Sweet Memories

Part 20:

At the knocking on his door, Giles yawned and clambered to his feet. He peered through the peephole, then opened the door, stifling another yawn as the obnoxiously wide-awake group of people filed in. "Excuse the...state of affairs," Giles said as he waved a hand at the people in various states of wakefulness around the room.

It was obvious that everyone had been there for a while. Pizza boxes were stacked in a corner, and the coffee table and surrounding floor were littered with pretzels and other snacks.

Tara and Willow were huddled in a large chair, going through a stack of book on automatic. Their eyes were glazed enough to prove that they really weren't reading much at all. They blinked and gave the four newcomers tired smiles when they finally noticed the intrusion.

Buffy had stopped her mechanical pacing, and was staring at Angel wistfully.

"Buffy," Angel greeted her quietly.

Buffy nodded jerkily. "Angel. It's...good to see you."

Angel shifted awkwardly. "So, where's...um...” He waved a hand.

Buffy gave him a tiny grin. "Riley had to get back to his place. He, um, has some stuff he needs to get done."

"He wanted to avoid me, huh?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Sorry."

"I'll live. Or...not, as the case may be." He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "So, what were you all doing before we came in?"

"Honestly? Sleeping. Or trying to."

"Sorry about the time," Angel apologized. "We got here as quickly as we could." He gave Cordelia a pointed stare.

"What!? I had to pack!"

Wesley rolled his eyes, sharing a long-suffering look with Gunn, who was trying hard not to start laughing out loud at Cordelia's tone of righteous indignation.

"Hey, you plan on dragging me back to *this* town, you better believe I'm gonna pack the essentials!"

"You didn't actually *have* to come," Angel reminded her.

Cordelia snorted indelicately. "Look, I may be a little self-centered, but I want to help Xander as much as the rest of you."

Buffy stared at her strangely. "And why is that? I mean, it's not as if you actually *like* him."

With a frown, Cordelia struggled to explain. "He's...he's...he's *Xander*!" Glaring petulantly at Buffy, she sat down stiffly on the sofa.

"Look guys, all this...discussion is really fascinating, it is, but...hello? That's not why we're here!" Willow glared around the room, daring anyone to argue.

Angel nodded. "She's right."

"Very well." Wesley moved to the center of the room. "Why don't you tell us what you know so far?"

"Short version?" Buffy took up residence in an empty chair. "Anya went to Xander's, found him and all his stuff gone. His dad, who is *seriously* creepy by the way, has no clue where he is. His car was abandoned and impounded, but we have no way of knowing where it was picked up. We've spent the last couple of days showing his picture around town, but so far, no one is talking. *And*, Spike also seems to have mysteriously vanished." As she ticked each point off on her fingers, her expression grew more and more worried.

Willow raised her hand. "Oh! Tara and I stopped by Xander's work, and it turns out he was fired just before his d-disappearance." Her face crumpled as she sniffled softly, and Tara patted her arm, trying to provide some comfort.

Wesley looked around, noting the lack of a certain individual. "Where is Anya, anyway? One would think she'd be quite eager to retrieve Xander."

"Don't know, really. She told us she was going to leave town for a few days, try to get over any impulses for vengeance she might have." Willow frowned slightly. "She thinks Xander did this because he wanted to break up with her, but he would *never* just...go away. Not without telling anyone!"

Angel spoke again. "You're certain Spike has something to do with this?"

Buffy gave him a *look*. "Doesn't he always?"

Angel conceded the point. "Usually, yes." He sighed heavily. "All right, then. If you've had no luck finding Xander, let's focus on locating Spike instead."

"Ok, see, how are we planning on doing that exactly?" Gunn asked as he sat on the arm of the sofa next to Cordelia.

Angel shrugged. "He's got to eat, which means he must be getting blood from somewhere. So, we check out all the sources, find out where he's buying from."

Gunn nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Of course, it might speed things up a little if *someone* could...give us some inside information." He tapped his head and winked at Cordelia.

Cordelia glared back. "It's not like I can *control* it! Trust me, if I could, I'd make sure they were a lot more helpful, and a *lot* less painful!"

