic much?" Cordelia said. "What do you think it means?"
 

"Maybe there'll be a clue in the box," Angel shrugged. He slit open the lid and lifted the flaps. He frowned when he looked at the contents, then carefully reached inside. He picked up a handful of ashes and let it fall through his fingers. "Ashes?"
 

Cordelia peered over the lip of the box. "Looks that way. Is there anything buried under them?"
 

Angel pushed up his sleeve and reached back into the box, this time digging under the ashes. He found an object and pulled it out. "Oh god," he said, sinking into a chair.
 

"A doll?" Cordelia said, confused.
 

"Miss Edith," Angel clarified, holding the dusty, familiar doll in his hand.
 

"Drusilla's doll? But why would you get...oh," she trailed off, her mind stumbling over an idea. "Angel, you haven't seen any of your children lately, have you?"
 

He looked up from the doll at his girlfriend. "Now that you mention it, no. Usually I run into them all the time because of my enthusiasm when my soul was gone. You don't think..."
 

"‘Family down to one,'" she quoted.
 

"And a vampire's family is his children," Angel said. He gently set the doll on the table and looked at the box. "I think we're looking at what's left of them."
 

"Except for one," Cordelia corrected. "I wonder who the one is?"
 

"I'm more worried about the four," he replied. "We haven't gotten any messages saying anyone was hurt in Sunnydale, have we?"
 

"No," she answered. "Maybe you should call."
 

"While I'm doing that, see if you can brainstorm as to who would do this," he instructed, picking up the receiver and dialing a familiar number. "Hello, Rupert?"
 

Part Two

Buffy sighed and rocked back on her heels, staring up at the night sky. She was playing bouncer for a party hosted by Xander's fraternity, as was Faith, and she was bored. "I could use a nice man right about now," she muttered to herself as her eyes scanned the darkness for uninvited guests. "Mom has Giles, Willow has Oz, Angel has Cordelia, Faith has Xander if they ever admit their feelings for one another, but me? I haven't even had a date in two years."
 

Buffy, Willow, Oz and Xander all decided to attend Sunnydale community college, where they were now seniors. Xander had been the biggest surprise of the small group of friends by not only getting into the school, but by becoming an academic wunderkind. He had also, in a fit of revenge, taken over the old Delta Zeta Kappa house with the help of Oz, turning it into a fraternity for misfits like them.
 

Giles had retired from his position as librarian at the high school and bought a bookstore. The basement became the new headquarters, or Slayer Central as it was affectionately named, where both Buffy and Faith trained extensively and the others helped divert that week's apocalypse. Since Faith never received a new Watcher, Giles volunteered to have two Slayers, and in result, both girls became close friends.
 

Faith, after much prompting, earned her GED and currently worked for Giles at the bookstore full time, living in a small apartment on the second floor of the building. She was also hopelessly in love with Xander. But no matter how much prodding Buffy did, she refused to tell him, not even to go on a single date. She had seen the problems and heartbreak Buffy had gone through, and decided being the Slayer was not conductive to having a relationship. Which was true, considering Buffy's current lack of suitor.
 

"Hey, Buffster," Xander greeted, coming out of the house. "How goes the bouncing?"
 

"Dull, boring, about the same as my love life," Buffy replied. "How's the party?"
 

"Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves," he said.
 

"But not you?"
 

"I'm the key master," Xander said, jingling the small jar he carried. "I don't get to have fun."
 

"Like you would have let yourself enjoy the party, anyway, Mr. President," Buffy teased. "You'd be to worried about everyone else."
 

"So true," he replied. They both looked up as a frat brother stumbled towards them from the side of the house. "Looks like someone's a little tipsy."
 

Buffy went over to the student and put her arm under his shoulder. "Come on, big guy. Let's get you insi-" She stopped abruptly when she saw the blood running down the side of his neck from two twin puncture wounds. "Shit. Xander, take him and tell Faith code one."
 

Xander did not hesitate as he grabbed the student away from Buffy and headed into the house. Buffy spun and ran towards the side of the house, stake in her hand, looking for the perpetrator. She didn't need to run far.
 

Standing near the border of the woods next to the house that separated the cemetery from the fraternity, a semi circle of ten, large vampires flanked a tall, blond vampiress. "Ah, Angelus' former lover," she said in a cold voice. "How nice of you to join us."
 

"If I knew it was going to be a party, I would have brought the dip," Buffy said.
 

"Silence!" she snapped. "I have a message for Angelus."
 

"What do I look like, an answering service?"
 

"You look dead," she replied, snapping her fingers. The ten vampires converged on Buffy simultaneously.
 

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Buffy said under her breath, leaping to her left with a double side kick, taking down two of the vampires. Not stopping, she spun and kicked a third in the face, following up with a series of punches before staking him.
 

She raised her fist quickly, catching the vamp that had come up behind her in the nose, then shot her elbow back into his chest before falling to the ground in a roll. She raised to her knees in front of another attacker, sending a palm strike at his crotch. He bent and grabbed himself in pain, allowing her to stake him before being surrounded.
 

"Looks like you can use a leg up, B," Faith said, flipping into the center of the circle of vampires that had surrounded the blond Slayer.
 

"Or a fist," Buffy replied, jumping to her feet. "I'm not picky."
 

They grinned at each other, then lost themselves in the fight. Faith lashed out with her foot, catching one across the jaw. She ducked under his clumsy kick, sweeping her leg out to trip him. He fell to the hard ground with a thud as she turned her attention on his neighbor. With a well placed blow, he fell on top of his comrade, and she shoved the stake into his chest with her weight on it. As he exploded into dust, she let her weight carry her down onto the other vampire, the wood penetrating his heart.
 

Buffy grabbed one of her attackers by the hair and practically flung him across the yard to where Willow, Oz and Xander stood with crosses and holy water, protecting the house. They pounced on him as she turned her attention back to the shrinking circle. She crouched then leapt backwards, flipping over the heads of two vamps trying to sneak up on her. She landed behind them lightly on her feet, not hesitating as she plunged a stake into the one on her left's back.
 

The one on her right grabbed her by the lapels of her jacket, bringing her close as he opened his mouth. "Oh, man. Someone needs a Mentos," she quipped, kicking him sharply in the shin, breaking the bone. He dropped her, and she sent a punch to his face, continuing the move to spin into a back fist. His head flew back with the blows and she used the opportunity to stake him, as well.
 

Faith boxed another vampire's ears, then grabbed his head and slammed his face into her knee. With a savage twist, she broke his neck, and he fell to the ground, uselessly. She smiled evilly at the last two remaining vamps, Buffy walking up beside her. "Hey, boys. Got milk?"
 

