Sweet Memories

passages enclosed by ***** are memories/dreams.

*****
Part 23:

"Look miss, I just want to know if you've been missing any shipments of blood! It's not a difficult request!" Giles glared at the receptionist, who seemed remarkable unperturbed by his outburst.

"All medical information of *any* nature is kept *strictly* confidential," she informed his frostily.

Giles threw his hands up and spun around, walking back to where the witches were watching him.

"No good?" Willow bit her lip when Giles shook her head. Then, her face brightened. She whispered something to Tara, who nodded excitedly.

"What? What is it?"

Almost bouncing now, Willow answered, "I think I can -- *we* can get the information we need. If you can distract the ice queen, I'm pretty sure Tara and I can use our...special talents to search the computer database. They should have records of everything, including an inventory listing."

"Are you sure?" At their nods, Giles steeled himself. "Well then, let's have another go." Giles used his fingers to comb his hair back, then walked calmly back to the desk.

"Yes?" the receptionist asked coldly, her eyes hard.

Giles smiled. "I'm terribly sorry, ma'am," he said smoothly. "I've had a rough day, and I was taking my frustration out on you. I do beg your pardon. And I can certainly understand your position in this matter. In fact, I must commend you for your stalwart stand in assuring the well-being of this clinic and its patients."

While Giles continued to ply the unsuspecting receptionist with compliments, Willow grabbed Tara's hand and sidled up to the desk, staring intently at the computer monitor. The screen flickered wildly, then data began scrolling across in at an unbelievable speed.

In less than a minute, the witches broke off with a low cry, slumping slightly. Before the receptionist could voice any suspicions about their behavior, Giles deftly snatched her hand and gave it a kiss, then quickly gathered up his young charges and led them out of the building.

Once outside, Tara leaned against a wall to catch her breath, and Willow rested against her.

Giles watched them expectantly. "Anything?"

Wearily, Willow shook her head. "We found the information we were looking for, but...no luck. Wherever Spike's been scrounging up dinner, it hasn't been here."

"Damn." With a deep sigh, Giles pulled out his map and crossed off another dot.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Hello? Hello! Anybody in there?" Cordelia pressed her face against the glass while she banged loudly on the door.

"I do believe they're closed." Wesley pointed to the small sign in the window that stated the hours of business.

"9:00? It's not 9:00! Hey, butcher man! You have customers!"

Wesley gently grabbed her hand before she could start pounding on the defenseless door again. "It's almost midnight, Cordy," he said reasonably. "We'll have to try back when they open in the morning."

"But I--"

"Cordelia."

Cordelia let out a shaky sigh. 'I know," she said in a soft voice. "But...what if tomorrow's too late? What if something happens to Xander *tonight*, and it's all our fault, because we couldn't get into some stupid, closed butcher shop!"

"Cordelia, calm down. *Nothing* is going to happen."

On a small, almost childlike voice, Cordelia asked, "How do you know?"

Wesley took hold of her shoulders, turning her to face him. "Because there are many people who care about him that are looking for him. People like you, who won't let anything stand in their way."

"Yeah?" She gave him a tremulous smile. "You think?"

"I most certainly do." He brushed her cheek lightly with the back of his hand.

"Oh. Ok." She stared at Wesley for a moment. "Um, you're not going to try that kissing thing with me again, are you?"

Wesley chuckled as he drew his hands back. "No, I think we've managed to fail spectacularly with that already."

"All right." She gave the door, which had remained obstinately shut, a final glare, suppressing the urge to kick it. "So, back to the Magic Box?"

~~~~~~~~~~

Gunn peered down the dark alley dubiously. "Hey Angel, where are we? This isn't on the map, is it?" He squinted at the map, holding it close to his face so he could see in the dim light.

"No, it's not," Angel replied curtly. He stood still for a moment before shaking himself and striding toward a partially concealed doorway.

Gunn sighed. He folded up the map and hurried after the vampire. "Why are we here then?" he hissed when he caught up to him.

A muscle in Angel's jaw jumped as he gritted his teeth. "Spike might have...visited here."

Gunn continued to stare at him. "And?" he prompted after a moment.

Not meeting Gunn's eyes, Angel answered, "It's a...feeding spot."

"What, where vamps jump their victims? I thought he couldn't do that?"

"Not...exactly."

Gunn was getting a bit annoyed with Angel's evasion. "Look, just *spill it* already!"

Haltingly, Angel told him. "Some humans...crave what a vampire can give them. Enough that they'll willingly sell themselves for it."

Blinking in confusion, Gunn shook his head. "What, vamps are that good in bed? And I did *not* just ask you that."

"Not sex. Blood." He looked at the building. "They'll allow, even *pay* vampires to bite them. Feed on them."

"That's...really sick, man." A thought struck him. "You think this Spike guy might have been using them to get his meals?" At Angel's reluctant nod, he asked quietly, "Did you ever do that? Is that how you know about this place?"

Angel looked genuinely shocked. "No! I wouldn't...I never..." He tried to calm himself. "These places aren't exactly a secret. Not from vampires. Almost all of us know about them; news about them tends to spread."

"Ok." Gunn nodded. "So, let's raid this joint."

