Clem walked over to Wesley and Oz.  He glanced around to see if anyone was eavesdropping.  No one seemed to be paying attention to them.  “Did I do okay?” he asked in a quiet voice.  “Spike told me to pretend I didn’t know him or Buffy.”

“You did good!”  Wesley clapped the demon on the shoulder.  He hadn’t been at all surprised that Spike already made a friend in Sunnydale.  For an evil vampire, Spike was surprisingly social.

“Will you really pay me in kittens?”  Clem looked at the human in a hopeful manner.

“Yes, that shouldn’t be a problem.”  Wesley nodded.  He’d heard odder requests during his time with Spike and Buffy.  “Now as your first job as our liaison, please introduce me to the owner of this fine establishment.”

“That would be ‘the Zoof’,” Clem said.  “He owes me two kittens from last night’s game.  He borrowed them before we both lost to a Fyral demon.”  He led Wesley towards the back rooms.

“Are there many Fyrals in Sunnydale?” Wesley asked while he tried to get a feel for what the gang was up against.

Clem shrugged.  “Only during mating season.  Not sure why this one was here.”

“Mating season is usually in May, isn’t it?”  Wesley struggled to remember his Demon Mating Habits class from his Watcher Academy days.

“Just in time for the annual apocalypse,” Clem said.  He stepped in front of a door, and he knocked.

“Come in,” a loud voice inside called out.  “You here for your kittens, Clem?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Spike carried Buffy into their bedroom.  Once there, he dropped her to her feet, and he stripped off her clothes in a systematic style.  While he removed his own clothing, he watched the naked Buffy crawl onto the bed.

“So, vamp of mine, slow and sweet or the kinkiest of the kinky,” Buffy asked.  Her teeth nibbled her lower lip while she waited for Spike’s answer.

Spike leered at his mate.  He trailed one hand down his chest and over the taut muscles of his abdomen to grip his burgeoning hard on.  “My, my what an interestin’ choice.”

Buffy’s eyes watched with avid interest while Spike stroked his cock.  She didn’t know which she craved more though.  Sweet, sexy Spike got her motor revved almost as quickly as domineering, take-what-he-wanted Spike did.

“Tonight, it’s slow and sweet.”  Spike knelt on the bed next to Buffy.  He cradled her head in his hands, and he covered her lips with his own.

Buffy sighed into the kiss.  She reached up to grasp his wrists.  She opened her mouth under his questing tongue.  Buffy moaned in delight while she laid back on the pillows, pulling Spike with her.

Spike eased himself between the Slayer’s parted thighs.  Their tongues continued to explore the depths of each other’s mouths.  He trailed his hands down her neck to cup her breasts.

Buffy buried one hand in Spike’s short bleached hair while the other traced down his back.  She didn’t need much foreplay even though she loved every touch and taste.  Her vampire’s caveman-like actions earlier made her wet and ready for him.  Buffy lifted her legs around Spike’s waist to give him better access to her heated core.

Spike reached down, and with one quick adjustment, he slipped balls deep into his mate’s depths.  His lips never left hers when his hips started to move in the slow and steady pace he knew would bring her to ecstasy the hardest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“H-Hello.”  Tara fidgeted with nervousness now that she reached Lawson’s side.  “What are you d-doing here?”

“I wanted to make sure you’re okay,” Lawson replied.  He studied the shy young woman’s face.  When she ducked her head, he reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear.

“I like girls,” Tara muttered.  She didn’t understand why the vampire looked at her with such heat and contentment.

“So do I.”  Lawson nodded.  The band segued into a slow song.  “Dance with me.”  The vampire’s tone booked no argument.  He hoped that maybe Tara had yet to meet the right man to make her preferences in dual gender pleasure instead of just females.  He liked Tara, and he wanted to get to know her better as a friend if nothing else.

After a few moments of thought, Tara took Lawson’s hand.  She let him lead her onto the dance floor.  They swayed for a bit before she said, “Even if I am intrigued by you, I’m not ready for a relationship.  I love Willow despite everything.”

Lawson pulled Tara’s body closer.  He laid her head on his shoulder.  “I have all the time in the world,” he murmured.

From the arms of some random male, Faith watched Tara and Lawson dance.  Not for the first time since her return, she wondered why she felt so completely disconnected from those around her.  Tara found comfort in a vampire’s arms, and Faith couldn’t even connect with the boyfriend she had loved for years.  The Slayer pushed the male away before she turned to leave.  She couldn’t take it anymore.

“Hey, we were dancing here,” the man grunted.

“Too bad, so sad,” Faith said over her shoulder.  “I gotta see a monster about a stake.”  She saluted Lawson on her way out of the club.

Lawson nodded at the dark-haired Slayer when she left the Bronze.  He knew she could take care of herself.  All of his attention was on the heartbroken woman in his arms.  If he could ease her pain, he would be very happy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“I want to drive you to the airport,” Jesse said.  He watched Hope’s face.  He hoped that she would agree to the gesture.

“I suppose,” Hope sighed.  She looked Jesse straight in the face.  “I’m not sorry we made love, Jesse.  I shall cherish the memory forever, but you belong to Faith.  I can’t stand to see you happy together.  Maybe in a few years.”