The two Slayer's jumped at the two vampires with mirrored kicks that only those who trained and worked together for years could accomplish. With expert blows, the vamps were soon bloodied and staked, and the girls high fived one another. "The death squad strikes again," Faith said, turning back towards the house.
 

"Was it me, or did they seem kind of wimpy?" Buffy asked, looking around for Xander, Willow and Oz. "Hey, where'd they go?"
 

"Faith! Buffy!"
 

The girls turned at the sound of Xander's yell and saw him come crashing out of the woods next to the house, his shirt torn and his face bloody. "They got Oz and Willow," he gasped. "Cemetery."
 

The two Slayers took off running immediately. When they got to the cemetery, they split up, searching for their friends.
 

"Buffy!" Faith yelled, dropping to her knees. Willow and Oz both lay face down on the ground, shirtless, with deep gouges in their backs. She checked their pulses and was relieved to find them strong.
 

Buffy ran over and practically fell to the ground when she saw them. "Are they alive?"
 

"Yes," Faith answered, pulling off her jacket to cover them.
 

"Wait," Buffy said. Faith shot her a confused look. "There are words."
 

"What?" Faith got to her feet and looked to where Buffy was pointing.
 

Carved into the backs of Willow and Oz were the words ‘Four To Go.'
 

"Willow and Oz are ok, but will be in the hospital for a week or so," Buffy said into the phone.
 

"I'm glad they're not more seriously hurt," Angel replied from the other end of the line. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Buffy."
 

"It's not your fault, it's that blond chick's," Buffy corrected. "Besides, you called to warn us. We just didn't get the message in time."
 

"The vampiress that attacked you is named Virginia and she was the master vampire's we dusted a few months ago second in command."
 

"And lover," Cordelia called from the background.
 

"So, this is revenge," Buffy surmised.
 

"If you call killing all my children and injuring two of my close friends revenge, then yes," Angel replied.
 

"She pulled the plug on a soap opera?"
 

Angel chuckled, even though the situation was bleak. "No, she killed all the vampires I've ever made except for one. I received their ashes in a box yesterday afternoon."
 

"Who's the one?" Buffy asked.
 

"I don't know," he answered. "It's not Drusilla. Her doll was included in the package."
 

"And that means it's not Spike, either," Buffy said, frowning as a sadness suddenly filled her heart. "He would have fought tooth and nail to save her."
 

"I know," he sighed.
 

"What are we going to do?"
 

"I think you, Faith and Xander should come down here and we'll hunt her instead of her coming after you guys."
 

"What about my mom and Giles?"
 

"I think they'll be fine," Angel said. "Neither can really be qualified as my friends, I'm sad to say, whereas you three are. Plus, this way Rupert can keep watch over Willow and Oz."
 

"Sounds like a plan," Buffy said. "Expect us tomorrow late afternoon. We'll leave after Xander's and my last classes."
 

Part Three

Xander looked over the seat of the Blazer at Faith. She was sitting with her feet propped up on the seat, eyes closed, head bobbing to the music coming over her walkman. "Buffy, what do you think about love?"
 

"Love bites," Buffy answered flippantly. "Just like Def Leppard said."
 

"I'm serious," Xander told her.
 

"Xander, I haven't scored too high in that area," Buffy said. "The one guy I loved turned psycho, tried to kill all of us, then I sent him to hell."
 

"And now he's living with Cordelia," Xander finished. "Which is a hell all of its own."
 

"Bitter much?"
 

"No." Xander faced front and looked out the window at the passing scenery. "I'm happy she's happy. I would have been happier if it wasn't Deadboy making her happy, but I'm still happy for her."
 

"I guess you're happy,' Buffy joked, looking over a him. "They why do you look so sad?"
 

"Love bites," he replied, giving her a wane smile.
 

They arrived at the warehouse and honked the horn before pulling into the underground garage, the large metal door closing behind them.
 

"Angel, they're here," Cordelia called to her boyfriend. She let go of the heavy drape and smoothed her shirt, then patted her hair.
 

"Relax," Angel said, walking over to her as he slid on a black T-shirt. "It's only Buffy, Faith and Xander."
 

"I know," Cordelia replied, looking him over with a critical eye. "We just haven't seen them since we got together."
 

"You mean since I started worshiping your body with my tongue," he teased.
 

She glared at him. "Keep it up, blood breath, and you'll find yourself missing a tongue."
 

Angel grinned at her, then dropped a kiss on her forehead as he heard the freight elevator approach the third floor. "I love you, ‘Delia."
 

She growled at him over the hated shortening of her name, then plastered a smile on her face as Buffy raised the grate. "Hi, guys. Welcome to our new home."
 

"Hi Cordelia, Angel," Buffy greeted, echoed by Faith and Xander. "Wow, this place is much nicer than the last one."
 

"That's because I decorated it," Cordelia said, motioning to the large, open floor. "I got sick of all the gloom Mr. Broody insisted on."
 

"You do know I'm standing right here?" Angel asked sarcastically, taking Buffy's bag.
 

"And here I thought you were a talking shadow," she replied in reference to his all black clothing.
 

Angel rolled his eyes. "Ladies and Xander, if you follow me, I'll give you the nickel and dime tour." He led them to the guest bedroom, tossing the bag on the bed. "Buffy and Faith will be sleeping in here. Xander, you got the couch, but you'll be sharing the bathroom."
 

He led them back out into the short hall and pointed at the door opposite them. "That's our room. Open the door at your own risk. I almost didn't make it out of there alive one day."
 

"Attack of the killer hair care products?" Buffy asked with a laugh
 

"Hair sprayed to the wall," Angel replied, grinning. He stepped back into the main room and spread his arms. "And this is the living room. Feel free to use anything. Down the stairs on the second floor is a fully equipped work out room in case you get bored. Cordy and I are on vampire hours, so if you go out during the day, be sure to get the key code off the fridge."
 

"That's the most I've ever heard Deadboy say," Xander whispered to Faith. She snorted.
 

"So, what are we going to do tonight?" Buffy asked, itching to get her hands on Virginia for hurting her friends.
 

"Tonight, we plan on where we're going to hit," Cordelia said, slipping into hunter mode. She pulled out a map of the city and laid it on the table. On it were highlighted marks in various colors, indicating locations of the different vampire territories, undead hangouts and various clubs that attracted them.
 

"This area here was Marcius' territory before we dusted him," she said, pointing to the map. "There are close to fifty clubs know to us that the vamps frequent...."
 

Part Four

The group rose with the setting sun, cleaning up and preparing for the night ahead of them. Xander, the least experienced of the group, had been elected to stay at the warehouse and scan the newspapers for localized vampire victims or other information he could glean from Angel's Internet contacts.
 