~~~~~~~~~~

"Oooh, look who we get!" Buffy pointed excitedly at the map.

Riley looked over her shoulder. "Willie's? We already tried him, didn't we?"

"Well...sure. But we were asking about *Xander* that time. This time, we get to squeeze him for stuff on *Spike*." A feral grin appeared on her face.

Riley smiled and kissed her cheek. "You're so cute when you get that bloodthirsty gleam in your eye," he teased.

Buffy laughed softly, tilting her head so she could get a kiss on the lips. "Well, you're cute all the time," she retorted. "Although, when you do that thing with your--"

"Buffy!" Riley's voice was shocked, but his eyes glinted with humor. "You're a naughty girl," he growled playfully.

"Am I?"

"Oh yes. You know what that means, don't you?"

"Ooooh." Buffy wriggled against him, then pulled away. "After we see Willie," she admonished.

Riley sighed. "Right."

~~~~~~~~~~

"...and I got there, and all his stuff was just gone! He didn't even have the guts to break up with me properly, he just *left*!" Anya sniffled miserably.

Harmony patted her arm in commiseration. "I'm telling you, men are the worst. I mean, look at me! I was so good to him; I fixed his place up, took care of him, and what does he do? He tried to kill me! Shoved a big ol' pointy piece of wood through my chest!" She thumped the top of the bar, making the empty shot glasses rattle. "And if that wasn't bad enough, he had the nerve to come back acting all manly like I was just going to jump at the chance to be with him again, and then he does nothing but go on about the damn Slayer!"

"See, when I was in the vengeance business, I would have *never* let a man get away with that! And what is it with people always going for Buffy? I don't know what Xander ever saw in her. I'm *much* prettier."

Harmony choked on her drink. "Xander? Xander *Harris*? You dated *Xander Harris*?" She started giggling uncontrollably.

Anya glared at her drinking companion. "I'll have you know Xander is a Viking in the sack! And he's got all these rippling muscles from construction work, and...and...well, like you could do better! Who were *you* dating?"

Harmony looked away, shrugging. "Spike," she said wistfully. "My little blondie-bear." Now it was her turn to start sniffling.

"Spike? The vampire with the terminal case of peroxide abuse? *That* Spike? You dated *him*?" Anya snorted, then started snickering.

"Shut up!" Harmony shoved Anya, almost tipping her off her stool. "You dated *Xander*!"

"Well, he's gone now, isn't he?" Anya snarled angrily.

"Yeah." Sighing, Harmony stared into her empty glass, then called for another drink. "I...I went to see Spike last night," she admitted quietly.

"Oh. Not go well?"

"He was...he was gone. The whole crypt was all dark, and smelly, and there were cobwebs and mildew everywhere." She pouted. "The jerk."

"Spike's gone, too? Huh, that's strange. Both him and Xander disappearing like that." She straightened, her eyes growing large. "You don't think...?"

"What?" Harmony's forehead wrinkled.

"Maybe...they're together?"

"Yeah? So, what if they are?" She continued to frown, then gasped suddenly. "You mean *together*? Like...*together*?"

"Like...together. Leaving us poor, mistreated girls behind so they can have naked, sweaty orgasms with each other."

The two women stared at each other, unblinking, as those images ran through their heads.

After a silent minute, Anya swallowed. "I need something stronger to drink," she choked out.

Harmony nodded frantically. "Yeah."

~~~~~~~~~~

Alex brushed his hair away from his face, wondering idly if he should get it cut. It was starting to get a little long, but Wil seemed to enjoy running his fingers through it so much. Alex smiled.

"Here, let me get these. You go...take a break." Frankie reached for the bottles Alex was holding.