Gunn held up his hands. "Woah! Back off, I was just joking! Geez."

Giles stepped in, hoping to stave off the bloodshed that Cordelia's flashing eyes promised. "It's almost sunrise now, and most of us have been up the majority of the night. Perhaps we should all get some sleep and start fresh in the evening. We can reconvene here and decide what to do."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh dear."

"'Oh dear'? What do you mean, 'Oh dear'? 'Oh dear' is *not* good. Alex, tell me she didn't just say 'Oh dear'."

Obligingly, Alex responded, "She didn't just say 'Oh dear'."

Wil groaned and slumped down onto the floor. "You're a pathetic liar, Alex. Shit. This *sucks*!" He glared at Dana. "I thought you were s'posed to be this great and powerful witchy type person. How could you screw this up?" He was shaking slightly now. "So what, we're just gonna go bonkers or something?

Dana gasped. "Oh, no! Of course not! I mean, the spell *did* work...really! It's just...um..."

Alex waited while she searched for the words. "Well? Spit it out!"

"Ok, so, you remember how I said that Kcsterki females are usually pretty powerful magically? Well, um, see...I kinda...” She chuckled nervously.

"You...what?" Alex glared at her coldly. "If Wil gets hurt because of something you neglected to tell us...” He left that sentence hanging threateningly.

"Alex! I'll thank you not to take that tone of voice with my daughter!" Mellie hovered protectively over Dana, hands on hips as she matched Alex glare for glare.

Alex wilted. "I'm sorry, Mellie," he said as he gathered Wil to him. "I just...I can't stand the thought of something happening to him. To *us*."

Dana cleared her throat and inched forward. "Look, *nothing* bad is happening. I just...sometimes have these little...*burps* with my magic. And things end up with a little extra...oomph."

"*Oomph*?" Wil blinked at her hopefully. "So, we're not goin' nutters?"

"Not at all! The spell was just a bit more powerful than I originally intended, and now it looks like you getting...all your memories back. *All* of them." She made sure to emphasize that point.

"What, exactly, do you mean by that?"

Dana settled into an overstuffed chair and wiggled around until she was comfortable. "Everything. You...I dunno, I guess you could call them soul memories...they're all coming back to you."

Alex pondered this. "So were talking, like, reincarnation and stuff?"

Dana nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Those dreams you shared...they're memories of previous lives, other incarnations that your souls, your...spirit essences...have taken on since they existed."

"That's...a lot of memories."

Wil was back to looking worried. "Are you sure our brains aren't gonna explode or something? 'Cause that's a *lot* of stuff that's gonna try to cram itself back in."

"Well, most of it will probably fade, just like normal memories. I mean, *I* certainly don't remember, say, learning to walk or talk. It's natural, really, otherwise we all probably *would* go insane."

Alex shuddered. "Somehow, that wasn't quite as reassuring as I'm sure you intended it to be."

"Oh. Sorry."

Wil picked at a stray thread in the carpet. "So, we have no choice, huh? Can't just get back the normal memories, we gotta take everything."

"Well, not exactly." Dana played with a lock of her hair. "You could get rid of the bundle I left with you. Without that to sustain the spell, your dream memories should stop."

"But then we'd never remember, right?"

"No. Probably not."

"So, it's all or nothing." Alex nodded. With a sigh, he stood and pulled Wil to his feet. "Look, we just...I mean, you know, thanks. For trying. Even if it turned out different then we thought it would."

Mellie sighed sadly. "So, you boys are going to call it quits with the spell?"

Alex shrugged, glancing at Wil. "Dunno. We'll have to talk about it."

"Of course. Sensible of you." Mellie walked them to the door. "Well, good luck with whatever you decide."

"Thanks Mellie." The boys hugged her. "And thanks again, Dana."

When the door closed, Wil practically dragged Alex down the hallway and back into their apartment. Once inside, he slammed the door shut, locking it securely. Then he turned and eyed Alex.

Alex gulped. "Um...Wil? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Wil growled low in his throat. "I thought I'd lost you, Alex. That dream...memory...whatever. It was...*real*. And I thought. You. Were. Dead!"