"We're going trolling," Cordelia explained to Faith and Buffy. "Basically, we wear these skimpy clothes, act loud and bubble-headed, and try to pick up vampires. Once you get them outside, get to an alley, and do your stuff. Angel is our backup."
 

"Do you do this often?" Buffy asked.
 

"A couple times per week at various clubs throughout the city," Cordelia answered. "Tonight we're going to a club that was well renown by Marcius and his minions. At 3:30 am, stop whatever you're doing and head back here separately." Angel came down the stairs, dressed in his usual black, and kissed Cordelia.
 

"Ready to rock and roll?" he asked the girls.
 

"Ready, willing and able," Buffy answered.
 

"Then, let's fly."
 

The girls split up when the reached the club, taking various vamps to the alley to ‘persuade' them into giving up information on Virginia. As the night wore on, the pickings became slim, so they separated and went back to the warehouse to compare notes. Buffy didn't see the white blond vampire who followed her.
 

"Ugh," Faith said, throwing herself on the couch. "If one more guy touched my ass, there was going to be some serious violence."
 

"Goes with the territory of being young and beautiful," Xander said, sitting down next to her. "It happens to me all the time."
 

She laughed, smacking his knee with her hand. "Dickens me, Xander. Did something like that ever happen to you?"
 

"It most certainly did not," he replied. "Except for the time in the locker room when I confronted Larry, he was jock at Sunnydale High, about being a werewolf. Turns out he was not the hairy beast we were looking for, and I was subject to a close encounter of the male persuasion."
 

Faith laughed with him until tears were streaming down her face. "At least he had good taste."
 

"Thank you...I think."
 

Buffy looked at the couple on the couch, then at her companions in the small kitchen. "Go Faith," she said, motioning with her head. "She's got a thing for Xander."
 

"Big thing or little thing?" Cordelia asked, watching the two.
 

"Very big," Buffy replied.
 

"He's got a yen for her, too," the brunette said.
 

"How can you tell?" Angel asked, putting the finishing touches on dinner. Cordelia gave him a look that said 'duh.' "Oh, never mind."
 

A loud bell sounded, and the LA couple gave each other puzzled looks. "Who could be at the door at this hour?" Cordelia said, moving to the large windows and parting the heavy curtains. "No one's out front."
 

"I'll check the back door," Angel said, wiping his hands quickly on a towel, then jogging down the stairs near the elevator. He circled through the empty first floor to the loading docks. Picking up a loaded crossbow that was always at the ready, he carefully opened the large, metal door.
 

"A gift? For me?"
 

Angel couldn't believe his eyes, the weapon lowering on its own. "We thought you were dust."
 

"Yeah, well, you can't keep a good vamp down. Are you going to invite me in or what?"
 

"Sure," Angel said, stepping back. "Come in...Spike."
 

Part Five

"Look who I found," Angel said, returning to the third floor, peroxide blond vampire in tow. The four friends looked up from the couches simultaneously.
 

"Spike!" Buffy said, jumping to her feet and practically leaping over the back of the couch. She wasn't thinking about why she was feeling happy to see him. "We thought you were dust."
 

"So said your snookums," Spike said as the Slayer approached. "What? Disappointed?"
 

"Actually, I'm not," Buffy said. "Life would get way too boring if you weren't around to muck it up."
 

"Why thank you, Slayer," he replied. "So, what do you kids do for fun around here?"
 

"Oh, the usual, beat up vamps, stake vamps. Sometimes we even drop organs on them," Buffy teased.
 

"Before this so-called conversation deteriorates any further," Angel interrupted. "What are you doing here, Spike?"
 

"I came to see the Slayer, mate," Spike told him. Buffy arched an eyebrow. "Got a place we can chat?"
 

"Sure," Buffy answered, confused. "We'll go downstairs."
 

After they left, the four remaining looked at one another. "I can't believe you let him in, Angel," Cordelia said, smacking her boyfriend on the arm. "Now we'll have to sleep with some weapons."
 

"We do that anyway," Angel replied.
 

"I have to go with Cordelia on this one," Xander said. "Spike is news of the worst kind."
 

"He don't look so tough," Faith piped in. The three others gave her a look. "I could take him, no problem."
 

"Not Spike," Xander told her. "He's, what's the polite word? A sociopath. Even Buffy hasn't been able to slay him."
 

"I have a feeling that's because they had a truce," Angel said, rubbing the back of his head in memory. "And before that, she did put him in a wheelchair, which delighted my worse half to no end. The present half, too."
 

"I could still dust him," Faith insisted. "Watch me."
 

"Why don't we hold off on the slaying, Miss Stake Happy," Cordelia said. "Find out what he wants first." She turned to Angel. "Do you think he's the 'one' who's left?"
 

Angel sighed. "Probably. I hate to say this, but I'm glad he's not gone."
 

Xander threw up his hands. "First Buffy, now you. Hello, this is Spike we're talking about. Does the Judge ring any bells? Or bug guy?"
 

Cordelia shuddered. "Thank you for the reminder, Xander. Now I'm going to have to take a shower," she said, heading to the master bedroom. She paused at the door and looked at Angel. "Can I speak to you privately?"
 

Angel nodded, trying to smother his smile. "Dinner will be ready in five, guys," he said, moving to join his girlfriend. "Help yourselves."
 

The bedroom door closed and the two remaining friends looked at each other. "Why do I get the feeling they won't be out for awhile?" Xander said.
 

"Because your mind is like mine," Faith said. "Dirty to the core."
 

"So, what's up?" Buffy asked, taking a seat on the end of the bench press.
 

Spike didn't answer immediately, instead he paced back and forth in front of her, his long coat swirling out behind him with each turn. "I need your help. Again." He stopped directly in front of her, his blue eyes full of pain and anger. "I want your help to kill the bitch who got Dru."
 

"Ok," she answered simply. The vampire looked surprised and she chuckled. "We're going after her anyway, so one more on our team won't hurt."
 

"What did she do to you?" Spike asked. Buffy filled him in on what had happened in the cemetery, the 'gift' Angel had received, and the current plan to find Virginia.
 

"And that as we say is that," Buffy finished. "You in?"
 

"You bet your bloody sweet arse," he answered, giving her a small grin.
 

"Good," she said, standing. "Let's get your car parked in the garage and out of sight." She walked up to him and put her hand on his arm, squeezing gently. "I'm sorry about Drusilla."
 

His face flickered in pain, and he gazed down at the petite Slayer. "Thanks."
 

Buffy nodded and moved to the stairs. "Come on, let's break it to the others that you're staying. And to Xander that you'll be sharing the couch with him."
 

Cordelia sat on Angel's backside, rubbing his shoulders. "Are you ok?"
 

