"White on white,
Translucent black capes,
Back on the rack,
Bela Lugosi's dead.
The bats have left the bell tower,
The victims have been bled,
Red velvet lines the black box.
Bela Lugosi's dead.
Undead, Undead, Undead.
The virginal brides,
File past his tomb,
Strewn with time's dead flowers,
Bereft in deathly bloom,
Alone in a darkened room,
The count.
Bela Lugosi's dead.
Undead, Undead, Undead
Oh Bela, Bela's undead."
(Bela Lugosi's Dead, Bauhaus 1979)
"Anyone can stop a man's life,
but no one his death;
a thousand doors open on to it."
(Phoenissae, 152)
Jason Caruthers was a man on the edge; he was married, with two kids and a wife that liked to spend. Ever the one for self-punishment, he also had a girlfriend, the marvelous Sandy, the receptionist from the realty company he worked for. She also liked to spend his money. He had, at one time been the best salesman in the entire company. His targets had been met and in most cases surpassed easily. Now, well now, he was having trouble meeting his previous exemplary statistics, all because he had gotten greedy. He had been made a partner of the company and had rested back on his laurels. Now those targets were slipping and his wife was complaining and his girlfriend…
…She was sleeping with his boss.
Well, it wasn't all bad, he'd managed to get rid of that old apartment complex to some red haired ditz earlier that day, that would help, perhaps he would even be able to get back into the swing and back into Sandy.
The rain slanted down upon New York like an avenging angel. It hit the ground in fat droplets of water that created concentric circles in the already sodden ground. The sound of its arrival at ground level was not the soft pitter-patter of verse; it was the slap of water on concrete at thousand's of different intervals across any meter of pavement.
The Holy Trinity Church that stood at this address was dark and dripping with moisture from the downfall, it's medieval design looming out of the darkness like a dirty iceberg. The wind curled around the twin spires like a long lost lover, sighing its lamentable song as it passed. Standing on top of one of those spires, leaning casually against the metal Lightning conductor was a single form. Twin eyes of almost black brown looked out into the night with searching intensity. A long coat hung down from powerful shoulders and unfurled in the wind, whipping around like an enraged snake, the driving wind and rain did little to deter the man's dark gaze or ardor for his task.
He was Muerte, death to demonic entities that dared to set foot on earth. He hated all the monsters that prowl under our beds and in the darkest, most depraved parts of human consciousness. He had taken a quest and was now systematically working to bring about the end of demonic kind on earth. It was a long task, but then he had a very long life in which to succeed in his quest. He was one of the rare dark Souled Ones, AterAnima Lamia who, unlike the Demonia (Demonic Vampires) were totally human with a few advantages. Such as immortality, his sire, the oldest of their kind was fifteen millennia old; a staggering figure for any mortal to comprehend.
Muerte, or Xander to those who knew him was not yet a year old in the measurement of AterAnima lifespan, 19 year's old in human years, but less than a year in vampiric. This had not proven to be a problem for him so far; he had shown an aptitude for the ways of the AterAnima and had been given a leg up by his sire, skills and knowledge to carry out his quest. He was now a fighting machine, death on two legs and powerful in his own way.
Xander's eyes swept across the vista laid out before him and then snapped back to rest on a scene in a nearby alleyway. Uncaring of the thirty foot fall Xander stepped out into thin air his arms stretching out like giant wings. Instead of plummeting to the floor, as gravity demanded, he made a mockery of it by slowly descending to the ground in a controlled fashion, his long enchanted leather coat flaring out behind him like a parachute. As soon as his feet touched the floor he took to his heels running fast with his elbows pumping and legs pistoning him across the ground. He could've flown, it would have certainly been faster, but he preferred to save THAT surprise for later.
He was at the entrance to the alleyway in less than twenty seconds from the time he had spotted the Demonia. With a careful glance around the corner he saw what he expected to see, a dark haired beauty surrounded by what looked like a half dozen Demonia and a huge monster with a dog like snout.
Xander's teeth flashed as he smiled, the streetlights glinting off of his bared teeth, two of which grew and became pointed. He glanced back to check for innocents and the light caught his eyes in a picture perfect snap shot. They were quickly clouding over with black, but it was still noticeable that the pupils of his dark eyes were elongated feline pupils instead of the rounded human ones.
Opting for a more personal approach mostly to blow off steam Xander fore went his guns; instead he seemed to grow as the shadows curled around him in serpentine regard before he faded from sight completely.
"Needed help dog breath," the dark haired goddess said with scorn in her words and manner as she nodded at the demonic vampires positioned around her.
The large canine monster growled a low rumbling sound that drove up the hairs on the back of her neck as she snarled right back at him. The six vampires arrayed around her kept shooting her glances of pure disgust and hatred. This was something she was also quite capable of handing back to them interest. She hated the demonic vampires and their ilk; they gave all vampires a bad name with their vileness. He hand slid down the side of her ground brushing leather dust jacket, but a low growl from the lycan in front of her stilled her movement. Was this it? After her long life one of them would finally get her just as she'd lost her family to them all those years ago.
A sudden chill ran down her spine as the Lycan smiled at her, in it's transformed form it was a truly unsettling sight, drool was dripping down from huge canines and she knew that it wanted nothing more than to rip her apart. That was fine, in it's place she would have wanted the same thing. It was her entire meaning in life to kill them after all and she knew that it knew that and wanted nothing more than to remove a dangerous enemy. Now if she could just get to her gun in time, perhaps…
She didn't have time to finish that thought when one of the demonic vampires disintegrated into a pillar of ash before drooping and finally falling to the floor.
The Lycan turned slightly but kept one eye on her as it glanced at the dusted vampire with the other. Then her world tilted as…
…Xander stepped out of the shadows and tilted his head, his fedora had never been replaced so his longish tousled hair hung down to the left a little and the blackness of his eyes glinted with reflected light. Now in full view of the huge dog like creature and vampires he knew that his image would be known by the vampires if not the, what he suspected was a, 'Were' of some kind.
"Hi" he said, the single word rolled out of his mouth and seemed to gain life filling the small alleyway with it's sound.
"Muerte" one of the Demonia said fearfully and trembled slightly. In the short time that Xander had been on his quest he had made one HELL of a name for himself. Every vampire that crossed his path died, and the clan that it came from died with it. He was literally an avenging angel at this point, avenging the slaughter of thousands of his kind millennia ago and at the same time avenging the deaths of too many friends.
Xander's fangs flashed again when he smiled but his eyes were still obsidian with anger. "I don't think this lovely lady wanted to play tonight boys, will I do?" he said his lips pulling back into a feral smile.
The vampires did something almost intelligent and rushed him all at once instead of stupidly coming at him one at the time, which they were wont to do. Xander didn't move a muscle even as they reached him he stayed exactly where he was. Instead as they reached for him he melded into the shadows and became intangible black mist reappearing behind them with a smirk on his face. The vampires came to a dead stop fear etched on their faces. They moved to turn around but it was already far too late for that.
Xander moved like a striking snake, reaching out to the side he extracted a gleaming crystal katana and span 360 degree's placing the katana back in the pocket dimension a mere sliver of time after he had extracted it. He then turned away from the sudden explosion of dust and looked at the growling werewolf. "What the fuck are you?" he asked the snarling monster.
The large creature turned its head from side to side trying to figure out what the hell Xander was. In the meantime the dark haired woman had been running her hand up her leg reaching for her gun.
The werewolf suddenly snapped around and roared at her, its sharp senses telling it that what she was about to do.
Her hands came away from her guns and her face showed anger at the frustrating position in which she found herself.
"Well come on Fido, I've asked you a question" Xander said reaching out to the side again.
The woman's eye's widened as she saw his arm disappear up to the elbow and reappear with a sheathed Katana in hand. Xander grasped the Katana in one hand and the sheath in the other, but did not draw the blade. It was a very strange side effect of the Pocket spell he had cast that he could raw the Katana, sheathed or un-sheathed. Useful, but strange he had a funny feeling that he'd cocked up the spell somehow but everything else seemed to work so he didn't see a reason to worry about it.
With a slight click he slid the handle back on the gleaming Katana and smiled darkly into the large creatures eyes, "Now do I have to get testy or are you going to answer me?"
"Lycan" the creature growled roughly in a voice not used to human speech.
"Like A Were?" Xander asked, this confirmed his thoughts. He couldn't read a demon presence within the large creature and whilst the river wasn't exactly cuddling up to the beastie it wasn't acting like a whipped dog either.
"No" the word didn't come from the Lycan but rather the attractive brunette with a spiky bob that Xander had spied earlier and was his entire reason for being there. He turned to her and his eyes widened slightly at the look of pure loathing she was tossing the Large Lycan. "They're worse, a lot worse"
"Thanks, but I'm talking to Fido" Xander said turning his attention back to the Lycan. As he wasn't getting a demonic reading from it he was fine with it until proven otherwise, although the presence of the Demonia and the fact it looked like they were going to kill the girl were not scores in it's favor. "Well?"
"No. We. Better." The Lycan rumbled
"Better, how?" Xander asked sliding the sword fully back into its sheath.
"Stronger, and they're not tied to the moon phases anymore" the dark haired beauty answered for it. Xander was secretly glad she had, gaining information from the large creature was like pulling teeth, slow and painful.
What happened next was a blur to the Lycan. Whilst strong and muscular they weren't all that much faster than humans, their size was a major factor in that though. The dark haired woman had snuck her hand far enough up her leg to grab the handle of her pistol and drew it in a flurry of movement. Her long jacket flared out as she moved so fast as to appear to blur. Xander however, was faster his gleaming katana came out of it's sheath in a split second and was on the move. The gun rose and the trigger started to pull when the dark haired woman felt it tugged on. The razor sharp Katana blade, that was stronger than any known steel, sliced the toughened metal of the automatic pistol like butter. With the end lopped off, it was essentially useless and the force of the cut sent the weapon flying out of the dark haired beauties grip anyway.
The lycan caught up on events and with one powerful lurch from its legs was airborne and away before Xander could change his movement to block its exit.
Silence rained for a moment before the dark haired woman showed that she wasn't the human innocent that Xander had pegged her as. Her brown eyes turned a strangely attractive shade of blind blue and two long fangs dropped down from the top of her mouth. "You let it get away! Are you a Lycan sympathizer?"
"Nope, I just don't kill something until I have to… Unless it's a demon, or…a Vampire" Xander said his eyes glowing black.
"Human, you've already ruined my night, don't make me suck you dry"
Xander's lips twitched slightly but his face remained immobile as granite, "Sorry doll, you're not my type" he said in a blatant misuse of the truth.
The dark haired vampire stepped back a single step her eyes glued to Xander' s hate bleeding out of her body in almost palatable waves, "You've made an enemy here today" she said and took a flying leap much like the Lycan had done earlier. Xander let her go, the fact he didn't detect a demon on her either was, as far as was concerned, a good reason to leave her to it.
"No, no, it's quite all right no need to thank me…" he muttered staring in the direction she had gone. Then with a chuckle he rose into the air smoothly and sped up moving like a rocket in the direction of the Lycan.