Alex rushed forward and enfolded Wil in his arms. "It's ok, Wil. I'm here, I'm alive. We're ok, both of us."

Wil shuddered, then relaxed against him. "I need you, Alex," he confessed softly. "Please...I just...I *need* you."

Alex pulled back a little, examining his lover. He nodded. "Yeah," he breathed. "Let's...ummm..." He jerked his head toward the bedroom.

Wil eagerly tugged Alex into the bedroom, then shoved him down on the bed. He crawled up over him, bending down to kiss him forcefully.

Alex groaned into Wil' mouth, arching his body up to press his burgeoning erection against the similarly hardening mound in Wil's pants. He pulled his mouth away briefly and gasped out, "Clothes!" then resumed the kiss, dueling with Wil's tongue as the other man plundered his mouth.

Wil squirmed out of his pants, never removing his lips from Alex's. Not wanting them to part for even the briefest moment, he settled for simply tearing off his shirt. Alex's was next, and he moaned as he pressed against heated flesh.

Reluctantly, Alex removed his hands from where they had wandered on Wil's body. He frantically shoved at his own pants, shoving them down his legs and then kicking them off into the corner. Clad only in boxers, the two writhed against each other, rolling across the surface of the bed.

Wil was in heaven. He was finally getting to touch and taste his fill of Alex, and he was rapidly becoming addicted to the tangy, slightly sweet taste of his skin, the way it felt gliding hotly against him. He kissed his way down Alex's chest, smiling when his lover groaned sharply at the light contact to his nipples. Quickly, Wil bent to taste this new bit of his lover.

Alex whimpered as a cool tongue played over his aching nipples. Teeth nibble softly, making him arch his back in pleasure. He tugged at Wil's head, pulling the vampire up and once more engaging him in a wet, heated kiss.

Wil thrust down on Alex. "Please..." he groaned. "Alex...I...” He thrust again, grinding himself into Alex's heat and hardness.

"Will...yes!" They continued like that for a bit until, frustrated, Alex pushed Wil away from him. He sat up and quickly peeled his boxers off, leaving himself bare to Wil's hungry gaze.

Wil devoured the sight of his naked lover. He too skimmed out of his boxers, then crept back into contact with Alex. Hesitantly, he reached out and stroked Alex's cock.

With a strangled shout, Alex fell back against the bed. He stared wide-eyed at Wil as his lover concentrated on touching him. Cool, exploratory fingers danced down his length, then back up again to circle the leaking head. "Wil!"

Wil was delighted with this part of his lover. There was *no* way he was going back to the previous policy of 'hardly ever look, and rarely touch' that had been established. They had been going slow enough up until today, and now it was time to have fun!

Alex dimly realized he should be doing something for Wil other than lay there passively. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but some reciprocal action would probably be appreciated. He reached up and pulled Wil on top of him.

Wil lost his hold on Alex's cock, and pouted briefly. The pout immediately turned into a satisfied moan when his own aching hardness slid over sweat-slick skin to nestle in next to Alex's. He stared in shock at Alex for a moment, then thrust experimentally.

Alex gasped and clutched at Wil, meeting his lover's wondering gaze as their cocks bumped each other. He rotated his hips, almost whimpering as he stroked against Wil's wiry bush of pubic hair. The sensation was maddening, but so *very* good, and he did it again. Evidently, Wil was liking this too, as he set up his own rhythm.

Soon, the two were grinding against each other in concert, and the room filled with low, husky moans and whispered endearments. The bed began to squeak softly as their movements sped up.

Alex spread his legs further apart, and Wil settled in between them. This pushed their cocks even closer and tighter together, and they each gave a broken cry of delight. Alex watched in amazement as Wil's blue eyes flickered with golden fire. Then, those eyes fluttered shut, and lips were once more descending to meet his. He let his own eyes close and wrapped his arms tight around Wil as they continued to thrust frantically together.

Suddenly, Wil stiffened. He released Alex's mouth and flung his head back. He howled Alex's name as he shuddered, cumming in violent pulses against his writhing lover.