"Not really, Cordy," he answered truthfully. "It finally hit me when I saw Spike that all of my children are gone, except for him. I know I shouldn't feel anything about it, seeing as my un-life is spent destroying other vampires, but I do."
 

"They were your friends," Cordelia comforted. They had many conversations about his past, and she understood what it was like for him. "Even if they were evil. You spent time caring for them, teaching them, even running with a few, like Spike and Drusilla. It's ok to mourn their passing."
 

Angel sighed. He still marveled at the differences between Buffy and Cordelia. Whereas the Slayer would have avoided the subject of his past, Cordelia embraced it as a part of him, accepting he was one with the demon, not letting him wallow in guilt. "Thank you. For understanding."
 

She bent and kissed him between his shoulder blades. "I told you I had more going for me than just my beauty."
 

Spike lay on the couch staring at the ceiling as the sun rose in the sky. He couldn't sleep, his mind whirling from the events of the past several months. After he had left Sunnydale for the second time, he'd done as planned going to Brazil, tying Dru up and torturing her until she loved him again. Surprisingly, it worked. They were happy together, traveling from country to country, feasting on the natives, just the two of them.
 

They had made a stopover in the states on their way to Canada when it happened. Virginia and her minions had descended upon the happy couple without warning. Spike had barely managed to escape after Drusilla had been killed, the only thing keeping him alive was revenge. He'd gone to Sunnydale first, finding the Slayer gone after a quick talk with Joyce, then had come to LA. He asked around the community, learning that Angel and his consort were the big to-do in the city. He assumed it was Buffy and was saddened by the fact that she was still with the lout. He thought her smarter than that.
 

Sighing, he turned on his side to look at the young man sleeping on the couch opposite him. If he wanted to, he could drain the life from Xander before he even woke. But he didn't want to do anything other than kill the bitch who killed Dru. The bedroom door opened and Buffy stepped out wearing only a white T-shirt, closing the door behind her.
 

"What are you doing awake?" she asked, moving silently to him.
 

"I could ask the same of you, pet," he answered.
 

"Couldn't sleep," she said, crouching down next to him so as not to wake Xander.
 

"Why not?"
 

"Fate of the world, depressing thoughts, Faith's snoring," she replied with a smile.
 

"Want to work off some of that excess energy?"
 

Her eyes lit up. "Sure. Let me throw some shorts on. There's blood in the fridge if you're hungry."
 

Spike stood as she returned to the bedroom. He went over to the refrigerator before he could tell himself off and drained one of Angel's packs of blood. He was still wearing his jeans, but was shirtless and barefoot. Buffy emerged again and the two went quietly to the second floor.
 

"Want to use some 'manly' weapons?" Buffy asked with a smile. "Or just go hand to hand?"
 

"I think we can skip the weapons and go right for the fists to cuffs," he replied. They began to circle each other, both predators at their full powers. She hadn't gotten into a real fight with him for years, and the adrenaline was pumping. He'd always been her best adversary, the most deadly, the one who kept her on her toes. She had almost lost her life to him on several occasions. It wasn't until the night Drusilla was restored to health that she'd been able to take him down.
 

They began to spar in earnest, throwing each other about the large, open second floor, carefully avoiding the heavy blackout curtains covering the windows that circled the building. Each hit was powerful, staggering, each kick sending the other flying back. But smiles plastered both their faces as they fought, the verbal banter flying between the two.
 

When they called it quits, Buffy flopped down on the hard floor, hands behind her head, breathing heavily. Spike sat lazily beside her inert form, a large grin on his face. "That was fun," she told him, smiling in return.
 

"Nothing like a bit a violence to get your mind cleared," he replied. "Especially with a worthy opponent."
 

"Thanks," she said. "You're not too bad yourself."
 

"Well, you know. I eat right, get plenty of sleep, avoid the harsh UV rays," he teased. Buffy laughed and he felt the oppressive weight that had been on his undead heart lighten. "I hate to say this, but it's bloody damn good to see you, Slayer."
 

"Mutual," she replied. "The vamps I usually deal with have no good comebacks, and they are really pathetic in the violence department."
 

"What about your pumpkin upstairs?" he asked, curious as to why she was sleeping in a room with Faith instead of Angel.
 

"Who, Angel?" she said. "I don't fight with him. You'd have to ask Cordelia."
 

"But I thought you two..."
 

Buffy chuckled. "Nope. He left right after I graduated high school. You were wrong, by the way. We can only be friends, it just took awhile."
 

He tilted his head thoughtfully as he looked at her. "I don't know whether to be happy or sad for you, pet."
 

She shrugged, which caused him to grin from the comical gesture when she was prone on the floor. "Be happy that Angel's happy. Be sad 'cuz I don't have a man of my own yet."
 

"What, a beauty like you?" he asked, skeptically. "I figured guys would be crawling over themselves like you were a bitch in heat."
 

"Thanks, I think," Buffy said. She closed her eyes and sighed relaxedly. "Well, I'm sufficiently tuckered. Mind if I go to sleep right here?"
 

"Not at all, ducks," Spike said. "I'll try to control my urge to gobble you up."
 

She opened one eye to peer threateningly at him. "Do it and you'll fit in a sandwich bag."
 

"Wouldn't want that, pet, now would we?" he smirked at her. "Who would be left to put you in your place?"
 

"Good-night, Spike."
 

He chuckled softly. "'Night, Slayer."
 

Part Six

Faith stumbled out of the bedroom, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Coffee," she ordered.
 

Xander grinned at her and poured a cup. "Not a morning...er, evening person?"
 

"Up yours."
 

He laughed as she accepted the cup and slumped in the chair at the kitchen table. He offered her a donut from the trip he'd made before sundown, then sat next to her. "I talked to Giles earlier. He's says that he misses his best employee."
 

"I'm his only employee," she mumbled.
 

He went on as if she didn't say anything. "And he says everything is normal. Well, as normal as it can be for the Hellmouth."
 

"How's the witch and the werewolf? Boy, I'm sounding C.S. Lewis."
 

"Good. They're still in the hospital, but the cuts are healing nicely. I was thinking, before we slay, can we carve 'payback's a bitch' in this Virginia chick?" Xander asked.
 

Faith's lips quirked into a grin. "Better idea. We'll write it with holy water. Kinda like pissin' your name in the snow."
 

"You never cease to amaze me with your talents," he told her. "What other ones are you hiding?"
 

She winked at him. "Ones that require a hands on demonstration."
 

"Is that an offer?"
 

"Might be," she replied, taking a sip of her coffee. She watched him over the lip of the cup. His grin widened and he leaned back with pure male posturing, but the effect was ruined when the chair tipped to the floor. She laughed.
 

"Yuck it up, Slayer," he said, from the floor. "I'll have you know I did that on purpose."
 