"Huh?" Alex looked at the bottles, then at his boss. "Oh, no, I'm fine. I already had my breaks for the night."

Jon seated himself at the bar, ice pack held carefully to his wrist. "Listen to the man, Alex. Just take a break like a good boy." He smirked. "You're gonna need it. Trust me."

"No, really, I'm fine, I--" Alex broke off as the stage lights dimmed and throbbing, sensual music began to play. His mouth dropped open as Wil came out on stage.

Frankie chuckled and grabbed the bottles as they slipped from Alex's loosened grasp. "Go. Get." He shooed the dumbstruck bartender away.

In a daze, Alex moved from the bar, pushing his way to the edge of the stage. He stared at Wil in awe as the vampire began to sway his hips, unable to believe what his boyfriend was wearing.

A harem boy. Wil was dressed as a *harem boy*.

A small vest with sheer sleeves covered his chest. Barely. It was laced up the front so it left an inch-wide patch of bare flesh, and it covered about half of his torso, ending a few inches above his stomach.

The pants were also sheer, but they were open at the sides, allowing tantalizing glimpses of more smooth, pale skin. Apparently, the flimsy material was held in place only by thin strips of cloth tied around the ankles and lower hips. And underneath the material, the...*naughty* parts were obscured by what was possibly the smallest excuse for underclothes Alex had *ever* seen.

The entire outfit was in shades of blue, complementing Wil's eyes, which were heavily rimmed with kohl. The darker than usual shade of his lips hinted at the possible application of lip-gloss. Somehow, the makeup served to accentuate Wil's sharp cheekbones, making him seem almost fragile.

As if all this weren't enough, Jon must have decided to heighten the effect with jewelry. Around Wil's neck was a delicate silver choker, dangling with small chains, to which were affixed tiny blue stones. A matching chain circled his waist, with a large blue stone centered directly over Wil's navel. With every slight movement Wil made, the chains swayed hypnotically, bouncing against his skin.

Alex was drooling. He knew he was drooling, but quite frankly, he didn't care. His head moved with every graceful motion Wil made, following each twist and bend with hungry eyes.

And Wil saw him. His face lit up with a seductive smile, and he began to unlace his vest. He watched Alex with a heavy-lidded gaze, tongue slipping out to moisten his lips. He didn't even notice the rest of the screaming, cheering crowd gathered around the stage, begging him to come closer so they could touch. He danced solely for his lover.

As the laces that had held Wil's vest together dropped to the floor, Alex's eyes remained glued to Wil's chest. He couldn't help but gasp when he caught a glimpse of the glinting bits of metal that adorned Wil's nipples. He was sure he must be seeing things.

Then Wil knelt, head thrown back in simulated ecstasy as he slowly peeled the vest away and let it slide down his arms.

Alex's attention was totally riveted by Wil's tiny nipples, which were indeed sporting rings of silver and blue to match the rest of his jewelry.

Wil could smell Alex's arousal. The scent sharpened considerably when he began to play his hands over his chest, circling his bejeweled nipples. With a moan of matching lust, Wil dropped forward and began to crawl across the stage towards Alex.

Alex began to pant harshly as Wil drew closer. His eyes were dilated hugely, and his fingers tightly gripped the edge of the stage. Then, Wil was directly in front of him.

Wil growled softly at Alex, then darted forward and licked him across the mouth. He moved away before the man could grab hold of his head, kneeling up again. He inched forward, swiveling his hips teasingly just in front of Alex, and again began to touch his upper body.

Alex wanted to touch. That was all he could think of. He wanted to reach out and stroke that smooth, silky, compact body that was on display for him. And then he wanted to toss Wil over his shoulder, carry him back to their apartment, and thoroughly ravish him until they were both exhausted.

He stretched out an arm to follow through with that train of thought, but it was rudely blocked by another grasping hand.

Snarling, Alex knocked the hand away from its target, turning to snarl threateningly at the one who had dared try and touch Wil. The offending individual gaped at him in astonishment, then backed away hastily. Just to make sure, Alex fixed the other people gathered nearby with a deadly glare, the promise of a painful, bloody end written clearly on his face.

The noise of the crowd died slightly, and many trembling hands were drawn back from the stage. Satisfied, Alex fixed his attention once more on Wil, who had continued with his dance during the brief interruption.

The only difference was, now he was on his back, legs drawn up towards his butt, hips thrusting shallowly. Wil fingered the sides of his pants, plucking at the laces that held the ankle cuffs in place.