Alex felt the wetness spurt up between them. He gasped and dragged Wil's head back down. The vampire hung onto him lovingly as he kept grinding desperately against him.

Wil laid a series of soft kisses on Alex's face and neck. He was nearly limp with pleasure, but continued to make tiny circular movements with his hips, coaxing Alex on. He reached between their sticky bodies and just barely scratched over the head of Alex's cock with his fingertip.

That simple touch was enough for Alex, and he cried out loudly, clutching Wil tight as he shuddered and came. Then, the room was quiet but for Alex's ragged panting.

It seemed like ages that they lay there, with Wil sprawled out contentedly on top of Alex. Their only movement was the gentle stroking of hands along quivering, sensitive skin. Then, Wil mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "...you were gone."

Alex sighed. "I'm here, Wil," he whispered. "I'm not going anywhere."

Wil kissed him possessively. "Promise me. Promise you won't leave me like that. I...I couldn't stand it."

"Shhh. I promise." He stroked Wil's back. "We're gonna stick, you know," he said with quiet humor.

"Don't care. Stay." Will snuggled in even closer against Alex.

Securely entwined, the two lovers drifted off into a light doze.

*****
Part 21:

Alice shivered as she crossed the room, rushes crackling under her bare feet. She dove onto the bed and quickly pulled the linens up to her chin. "Hurry up, Bella! I'm cold!"

Isabella rolled her eyes, but made short work of putting on her dressing gown. She snuffed out the candles in the room, then joined her sister in bed. The two girls lay comfortably together, sighing happily as their bodies slowly warmed.

Giggling softly, Alice pulled the coverings over her head. With a smile, Isabella ducked under as well. "Guess what?" Alice asked in a whisper.

"What?"

"Father says I have a suitor."

Isabella made noises of appropriate awe. "Who is it?"

"I'm not sure, but I overheard Father telling Mother that if things go well, I might be married by summer. Oh Bella, isn't it ever so exciting? I'll finally get to leave this musty, draughty old castle." Alice sighed dreamily. "I'm sure he'll be handsome, and charming, and absolutely wonderful!"

"Oh, I hope so." Isabella sniffled almost inaudibly.

"Bella? What is it? Why are you crying?"

"I don't want you to go, Alice," Isabella confessed. "If you get married and go away, I'll never see you again!"

Alice pulled her sister into a fierce hug. "Of course you'll see me, silly. Why, maybe my suitor will have a brother or cousin who's looking for a wife too, and then we can both get married and still be together."

"Really?"

"Well, why not? We've always been together." Isabella's voice was determined. "We were born together, and grew up together, and I'm sure that someday we'll even die together."

"You promise?"

"Of course I promise. We're twins. That means we were meant to be together forever. Never, ever parted"

Isabella smiled and gave Alice a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Alice."

"Love you too, Isabella."

*****

Alex opened his eyes to smothering darkness. His hands clawed out, pulling the clinging material away from his face. Beside him, Wil sat up with a distressed sound and began patting himself. After a reassuring glance down at his own body -- masculine, thank whomever -- he sat up as well, reaching out for Wil.

"I was a girl!" Wil exclaimed with something akin to horror. He turned on the lamp and twisted around to stare at Alex. "*You* were a girl!"

Alex shuddered. "I know. It was just another dream...memory. Whatever. We're still us."

"Yeah." Wil heaved a sigh of relief. Then he snickered.

"What?"

"You were *such* a girl!" He clasped his hands over his heart and feigned swooning. "'Oh, he'll be so handsome, and charming, and come sweep me off my feet!' Bloody hell, what would you have done if he'd been an old, balding, toothless git?"

Alex glared. "Easy. I'd have tricked you into trading places with me. You always fell for stuff like that."

"I never! Besides, *you* were the one who got blamed for nicking Mother's embroidery needles when I was the one who lost them. Shows *you* who's dumber."

Alex's jaw dropped. "I *knew* that was you! Mother made me stand in the solar for *hours* and recite Bible pasages because of that. You little bastard!" He yanked a pillow off the bed and whacked Wil over the head with it.