That thing was just too damn big to not be dangerous. So just in case Xander decided to track it and find out a little more information by doing what all-good hunter's did.
Observing their prey.
It didn't take long to find the large Lycan even with its impressive leap, and what Xander found didn't make him feel very good about letting it go. Three blocks away from where he had let it escape the beast stalked slowly towards an attractive red haired woman who was standing before, or more accurately cowering from, the beast of nightmarish proportions that was approaching her with evil intent.
Xander's eyes flashed to black in an instant and as he floated down behind the beast his hand was already going for his gun. He didn't know anything about this particular breed of shape shifter but he had to hope that they didn't much like silver. His vampire killing rounds contained silver as the main encasement for the cocktail of vampire killing juices contained within the soft round.
"DOWN FIDO!" Xander roared out his Twin Desert Eagle's, One gold - one silver, then followed suit the huge rounds slapping into the Lycan's exposed back. The beast let out a roar of defiance and turned on Xander with a snarl and spittle flying from its snout.
Xander dodged the beast's clumsy leap by jumping off to the side, his guns tracking round to continue coughing death into the Lycan's flank. Blood sprayed up from the wound and time seemed to hang for a moment as Xander poured on the fire power emptying both clips into the creature's body at close range.
The .50 caliber rounds had ripped large holes all the way through the monster's side blowing out the other side leaving a much large exit wound that sprayed gore on the ground. Time suddenly sped up as Xander dropped the expensive pistols and reached out for his Katana.
The Lycan turned with a pained roar and lumbered towards Xander. Xander's eyes gleamed jet as he dissipated into a mist and appeared two foot behind the Lycan his gleaming sword describing a graceful arc in the air. The crystal blade bit through the creature's neck and slipped through muscle and bone before appearing the other side in a spray of liquid.
Xander glared at the creature, "BAD DOG!" he yelled at it as the beast dropped to its knees and fell forward hitting the floor a split second after it's head did. Xander reached to his hip and drew the huge revolver and pumped all five shots into the still creature's heart, making damn sure that it was dead.
He watched in interested silence as the large form shuddered and molded from its Lycan state into the much frailer human guise. Taking that as a sign that the Lycan was finally dead Xander turned his attention to the Woman who leapt at him and grabbed him in a desperate embrace.
He wasn't used to this sort of thank you, in fact since he had been on his quest he'd rarely been thanked, damn ever since he'd started hunting vampires in the first place he'd only been thanked once. Faith had thanked him almost into nirvana for saving her life, popping his cherry in the process, and awakening a brand new hunger in the young Xander.
Despite her slender frame the redhead apparently had a fair bit of wiry strength on her side, because Xander was actually having trouble breathing for the moment.
"Urh Miss?" he said finally, taping her on the back gently, "I kinda need to breathe" he added with a slight smile. It was actually nice to be thanked for a change, made him reassess human nature…slightly.
The redhead backed away with tears in her eyes, "Oh god I'm sorry, oh god oh god…" she trailed off her eyes rolling back into the top of her head.
Xander just about managed to catch her before she hit the ground and hefted her into his arms a bemused expression on his face. "O…kay… Now what?" He tilted his head down and to the side speaking into a microphone that was concealed with in the label of his jacket he reached out to one of the most important women in his life.
"Kasi, can you pick me up, I've got a survivor to take home"
"On my way Xander" the smoky voice of Kasi came back through the tiny earphone that was slid almost invisibly into Xander's ear. The communications device had been Kasi's idea. Xander often didn't need transport for the everyday patrolling he did, the power of flight pretty much took care of that, but there were times like this where he needed help. So rather than following him around all night Kasi had come up with the communicators and had ordered them herself online, using Xander's credit card details. It wasn't that he minded, he was just reminded of the reason for her termination order when she did stuff like that.
He hadn't ventured all that far from home tonight and it was a matter of only minutes before he heard the unmistakable growl of the powerful sports car.
He turned around, still with the red head in his arms, and smiled at the low slung angular beauty called KASI. "Hey Kasi, quiet night?"
"Always Xander, without you to stir up trouble I feel quite lost" Kasi shot back a smile in her voice.
Xander chuckled slightly and walked round to the passenger door. It clicked open and swung up just before he reached it, "Thanks Kasi" Xander said as he placed the slender woman into the passenger side and secured the belt on her, "Hang on I've just got to find her purse"
Kasi didn't respond instead the red lights at her front scanned back and forth, once Xander had returned with a small designer purse, and then she talked, "Xander?"
"Hmm, yeah" Xander said fishing through the woman's bag looking for ID.
"What the hell is that?" she asked, knowing that the 'THAT' in question was unmistakable in this case.
"A Lycan, don't ask me anything else because I have no idea" He said then smiled in triumph when he found a driver's license. He held if up, "Scan that for me and find out where she lives, Please Kasi?"
Kasi did as she was asked, "I have completed my search shall I drive, or do you wish me to give directions?"
"Nah, you drive Kasi, I'll check over sleeping beauty" Xander said walking round to the driver's side and slipping into the patent leather seat with a smile of hedonistic pleasure.
"As you wish" Kasi replied, slipping into first and squealing off into the night.
Kasi slowed as they pulled up to a swanky looking apartment block in a 'nice' part of New York.
Xander glanced over at the prone red head and let out a slight sigh, "Okay, looks like I'm going to have to carry her, you'll be okay Kasi?"
"Of course" Kasi replied sniffily.
Xander smothered a smirk and slipped out of the drivers seat and stepped out into the road. He calmly walked around the sleek sports car the door popping open as he approached it.
He bent smoothly and scooped the slender body of the prone woman into his arms and swept up the short stairway to the apartment buildings front entrance.
Once he reached the door he was surprised to find that it was both open and unguarded. With a quick glance around and another sigh he stalked over to the elevators with a swish of magically enhanced leather.
Juggling the slender form of the woman whose license had proclaimed her as Grace Adler; Xander managed to hit the elevator call button, whereupon he shifted his grip again and waited for the car to arrive. He looked up at the floor indicator and frowned, then hit the button once again and looked back up. Still no movement. Rolling his eyes he moved across the lobby to the other shaft and tried again. A few moments later and he let rip with a flurry of swear words which would have made Kasi seriously chastise him.
"I don't believe it" Xander said with another muttered swear. Then he walked over to the stairway and kicked the door open with more than the needed force.
Xander eyed the apartment door balefully. He'd just had to travel up countless flights of stairs and he was currently wondering about the wisdom of helping strangers. He reached out as best he could and tried the doorknob to no avail, but then he hadn't really expected for it to work.
He'd found a set of keys in the woman s bag and luckily had the aforethought to place them in his pocket within easy reach, so he once again hefted grace and hooked the keys out of his pocket and tried one in the lock. His luck held out and the key slipped into the lock and engaged the rollers with a soft click.
"psst."
"Wha...?"
"Do you hear that?"
"Huh?"
"Oh come on will, wake up"
"Jack, what the hell?"
"Shhhhh..."
"Shhhhh, what?"
"Do you hear that?"
"What?"
"The door, someone's trying to get in the door"
"This is the last time I let you sleep over"
"Don't be a grumpy head, and check out the bad sound"
"You're just so damn manly Jack, it amazes me you don't have more dates"
"Huh, look who's talking"
"point.."
Xander slipped into the dark apartment quietly, and ducked under the baseball bat that was swung at his head. The room was suddenly awash with light and Xander was able to duck away to one side as the baseball bat made a reappearance.
"Get him Will" a male sounding voice declared
"Oh hey, wait a minute" Xander tried only to have to duck again.
"What have you done to Grace!" Will said with anger flashing in his eyes and coloring his voice.
Xander backed away from the angry man with a baseball bat and had a moment to take him in, dark hair and eyes he was good looking but currently mad as hell. He noticed over the mans shoulder, will he supposed, there was another man, shorter and fairer and holding a large cooking ladle for some reason.
"Look guys, this isn't what you think" Xander said sharply once again cursing his good samaratian instincts.
The fair man made an ineffectual movement with his ladle, "Get him Will"
"Now Wait!" Xander said trying to insert some command into his voice, but the situation was starting to amuse him.
"Will, get the bad man"
Will lowered his bat and eyed Xander suspiciously, "Okay, so what is the deal here then"
At that exact moment the bundle of red hair and rumpled clothing shifted in Xander's arms and let out a sigh and snuggled closer into Xander's broad chest.
As grace adler came to she became aware that her face was pressed against something cool and the smell of leather filled her nostrils. She then realized that there was a pair of strong arms holding her. Then suddenly a series of nightmare inducing images flashed through her minds eye and her eyes snapped open and she jerked in Xander's grip.
"Oh hey, you're awake" Xander said softly, keeping one eye on the bat wielding Will.
"What.. What happened, where am I" Grace said slowly, giving her head a slight shake.
Xander chuckled slightly, "All good questions"
"...And one I'd sure like an answer to" Will put in moving forward protectively towards his friend.
Xander took a sharp step back at the move but relaxed as Will dropped the bat on the couch.
"Willll!" the fair headed man squeaked.
"Jack" Will said warningly.
"Will" Grace said looking round for her friend.
"It's okay gracie, I'm here, What happened" Will said moving fully forward and stroking Grace's hair back away from her eyes. A move that caused Xander to fully relax when he saw the tenderness towards the woman he had earlier saved.
"I'm not sure" Grace said slowly, still not fully with it. She looked up at Xander who smiled down at her. "Hi" she said a slow smile twitching her lips. Jack gave a theatrical sigh from the other side of the room, still behind the protection of his ladle. Will glanced back with a sharp look that silenced the fairer man in a heart beat.
Xander moved forward with a nod of his head at the couch and Will nodded with a slight smile. His earlier misgivings melting away as he saw the way Xander was handling Grace.
"So what did happen" Jack asked, a hint of concern showing through his exterior.
"Mutter" Xander replied succinctly with a slight smirk.
"Sorry.. what?" Will said.
"Mugger" Xander replied with a straight face.
Grace looked confused for a moment until the survival instinct in our brains that says what she had seen couldn't possibly have existed kicked in and she nodded, "Yeah..." she said slowly.
"Oh Gracie" Will said stoking her face, "Are you okay sweaty?"
"Uh huh" Grace said as she was laid carefully on the couch still smiling slightly up at the attractive man with dark looks and clothing.
Will smirked and bustled off to the kitchen to make her a hot drink, Jack followed him leaving grace and her saviour alone for a moment.
"Huh" Jack said looking at them.
Will glanced back as well, "What do you think, Jack?" Will asked, frowning.
"He looks.. dangerous." Jack hissed, biting his fist. "But did you check out those biceps?"
Will stared crossly at his friend, "Jack, Grace may have been hurt! Can't you keep your mind on anything else? Besides.. I saw you, and it wasn't his biceps you were checking."