"Trying out for the circus?" she asked sweetly. "'Cuz if you are, apply for the monkey's job."
 

Angel emerged from the bedroom in a pair of sweats looking grumpy. He mumbled a quick hello and went right for the refrigerator for something to eat. Without turning, he fed on the cold fluid, tossed the empty bag in the sink, then poured himself some coffee.
 

"Hello to you, too, Deadboy," Xander greeted, picking up the chair and sitting back down. Angel growled at him. "Someone else that's not a happy riser."
 

"Shut up, Xander," he replied, taking a healthy sip of the brew. "You didn't have to deal with Cordy's tossing and turning all day. I did."
 

"Poor vampire," Faith said sarcastically. She looked over at the couch. "Speaking of dead guys, where's Blondie?"
 

Xander frowned. "He wasn't there when I got up. Maybe Buffy staked him. We can ask her when she gets up."
 

"B ain't in the bedroom," Faith told him. They both shot her puzzled looks. "Maybe they snuck off together for a little pelvic action."
 

"Now that's something I did not want to picture," Xander said, shuddering. "Worse than her boinking Deadboy here."
 

"You know I'm still standing in the room, right?" Angel said threateningly.
 

"What of it?" Xander replied, not caring. "You got punished for your actions by having to live with Cordelia."
 

"I heard that, dweeb," Cordelia said, exiting the master bedroom, primped to perfection. She accepted the coffee Angel poured for her. "At least she had sex, which is more than I can say for you, virgin-boy."
 

All eyes turned to Xander, who was trying hard not to blush. "You're a virgin?" Faith asked, incredulously.
 

"Who me?" Xander laughed nervously.
 

"Hot damn, you are!" Faith said, chuckling. "Who'd a thunk a stud like you would be unplucked." Angel was biting his lip not to burst out laughing at the boy's expense, while Cordelia watched on with an amused expression. "I don't think I've ever met a virgin."
 

"Excuse me while I throw myself to the vamps," Xander said, standing. He quickly made his way to the girls bathroom.
 

"Think he's red?" Faith asked the couple, a grin on her face.
 

"He'll forget about it in a while," Cordelia said, then smiled evilly. "Well, if we don't constantly bring it up, that is."
 

Buffy woke to find herself staring at a pair of bare feet. Confused, she closed her eyes again, then opened them. *Nope, feet still there. Sexy feet, too,* she thought, pushing herself onto her side. She followed the feet up a long pair of jean clad legs, lean waist, bare muscular chest to Spike's sleeping face. *Sexy everything,* she thought, then scolded herself. *Bad Slayer. He's the enemy, no matter how much of a hottie he is. Plus, he's still in mourning for his whacked out woman.*
 

With a mischievous grin, she brought her free hand forward and ran her nail along the bottom of his foot. He twitched, but did not move. She did it again, and this time his eyes shot open to glare at her. "Quit it," he growled, then closed them again. Buffy laughed softly, then used all her fingers on his foot.
 

This time, his hand shot out and grabbed her leg, yanking her across the hardwood floor so her stomach was parallel with his head. He didn't pause, using the same hand to start tickling her waist. She laughed, squirming out of his reach. She quickly stood and before she knew it, the peroxide blond vampire was standing as well, reaching for her. With a screech, she took off towards the stairwell, Spike chasing after her intent on revenge. He caught up with her at the door, tickling her unmercifully.
 

"Stop, stop, stop, stop," Buffy begged between laughs, her knees going weak.
 

"You started it, I'm just finishing it, ducks," Spike told her. She slid to the floor bonelessly, then reached back and knocked him off his feet. She raked her nails along the bottom of his foot before jumping up and tearing up the stairs.
 

"Cheater," he yelled after her.
 

Angel cocked his head when he heard pounding in the stairwell. He was about to comment when Buffy burst through the door with a shriek, Spike a few steps behind her. They ran past the befuddled group straight to the guest bedroom, laughter following.
 

"Told ya," Faith said, smiling widely at her friends.
 

After a few minutes, Spike and Buffy joined the three in the kitchen. "Xander in the john?" Buffy asked, pouring herself and Spike coffee.
 

"Yeah," Faith answered, grinning at the two of them. "What have you two been up to all day?"
 

"Beating on Spike," she answered, shooting the vampire a grin.
 

"More like I was pounding you, ducks," Spike replied, leaning against the counter near Angel. The two vampires struck up a conversation about Virginia.
 

Buffy sat next to Cordelia at the table and Faith leaned forward to whisper to the two girls. "Check out the two half-naked hotties in your kitchen, Cordelia." All three turned and looked at the pale, shirtless pair sipping coffee. They were a study in opposites, dark versus light, big versus lean, smooth verses scarred, angelic verses chiseled. One was relaxed, the other a barely controlled bundle of energy. But both were sensual, powerful, lovers, predators, creatures of the night.
 

"Oh, wow," Buffy said, taking a shaky breath. "This is better than a Chippendale calendar."
 

"Too bad they don't show up on film," Cordelia said to the girls. "We would make a killing with them as models."
 

"Man, Cordy, you are one lucky broad," Faith said.
 

"Aren't I though?"
 

"What are you ladies talking about?" Angel asked, breaking into their hushed conversation.
 

"Oh, nothing," Cordelia said innocently. "Just girl talk."
 

"How come I doubt that?" Spike said, looking at Buffy. She flushed and looked down at her coffee. Xander finally decided to emerge from hiding and joined the group in the kitchen.
 

"Since we're all here, let's discuss the plan for tonight," Angel said, setting his empty mug in the sink. "We can go trolling again or try something new."
 

"I say we split up into teams of two and hit three clubs at once," Buffy suggested. "We may be able to draw her out that way."
 

"Better yet," Cordelia said. "Drop hints that we're all staying together somewhere and let them come to us."
 

"Like fish in a barrel," Xander added, nodding at his former girlfriend's idea. "They shouldn't be able to resist."
 

"Let's find a location, then," Angel said, moving to a desk and pulling out the map of the city with marks all over it. The rest of the early evening was spent getting ready to plant their trap in the minds of their enemy.
 

Part Seven

The night passed quickly as the separated group traveled from club to club, leaving breadcrumbs of information in their wake. At 3:30 am, they stopped and headed back for the warehouse, knowing that by the next night their trap would be sprung.
 

Buffy was laying on her side in bed, not sleeping, when Spike suddenly came in and threw himself face down on the bed next to her. "Hello Mr. In-My-Bed. What are you doing?"
 

"They won't stop yapping," Spike said, burying his head in the pillow. "How's a bloke suppose to get some sleep if they go on and on and on and on and..."
 

"I get the idea," Buffy interrupted him. "Why didn't you just go downstairs."
 