"Ow! Oh, like you never made me take the fall for *your* stuff. Leave off!" He rolled to the side, misjudging the distance and crashing to the floor.

Alex dropped his pillow. "Wil? Are you ok?" He leaned over the edge of the bed to find Wil rubbing his hip with a grimace. He grinned. "I like you like that."

Wil glared up at him. "What, wounded? Pillock."

"No. Naked. And on the floor."

Wil flushed.

Alex watched, groaning, as the faint tinge of color crept up Wil's entire body. Licking his lips, he reached down and hauled Wil back up onto the bed.

Wil blinked as he abruptly found himself sprawled halfway on top of Alex. Then, he flushed even harder. "Um...” He swallowed, his eyes darting around.

"What, bashful *now*? Little late for that, isn't it?" Alex smiled as he ran his fingers through Wil's tousled hair.

"S'pose so." Wil settled against Alex, listening to the soft thumping of his heartbeat.

"You realize what we were doing, don't you?"

Wil snorted. "I may not remember having sex, but yeah, I do think that what we did qualifies."

Alex's body shook as he laughed silently. "No, you idiot! Not *that*! The...just now. We were acting like that dream about us was real."

Wil thought about that. "Well, it was, wasn't it? Maybe a long time ago, but it *did* happen."

"Yeah, but we were being...almost comfortable with it. Like it was no big deal."

"Oh." Wil tilted his head to look at the innocuous little bundle that still hung from the headboard. "So...you think we should keep it? Let our memories come back?"

With a sigh, Alex hugged Wil close. "Can it hurt? I mean, we can always take it down later if we change our minds."

"Yeah."

They lay quietly for a while, neither wanting to disturb this newfound intimacy. Then Alex gave a grunt and shifted away from Wil, scratching his stomach with a frown. He grimaced at the flaky bits of dried fluids that came off. "I need a shower," he told Wil curtly.

"Hmmm." Wil let a hand play over his own stomach. "So do I."

"I call it first!" Alex wiggled away from Wil and out of bed.

"Alex?" Wil grinned lecherously at Alex's body as the other man turned to stare at him inquiringly. "Wouldn't you rather share?"

Alex gulped. "Oh, *hell* yeah."

~~~~~~~~~~

The door to the Magic Box jingled open, and the missing member of the merged groups entered, still smoking faintly.

Giles looked up. "Ah, you got the message, then."

"Yeah, Cordy left a note." Angel flashed a small grin over at Cordelia, who waggled her pen at him before turning her attention back to the book in front of her. "Why did we decide to meet here, anyway?"

"Well, more room for one," Buffy piped up. "And there's all these useful books, too." She thumped her book, sending a small cloud of dust up.

Gunn moved to stand behind Willow as she tapped the keys on her laptop. "Whatcha got?"

"Well, Tara and I compiled a list of all the butchers, hospitals, clinics, basically any place someone could get a supply of blood from. We have a map...Tara, where's the map?"

Tara dug into her bag and pulled out a map, unfolding it and spreading it out over the table. "The, um, the dots are all the places w-we came up with. The colors represent the t-type of place it is."

Giles came over to look. "Good work. We can divide them all up by sections, and everyone can take a section to check out. Excellent idea, girls."

Just then, Riley emerged from the back room. He paused, glaring hard at Angel, who met his stare evenly. Scowling, Riley moved across the room and sat next to Buffy, pointedly draping his arm over her shoulders.

Angel suppressed a growl at the proprietary action. He forced himself to look away, although the tenseness in his body gave away the fact that he was still extremely aware of every move Riley made.

Buffy glanced back and forth between the two. "Ooo-kay...” She shook her head and stood. "Look, gimme a section now, Riley and me will head out and see what we can find." She got their assignment and led Riley outside, sidestepping Angel with an apologetic look.

When they had gone, Angel sat and let his head thump down on the table.

"Oh, get over it. Move on already." Cordelia rolled her eyes in disgust "Can't you just--"

"Hey, guys? No fighting, ok? Please?" Willow gave everyone a pleading look, waiting until everyone nodded in agreement. "Good. So, let's assign the rest of these places." She pointed at the map.

Tara waited until everyone had gotten their own copy of the map and left the shop before turning to Willow. "You know, I'm kinda worried about Anya, too. I hope she's doing ok."

Willow patted her hand reassuringly. "I'm sure she's fine. She'll be back soon to help us look for Xander. She loves him."

"I thought you didn't like her much?"

Willow shrugged. "She might not be on my 'Favoritest People' list, but...he's happy with her. I only want him to be happy."

Tara leaned over and gave Willow a short kiss. "You're a good friend, Willow. Xander's lucky to have you."