Alex watched breathlessly as slim fingers deftly untied the laces. The material they had held in place slipped away, pooling on the floor as they revealed his well-formed legs. He almost whimpered when Wil tugged at the laces that secured the pants around his hips.

Wil was totally absorbed in his dance, if it could still be called that at this point. His mind was replaying images of the night before, making him shudder with arousal. He pulled open the last laces on his pants and, arching his back off the stage, shoved the material away from himself.

Alex could feel his heart stop, then restart, pounding wildly in his chest. Wil, his Wil, was laying there, practically naked, adorned only by bits of jewelry and a tiny, shimmering scrap of cloth. And he was still thrusting, shamelessly displaying his body to Alex's avid gaze.

With a low cry, Alex surged up onto the stage, covering Wil's body with his own as he crouched over the vampire. Blue eyes snapped open, piercing him with the intensity of their gaze. Groaning, Alex lowered his head and sealed his mouth to Wil's.

Wil wrapped his arms and legs around Alex, jerking the man down on top of him. Their hips were grinding together as they devoured each other, careless of anything around them.

Finally, the whistles and catcalls broke through the haze of Alex's thoughts, and he released Wil's lips, much to the other man's dismay. Alex shook his head. "Get dressed," he said firmly, his voice strained and husky.

"Hmm?" Wil blinked up at his lover, not understanding.

"Get off the stage, and go get dressed." Alex kissed him again, briefly. "Then, I'm going to close the bar and let Frankie kick everyone out. And *then*, I'm going to take you home and spend the next few hours with you in bed. *Not* sleeping."

"Oh." Wil grinned. "Ok." He wriggled, groping around for the bits of his costume.

Alex clenched his jaw shut, closed his eyes, and pulled back. He watched as Wil scrambled for scattered pieces of material, hurrying off the stage with them.

Then, he very calmly stood, brushed himself off, and jumped down off the stage. When he reached the bar, he came face to face with the very smug looking Jon.

"You know, I've had that costume for *ages*, and it never did fit me. And blue's not one of my best colors, anyway. I just *knew* it would look stunning on Wil, though. And of course--"

"Jon."

"Um, yes?"

Alex grabbed Jon by the shoulders and pulled him close, kissing his forehead. "I really, *really* like you, Jon."

"Oh." Jon grinned. "Cool. You owe me, huh?"

"You will never know how much."

"Eh, I'll take a rain check." Chuckling under his breath, Jon walked back to the dressing room to collect his things.

Alex stepped behind the bar, reflexively taking the towel Frankie handed him.

"Not bad, huh? Boy's got talent."

"Hmmm." Alex smiled dreamily as he began to mechanically wash down the countertops.

Frankie let out a bellowing laugh and smacked Alex on the back good-naturedly. "Guess somebody's gonna get lucky tonight."

Recovering from the blow, Alex looked at Frankie very seriously. "Not tonight. Every night. Every moment we're together."

Frankie sighed happily. "Ah, young love. It's a wonderful thing." He went back to his office, leaving Alex to finish up at the bar.

Alex's mind drifted once more to Wil's performance, and he finished up his shift on automatic, a blissful, faraway look in his eyes and a dopey smile on his face.

*****
Part 24:

Somehow, Alex managed to sedately follow Wil back to their apartment. Calmly, he closed the door behind them and locked it securely. Taking a deep breath, he turned around to find Wil giving him a shy grin, clutching a small duffel bag to his side.

Alex frowned. "Wil? When did you get a duffel bag?"

Wil blinked and stared at the bag as if he'd just noticed that he had it. "Oh. Um...Jon gave it to me."

"Uh-huh. Why?"

Wil peered up at Alex through lowered lashes, his grin turning just a touch seductive. "To bring my costume home in."

Alex swallowed hard. "Your...costume?" he rasped out, proud that he kept his voice from squeaking.

Wil nodded and unzipped the bag, pulling out a bit of silky blue material. "He said I might as well hang onto it."

"Oh god..." Alex started panting, his eyes riveted on that scrap of cloth. He shook himself, then moved swiftly forward. In seconds, he had Wil crushed to his chest while he kissed him, not stopping until he had to gasp for air.

"I guess...you think that's a good thing?" Wil looped his arms around Alex's neck, kissing a line over his jaw and down his neck.

"Oh, hell yeah." He held Wil to him, running his hands up and down his back.