"When this big, comfortable bed was available?" he said, turning his face toward her.
 

"This big, comfortable bed that's occupied by your worst enemy, you mean," she told him.
 

"You're not my worst enemy, ducks," he replied, his blue eyes piercing her own.
 

"Oh, really?" she said, eyebrow arched.
 

"Yes, really," he answered dryly.
 

"Who is then?"
 

He closed his eyes, but not fast enough for her to miss the pain in them. "Love, pet. Love." Buffy stared at his handsome features, stunned, but didn't comment, instinctively knowing he would say more. "Have you ever loved so intensely, it consumed your very being, only to lose that love, not to death, but to life?"
 

"Yes," she whispered, thinking of Angel.
 

"You know, I lost Dru's love long before she died," he continued, opening his eyes to look at her. "It was never the same after Angelus came back, even though we had a bloody good time these past few years." He inhaled deeply and sighed, sadness in his expressive gaze. "I'll miss her."
 

Buffy reached out and touched her palm to his cheek in comfort and kinship, two beings who've loved and lost, yet will never forget. "She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies. And all that's best of dark and bright meets in her aspect and her eyes. Thus mellowed to that tender light which heaven to gaudy day denies," she quoted softly to him. "It's by Lord Byron. When I first read it, I thought of Drusilla."
 

"That was beautiful, Buffy," he said quietly, using her name for the first time in front of her. "Thank you." She gave him a tender smile.
 

Faith and Xander sat having a staring contest. They were kneeling nose to nose on the couch, trying desperately not to blink or laugh.
 

"You blinked!" Xander exclaimed, not moving.
 

"Did not," Faith said.
 

"Yeah, but you will," he replied.
 

"In your dreams," she told him.
 

"You're doing more than blinking in there," he said, then realizing what just came out of his mouth, blinked.
 

But Faith didn't notice, didn't move. "You dream about me?"
 

"Um...if I say yes, you're not going to rip my arm off and beat me over the head with it, are you?"
 

"No."
 

"Yes."
 

Faith blinked, yet they still sat nose to nose. "Are they...dirty?"
 

"Only in a clean way," he murmured, holding his breath. "Would you like a preview?"
 

She couldn't answer because his lips had descended upon her own, coaxing, caressing, igniting something new between the friends. Her hands moved up to encircle his neck, his around her waist, pulling her against him. The kiss went on for several minutes until they both broke away, breathless. "Was that ok?" Xander asked, his voice deep and rough.
 

"More than," she answered. "In fact, if you don't go it again, I will rip your arm off and beat you with it."
 

"Well, since you put it that way," he said with a grin. She shut him up with another kiss.
 

Part Eight

Spike awoke to find his arms wrapped around a warm body. Buffy's warm body to be precise. He could feel the gentle rise and fall of her chest, hear her heart beating as she slept. Instead of pulling away, he snuggled closer into her back, spooning her with his own cool body. He felt relaxed, at peace, and he didn't want it to end just yet, didn't want to go back to being mortal enemies, or whatever they were.
 

"Stop wigglin'," Buffy mumbled as his arms tightened around her.
 

"Sorry, pet," he replied softly, waiting for her to yell at him or stake him. She did neither.
 

"'S-ok," she said. "Gonna sleep for longer. You too."
 

"Whatever you say, Slayer," he said, closing his eyes and purposely inhaling her scent. "Whatever you say."
 

Several hours later, the friends reassembled in the kitchen, this time to prepare for the ambush. Xander and Faith had gone to the chosen location when it was still daylight and rearranged things to their liking, hiding weapons and other useful items in the warehouse. They also set up a few things to make it look like they lived there.
 

Loaded down with stakes and other slaying paraphernalia, they left in four cars - Buffy and Spike in his DeSoto, Faith and Xander in Buffy's Blazer, Cordelia in her car and Angel on his bike. They were to park in various parts of the neighborhood for escape, but not close enough together so any remaining vampires would easily be able to follow.
 

"Here they come," Xander warned from his perch on the ceiling beams. He was watching out a high window, crossbow and holy water bombs with him. The others were spread throughout the warehouse, waiting for the attack to begin. They didn't have to wait long.
 

A loud roar sounded, then a large truck drove through the side of the building, leaving a gaping hole where two dozen of vampires ran in, prepared to fight. Xander dropped his bombs on the unsuspecting vamps, sending them fleeing in the directions of his hidden friends.
 

The fighting was fast and furious. Buffy slammed a stake into the closest vampire, then sent her foot flying, cracking ribs with her punishing side kick. She spun, sending her leg out again and hitting him in the face. She dropped back, elbowing the vamp who came up behind her, then letting her fist fly up to connect with his face. She dropped to the floor, out of his reach, and rolled to her left.
 

Faith grabbed the vampire's jacket, sending him sailing into the wall with a hard throw. She immediately turned and kicked a second vamp in the chest, then followed with a right cross and a left hook. She blocked his punches, sneaking under his defense to stake him before being grabbed from behind.
 

Spike growled at the vampires he faced, allowing them to rush him. He clotheslined the first taker, sending him to the ground with a crash. The second he allowed the vamps momentum to help the peroxide blond throw him into some crates. He smashed down with his boot on the fallen vampire's face at the same time as he punched a third attacker, drawing blood.
 

Angel and Cordelia worked together, covering each other's backs. Their combined efforts rendered the attackers dust, their martial arts skills at perfection. Angel sent a vamp over his head where he landed at Cordelia's feet. She kicked him in the ribs before dropping on his chest and plunging a stake into him. Standing, she caught the leg of another attacker trying to kick her, and pulled. The vamp fell hard to the floor as she twisted his leg, breaking it.
 

Angel blocked another vampire's punches before returning the favor. He let a stake descend from the wrist sheath and smashed it into the vamp's chest, leaving a shower of dust on him as he turned to the next attacker.
 

Xander aimed and fired at the vampires attacking Faith and Buffy. He avoided helping the others, not wanting to hit Angel or Spike by mistake. So far, those who had tried to climb up to get at him, the young man dusted with a well placed bolt.
 

The action was getting intense, each of the friends using all their skills to defeat their opponents. The fight had been going on for what seemed like hours when Xander smelled the first licks of fire on the building. With a curse, he pocketed as many bombs as he could, prepped his crossbow, and began to climb down. "Fire!" he yelled to the others, hoping they would hear and escape.
 

Faith heard Xander yell something and flipped a vamp over her head in order to see the brunette climbing down. She swung, connecting her stake with the chest of another vampire before running to join him. "What is it?"
 

"Fire," Xander replied, sending a holy water bombs at advancing vampires. "I hope the others heard, because we need to get out of here."
 