~~~~~~~~~~

Anya paid the cab driver, then strolled into the dingy, poorly-lit bar that was located on the outskirts of Sunnydale. It didn't really have a name; it was just a place where people -- and non-people -- went to unwind.

Anya *really* needed to unwind. And even more, she *really* needed to repress the whole coming-on-to-Giles thing that she'd done.

She shuddered at the memory. Who knew that being dumped would mess with your mind that badly? Determined to get past that incident, she sat down at the bar. "Gimme a beer," she told the bartender curtly.

When the drink came, she drained it quickly. "Men suck," she muttered darkly.

"Yeah, tell me about it."

Anya looked at the woman who seated herself in the stool next to her. She studied her closely. "You're a vampire," she said matter-of-factly.

"No, I'm not!" The blonde woman pouted. "Ok, well, yes I am." She shrugged.

"Ok." Anya held out her hand. "Don’t bite me, and I won't stake you. I'm Anya."

A slim, well-manicured hand grasped hers. "Harmony."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Ow!" Alex cursed loudly as he jammed his elbow painfully against on of the knobs.

Wil winced in sympathy and shifted around. Unfortunately, he set a foot down on the bar of soap that had fallen earlier. With a high-pitched shriek, he clutched at Alex as he fell, dragging them both to the floor of the shower stall.

With pained groans, the two carefully untangled their limbs. "This...maybe wasn't such a great idea," Alex panted as they finally managed to get upright again.

"No," Wil ground out in determination. "It bloody well *is* a good idea! We just...need a bit of practice, that's all."

"No offense, but I think we're more liable to kill each other off if we try this again."

Wil pouted. "But I *like* this idea! I mean, in theory, anyway. You an' me, all wet an' slippery. What's not to like?"

Alex grinned and carefully leaned forward to kiss Wil. "I could do without these new bruises," he whispered.

"I think we're clean enough." Wil scrambled out of the crowded stall, yanking Alex after him. "I should kiss those better, y'know."

"Oooh, now *that* idea I like! We can--shit!" He pulled away from Wil.

Wil blinked in consternation. "We can *what*?"

"What time is it? Oh god, work! We're late!" Alex snatched up a towel and started drying his hair off as he raced for the bedroom. "Hurry up and get dressed, Wil!" he called back.

Wil sighed as he trailed dejectedly after his lover. "Bloody hell."

*****
Part 22:

Frankie glanced up as Alex and Wil scrambled through the door, grinning at him sheepishly. "You're late," he said tonelessly.

Alex brushed his hands on his pants awkwardly. "Yeah, sorry boss. There was this...and then the...well, we slept late...and the shower thing...” He broke off, blushing faintly.

"Uh-huh." Frankie considered them closely, noting their nervous shuffling and the way their hands kept brushing together as if they were itching to hold on tight. He shrugged. "No harm. Just don't let it happen often."

"Right. Thanks, Frankie." Alex directed a relieved smile at his boss, then turned back to Wil. "So..."

Wil grinned at him, eyes shining with happiness. He pulled Alex's head toward him and gave him a less-than-chaste kiss. "Meet ya on our first break, pet."

"Mmm. Ok." Alex snuck another kiss, then made his way over to the bar to start setting up.

Frankie reached out and tapped Wil's arm as he sauntered by. When the vampire turned to him with an inquiring look, he asked, "Shower thing?" He held back a grin as Wil turned a few shades pinker than normal. "Is that a blush, Wil? I never figured vamps could blush."

Wil turned even redder. "Sod off," he muttered half-heartedly, even as a rueful grin tugged at his lips.