“But…”  Jesse wanted to tell Hope that he and Faith weren’t as together as it appeared.

Hope put her hand on Jesse’s arm.  “If Willow hadn’t made that wish, maybe things would have worked out between us.  We’ll never know for sure.”

Jesse let out a huff of air.  “I think you’re seeing more than there really is.  Faith and I just aren’t connected the way we used to be.  You saw how she was earlier.”

“She was in a hell dimension.  What do you expect?  Give it some time.”  Hope squeezed Jesse’s arm.  “Please, give it some time.”  She loved her sister, and she didn’t want to take anything away from Faith’s happiness.

Jesse rolled his eyes.  “Somehow I don’t think time will help.  I-I don’t thin Faith was in Hell, Hope.  She’s having trouble because she was in Heaven.”

Hope covered her mouth.  Her eyes widened with shock.  “No, that couldn’t be right.  She would have said something.”

“No, she wouldn’t.”  Jesse shook his head.  They pulled up outside Janice’s house.  Hope slept at the other girls’ house even though she hung out with the Brooks’ house.  “Get your things.”

Hope had no idea what to say.  She had never expected her sister to come back from the dead, let alone Heaven.  She got out of the car.

“I wanted to say good-bye, sis.”  Faith stepped out of the shadows.

Jesse noticed Faith showed up to say a farewell, but he didn’t want to interrupt the sisterly moment.  He stared out the windshield into the growing darkness.

Hope stared at her sister.  She gave an inarticulate cry, and she rushed to her sister.  She flung her arms around the older woman.  “I love you, Faith,” she cried.  “I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’m gonna miss you too, kid.”  Faith put her arms around her sister.  “Go get educated.  One of us should graduate college and do something special with her life.”

“Oh you,” Hope sniffled.  “You do something special every night.  You’re the Slayer.”

“Actually, I’m not.”  Faith shook her head.  “B is.”  She pulled away from Hope.  “Call me when you get settled, will ya?”

“I will.  I promise.”  Hope sniffled again.

“Well, I need to go patrol or something.”  Faith stepped back.  “Tell Jesse I’ll see him later.”

“Okay.”  Hope wiped the tears off her face.  “Everything five by five?”

“Five by five, baby.”  Faith turned to walk away.  She had a long night of patrolling and thinking to do.  She needed to decide what to do with her life.

Hope went inside Janice’s house to get her luggage.  Her friend’s good bye was more tearful than her sister’s.  Hope wondered exactly how true Jesse’s assessment of Faith’s location during her death could be.

Jesse helped Hope put her bags in the trunk of his car.  They had a very quiet drive to the airport with both of them deep in thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Oz knocked on the front door of Joyce’s apartment.  He knew Dot was keeping the older Summers woman and Wesley’s girlfriend company.  He grinned when Dot answered the door.

“Oz’s here,” Dot called over her shoulder.  “We’re going to Skald Hill Manor now.”

“Bye, Dot,” Joyce and Fred called back to the young woman.  They knew that Oz wanted to surprise Dot with the cage that he had delivered and set up at the mansion.

Dot stepped out of the apartment, and she closed the door behind her.  She slipped her hand inside Oz’s elbow.  Together they strolled out of the courtyard onto the street.

“Things went well,” Oz said.

“That’s good.”  Dot grinned.  “I figured they would.”  She looked up into the sky.  “The stars are beautiful.”

“I miss seeing a full moon.”

“Yeah, that would be nice,” Dot agreed.  “Is our cage ready?  It’s only a few days away now.”

“Yes, it’s ready.”  Oz ducked his head.  He had never felt so shy and uncertain before.  “I can’t wait to change with you.”

“Me either.”  Dot felt a dash of bravado.  She turned her head, and she kissed Oz’s cheek.  “I’m glad I came to Sunnydale.”

“Me too.”  Oz turned shining eyes on the petite girl next to him.  “Me too.”

Dot stopped in her tracks, turned to Oz, and cupped his cheek.  She rose up on her tiptoes to cover his lips with her softer ones.  Oz seemed stunned for a moment, but then he started to reciprocate with enthusiasm.  Dot moaned when he pushed her against the building, and he covered her body with his.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Lawson stepped inside Skald Hill Manor.  He whistled an aimless tune while he thought about walking Tara home.  Despite her declaration that she preferred women, she wasn’t too upset with his attentions.  Lawson held out a bit of hope in his heart that she’d eventually see him as something more than a friend.

Wesley stepped out of the living room.  “There you are, Sam.”

“Hey, Wes.”  Lawson nodded a greeting.  “How did things go at the strip joint?”

“Great, we’re on our way to owning the Hellmouth.”  Wesley tossed a set of keys to the dark-haired vamp.  “I heard a rumor that Angelus is biding his time in Los Angeles.  I want to check it out.”

“Sure thing, chief.  You need me to drive?”

“Yes, please,” Wesley said with a nod.  “I need to get some sleep.  You’re the best man for the job.”

Lawson glanced at the grandfather clock.  “We best get going then if we want to beat the sunrise.”

Wesley clapped Lawson on the shoulder.  “Let’s.”