Faith nodded and they ran for the door, passing Spike on the way. "Fire!" she shouted at him, pausing to trip one of his attackers before continuing on with Xander to the exit. Spike swore and closed his hands around another vampire's head, slamming his knee into the face of the other. He let the vamp fall to the ground, sent a spinning back kick at another, then took off running after the other two.
 

"Angel, I smell smoke," Cordelia said, slightly breathless as they fought. She plunged her last stake into a vampire, and turned in time to see her boyfriend dust the remaining attacker on the duo. "We need to jet." Angel agreed, grabbing her hand and running out the convenient hole in the wall from the vampires truck.
 

"Damn it! That was my last nail!" Buffy exclaimed, her foot flying to connect with the offending vamp's head. He staggered and she sent her stake home. Jumping straight up, she avoided the one trying to tackle her from behind. She landed gracefully behind him, and, with a sweet smile as he turned to her, plunged the wood into his undead heart. She turned to fight yet another when she saw the licks of flames climbing the wall. "Uh, bad guys? Fire." The remaining vampires looked where she pointed, then took off running without a backward glance. "Grateful louts," she muttered, running after them. "Didn't even have the decency to wait."
 

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap," the Slayer swore as she dodged falling debris. Virginia's minions had doused the perimeter with kerosene before lighting it, and the warehouse went up easily. The door that she had ran for was blocked, sending her into another fit of obscenities. Tearing around a corner, she came up against a wall of fire with no way to get through.
 

Spike waited anxiously by his car, pacing up and down the sidewalk. None of the other vampires had followed him as he wove in and out of alleys as the escape plan called for. "Damn it, Slayer. Where are you?" After a few more laps, he swore and took off back to the flaming warehouse.
 

Her eyes were tearing from the smoke. Running as low to the ground as she could, Buffy tried desperately to find an exit not blocked by the flames. She was pushed back to the main room where Xander had sat on the ceiling beams, each of which were engulfed by the deadly fire. The hole the truck had driven through had filled with fallen wood and metal from the walls.
 

She coughed, her heart pounding as the deadly smoke threatened to asphyxiate her. She dropped to her knees, crawling towards an office in hopes the window was not blocked. Just before she got there, the wooden doorframe collapsed, sending sparks and bits of wood flying at her, burning her, cutting into her skin. With a small cry, she scrambled back on her knees, pain radiating from her oxygen deprived lungs.
 

Spike leapt onto the large garbage dumpster outside the flaming building and flung himself through a window, crashing to the ground on the inside with a hail of glass. He rose quickly to his feet, looking wildly around the fiery room for the Slayer. He spotted her in the middle of the floor, barely moving. He was next to her in an instant, picking her petite form up into his arms and heading for the window. But by the time he got there, it was enveloped in flames, preventing escape.
 

Growling and cursing, he searched the room for another exit. His keen eyes picked up a ring on the floor with perfectly straight cracks around it. "Trap door," he muttered, racing for it. He set Buffy gently down, then grasped the metal ring and yanked. The cement door opened and he could see a ladder leading down into darkness. Not wasting an instant, he tossed the Slayer over his shoulder and descended the ladder.
 

Realizing they needed to have light, he put her down once again and ran back up into the inferno. Stripping off his coat, he threw it into the hole, then broke a nearby crate into pieces. He made a torch with his favorite red shirt and let it catch on fire, then descended into the darkness, pulling the trapdoor closed behind him.
 

Part Nine

Angel looked out the heavily curtained window at the rising sun. In a moment, he would have to move, but for now he stared worriedly out onto the street. He had arrived back home followed shortly by Cordelia, Faith and Xander, but no Buffy or Spike. Now with the sun's arrival, he feared the worse.
 

"Angel," Cordelia said, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. "It's time to move away from the window."
 

"I know," he sighed, drinking in her support. "I just keep hoping…"
 

"They're probably holed up somewhere because of the sun," she told him as he moved away, letting the drape fall into place. "Xander and Faith both saw Spike leave the warehouse, and I'm sure Buffy wasn't far behind."
 

"I wish I could be certain they were alright," Angel said, hugging her to him.
 

Buffy paced nervously around their prison for the umpteenth time. She had become lucid as Spike closed the trapdoor above them, torch in hand, the only bit of light in the small enclosure. The room was the size of a twin bed, with cement walls and was probably used to store illegal substances or other things. They had been stuck down there for roughly an hour, and she was growing more anxious with every passing minute.
 

"Slayer, you're driving me batty," Spike said from his seat behind the ladder. "Sit down."
 

"You'd like that, wouldn't you," Buffy said. "So you could have more space to yourself. But I'm not falling for that, no sir."
 

The vampire arched an eyebrow at her, the torchlight casting shadows on his face from where he set it in a ring on the wall. "What are you talking about?"
 

"I think the fire is gone. We can leave now," she said, ignoring him and scrambling up the ladder. She tried to push on the heavy cement door, but the wounds on her hands prevented her. With a cry, she banged on the door.
 

"Hey now," Spike said, standing quickly. He pulled her from the ladder and down onto the ground with him. "What's going on, Slayer? Why are you so anxious to get out of here?"
 

Buffy started to rock in his arms, nervously eyeing the walls. "Kill me," she said to him. "Kill me now before the walls do."
 

"You're claustrophobic!" he exclaimed, astonished. He started to chuckle at the thought of the mighty Slayer being afraid of small spaces, but it turned to silence as she continued to mumble about him killing her before the walls did. "Slayer, stop it," he said none to gently.
 

Buffy didn't hear him, her own terror of being buried alive tamped down on her rationality as she rocked next to him.
 

Spike's mind turned rapidly as he tried to think of a way to break her out of her fear. *Distraction. I have to distract her from the situation,* he thought, forming a plan. He only hoped he didn't end up a pile of dust for what he was about to do. Pulling the Slayer onto his lap, he captured her face between his hands and pressed his lips to hers.
 

Cordelia returned from the post office with their mail. Not being able to sleep, she had decided to run some errands during the day, picking up their mail along with some food. When she got back, Angel, Xander and Faith were sitting on the couch, staring morosely at a blank television.
 

Sighing, she dropped her purchases on the table, then sat next to her boyfriend with the mail. She leafed through it, then stopped, her heart dropping as familiar handwriting caught her eye. "Angel," she breathed, handing him the envelope with a shaky hand.
 

Angel tore the envelope in his haste to get to the message. His eyes rapidly scanned the handwritten text. He stood with a choked sob, dropping the paper as he practically ran to the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Cordelia picked up the letter and read it. She closed her eyes tightly, handing it to Faith before heading to the bedroom as well.
 

"What's it say?" Xander asked, staring after the couple.
 

"'Two down, three to go,'" she answered, her voice tight with emotion.
 