Jack rolled his eyes, "Hey it wasn't like I was the only one"
Will stilled himself and glanced up, then smiled and shrugged, "Point"
Grace looked at Xander seriously for a few moments before finally saying what was on her mind, "Thank you. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but I do know if not for you i'd be dead. So I thank you"
Xander smiled, "Thanks, it's not often I get thanked" he said without thinking.
"You make a habit of saving damsels in distress?" Will said moving up behind them.
Xander smirked, "I seem to yeah" he said then chuckled slightly.
"What?" Grace asked with a ghost of a smile.
"Sorry, it's just the last person I 'saved' wasn't nearly as grateful as you are"
"Sounds like a story"
"i'd love to tell it, but I have to get going" Xander said standing.
"You're going already?" Grace and Jack said at the same time.
Xander nodded, "Yeah, I've got to get back to the club"
"Club, which club?" Jack asked with too much interest.
"Valence" Xander said, then looked back at Grace, "If it's okay, I could stop by tomorrow, make sure you're okay?"
Grace was nodding before he'd even finished the third word, "YES, urh.... Of course it is" she said trying to smile alluringly at him.
Xander nodded and moved to the apartments door, as he got there will stopped him with a gentle touch to his elbow, "Really, thanks" Will said seriously.
Xander just nodded and let himself out of the apartment.
Will turned back to find Grace trying to push herself up on one elbow and finding it difficult.
"Oh hey, no way missy, you're on bed rest until further notice" he said with a fond smile.
Jack smiled in a most shark like manner, "Or until you tell us where to find a hunk like that"
Xander looked out at the club with dark eyes, filled with humor as he watched the convention of vampire wannabes strut through the club as if they owned it. Dressed in various variations on a theme, ala vamp. Xander could suddenly see why Belinda had found it so amusing to hang around in a vampire inclined Gothic club and watch all the idiots. Or at least that's how he saw it.
He was now a vampire, but at the same time he was different from the vampires he had known before. In an amusing twist of fate he was more like the vampires of book and film, darkly noble, mysterious and deadly. He WAS what these people hungered, but there was more danger from the Demonia, the deadly breed of vampires with a demon inside of them. Vicious and nasty; they were almost diametrically different from the race whose loins they had sprung from.
But that was a story for history, but for the hear and now it was only necessary to understand that, at that moment, Xander had everything they had always wanted and his realisation of that caused him a moment of amused introspection. His turning had been a gift of life at the end of a dark time for him. A dark time that had turned his world on it's ear and red shifted into a shit hole of epic proportion. If not for his sire, Belinda, he honestly believed that he would now be either dead, dying or worse a demon, the very thing he had sworn upon Jessie's grave to seek vengeance on.
At the memory of his turning a soft smile played around his normally stern expression, another change from the normally goofy expression it had been. His turning had been somewhat unusual and that in itself had made for an interesting memory, it may also be the source of his 'Dark Gift'.
His eyes cast around the busy club, looking for one of the trio of ancient vampires who were not only his friends but his family and the most important people in his life. Unfortunately he couldn't even spot the vivacious Isabel, the owner of Valance. He frowned slightly at that realisation and started to move into the crowd. It parted for him without concious thought, he was a supreme predator, not only a vampire, but a hunter of Demonia, a lion in lions clothing.
His sharp senses were filled with the clubs unique aroma and 'feel' as he stepped past the gyrating bodies and come hither looks from several of the female patrons. It was now an almost unconscious thing to dip into the river of life and see the life forces of all those present and of the very rock the club was constructed from, it was deep red, for the overtone, electric blue highlights for the more excited and wild patrons and as his eyes looked down it's path he suddenly noticed that the river kissed the body of a voluptuous woman who must either be a witch or very much in tune with nature, possibly a Wicca or perhaps one of the other earth disciplines. Which was not actually that unusual in Valance as the Gothic vibe seemed to attract magical users, though it was unusual to find one of this woman's power. No, what was bothering Xander was that the river was snapping around her dance partner as if scorched or a beaten dog would slouch around its abusive owner.
Xander let out a hair raising growl from the base of his thought suddenly clearing a space around himself as the patrons nearest him felt, rather than heard the noise. A vampire, Demonia was in Iz's club. This was intolerable to Xander, since his name had spread somewhat, very few vampires had come anywhere near what was seen as his base of operations, despite his care. His senses were very sharp, and his cars were almost as sharp, but they were not infallible and he had been tracked when dealing with Grace Arthur and somehow the whereabouts of his base had spread. Luckily the demons had chosen to exercise some restraint for a change and stayed well away. That meant, that this vampire had to be either new or really dumb/arrogant.
Xander could see why the vampire was moving in on his particular choice of prey, the aura of power around her was heady , and yet she seemed totally unaware of what he was, which should be impossible for a witch of that sort of power. Xander stepped forward his shoulders setting and his eyes glinting with a dark light, then a slow smile spread wolfishly across his face as he sensed the demon within the vampire. This vamp was of the same sort as he had fought in the meat packing plant where he had gained his name.
As if by some divine intervention the mood of the music shifted to a dark vibe that spread through the club like water. The crowd continued to shy away from Xander's powerful aura and suddenly the vampire felt a creeping sensation creep up his back. He took his eyes of the beautiful prey he had chosen to sire that very night and turned to face a Gothically dressed man, just a little taller than he with the darkest eyes that he had ever seen with the darkest look in them that he had ever wished to.
The vampire smiled arrogantly, "Yes?" he said over the music, in an almost shout.
"Vampire." Xander said quietly, the soft sound of his voice cutting through the dark industrial Gothic vibe like a proverbial knife through butter.
The vamps eyes narrowed, "Fuck off!" he spat, his fangs flashing in the darkness of the club.
Xander took another step forward and glared menacingly down at the vampire, a trick he had learned was that his height helped, and given the fact he had lifted an inch off of the floor he looked to be growing. The woman took that moment to step between the two mythical creatures, "Hey buddy lay off, we're just trying to have a good time, you know"
Xander glanced at her with a smile that flashed fangs. It was a strange thing about the club that he could do that and appear totally normal to the others.
"Oh come on!" the woman said, her expressive eyes glinting with dark humour, "I mean i like this whole vampire stuff, but .. fangs?"
Xander glanced at the vampire and smirked. The vampire that was now looking seriously freaked. "M.M.M.Muerte!" it said backing away it's face blanching. It was obvious now that it thought about it, it was a pity it hadn't tried earlier. He had thought the rumours were false, and in his arrogance had been coming to the club for the last few nights, nights in which he had selected a new mate for himself, the girl he was currently dancing with and that was now the only thing standing between him and almost certain destruction, if the stories were true.
The Beauty frowned, "Muerte? Death? That's a bit lame isn't it, Mike? Mike?"
She glanced around for 'Mike' to find that he was making a run for the side door of the club.
Xander's dark eyes watched him go with a smirk, then he stepped into the shadows.
"Hey, you scared him!" The woman said with annoyance in her tone, she followed Xander into the shadow only to find he wasn't there.
Mist swirled in the alleyway as Mike staggered into it breathlessly. He had decided to take advantage of 'deaths' momentary concentration slip and that it was time to get the hell outta of dodge. It wasn't worth the risk that the rumours were true and that he was about to die a painful death at the hands of some sort of avenging angel bent on killing vampires.
He suddenly whirled around at a almost indecipherable noise; his eyes shifting to the demonic and searching through the night like a cats. Then he saw a form silhouetted against the mist, a broad form with a long jacket on and if he was any judge a form that was a good foot of the ground and swooping towards him.
Mike stifled a yelp as Xander appeared out of the mist, it's tender caress furling around his long jacket in furrows of air vapour his eyes seemed almost to be glowing black as he landed without a single noise his eyes fixed to the vampires.
"Look man, I don't want no trouble" Mike said with an easy smile.
Xander smiled, and Mike REALLY wished he hadn't. Mike edged back against the wall unconsciously his back suddenly hitting something solid.
"Mike!?" a voice called out of the mist, the curvaceous form of Mike's prey appearing from the miasma. Xander's head snapped round at the noise and Mike grabbed the pole he had backed into and wrenched it from the wall and swung at full strength at the vampire hunters skull.
To his joy the piping connected solidly with the man's head and sent him to the ground without a whisper of sound except the soft scuff of leather on leather. With a smile full of fangs Mike moved forward ignoring his date's outraged shout.
"Mike, what the fuck are you doing? You could've of killed him!"
"Oh Phoebe, I do most surely hope so" the vampire said with a flash of his demonic eyes, "I fucking pray to the blood god that it be so."
Phoebe tipped her head to the side, shock written across her face, "Mike?"
"Yeah baby, that's my name" Mike said, deciding that he should celebrate his killing of the legendary Muerte by turning this woman, "I've got a new world to show you Phoebe, you remember you were telling me you like those books. Well I've got something so much better."
"Mike..." Phoebe repeated, backing away from this demonic parody of the only decent guy she'd met since coming to New York. Tears sprang to her eyes as she realised that once again she had just been used.
"Oh come on baby, it won't hurt .... Much!" the vampire said leaping towards her with his fangs bared.
He was suddenly driven backwards as as a foot connected with his mid section with bone breaking speed and power. He hit the wall with an explosion of air.
Xander span round and up from his prone position his kicking leg dropping down as he supporting leg pushed him to standing. He jacket swirled around him with a thwack of leather hitting air, some blood flicked from his long hair and sprayed across Phoebe's face as he did so. She yelped and then watched transfixed as the monster that was her boyfriend slipped down the wall.
Then without appearing to move, yet moving so fast as to be unbelievable; Xander was across the six foot distance and picking up Mike with a single hand. Then he spun and threw him across the alley where he landed in a hunched heap.
Xander took a moment to reach around and touch two fingers to the back of his head. He brought them back round and glared at the dark blood that stained the pale skin of his fingers. A ruby reminder not to become complacent. He glanced over to the perpetrator of his wound and smirked, then licking the blood from his finger he calmly walked over to the too still form of mike and drew one of his huge desert eagle pistols, the golden gun glinting in the street lights.
"No!" Phoebe yelled.
Xander glanced at her as he aimed, then pulled the trigger.
Phoebe let out a cry of despair despite her betrayal, then it was cut off suddenly as her former boyfriend exploded in a pyrotechnic display of ash and flame.
Her yelp was cut off with a strange, almost comical squeak, "What..." she managed finally.
Xander looked at the woman he had just saved and had to stifle a sigh, he knew that this rescue wasn't going to be anywhere as grateful as Grace or her friends had been.
Phoebe's mouth moved for a few moments, but nothing was coming out. This had been a strange night for her and more proof that New York, was NOT her kind of town, she'd go to hell before admitting that to her sisters though, especially her eldest sibling.
But what the fuck did one say in these sorts of situations, she sure as hell didn't know, "Eh..." she tried.
Xander looked at her without saying a word, or moving a muscle, he knew from experience that people could be seriously wired after witnessing a vampire attack of any sort, let alone being the victim, he wasn't in the mood to be fried either. The power he could feel bubbling under the surface was pretty intense, and yet at the same time, she seemed to be unaware, or unwilling to realise it was there, that and his usual mugger story was out this time.