Frankie shook his head in amusement. "Go on, get to work," he said, jerking his thumb toward the back room. He snickered quietly as Wil walked away.


"H2O. Umm, and a screwdriver for my friend."

Alex nodded pulled a bottle of vodka off the shelf behind the bar. He had just started to mix the drinks when something across the room caught his eye. He frowned when he finally picked out what had drawn his attention. One of the dancers, Jon by the flash of red hair, was being rather rudely tugged through the crowd by a bulky -- and rather slimy-looking -- demon. On closer inspection, Alex could see that Jon's back was tense with anger, and that he was pulling back against his captor's insistent grip.

Worried now, he scanned the club until he managed to locate Wil. Catching his boyfriend's eye, he indicated the possible spot of trouble brewing.

Wil looked over, got an idea of what was happening, and nodded sharply at Alex. He pushed his way through the crowd with an air of authority, quickly crossing to stand in the path of the behemoth who was manhandling Jon.

Jon yanked his arm again, trying to get free. "Look, man," he said harshly. "I don't know *what* your deal is, but I am not going *anywhere* with you! Let me go!"

The demon spun around and growled at him. "Just want a private little party with the dancer boy. See what kind of...*moves* you got."

"Hey, I'm a dancer. *Dan-cer*. You want a private dance, you talk with the boss. But that's *all* you get. A *dance*." Jon's face was red with anger as he continued to struggle.

The demon leered, leaning in close. "I bet I can make you change your mind. How much will it take?"

His green eyes flashing with suppressed rage, Jon hissed out, "This ain't that kind of joint, man. Try the Dragon down the street." Again he jerked his arm back, blanching as the demon's grip tightened, making the bones of his wrist grind together.

The demon reeled Jon in, wrapping his other arm around him and stroking down his back and over his ass. "But I want *you*, pretty boy."

Jon flinched, twisting his head to the side as the demon moved in to kiss him.

"Excuse me, is there a problem here...mate?"

Still clutching Jon, the demon whirled around to face a cruelly smirking Wil. He snarled. "Out of the way, vampire. The boy and I have places to go."

Wil cocked an eyebrow. He looked the demon up and down, sneering. "Don't look to me like 'the boy' wants to go anyplace with the likes of *you*. So...I'm thinking you need to cart your slimy ass right on out of here, and leave the dancer alone."

The demon narrowed its eyes. "Who's gonna make me? You?" He snorted in disbelief as he looked the comparatively small vampire over. With a roll of his eyes, he shifted Jon around and, with a slobbering lick to the side of the dancer's face, once more started for the door.

Wil growled deep in his throat, his eyes flashing golden with fury over being so casually dismissed. Everyone within a few feet of the vampire drew back in fear at the palpable aura of violence that he exuded. Without warning, he pounced, landing on the demon's back. He reached around and clawed at the demon's eyes.

Startled and in pain, the demon finally lost his grip on Jon, who stumbled to the floor and used his newfound freedom to scuttle backwards. The dancer watched wide-eyed as Wil viciously attacked the demon.

With almost graceful movements, Wil struck. His actions were practically a blur as he led the demon in a deadly dance. Each blow he landed coaxed a delighted laugh from him, and the demon became increasingly frustrated and confused by his inability to lay a hand on the vampire.

So far, the bloodshed was at a minimum. With the exception of the initial attack that had torn long gashes in the demon's face, Wil had contented himself with merely pounding ferociously on the demon every chance he got, leaving a battlefield of bruises. He knew he had to end it soon, though. Frankie *really* didn't like fighting inside his club.

In a lightening fast move, Wil twisted around behind the demon, snatched up one of the heavy hickory chairs, and bashed his opponent across the head.

The demon gasped, blinking stupidly for a moment. Then, his eyes rolled up, and he toppled over.

Wil glared down at the unconscious demon, then carefully set the chair back down. He touched the undamaged piece of furniture admiringly. "That's some pretty strong wood," he commented, impressed.

At that, a soft snicker was heard. In seconds, the snicker had spread through the onlookers and become a rippling laughter. With a triumphant grin, Wil motioned for a couple of other bouncers to come and drag the demon out of the club.