Buffy felt soft lips on her own and blinked, surprised at the contact, penetrating the fear that had enveloped her. She let her eyes close and gave herself up to the feeling of being kissed for the first time in years. The cool lips coaxed, then demanded as her heart started beating rapidly in her chest.
 

*Bloody hell,* Spike thought as she began to kiss him in return, her tongue darting out to touch his lips. What had been a simple plan of distraction was rapidly arousing him. He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue past her teeth and into a duel with her own. He moved his hands to the back of her head, twining his fingers in her hair, holding her to him.
 

Buffy let her own hands travel up to rest lightly on his chest, feeling the coolness of his skin through the thin black shirt. Suddenly, she wanted to get closer, wanted to feel that coolness directly beneath her fingertips. She grabbed the material and lifted, pulling it from the waistband of his jeans. He broke the kiss long enough for her to divest him of the shirt, then recaptured her lips, tasting, sipping, delving into her mouth with his talented tongue.
 

His own fingers moved to her shirt, sliding up and under to caress her warm skin. He skimmed her stomach, his touch light, before cupping one full breast, flicking his thumb over the already pert nipple. He groaned low in his chest when she arched into his palm, seeking his touch. The feel of her fingertips playing along his chest and abdomen was wreaking havoc on his control.
 

Quickly, before he was lost completely, Spike set her onto the floor, breaking the kiss to spread out his long coat in the small space. This time, when he returned to her lips, he seized them rather than caressed, commanded rather than asked. Her own shirt and bra were gone in an instant, and he pulled away to gaze through hooded lids at the beauty in front of him.
 

Xander cleared his throat, looking at the figure lying on the bed as he exited the bathroom. He had sought refuge behind its closed door, pulling himself together so as not to bawl in front of Faith. It was not the time to mourn, that would come later. Now was the time to reaffirm life, to take what was wanted before it was too late.
 

Faith turned her head to him, noting the nervousness of his posture, the worrying of his lip with his teeth. As their eyes met, she knew what he wanted, knew what he needed. Wordlessly, she patted the bed next to her, inviting him into her life, her love.
 

He slid next to her, pulling her into his arms, kissing her deeply, passionately, reverently. His hands clumsily unbuttoned her shirt, separating the material, exposing her naked form to him. He began to rain kisses along her jawline, moving down the column of her neck to her collarbone. He dipped his tongue in the hollow of her throat, then went lower, blazing a trail between her breasts before he captured one pebble like nipple in his mouth.
 

She arched into him, holding the back of his head with her hands, wrapping the dark strands around her fingers. His inexperienced tongue and teeth worked magic on her senses, sending bolts of pleasure radiating through her body as he lavished first one, then the other breast. She moved her hands to his shirt, tugging on the material until he released it over his head.
 

He brought his lips back to hers, crushing her against him with the weight of his bare chest pressed against hers. Her nails scraped along his back, and he shivered with desire, pulling them over so she was on top of him. Breaking the kiss, he looked into her passion filled eyes, conveying his message of want, of need, of love.
 

"You are so beautiful," Spike whispered, his voice purring, caressing, seductive. He lowered his head to one breast, then the other, suckling the rock hard nipples, tugging on them with his blunt teeth, arousing her fully with his tongue. His hands skimmed down her sides, delving below the waistband of her pants, seeking her heat. When his long fingers found her silken folds, she jumped, her heartbeat racing, her breath catching.
 

"Spike," Buffy breathed, squeezing her eyes shut as his digits teased and taunted her womanhood. She moaned aloud in protest when he stopped, only for it to change to a groan when he removed the rest of her clothing, replacing his fingers with his mouth. She felt his tongue flick her throbbing clit, the suck on it, causing her to writhe under him as the sensations overwhelmed her, sending her into a spiraling orgasm under his talented ministrations.
 

He allowed her to calm down as he slowly kissed his way back up her body. He touched his lips lightly to hers, then moved away to shed his remaining clothes. He allowed his eyes to roam over her flushed, naked form, drinking in her beauty. He could feel her gaze on him, and he raised his head to watch as she hungrily devoured his form with her eyes. With a low growl, he rolled on top of her, pushing her legs apart with his own, positioning himself to enter her moist heat.
 

"Slayer?" Spike asked, his muscles clenched in barely restrained control. "Do you want me to stop?" Her answer was to wrap her legs around his waist, thrusting her hips up to meet him. He almost lost it then and there as the fire of her body consumed his erection, the tightness of her near virginal passage squeezed him. When he did move, it was with combined gentleness and strength, tenderness and ferocity. He was both worshiping and claiming her as they moved together in the rhythm of the ages.
 

Faith tugged off Xander's jeans and boxers, as well as her own. She repositioned herself on top of him, rubbing her wetness against his large shaft before lowering herself down upon it. She froze after he was fully sheathed, watching the play of emotions on his face, feeling his fingers bruise her sides as he gripped her hips.
 

Xander felt as though he was on fire, wrapped in a soft, silken glove that was beyond his wildest fantasies. He wanted to move, wanted to feel her slide against him, wanted to prolong this moment for eternity. The decision was taken out of his hands as she began to rock back and forth on him.
 

She knew he wouldn't last for very long, so she took one of his hands and intertwined their fingers, pressing them against her clitoris, helping him to bring her own orgasm. Soon, they were both flying as the sensations shook their bodies, colors flashing behind tightly closed lids, muscles spasming as they climaxed together.
 

Spike coaxed the Slayer's body over the edge with a loud cry. He thrust quickly into her as she orgasm, letting his own release go with a hoarse shout of her name. "Buffy!" He collapsed upon her, hearing the blood rushing through her veins, the pounding of her heart, the quickness of her breath. He could feel his face transform to its demonic visage, could feel the need to sink his fangs into her lovely skin, lose himself in her blood. With every ounce of control he'd spent building over two centuries, he forced his human mask into place and kissed her instead.
 

Shifting, he separated their bodies, turning them so she rest in the crook of his arm, head pillowed on his chest. Her soft hair tickled him, her warm breath on his cool skin sending tremors down his spine, arousing him once more. She took a deep breath and sighed, her breasts rubbing against him. "I'm going to take you again," he said quietly, arm tightening around her.
 

"Good," Buffy replied, sliding her body until she was on top of him. She smiled down, her eyes reflecting the heat and desire he felt. "I was hoping you'd say that."
 

"I…you…we," Xander stammered, holding Faith against him in the aftermath of their passion. "Thank you," he finally said.
 

"I should be thanking you," Faith told him, raising her head to kiss his chin. "It's not often I'm in the deflowering position."
 

Xander chuckled at her coarse words, the pain of the news about their friends pushed deep down. "In that case, you're welcome…to do it again."
 

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