"What...." Phoebe tried again, "Mike...." she continued bravely.
"Vampire." Xander said, his voice cutting through the night like a knife.
"What?" Phoebe said again, her entire body radiating disbelief, despite seeing it with her own eyes.
"He was a vampire." Xander said again, turning slightly to face her, "You know like those books, only their more like a full on rat infestation than a care bear with fangs and effeminate dress sense."
Phoebe eyed his outfit with a smirk playing around her full lips.
Xander glanced down at his attire and silently cursed Iz.
Phoebe looked around, "So what now?"
Xander shrugged slightly, "That depends..." Xander said.
"On what?"
"Are you going to zap me?" he asked carefully, still not moving.
Phoebe looked at him like he was insane, "What!?"
Xander looked at her askance, "Eh, never mind" he said his voice clouded with doubt.
Phoebe shook that strangeness off, "What... What was he again?"
Xander rolled his eyes slightly, "A vampire."
"Vampire's are real?" Phoebe said in a shocked voice.
"Eh, yeah... you did just kinda see the truth yourself."
Phoebe frowned slightly, "So you're telling me those fangs of yours are real?"
Xander looked her straight in the eye and smiled, "What fangs?"
"Huh" Phoebe said looking at him, "I could've sworn..."
Xander just shook his head, "The light in the club is weird like that, besides loads of people wear fake fangs"
"But his" Phoebe said nodding towards the damp pile of dust that had been Mike, "weren't?!"
"Look, We have two choices here; the way I see it." Xander said suddenly.
Phoebe eyed him suspiciously, "What?"
"We can stand out here in the cold..."
"Or..." Phoebe said with a hostile glare, almost expecting a come on.
"We could go inside" Xander finished simply.
Phoebe just sort of blinked at him, "In there" she said pointing at the club.
"uh huh"
"Not somewhere quieter?"
"Why?" Xander said honestly confused.
"Why?" Phoebe said aghast.
"Yeah, why?" Xander said starting to get mad.
"Are you for real?" Phoebe said after a moments guppy like contemplation.
"Hey Lady, have I done something to annoy you?" Xander said confused and slightly annoyed. Tonight was turning out to be very surreal to him.
"Apart from kill my boyfriend you mean?" she asked him with another slight smile playing around her generous mouth.
Xander wasn't about to apologise for that, even though he suddenly felt like he should. He frowned in sudden annoyance at his old instincts kicking in and hardened his resolve again.
"Look, as far as I'm concerned we can just forget this happened if you want, but I thought you wanted to know what happened." Xander said his tone a little too sharp.
Phoebe glared at him, "Fine!"
"Fine!"
"Ahhh, fine, I want to know" Phoebe said in frustration, "Curiosity gets the better of me again, but you better not try anything!"
Xander snorted, "Yeah right!" he muttered then smiled, "After you..."
Phoebe narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, not totally sure she had heard him correctly before leading the way back to the club.
She suddenly whirled around with a panicked look on her face, "Oh god!"
"What?" Xander said twirling round and checking the shadows for danger.
"You killed him!"
Xander looked blank for a moment, "Well sort of, didn't we just get through that?"
"I was staying with him!" Phoebe bemoaned.
"Huh, you were LIVING with a vampire, and you didn't know" Xander said incredulous, "Did the not going out during the day bit, not twig you, the lack of food? Any of this ringing a bell"
"Hey!" Phoebe said, stepping up into his personal space, "Half the people in there," she said indicating the club, "Don't go out during the day, and for your information there was food, he just...." Phoebe trailed of looking a little sheepish.
Xander smirked nastily, "What, said he was on a liquid Diet"
Phoebe's eyes flashed dangerously, "For that, I'm staying with you until I can find a place"
Xander just sort of blinked at her, "What! No fucking way"
Phoebe lifted her chin defiantly, "Uh huh, you made me homeless, it's your fault I'm homeless, if you hadn't of come along, I'd still have a PLACE TO LIVE!" she ranted at him, stepping up closer into his face.
Xander looked down at her, a slow smile spreading across his face, "Fine!" he said that same smirk still in place.
Phoebe blinked for a beat or two, "fine!" she said archly, "but don't think you're getting anything from me"
"You wish sweetheart" Xander said with a falsely charming smile, "If you'll follow me your highness, I'll show madam to her room!"
Phoebe flicked her hair as she turned, slapping him across the face, "You still owe me an explanation buster, and don't think I'm letting it slip."
Xander walked behind her mocking her silently, childish he knew, but at the same time somehow satisfying.
Phoebe's eyes opened reluctantly, her night had been one nightmare after another, and Xander's eventual explanation had not made her feel one iota better about it all. Vampires were real, demons walked the earth and magic wasn't a fairy tail. It was way too much for her, and she'd had to beg off to bed, where upon she had spent most of the night awake and thinking about what had happened. Life for her recently had not been of the good, her trip to New York, or her independence kick had been full of highs and lows, unfortunately, more and more as time went on the lows were out weighing the highs. She should go home, but at the same time, part of her refused to admit defeat like that, she could just see the told you so looks she'd get from her eldest sister, not Grams or piper, they both seemed to understand to an extent, but Prue, she just didn't get it, sometimes you just had to kick back and be free. Or, at least, that is what she had thought, now she wasn't so sure any more. The good times had been amazing, but now, this low in particular, was bizarre, and by far the worst.
She'd forced her dark knight in shining ... leather, to put her up in this impressive apartment, and luckily for her, she hadn't had to do the one thing she'd been desperate enough to do. Sleep with him just for a roof over her head, she'd spent a week or two on the streets, and she knew that down that path was not a direction she would wish on her worst enemy. Frankly, she couldn't face it, she'd have rather sleep with the guy than spend another night out there with the pimps on the prowl and the creatures 'human' that stalked the night.
She had friends here, though she wasn't as sure about that as she had been last night, after all those 'friends' were also the ones that had set her up with Mike. They were party friends, people you went to fun things with, there was no substance there, no real meaning they wouldn't hold your hair when you puked up after a nights too hard partying.
Phoebe made an effort to shake off the dark turn of her thoughts and slipped out of a bed and slipped into a silk shirt she found laying around. The black silk cool on her skin and causing her to smile slightly. She wasn't sure what her saviours smile had been about, but so far he'd been a gentleman. In fact she felt a little guilty about forcing herself upon his hospitality, not that she was about to allow that weakness to get her kicked out, she'd do whatever she had to do to make sure she was safe, at least for one more night.
Putting on a smile, she stepped across the room and slipped out of the doorway, and her jaw dropped as she saw the occupants of the room.
Three of the most attractive women she had ever seen were sat in the main lounge area talking animatedly and eating breakfast.
Then as one they turned around and looked at phoebe with a mixture of amusement, surprise and unless she was mistaken a little jealousy.
"Eh... Hi." Phoebe said, slowly, her voice cracking just slightly.
The night quieted with a sudden hush, the strange feeling in the air dying away with an electric tingle. Across the tarmac car park a slender form was laying slumped on the ground, she had dark hair, and full lips, dark red and full, her longish hair cascaded down her back in disarray.
All was still for several moments like the entire world was holding it's breath. Then suddenly the seductively built woman arched her back and drew in a long, clean breath of fresh air, her head banging painfully on the car park surface as she did so. Then she dropped down to her side and jerked her body round, flashing an expanse of creamy white thigh in the process, then she tilted her body until she was on her knees and from her side, she used a long gleaming Katana to help her to her feet.
She cast a glance around, her eyes probing the darkness, then with a frown she held her head with her spare hand.
"Fuck I hate that" she said loudly, "Why can't it be like sex, wham bam, whoa and not wham, crack, ouch!"
She made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, "I SO need to get laid!"
"But Lass, you've just had a quickie!"
"Oh ha-de-fucking-ha Connor" she grouched, "Come on I'm hungry" she said grabbing the immortals hand and dragging him away with her, "Where were you anyway, he was like nine feet tall!"
"He. He He."
Belinda quelled her desire to tear the interlopers arms off, and plastered a smile on her face. She knew being jealous of any of Xander's lovers would be insane, but then she and her childe were very close, and had only grown closer over time. It was also a surprise to her that he had brought someone here to 'their' place, 'their' as in the trio, as Xander called them. "Hello" Bel said in the end, her smile still remarkably believable, but 15,000 years teaches you a little acting ability.
"Hi" Phoebe said, feeling more than a little nervous and suddenly concious of the fact that she was wearing nothing but a black silk shirt. "eh... Where's urm ..." Phoebe suddenly looked blank, come to think of it, she hadn't caught his name.
Isabel suddenly guffawed into her Rice Krispies, nearly sending a mouthful of the cereal across the table, and Tegan hid her face behind the paper.
Belinda's eyes were now dancing also, "Xander ..." she said leadingly.
"Yeah" Phoebe said brightly. "Where's Xander?"
Belinda turned to the other two trio members, "Any idea's you two?" she asked, a smile quirking the corners of her lips.
"Nope, said he was going for a run, then checking in on someone, I think, he was in a bit of a rush, looked like hell as well" Isabel said, her eyes mirthful.
Phoebe looked lost for a moment, so Isabel took pity on her, "Why don't you come and have some breakfast, I expect you'll need it"
Phoebe did a slight double take but decided to ignored the comment, it did look like they had slept together, but more importantly, why would she need to eat afterwards. "If you're sure, I don't want to impose"
"A friend of Xander's is our friend too" Belinda said, moving her chair across to make sure that Phoebe sat between her and 'Gan. That way Isabel would have a hard time 'protecting' the new girl and she and Tegan would get as much information out of her as possible.
As a conversation starter, most people wouldn't think that Tegan had the tact to begin a delicate conversation with a complete stranger that had turned up virtually naked in the middle of their morning breakfast...
"So, did he do that thing he does with his tongue" Tegan said.
... And they'd be right.
Xander pulled up in Kasi, having thrown on some clothes after his run that he habitually kept in the car as a back up, he decided to get this over and done with. It wasn't that he didn't like people any more it was just that, well, he didn't like TALKING with people. That said, he really did want to see one of the few people that had bothered to say thank you and more importantly check to see if his cover story had been swallowed or not. If not, he'd have to do some fast talking to keep her out of harms way, mentally speaking. Most people were not mentally capable of dealing with the fact that demons and vampires are real and that the night was filled with nightmares. There were exceptions, like Phoebe from the night before, something told him that she'd be able to deal, at least eventually, and frankly she wasn't taking no for an answer.
Xander smirked slightly evilly as he thought about the situation he'd left her in, it was just a little payback as far as he was concerned. She had been unusually annoying, but he had a suspicion that it wasn't the way she was normally, he got the feel from her that she was lost, and Xander was a sucker for a damsel in distress, whether he liked to admit it or not.
With that thought in mind he opened the door to his sleek automotive AI, "See you in a while Kasi, don't cause any trouble"
"It is not I, who causes trouble Xander, it's all the others, I merely end it" Kasi said smugly.