"Mmmm." Wil hummed happily, then pulled back. "Why don't you go wash up, and I'll go to the bedroom and get undressed."

Alex pouted. "I'd rather watch you get undressed," he said, leering.

Wil rolled his eyes and gave Alex a push towards the bathroom. "Do as you're told," he whispered mischievously, his eyes twinkling. "Good boys get rewards."

"Rewards?" Grinning now, Alex gave Wil a last kiss and grope before heading to the bathroom.

In what was possibly record speed, Alex had his teeth brushed, his hands washed, and even managed to get that black smudge off his face. Who knew bartending could be such dirty work? Whistling softly, he walked quickly to the bedroom, stepping into the dimly lit area.

"Gaaahhh..."

Wil grinned at Alex from the bed as he played idly with the ring attached to one of his nipples. "Like?"

Confronted with Wil lying on top of their sheets, clad once again in nothing more than that shimmering, skimpy underwear and a pair of nipple rings, Alex nodded frantically. Then he pounced.

Wil's delighted laugh was cut off when Alex sealed their lips together once more. Moaning, he squirmed, trying to peel off Alex's shirt.

With a gasp, Alex pulled back and yanked the shirt off over his head, tossing it across the room. He bent again, hands gliding along Wil's sides.

Wil arched his back, hissing softly when Alex's fingers ghosted over his adorned nipples. "Aleeex..." A breathy cry was pulled from his throat.

Alex licked down Wil's chest, pausing at the rings. "Are these...?" He tugged gently at one. After an initial bit of resistance, it slid off into his hand. "Oh." Alex sounded almost disappointed at finding out that Wil hadn't gotten spur-of-the-moment nipple piercings. With a shrug, he decided to make the best of it, and bent his head to soothe the pinched flesh.

Wil began to pant lightly as he held Alex's head to his chest. A warm, wet tongue tickled around the sensitive nubs of his nipples, and blunt teeth caught the tender flesh in soft nibbles. Grunting, Wil spread his legs, allowing Alex to settle between them so he could better continue his ministrations.

Abandoning the tempting nipples for the moment, Alex licked a path down to Wil's navel, dipping his tongue into the tiny indentation. He wriggled down further, until he was confronted by the tiny triangle of cloth that barely covered Wil's erection. The material was stretched and bulging almost obscenely, hidden parts almost begging to be freed.

Alex hesitated only a second before grasping the elastic at Wil's hips and pulling the bit of clothing down. Slowly, almost reverently, he bent each of Wil's legs up so he could remove the underwear totally. Then, he just stared.

Wil felt totally exposed, on his back, legs drawn up, with Alex lying so still between his thighs. "Alex?"

Alex shook his head, drawing in a harsh breath. "You're so beautiful, Wil. Everything about you, so pale and soft and...precious."

"Oh god..." Wil felt a lurching in his chest, a pricking of tears in his eyes. He blinked rapidly to clear them. "I don't..." He reached a hand down to caress Alex's cheek.

Alex smiled, turned his face to kiss the palm of Wil's hand, then leaned down.

Wil let out a shocked cry at the tentative lick across the head of his cock. "Alex!"

Alex tilted his head, considering the flavor, then licked again. Evidently deciding that he could handle the salty, slightly bitter taste, he started to lick more purposefully, laving Wil's cock from base to tip.

Wil tried to hold perfectly still, not wanting to jostle Alex and perhaps dissuade him from what he seemed determined to do. He couldn't help the shallow thrusting of his hips, however, and when Alex finally settled his mouth over just the head and sucked gently, he bucked upwards.

That was more than Alex had prepared himself for, and he gagged, choking on the flesh that tried to force itself down his throat. He pulled away, coughing.

Mortified, Wil sat up, clutching at Alex's shoulders. "Alex, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to--"

Alex covered Wil's lips with a finger, smiling. "I know." He removed the finger and replaced it with a kiss. "Now, lay down again. I wasn't finished."

Wil licked his lips, picking up a hint of his own flavor. He nodded, and lay down, body tense.

Alex sighed. This wasn't turning out quite like he'd thought it would. He wasn't going to give up now, though. He bent his head again, then pulled up short at Wil's voice.

"You should finish getting undressed."

Alex frowned. "Now? I was going to--"

"If you undress now, we could..." Wil paused, and Alex could just about hear his blush when he continued. "I mean, maybe we could...y'know...at the same time?"