That taken care of, he quickly moved over toward Jon, crouching beside him. "You ok?"

Jon chuckled. "Better than that guy. Thanks." He pushed himself off the floor and to his feet, hand cradled gingerly in front of him. He was still very pale though, and his eyes were bright with pain. Noticing this, Spike gently led him back to the bar and seated him.

Alex ignored the next drink order, instead hurrying over to Wil and Jon. "You go, Wil," he said quietly, pride obvious in his tone. Then he looked at Jon. "Did he hurt you?"

Jon shrugged, holding out his arm. The wrist was visibly swollen, and already starting to darken with bruises. He breathed in sharply when Wil reached out to run his fingers lightly along the tender flesh.

"Nothing's broken," Wil said with relief. "Not even sprained, I don't think. Gonna be damn sore for a bit, though."

Jon groaned, frowning miserably at his injured wrist. "I can't dance like this," he complained. "I've still got one more set to do tonight. The It's the last one of the night; the other guys have already pretty much bailed, so I've got no one to cover for me. Shit, Frankie's gonna be pissed."

"Pissed about what?" Frankie came up beside Alex, who moved out of his way so he could better see his dancer. The man scowled. "Is that what the fuss I heard was about?" He gestured at Jon.

Wil nodded. "Some demon, not a regular I don't think, tried to get a little insistent. I...convinced him he'd have better luck somewhere else."

"Frankie, I didn't do anything to encourage him," Jon said in a wavering voice. "I just tried to get away. And he did *this*," he wiggled his arm a bit, wincing, "and now there's no way I can do my last set!"

"Calm down, Jon," Frankie told him. "I know it's not your fault. We get someone like that every once in a while." He sighed heavily. "Don't know what I'm gonna do about a replacement for the night, though. Alvin just left a minute ago, and he was the only other dancer still here."

"Bummer. That's gotta suck." Alex shot Frankie a sympathetic look, then blinked as his boss stared at him measuringly. His eyes widened. "Oh no. No. Not happening. No freaking *way*." He started to back away, hands held up defensively in front of himself.

"Now Alex, you don't want to disappoint me, do you? Why, Jon here has tended the bar when he's had to; it's only fair you should fill in for him in his hour of need." Frankie gazed at the bartender levelly, and Alex cringed.

"I don't *want* to!" Alex threw Jon a panicked look. "Jon, you're good to go, right? You don't need me. Right?" He kept shaking his head. "I can't dance...I wouldn't know what to do!"

"I think he's right," Jon spoke up. He gave Frankie an apologetic shrug. "Alex is cute and all, but I don't know if he'd have what it takes to look good on stage."

Alex nodded frantically. "Yeah! Hey!" He glowered at Jon, not sure if he was being insulted.

"Now *Wil* on the other hand," Jon continued. "Frankie, did you see him move? He was like...liquid sex. It was almost beautiful watching him go at that other guy. I mean, for other than the obvious reason." He treated Wil to an appraising look. "Oh yeah, I *definitely* think you could do it. You'd have the crowd begging for more."

Wil stood there, taken aback by this odd turn of events. "You...want me to dance? On stage?" He glanced over to the platform where the dancers performed. "In front of everybody?"

"That's the general idea," Frankie said drolly.

"I don't..." Flustered, Wil looked to Alex for help. Alex just shrugged, leaving the decision up to him. Wil took a deep breath. "Ok," he agreed softly. "I mean...sure. Why not?"

Frankie beamed. "That's the spirit! Jon, take him back to the dressing room, find him a costume. There's about 20 minutes before he'll have to go on. And get some ice on your wrist." Satisfied that catastrophe had been averted for the evening, Frankie headed back to his office.

Jon clapped his hands excitedly, then almost whimpered as he jarred his injury. He shook it off, though. "Babe, I am gonna make you look *fine*. So, how naked do you wanna get on stage?"

"N-naked?" Wil squeaked. He tried to resist as Jon ushered him toward the dressing room. "Can I change my mind now? Alex!"

*****