Xander slipped out of the glass black car with a chuckle on his lips. As he walked away Kasi engaged her secure mode, there wasn't a thief alive on the planet that was getting into Kasi without her permission.
Still chuckling Xander skipped up the steps leading to the apartment block and remembering the elevators weren't working, at least at that moment, he walked over to the stair well and looked upwards.
Taking a deep breath he started to run up the steps two and three at a time. He could've just flown up, but then what was the fun in that and this way he got a slight workout at the same time.
It wasn't long before he had reached the correct floor and pushed open the door, he had been through the night before, then he walked casually over to the apartment door and lightly rapped his knuckles on the thin sounding wood.
Phoebe blinked at the red haired woman that was looking at her intently, "I'm sorry?"
Tegan frowned slightly, "I'm guessing not," she said then smirked, "'cause if he did ,you wouldn't be asking that."
"Oh..." Phoebe said flushing slightly, "We didn't.... urm ...."
Belinda smirked, "Have sex." she dropped into the gap.
"No." Phoebe said trying not to blush, it wasn't like she was a blushing virgin, but something about these three women, made her feel impossibly young and foolish.
"Oh, but," Isabel paused and waived a hand at Xander's bedroom door.
"He let me stay over, he erh ..." Phoebe trailed off, not knowing for sure what to say, "saved me from... something, last night and I didn't have anywhere to go..."
The trio glanced at each other, amusement shifting into concern for the younger woman at the table, "Vampire?" Belinda asked gently.
Phoebe glanced at her sharply, and then giggled inanely, "Vampire, what's a vampire." she tried.
"It's alright, we know."
"Did Xander save you as well?" Phoebe asked, gaining a sharp laugh from the table. "eh... I'm guessing that's a no."
"No" Belinda said with less amusement than her childer, "I saved him, actually."
"From A Vampire?" Phoebe asked, suddenly interested.
"Not exactly." Belinda began, pausing to collect her thoughts, "More from himself."
The table stilled for a moment after her soft words, but Isabel quickly turned the conversation back to the issue at hand, "So he let you stay here?"
Phoebe DID blush, "Not exactly... I kinda, er, forced him into it."
"Sorry?" Tegan asked, knowing full well that you didn't force Xander to do anything if he really didn't want to do it.
"I well, urh the Vampire he saved me from, I was urm staying with him/it. I needed somewhere to stay, like, real bad, I couldn't spend another night on the street, so I kinda forced him into letting me stay here"
Isabel looked at the younger woman for a beat or two, her normally dancing eyes dark and inspecting Phoebe from all angles, "I'll tell you what, for now you can stay in that room over there" she said nodding over to the only room left vacant.
"Do you think Xander will mind?" phoebe said, hopeful.
"Doesn't matter if he is" Iz said with a laugh, "It's my damn apartment, I'll let anyone I like stay"
"Oh god, I'm sorry I didn't know," Phoebe positively gushed
Isabel smiled at her, "That's fine, really. So where did Xander stay last night?"
"I'm not sure." Phoebe said with a shrug.
"As I said earlier he looked like shit earlier, "Isabel thought out loud, "I bet he slept on the roof again!"
Belinda shook her head, "If I know my Xander, he was on patrol last night"
"All night?" Tegan said, speaking up from the introspective thoughts she had been having.
Belinda shrugged, "He's dedicated to the cause"
Tegan narrowed her eyes, "Hmm, that and skirt" she said with a nod towards Phoebe, who bristled slightly.
Belinda glared at her childe for a moment, Tegan just glared right back. Truth was she was feeling a little peeved, "Xander brought her here for us to look after" Belinda said after a moment of glaring.
Tegan snorted, "No he didn't" she said with complete sureness.
Belinda narrowed her eyes, "Then why?"
Tegan smiled, "He knew what we'd do is my guess"
"Do?" Phoebe asked, worriedly.
Tegan favoured her with a sly smile, "He knew that you'd walk out that door and be faced with three other women you didn't know and who didn't know you. He knew what we'd think and that we would grill the hell outta you. I'm guessing, but I'll bet I'm right that you annoyed the hell out of him" Tegan finished her sly grin now a smug smile.
Belinda's eyes spat fire for a moment as she realised that Tegan was right and that she was wrong, and secondly that Xander had left Phoebe in that situation. She was also surprised that Tegan had known that aspect of Xander well enough to make that analysis. But then she realised that if any of them had seen the sharper side of Xander it was most surely her, especially with the way they had got on at first.
Phoebe for her part was looking furious, until she suddenly got a sly grin of her own. "Oh, he's going to pay for that" she said her quiet voice similar to a slamming coffin lid.
Isabel was just laughing silently to herself and wondering what Phoebe was cooking up for Xander.
Grace looked up from the couch as she heard the light knock at the door, a sudden rush of fear shooting through her body. She quickly quelled it and dismissed it as a moment of stupidity, but there was something about last nights 'mugging' that didn't sit right with her, and the memory that her mugger was a beast kept haunting her. She was sure that it was just a psychosomatic thing, but it was still a chilling thought, especially with the huge jaws that she kept putting on her muggers snout like face.
"Grace, are you going to get that honey?" a female voice said, interrupting her thoughts.
Grace frowned, Karen had come here to 'look' after her, so far no actual looking after had taken place. Not that it mattered, Will was due back any time now, at least she knew that she'd get some sympathy from him.
With a sigh and a wry shake of her head Grace Adler pulled herself painfully from her seat on the couch. She had woken this morning to a great deal of aches and pains. Then she padded over to the door, still wrapped in her comforter.
She pulled back the door, whipping some of her long curls out of her eyes as she did so. When she saw who was the other side of the door she suddenly felt that she was seriously under dressed, or perhaps over dressed. "Urh Hi!" she said cheerfully. She then stepped back and tripped over the coffee table.
She travelled ll of a foot before she felt strong arms around her again and was looking up into a pair of laughing eyes that were so dark there were almost black. For the first time she noticed that the guy seemed to be wearing make-up, she kinda hoped he wasn't, because that was just a bit wiggy for her.
"Hey," Xander said, his voice holding a laugh. "Nice to see you're taking care of yourself."
Grace blushed slightly.
"Grace honey, where are you oh..." Karen but herself of as she walked into the room to find Grace in the arms of a handsome young man. "Oh honey, you should've said... I would've picked up some film on the way over."
Grace blinked, "No Karen, this is the guy that saved me last night."
"Well, that sure is a nice way to thank him, honey." Karen told her
Xander chuckled again, he seemed to be doing that a lot that day. He helped Grace to standing and walked over to the diminutive brunette, "My Names Xander, nice to meet you." he said holding out his hand.
"It sure is" Karen said leaning into him and flashing generous amounts of cleavage, "Say Grace where did you find this one, he's a cutie" she said pinching Xander's cheek and giving it a wiggle.
Xander's eyes flashed slightly but he put a smile firmly into place. "I just wanted to check on Gra ..." he was cut off by the front door virtually exploding open and his instincts kicked into place, causing him to whirl around and drop into a defensive crouch.
"Is he here yet, is he, is he, is he?" Jack asked in an excited babble, then he noticed the object of his interest and immediately switched tracks, "Oh hey there" he said with a flirtatious smile.
Will followed him through the door at a much more sedate pace just in time to find Xander straightening up from his defensive movement. He cocked an eyebrow at the strange move but just smiled his hello, and as Xander turned his attention to Jack he took the opportunity to run his eyes up the leather clad man, smirking slightly.
Grace stepped up beside him and elbowed him sharply in the ribs, "Off he's mine" she hissed at him.
Will looked at her with laughing eyes, "Oh really, laying claim to him are you"
"Well he did save ME" Grace shot back, also tongue in cheek. "So I saw him first"
Will smirked, "Well strictly speaking you were unconscious, so I don't think that counts"
Jack sidled up as close as he could to Xander and smiled at him, "Hi, I'm Jack by the way"
"Hi Jack" Xander said smiling at the shorter man, "Nice place you guys have" he said looking around.
"What, No silly, this is will and Grace's apartment"
"Oh, sorry" Xander said, "i though, well that you and he..."
"HA! He wishes"
Xander chuckled, "So he and Grace"
"HA! She wishes"
Xander blinked, "Okay ... Anyway, nice apartment"
"Really, looking for somewhere yourself?" Karen asked, moving right into his personal space.
"Yeah, maybe soon" Xander said a little uncertain. "Probably for renting though."
"Looking to branch out.. an enterprise?" Jack said still smiling from Xander's misinterpretation of events earlier.
"Yeah, well it's not like I NEED the money, but a little extra can't hurt right?" Xander said with a shrug.
"Oh rich too, you're getting yummier all the time." Jack said.
Xander smiled a little nervously, "Eh.. Jack right, not to be rude or anything, but you know I'm straight right?"
Jack smiled knowingly at him, "That's okay sweet cheeks, no one's perfect!"
"Is he ever getting home!" Phoebe said in annoyance, she had been waiting for Xander to come home all day and she was getting more than a little tired of all the waiting. Between them the Rio and she had come up with a plan of revenge on the unsuspecting Xander, but the trap couldn't be sprung until the guy actually turned up at the place he lived.
Tegan smirked at her, "He'll be here eventually."
"When though, is he often out all day?" Phoebe asked, she and the trio had seemed to bound over their little planning session and she no longer felt quite so awkward around them, though they were still pretty damn intimidating, well except for Isabel, she and Iz had got on like a house on fire. Tegan seemed a little too prickly for Phoebe to deal with on a decent level and Belinda was... otherworldly.
"Besides" Tegan said suddenly looking thoughtful, "We need to talk to him anyway."
Belinda suddenly looked at her red haired friend, "Oh?"
"Hmm, we've got a little surprise for him" Isabel said suddenly smiling brightly.
Phoebe looked from one to the other like she was at a tennis match.
"I don't know about any surprises..." Belinda said slowly.
Tegan beamed at her, "That's because this is something Izzy and I wanted to do for him. You do everything else, so we thought we'd do this."
"What?" Belinda asked, now curious as hell.
Iz kinda bounced on the spot, "We're going to help him with his business sense..."
"... So we got him a little project to get him started." Tegan finished smoothly.
Belinda smiled, "That's an excellent idea"
Phoebe suddenly wondered just what the relationship was between the three and Xander and what she had landed herself in the middle of.
Xander got off of the subway train, his eyes flicking around the crowd in an habitual move, but turning up nothing he switched his concentration back to his prey. His prey for the last hour in fact as he navigated through the subway stations to this remote location, with his partner for the evening. Normally Xander would've ignored this couple, but there was something off about the man, there was no demon, but there was something almost animalistic about him, a waft of a primitive instinctive hunter's aroma.
Stalking the stalker Xander wandered through the thin crowd as they all departed the train cars and headed out to whatever location it was that they had in mind. His eyes fixed on the strange man and his attractive companion. He noticed the man's eyes flick over to several other couples one of each couple, be it male or female, nodding slightly back at the man. Xander realised that the hunter wasn't alone, but what exactly was his prey and why.
Isabel let out a bored breath, "Okay, that's it, I've got to get to work, are you coming?"