Alex froze, his mind blanking at that thought. "Gahhah." He lurched upright, pulling ineffectually at the fly of his pants. There was a chuckle, then a smaller pair of hands pushed his aside and undid the fastenings. Alex nodded his thanks, then shifted around, kicking the offending garment off. He turned back to Wil. "Ummm..."

Wil cocked his head in thought. He let his eyes wander over Alex's body, humming in appreciation at Alex's obvious arousal. He lay on his side, facing Alex. "You could...with your head down that way?"

"Right. That works." Alex lay on his side, facing towards Wil's feet. Once more, he was treated to an up-close view of Wil's leaking cock. He touched it softly, then began to lick it again.

Following suit, Wil stroked Alex's cock a few times before working up the nerve to lap at it with his tongue. The wet touches on his own erection spurred him on, and he soon became bolder in his licking, until he had started a tentative suction on the dripping head.

They were both being careful not to thrust too forcefully, aware that neither of them was exactly skilled at this as yet. At least, not that they knew of. Better safe than sorry, though, and so they spent long minutes learning each other, tasting, teasing, testing their limits.

It was when Alex started playing with Wil's balls, rolling them in their sack and applying the tiniest bit of pressure, that Wil lost it. His body stiffened, and he gasped out, "Alex! I..."

Eyes wide, Alex moved his head away, breathing a gust of air across Wil's saliva-slick cock. He watched, fascinated, as it shuddered and twitched, then spurted a long stream of semen up over Wil's quivering stomach. He stroked Wil's thigh until the shuddering stopped, then pressed a gentle kiss to the softening organ.

He'd almost forgotten about himself until Wil gathered himself together enough to resume his own sucking. Alex's let his head fall back, groaning loudly as then suction became more powerful.

Wil was determined to make Alex feel as good as he had, and worked his mouth wider until he was able to take in the top half of Alex's cock. He swirled his tongue around the head, then pulled away, letting his teeth scrape ever so lightly along the tightly drawn skin.

Alex let out a low shriek and convulsed. He pressed his face to Wil's thighs as he shook with his orgasm, twitching at the feeling of Wil's tongue lapping the underside of his cock.

Wil could feel Alex's seed trickle down his chest, and he grinned. He let Alex rest for a moment, then tickled his side.

Alex squeaked. "Wil!"

"Turn around so I can kiss you, git," he prodded affectionately, wrapping his arms around Alex when the other man did as he was instructed.

"Was that good? I mean, I liked it, and I assume you liked it, because...well, you know. But...was it good?"

Wil kissed Alex before he could start babbling even more. "Loved it, pet." He snuggled in closer. "Love *you*."

"Mmm." Alex sighed in relief. "Good. Love you too." He shifted. "We're gonna stick again."

"Good."


~~~~~~~~~~

Willow scowled and kicked half-heartedly at the leg of the coffee table. "Didn't *anyone* find out anything useful?" All she received in response were a few shrugs and mumbled apologies, and she sniffled. "It's not fair."

"Well," Giles said, trying to inject a note of optimism, "Buffy and Riley have yet to report back. Perhaps they managed to gather some information. And if not...well, we'll just try again. And keep trying until something *does* turn up." He nodded decisively.

"Thanks, Giles," Willow said softly. "I just wish it didn't take so darn long!"

"Well, we--" Cordelia was cut of mid-sentence as the door was opened and Buffy strode in with Riley, grinning and giving them the thumbs up.

"You found something? You did! You found something!" Willow hugged Tara, squealing excitedly.

"Woah, chill a little, Wills." Buffy gave her friend a tolerant grin. "Yep, we found something." She frowned a little. "Ok, maybe not the *best* something, and lord only knows how useful it'll be, but...we still found something! Which is way better than we've been doing!"

"Argh! Spill! Tell me!" Willow bounced in front of Buffy eagerly, and it was fairly obvious that she was barely restraining herself from shaking the other girl.

Buffy rolled her eyes and made her way to the couch, were she settled herself with a yawn. "Ok, so we hit Willie's again, and managed to wring...um, I mean, we asked him if he knew anything about blood supplies and who buys it and stuff. He took a little convincing, but finally told us that there's this hush-hush delivery of blood every couple of weeks, and it has one major buyer. He figures a lot of vamps probably go through this supplier for their stores, and that would be our best bet for finding Spike."

Willow nodded. "Makes sense. So, who is it?"

"That's where the non-usefulness thing comes in. The only thing Willie would say is that I should, and I quote, 'Take it up with Sophie. I ain't gonna get on her bad side by ratting her people out.' And then he just clammed up."

"Sophie." Giles shook his head thoughtfully. "The name doesn't ring any bells for me. Anyone else?" There were headshakes and noises of negation all around. Giles sighed. "Well, it's still more than we've had to go on before now. We should get some rest and reconvene here in the evening. Willow, you and Tara try and find anything on your computer about this Sophie person. I'll look through my books here."

"I'll stay and help," Wesley offered, with Cordelia adding her support.

"I'm going home. I miss my bed, we've been separated too long." Buffy yawned again, and stood, stretching until her back cracked.

"Me too," Riley added.

Angel watched with hooded eyes as Buffy and Riley left, trying to force the tension from his shoulders. "I'm going back to the hotel," he said quietly.

"Sounds like a plan." Gunn clapped his hands together. "Sleep is one of my favorite pastimes."

Already leafing through a stack of books, Giles waved distractedly as everyone except Wesley and Cordelia left.

Cordelia looked around at all the shelves of books, and sighed. "Xander better appreciate this," she muttered. "I feel like I'm back in high school."

