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!"

*****
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.

*****