"Work?" Phoebe asked, "Where?"
"The club downstairs, it's mine, I've got to go be boss" Isabel explained walking over to her room. "Why don't you come on down, join us?" she said just as she walked in through the door.
Phoebe smiled, "yeah, that'll be great, oh..." she said, "I don't" she was cut off by a flying garment from the direction of Belinda's room, where the elder woman had disappeared earlier.
"There" the smoky voice of Bel said, "That should fit"
Phoebe looked down at the amazing dress, made entirely of crushed velvet, "I couldn't... I might spill something on it" she said with a self deprecating smile.
Belinda shrugged, "Well if you do, throw it afterwards I've had it years" which was quite true, something like 200 hundred to be exact.
Phoebe beamed at her, "Thanks" she then bounced over to 'her' room pausing at the door for a moment she looked back into the room, where Isabel was just walking back zipping up a long black dress, "Thanks, I really mean that!" Phoebe said in a quiet, sincere, voice.
Tegan shrugged, "It's what we do," she said then chuckled slightly, ", at least since Xander showed up"
"Bah, "Belinda said with a smirk, "I've been doing it for years, if I hadn't... I never would've picked you up!"
"Oh, you're so going to pay for that you old bag!" Tegan said chucking a pillow at the stunning brunette haired Belinda Duff.
Phoebe chuckled at their antics before turning and slipping into her room to get changed. Thinking that maybe, just maybe she had lucked out this time.
Xander stepped out into the cool night, his eyes following his prey whilst he felt something almost brush up against his leg like a giant cat. He smiled grimly, "Hey Kasi!"
"What took you?" Kasi said with amusement in her electronically made, but by no means unsexy voice.
"I think we took a few detours to pick up the rest of his team, or urh pack!" Xander said the last with a click of his fingers, "that's where I felt it before, the other day with the Lycan. Fuck!"
"Xander!" Kasi admonished him.
"Sorry Kasi, but these guys are tough and there's what, five maybe more of them" Xander said his mind running through possible scenario's and solutions. "Ahh hell, let's just go with the flow" Xander said with a dark glint in his eye. With that he slipped into the door obligingly opened for him and behind the wheel. He didn't take a hold of it however. He knew for subtle trailing it was better for Kasi to do the driving. "Follow them Kasi, and go silent running"
"Engaged" she said, hamming Picards voice as she did so.
Xander actually cracked a smile at that one, even through his 'Muerte' persona, "Damn Kasi, I never figured you for a closet Trekkie"
Kasi would've revved her engine in annoyance if not for the silent running mode, that required that all noise be suppressed, "I am NOT a Trekkie" she said with a superior voice, "I just like Riker"
Xander smirked slightly, "huh, like them heroic hey"
Kasi would've blushed if she could, "Yes Xander I do" she said quietly.
"Hey, there they go" Xander said, snapping back into a professional mind set.
Kasi swung round slightly to match the Lycan's course and followed them at a discrete distance.
Xander sat in silence as Kasi tracked his prey, watching their backs through the distance as if it didn't exist calmly preparing himself for one hell of a fight if this turned out to be a bad situation. He didn't know if the Lycan's were a good or bad force to be reckoned with, but the Lycan from the other night had proved to be vicious and dangerous as well as almost fatal for Grace.
The group all veered off into a warehouse looking district, and straight over to what looked like an old aircraft hanger. "Drop me here, Kasi and keep your sensors peeled"
"Of Course, call if you need me" Kasi replied.
Xander smiled slightly then his features seemed to darken as his eyes clouded over black and the shadows in the already dark car seemed to draw in around him. "Time For Muerte To Walk Abroad" Xander said as he slipped silently out of the car door and into the night.
"I hate it when he does that" Kasi grumbled to herself before pulling into the shadows herself, the only light emitting from her was the ruby red of her sensor array sweeping the area.
Selene stood atop of the hanger building, her long jacket sweeping up in the wind and flapping like a giant bat wing. Her tight clothing clinging to her every curve she was the definition of dark, mysterious and dangerous beauty. Her pistols strapped to her thigh and at her back a spare now nestled in the small of her back. Two boot knives on each booted foot, a slender bodice dagger down the corset she wore, and finally, a silver penknife in her pocket. Not that she was expecting trouble, that was just her normal attire. For trouble, she REALLY tooled up, she hadn't expected any difficulties, she was here on a strictly recon mission. To case out a new Lycan hide out and report back to the clan.
After that, she would assemble a team of hunters and go after them like the animals they were. She would then take great pleasure in putting them down and removing their taint from the earth. For she hated Lycan's like she hated no other.
Her dark eyes looked down through the skylight her hearing questing the night for any signs of danger. By her count, five Lycan's and their dinner had just turned up and there appeared to be a further ten inside. Not a large stronghold, but enough Lycan's in one place to be a worry. It was also unusual for a Lycan to be hunting so overtly. Normally they had deals going with butcher shops and occasionally shelters for the homeless, people who wouldn't be missed.
The prey below were clean looking men and women, the sort that had jobs, got noticed and couldn't just disappear into the New York missing person statistics. It was worrying, her kind also needed to feed from humans, but they were circumspect about it, as the Lycan's had their deals so did the vampires, their were with Blood drives and banks. In fact they ran a lot of the major banks and strangely provided a life saving source of plasma for the humans. Any they didn't own were generally either state run or were run by the OTHER'S.
Selene concentrated her attention back down into the hanger, just as the hunters walked in with their prey, who suddenly looked nervous.
"Hi!" a voice said right by her ear, scaring the living shit out of her and almost causing her to yelp in surprise. Instead she whirled around and kicked out at the unseen interloper.
Xander stepped back sharply to avoiding the fast moving appendage and smiled as charmingly as he was able, considering he was fully in the 'zone' and his fangs flashed in the moonlight. "Hi," he tried again, "I come in piece!"
Selene glared daggers at him, "What are YOU doing here?" she snarled at him. Dropping back into a defensive stance.
Xander held up his hands, "I'm not here to fight... you!"
"Oh really, I don't think your masters will like that!" she said nodding sharply down.
Xander frowned, "I have no master." he said contemptuously.
"Oh really, you seemed to be only too willing to save that Lycan the other night!" Selene declared venomously.
Xander flinched slightly, "Yeah, well, we all make mistakes." he said in a soft voice.
Selene tipped her head looking at Xander steadily for a moment, "Maybe I am wrong about you, but you're still endangering my mission. I can't allow that."
Xander glanced down into the skylight as a muffled scream pieced the night, then without glancing at Selene he dropped down through the skylight, his jacket flaring out like a cape and a gleaming sword seeming to appear in his hand from no where. In the other hand a huge revolver was drawn from a sling on his hip and started to bark before any of the Lycan's had any time to react.
Xander knew that he couldn't afford to get into a drawn out battle with any of these creatures, he had to make this short and sharp and get the 'meals' out before the Lycan's killed them on principle, or to get at him.
A large Lycan suddenly took to the air, heading on a collision course with Xander who twisted in mid air to meet the Lycan head on. The large animal was expecting to be able to knock Xander straight out of the air, instead he was stopped dead as Xander's flight capabilities kicked in, holding them both six feet off of the floor. Xander's huge gun barked on of it's 50ae rounds straight into the large beasts belly causing it to yelp like a whipped dog before dropping down to the ground.
Xander then floated slowly down to the floor smiling like a shark the entire way. "Okay, let's do this." He said, mostly to himself.
Five Lycan's formed a ring around the terrified group of hostages whilst the other ten stalked towards the silent Xander with low rumbling growls in their throats.
Above them all Selene was caught in a moment of indecision, should she help out this stranger, or report back to the clan about a new player in both the Lycan ranks and hunters. The moment passed as all of the huge animals leapt at Xander's position, thinking that they would take him out quickly and then feast on his liver. Xander saw them coming and reacted instinctively, shadows leapt up around him and embraced him in their cloying embrace just as the first spittle laced breath hit the back of his neck. A claw managed to snag him as he twisted out of line with reality making him take a sharp inward breath before he become incorporeal.
The Lycan's crashed together in a loud thump of muscle and gristle on muscle and gristle, landing in a heap at the epicenter of their respective leaps. Dazed and confused the huge beasts started to move away from each other, untangling limbs in the process, occasionally sniping at each other.
Xander reappeared back where he had started only five foot higher, and looked down at the snarling animals. His Katana and revolver was gone, to be replaced with his gleaming Desert Eagle Pistols. With dark eyes he started to fire blessed silver and essence of garlic into the amassed bodies, every shot hitting it's mark with deadly accuracy.
The shots weren't designed to kill were, they were designed to kill most breeds of vampires, but silver worked as well on a Lycan as it did a Demonia and a few of the animals were killed outright in that confused few moments. But they regained their senses and started top back away from the killing zone as quickly as they could. One Lycan leapt at Xander who twisted again in mid air, this time his foot lashed out in a powerful spin kick and deflected the Lycan away from him and towards the wall. It landed there with a thump and left a dent in the corrugated metal of the hanger wall.
His pistols snapped open on an empty round and with complete calm he dropped the clips with a deft movement of his wrist. Then one Of Max Leeches toys came into play slipping replacement clips into space. The slides then racked back filling the chamber ready for more shots,which Xander took advantage of and started to slaughter more Lycan's.
Selene watched in mute astonishment as he lowered himself to the floor and stood completely still in front of the five Lycan's guarding the 'meals'. The other Lycan's either dead, or seriously injured.
He didn't say a word instead jerking his gun off to one side in a totally clear message to get out of his way. The Lycan's looked at him growling reproachfully, but intelligence won the day and they slunk away from him. Xander watched them go carefully, making sure to keep them away from his back which was free flowing with a large amount of blood. He knew they could smell the blood, but was hoping the smell of their compatriots blood would be confusing their senses. If they saw just how much that stray claw had cost him, they may less interested in the deal he was making with them. Normally, he wouldn't even contemplate making a deal, he'd have killed them all. But they were tough, and he was seriously injured, he couldn't really afford for them not to take it.
Once they were at a safe distance he turned to the hostages, "Run!" he growled sharply.
They didn't need to be told twice and haired out of the hanger like the hounds of hell were after them. Once that was done Xander turned back to face the angry Lycan's holding them in place while the humans escaped.
He kept an unwavering glare directed at them, he knew from personal experience that showing weakness was BAD, with canine species as the Lycan's at least appeared to be. At the moment he was the pack leader, even if just for a temporary time and he had to keep that strength showing.
They stayed like that with Selene watching in fascinated horror as Xander faced off 5 healthy Lycan's and several other injured. Keeping them in place by sheer force of personality. She didn't condone his actions, and he had in fact seriously put her own personal plans out of whack by a huge degree, but she had to admire the nerve of the guy.
Then after a few minutes Xander broke the status quo and whispered something to himself. A few scant moments later a loud roar sounded as a gleaming black car appeared in the hanger buy removing the doors and sending them flying across the intervening space and once again scattering the now antsy Lycan's.