~~~~~~~~~~


*****

*snap!*

Lel yelped at the sharp noise, leaping into the air and spinning around. The scent of blood struck him, and he loped back through the underbrush. He slowed down, dropping to his haunches and creeping closer to the acrid, metallic tang that almost overpowered the scent of his mate.

The distressed whimpering finally pulled him from his cover, and he slunk out into the open, eyes and ears working to detect any intruders.

There was only his mate, limping towards him, hind leg tucked close to his body. Lel growled deep in his throat, bypassing his mate to nose at the strange creature that had attacked him. He batted it with a paw, springing back as it clattered loudly.

His mate yipped softly from behind him, and he left off his suspicious examination of the hard, toothy thing. He padded over to his mate, snuffling his silver fur. Coming to the injured limb, he licked carefully.

His mate growled at him, jerking the leg away. Lel watched closely as his mate gently set the foot back on the ground, testing his weight with a few limping steps. Satisfied that the injury wasn't too bad, Lel followed his mate back to their den.

Lel waited for his mate to settle down, circling carefully before curling up with his tail tucked around him. He dropped down onto his belly and squirmed close, lapping along his mate's muzzle. His mate nipped back playfully, then lay his head down, panting.

Yawning, Lel moved around behind his mate, cradling the smaller body with his own. He lay his head down on the thick fur around his mate's neck, snorting contentedly.

Lel and his mate dropped into a welcoming sleep.

*****

Alex's eyes flew wide, and he froze, realizing he was humping against Wil's leg.

Wil shifted beside him. "Why'd you stop?" he asked in a sleepy voice.

"That was just...weird. And kind of ick. And I'm going to pretend I didn't just dream that." Alex shivered a bit.

Wil laughed. "Well, don't let a little thing like that keep you from enjoying yourself now."

Alex smacked him playfully. "Oh, come on! You can't tell me that didn't give you even the mildest case of the wiggins! We weren't even human!"

Wil rolled Alex onto his back, straddling him. "Prat. I don't care what kind of body you were in, I'd still wanna shag you blind."

Alex blinked. "Yeah?" He smirked.

Growling, Wil bent and nipped at his ear. "Damn right." He nipped again, then nuzzled into Alex's neck.

Alex hummed and tilted his head back, baring his throat to Wil's lips.

Wil growled again, then pressed his mouth to the tender column of flesh, sucking at the pulse point. He bit down a little, sucking harder.

Alex clutched at Wil as the pressure on his neck grew. He gasped out soft endearments, twisting his head to the side to give Wil better access.

Wil felt something fierce roll up within him, swamping him with its intensity. All he knew was the scent of his lover, and the seductive thumping of Alex's heartbeat. His growl grew louder, and something...changed.

With a desperate cry, Wil wrenched himself away, covering his face in horror.

Confused by his lover's abrupt withdrawal, Alex reached for Wil.

"Don't touch me!" Wil sprang off the bed, backing towards the door. "Stay away!"

Alex froze in shock. His breath caught as he stared into Wil's hungry, golden gaze, and his eyes were wide in disbelief and confusion as he saw the ridges that had formed on Wil's delicate features.

With a strangled cry, Wil flung the door open and rushed out of the room.

*****