Xander then backed off and slipped into the automatically opened door. The Lamborghini then squealed away with an impressive 180 and virtually flew out of the door.
"Why did I EVER, let you fall?
Up upon that hill,
When in times past you carried me,
carried me up into the heavens,
with a kiss from soft lips.
The path of legion whose legend I do fulfill,
I am death incarnate,
but never a pure soul do I take,
Yet yours I wasted,
and left to flounder,
up there upon that hill"
Belinda smiled as Phoebe made a comment about a particularly hunky guy as he walked past, causing both Iz and 'Gan to explode with laughter, much to the mans chagrin. Phoebe just smiled charmingly at him and he melted within a heart beat. Despite her misgivings about her to start with Belinda was finding that Phoebe was great to be around, her somewhat wicked sense of humor was a boon but she also knew through her dark gift that Phoebe was a very unhappy girl, painfully lonely and homesick if Belinda was any judge. Yet, there was something holding her back, something keeping her in the big apple....
Belinda's thoughts derailed suddenly as she saw Iz's friend Max walk up to them with an air of urgent concern. "Ladies" he said in his usual charming manner. Phoebe instantly smiled up at him, fluttering her eyelashes a bit, but Max was far to worried about something else to take any notice of the attractive brunette. "Bel, You better come with me" he continued, his voice grave and his large form virtually quivering with worry.
Belinda was already standing up as he said her name, by time he had finished the sentence he was being dragged by the hand in the direction from where he had walked. The remaining members of the Trio plus Phoebe glanced at each other and were instantly on their feet, following the dark haired bombshell and hunk out of the side entrance of the club.
They arrived to find Kasi parked, her red scanner flashing back and forth in an panicky manner. As they walked up they caught the tail end of a conversation she was having with whoever was in the car.
"...must, you need medical treatment"
Belinda's heart flew into her throat when she heard her newest childes voice reply, "Kasi, I'll be fine, it looks worse than it is... Damn, sorry about the chair, I'll get you valeted in the morning"
"i DONT CARE ABOUT MY UPHOLSTERY" Kasi shouted, her engine revving in annoyance, "That's it" she said, making to close her door, only Xander caught it before it had traveled an inch and pulled himself out of the open space.
"Oh no you don't!" he said with a faint smile.
Belinda and the others caught their first sight of Xander injured, for what was probably, the first time since they had known him. Blood was flowing freely down his back, soaking the black leather of his coachman's jacket and dripping at an ominous pace to the floor.
He ducked his head back in the car, "Kasi, honestly I'll be fine, I'm a vampire, I'm not easy to kill"
Phoebe sucked in a surprised breath and Tegan cocked a sculpted red brow at her, "You didn't know?" she hissed.
Phoebe shook her head wordlessly, mute with shock.
"Don't worry, he won't hurt you... none of us would" Tegan said placing a calming hand on the younger womans arm.
Phoebe's eyes widened at that but the touch did the job and she calmed down a little, after all she had been alone with them since the morning and none of them had made a move on her, plus they had even eaten, which is more than Mike ever did. Somehow she also felt she was safe around them, the day, which had admittedly started badly had ended up being one of the more relaxed since she had arrived. She turned her attention back to Xander and his condition just in time to watch him flake out.
Her eyes widened as the far too slender looking Belinda caught him and lifted him into her arms with no outward sign of a struggle. "We'll meet you upstairs" she said, her voice rough.
Phoebe's intestines nearly fell out as Belinda lifted clear of the floor and quickly rose to the roof of the club. "What the fuck..."
Tegan gently took her by the arm and tugged the seriously shaken Phoebe back into the club, quickly leading her through it and to the private door that lead upstairs to Iz's apartment.
One elevator ride later and they were all, excluding Max who had stayed with an obviously distraught Kasi, entering the apartment to the sound of Xander complaining. Obviously at some point he had regained consciousness.
"Bel, my darling Bel, I'm fine honest"
"When. Is. The. Last. Time. You. Fed!" Belinda said biting off each word.
Xander had the good grace to look sheepish.
"Xander!" Belinda said, her voice brooking no argument, it was answer or else.
"Corina" Xander whispered.
Tegan sucked in a deep breath, as Belinda glared at her youngest.
"Is that bad?" Phoebe asked in a whisper.
Tegan was too stunned to speak so Iz did it for her, "Yes, very" she said her jaw set.
There was a sudden noise that caught Phoebe by surprise, and she turned to find that Belinda had hauled off and slapped Xander hard, and was now glaring at him with Diamond Hard eyes.
"You silly little boy" she said, sounding every bit the angry school mistress. "Are you trying to throw my gift back in my face"
Xander held his cheek, a totally stunned expression on his face and tears in his eyes, he shook his head softly, and said even softer, "It... just didn't feel right"
Belinda's eyes filled with tears also, "Oh Xander" she breathed.
Xander looked down, but Belinda stilled him, "We need to get that shoulder sorted, then get you someone to eat" she told him.
Xander barked out a laugh.
Phoebe however looked horrified and more than a little nervous, "She's just kidding Phoebe, we don't kill to feed" Isabel told her gently with laughing eyes.
Phoebe relaxed, "So what makes you so different from the monsters that Xander there told me about"
"They have demons, we don't" Tegan said her eyes still fixed on Belinda and Xander as Belinda removed his soaked jacket and shirt. She was wondering what the HELL could've ripped through the magically toughed leather AND made a mess like that of Xander's shoulder.
"What she said" Isabel smirked.
"Oh, so it's the demon that's evil right?" Phoebe asked, trying to get it all straight in her head.
"Yeah, the demon drives a Demonia, That's a demonic vampire, to feed all the time, not just when they need it. They also crave destruction and death, some also want a return of the old ones to earth" Isabel said, darting glances over to Xander. "Also, Xander tells me their bite, REALLY hurts!"
"Your's doesn't?" Phoebe said slowly as an idea occurred to her.
"No, in fact it's quite pleasurable" Isabel smirked, with a sad tint to it, "Especially if Xander does it, though that might have been a fluke" she added thoughtfully.
"That's the best I can do" Belinda said, drawing their attention back to the pair.
"Thank you my darling" Xander said his eyes soft for his sire.
Belinda looked deeply into his eyes, "Now you MUST feed"
Xander nodded sadly, "Yeah; I know."
"Come on then we'll go down to the club, if you feel up to it?"
Xander nodded and was about to answer when phoebe cut him off.
"There's no need" she said, her words coming out in a rush. She had made a snap decision and now she was determined to follow through.
All of the other occupants of the room snapped their attention fully on her, "What?" Isabel managed for them all.
"I'll do it, it doesn't hurt... right?"
"No, but let me get this straight you're offering to do this" Tegan asked her incredulously.
"That's right!"
"Are you sick in the head?" Tegan said with her normal aplomb.
Phoebe gave a surprised laugh, "No, no." she said calming down, "It's just you've all been good to me, I can't afford to pay you, so this way I can return the favor." the paused then rushed on, "But it's a one time offer only, I'll not do it twice" she added firmly.
"Uh uh, no way" Xander said shaking his head, "No chance, can we say BAD Idea. Better with some complete stranger"
Tegan smirked, "Huh, so why don't you want her to then Mr Studley Do Right?"
Xander narrowed his eyes at her, "Teg!"
"No!" Isabel said with a laugh, "don't you two start, I think this is a time limited offer that wouldn't last the time it would take for you two to ... work out your differences again!"
Xander looked at Phoebe, "Are you sure about this?" he asked her.
Phoebe didn't look impressed, "After what you just said, I'm not so sure anymore"
"You two are almost as bad, just bite her already" Isabel said annoyed.
There was a moment of silence before they all started laughing. Belinda let it carry on for a moment before cutting into the din with a softly cleared throat.
'Damn,' Phoebe thought to herself, 'That woman's got presence with a capital P'
"Xander, this is the perfect opportunity, for now. But we WILL be having a discussion about your feeding habits" Belinda told him, "Now if Phoebe is still willing..." she paused and gained a nod from the woman herself, "Then please, quench what must be a particularly nasty thirst!"
"What, with you guys watching?" Xander asked almost aghast.
"if you can't even feed in front of us..." Isabel said trailing off as Xander nodded
"I get the point but..." he said
"Xan, we've seen you do worse"
Xander frowned, "Like what?" he asked in confusion.
Tegan smirked, "Well for starters that face you make just before you..."
"Hey!" Xander said, cutting her off as more giggles floated around the room. "Fine, come on then Phoebe."
Phoebe suddenly felt nervous as Xander approached her, painfully some part of her brain noted.
Xander noticed the shift in her demeanor, "You don't have to do this" he told her.
Phoebe straightened her shoulders then swept her hair away from one side of her neck, "no, I want to" she said baring her neck for him. She relaxed herself and tensed for what she was sure would be a painful experience.
Boy, was she ever wrong. As he reached her Xander took her gently into her arms and looked down into her eyes. She suddenly felt that thrill that runs though your body just before you kiss someone you are really attracted to, a thrill of fear and anticipation. She unconsciously licked her lips, wetting them Xander watched her tongues course his heart speeding up as that simple maneuver turned him on. That and the fact she was looking particularly edible in what looked to be one of Bel's dresses. The crushed velvet holding her tightly and outlining curves built for sin.
As lust ran through Xander, Phoebe's pupils dilated. Xander moved forward kissing her jawline down to her neck, not just diving in as she had half expected. She let out a sigh of pleasure as his lips caressed her neck, her eyes closing as he continued to tease the skin by her carotid artery.
"Oh god" she breathed as his hands found her waist and pulled her closer to himself.
Isabel and Tegan shared a look and glanced over to see Belinda looking almost proud.
Phoebe gave a slight gasp as she felt Xander's fangs part the flesh on her neck and piece the vein. Then with that last semi coherent sound, she was sent into a world of feeling, or sensation and pleasure.
Her breathing paced up into heart attack speeds while her heart itself thumped like an express train. Her legs felt weak and she felt her nipples become erect. Then a feeling started to build within her very depths of being, washing through her like tsunami of epic proportions.
Then Tegan had the shock of her life as she watched Phoebe wrap a leg around Xander's before started to rub herself against his thigh, "Oh god fuck yeah" Phebe murmured, then she yelped out a birdlike cry of orgasmic pleasure as the Tsunami beached. Then as Isabel watched with an amused smile and both Tegan and Belinda watched in fascinated amazement, her Tsunami was followed by increasingly large breakers and then another Tsunami.
"You told me, but I didn't believe it" Tegan whispered as Phoebe writhed against Xander in ecstatic pleasure.
"I have to admit I thought it was because, you know Corina and he were like compatible or something"
"Apparently not, or if they were it didn't make a difference" Tegan said nodding towards the now mewling Phoebe who was clawing at Xander's clothing.
Xander found he had taken his fill and backed away from the now exceedingly 'satisfied' woman. He licked his lips and smiled almost shyly, "you okay" he said.
Phoebe opened her eyes and suddenly realizing that the feelings that were running so rampant through her body moments ago were dying off. With an almost desperate sound she reached for Xander and tried to pull him back to her, but only succeeded in pulling herself off balance.
Slamming against the solid form of Xander allowed her to regain a little decorum and she smiled in a laconically sexy fashion up at him, "You know, I've changed my mind, I'll willingly do that ANY time you need it honey"
Xander smirked, but his attention was elsewhere at the niggling feeling he was getting from his insides, a feeling of almost electric intensity. Then he got a look that was a cross between an Adonis and goofy and went, "Ahhh shit!"
Tegan laughed out loud, "There it is, and that explains a lot"
"What the fuck was that?" Isabel asked laughing.
"She's either a witch with natural and untapped power or a born witch" Tegan said, "Which would explain what's been bothering me about her."
"You sound awfully sure!" Isabel asked as Belinda fell on the couch laughing.
"Oh yeah" Tegan said her eyes misting over, "Man Salem, during the witch trials, I got a little peckish and nearly got burned at the stake because I was... distracted"
Isabel once again let out a peal of laughter.
Phoebe and Xander came back to themselves and gave each other a surprised look.
"Damn!" they said together, once again causing the trio to explode into laughter.
Phoebe looked up at the ceiling her mind alight with the experience she'd just had. Her body was still aflame with it. It had been so intense, so very intense. Her legs were curling around each with the very thought of it, let alone what had happened during the act. It was beyond anything she had expected, that was for damn sure and she didn't quite know how to feel about it. On one hand she had just willing let a vampire, a creature she honestly didn't believe existed, feed from her. On the other she had just experienced a level of pleasure that should be illegal.
Also the revelation that she had spent the day in the presence of vampires was a bit of a shocker. Which brought to her mind that she had just spent the DAY with vampires. Not night, but day. When Tegan had said they were different from other vampires she wasn't joking.
The other slightly odd thing was that she didn't feel all that bad either, physically. From what she had been told by Xander and then The Trio a vampires bite was usually deadly, and she felt pretty well. But then she figured that a Demon led the entity it controlled to glut itself where as a non demonic vampire didn't have that driving force behind it and only took what it really needed to survive. Which brought to mind the question of just how much Xander had taken from her, had he taken enough or had he only taken enough to sate his the concern of his friends. She wasn't sure why she was worried about that but she found that she was. After all, from conversations and little snippets she had heard here and there the day before. Xander was a hero, albeit not exactly by choice, more by coincidence. He saved people in the enactment of his single minded destruction of vampires and demon kind in general. Phoebe wandered how many like him were out there, and she realized without too much thought that there probably were not enough.
Phoebe shook herself from the dark way her thoughts were leading her. If the world didn't have enough hero's then why was it still here, not that she envied them the job, it would have to be one hell of a hard job.
She slipped out of bed, once again slinging on the black shirt she had claimed before and slipped on her shoes. A noise was distracting her from her thoughts, and she decided it was time to check it out.
Phoebe slipped out onto the roof as quietly as she was able in her heeled boots, which were certainly not designed for their stealth ability. The metal of the heel made a horrible scrapping noise as soon as she stepped out onto the surface of the roof.
Xander's bow stopped mid movement and he turned showing no sign of surprise. "Phoebe." he said his voice sounding like it was coming from a thousand miles away.
"That' some instrument you've got there!" Phoebe said tongue in cheek. From what she had been told about Xander he had a dirty sense of humor.
Xander eyed the violin for a moment, "Thanks." he said, his voice hollow.
Phoebe pressed on, hoping for a reaction of some sort, "I've never seen a cool violin before," she began, "Where'd you get it?"
Xander looked at her with that bottomless gaze of his for a long moment, "Is there something I can do for you Phoebe?" he said, ignoring her question totally.
Phoebe frowned, this Xander wasn't quite matching up with the man she had been told about, "Yeah, I wanted to talk about what happened earlier" she said, her own tone flattening slightly.
Xander let out a long suffering sigh, "Yeah, well, sorry about that. I didn't see that I had much choice"
"Oh..." Phoebe said leadingly.
"I love Bel very much, but sometimes she can worry a little too much" Xander said, looking once more at his violin and drawing the bow across the metallic strings with a sound like a buzz saw singing. The hairs on Phoebe's neck rose at the chilling sound, somehow mournful and at the same time it reached a part of her she didn't really understand, it was like something shifted deep within her and started to uncoil.
The bow quivered over the strings for a moment until Xander once again brought it down and caressed them with the tightly strung device.
"Urh, that really is a cool violin," Phoebe tried again.
"Thanks," Xander said, still in a monotone. "Now, as I said, I am sorry about the bite, I'd understand if you don't want anything to do with me."
Phoebe stepped forward, her heels clicking across the hard roof, the night air biting into her through the thin material of her shirt. "No Xander, it's okay, honestly" she said as she reached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. His coat was missing for a change and all he had on was a duplicate to the shirt that Phoebe was wearing. The heat of her hand was almost scorching to Xander and he jerked slightly at the contact. Phoebe self-consciously removed her hand feeling strangely shy around this dangerous man.
"In fact, if you feel that self conscious about it, well" Phoebe paused, she could not believe she was about to offer this, "Well you could always feed off of me again. But, like only if you know NEED to, okay"
Xander looked at her for a long moment, his eyes slowly coming back from the brink, now they were twin pools of utmost sadness, "The last person that offered to let me feed from her on a regular basis is now dead; because of me, do you want to die Phoebe?"
"No" Phoebe said, her voice serious, but still relaxed, "Do you?"
Xander smiled grimly, "I already have, Phoebe, in ways I hope you never find out about"
"Sometimes Xander, you seem..." Phoebe trailed off for a moment, choosing her words, "A little sad ya know. You spend most of your time saving people, and yet you don't let any of them near you. That seems really sad to me"
Xander let out a bark of hollow laughter, "Saving people, is that what you think i do?"
"Isn't it?" Phoebe asked with a confused shake of her head.
"No Phoebe, I just kill demons, anything else is like Side Salad"
"Side salad?" Phoebe said carefully and quizzically.
"Yeah, it comes with the meal if you want it or not" Xander said with a dark smile as he stepped into Phoebes personal space, backing her up against the railing.
"Now, that really is sad. Don't you want to feel Xander?" Phoebe said, looking up at him with sad eyes. Not appearing to notice he was so close.
"I dunno Phoebe, the only way I really feel human is when I'm screwing one. You see I'm not human anymore, I'm a vampire."
"You more human than most of the so called normal humans I've met." Phoebe told him earnestly.
"Am I Phoebe, because I sure as hell feel like a fucking vampire!"
"Don't you want to feel human Xander?"
Xander smiled again, still without that humor he was once known for, "Do you want to help me feel Human Phoebe?"
Phoebe looked into the twin pools of hell that used to be expressive eyes, "And how could I do that?"
Xander looked down into her eyes and moved so close as to be touching her, "Guess" he said in a hoarse whisper.
Suddenly he stiffed and whirled around, reaching into the air beside him, a gleaming sword appearing out of thin air.
"Xander Wha..." Phoebe cut herself off as a thump sounded and a huge animal from a nightmare appeared on the roof in front of them. It had leapt over from the adjacent roof and landed on powerful legs perfectly balance. The massive creature then turned around and growled low in it's throat at Xander.
Xander hefted the sword and took a step forward, only to stop dead as the Lycan shifted around under its skin, bones and muscle moving around and reforming slowly in a frightening display of transformation.
Xander watched with a dark glare as Phoebe watched entranced and vaguely disgusted. When the metamorphosis was complete a naked man stood before them. He had well defined muscles and piecing eyes set in a sharp featured face and despite his good shape looked to be about 40 in human years, perhaps a little more. "Alright Muerte" the Lycan said, a cockney accent tinging his voice.
Xander tilted his head and continued to glare.
"My name is Lomax. I'm 'ere to deliver a message" Lomax told them leaning nonchalantly back against a weight training machine. He showed no sign of realization that he was stark naked.
Xander hefted the sword looking from it to the were.
"Now wait a minute there mate" the Lycan said with a laconic smile, but no fear. "I just wanted to arrange a meet with me boss"
"Boss?" Xander said, the single word a question.
"Yeah, he's impressed with ya, killing the lads like that then facing the rest off, he seems to think that it's worth a little sit down before we get all tribal"
"Huh" Xander said nodding slowly, "What about exactly"
The Lycan shrugged, "Dunno mate, that's for the boss to talk to you about"
"So where's the meet?"
"The boss will send a car for you"
"No" Xander said unequivicably.
"Sorry what?" Lomax said, a slight smile on his face.
"I'll take my own car"
The Lycan's intelligent, and Xander noticed dangerous eyes, settled on Xander for a long moment, "okay, fair 'enough, but the car will be here at eight tomorrow so's you can follow it. Deal?"
Xander nodded, "Deal"
The Lycan smiled brilliantly at them, "Good," He glanced at Phoebe his eyes flicking down her attire with a lascivious grin on his face, "How much for 'er"
"Hey" Phoebe said moving forward.
"She's not for sale" Xander said mildly.
"Shame" the Lycan said as his body once again started to shift around, "I'm looking for a new bitch" the change took a hold of him fully then and once it was complete he lumbered off leaving a slightly shaken Phoebe and an intrigued Xander.
"I hate it when people call me bitch." Phoebe muttered.
"In his case, I think he meant literally." Xander said, his voice far away as his mind ran over the trap he was about to walk into.
Phoebe shuddered slightly, "What the hell was he anyway?" She found she was quickly getting used to this strange world she had been plunged into, but THAT had been some seriously weird shit.
"A Lycan." Xander told her, "Like a werewolf, only more powerful"
"Oh god" Phoebe said her eyes widening as she got Xander's mildly delivered crack, "Ewwww"
Xander actually smirked slightly, then turned to face her, "I'm sorry by the way"
Phoebe frowned, "What for exactly"
"I didn't really mean what I was saying, well I kinda did, but I do want to save people. You just caught me at a bad time" He told her putting on a smile for her, a real one. "The Violin was a gift from the friend I mentioned"
"Friend..." Phoebe said trailing off with a tilt to her head.
"Well, maybe more than that" Xander allowed, "The point is, she died, because of me. I don't want that to happen to anyone else" he finished, Walking into the shadows as he did so.
Phoebe started to follow him in, then as she approached the darkness she saw further into it and saw that Xander had disappeared. "What the hell" Phoebe whispered.
A form stepped out of the shadows at that precise moment her green eyes filed with water, Tegan had heard the entire thing, and frankly she was worried, very worried.
"Tegan?" Phoebe said whirling around.
Tegan steeled her resolve, dashing away her tears, "Phoebe, I was just looking for you. We were having a little chat down stairs," she smiled, "we never did get a chance to enact your revenge." she said smiling impishly.
Dark eyes scanned the computer screen, a tongue flicking over red lips as she worked, her eyes intent on the display and the scrolling information. She should be moving around money, as was accepted practice after taking a head. It was a spoils of war kind of thing. However, that was not what she was doing. She was making use of a new skill, well new to her, not to the person whose memories she now had boiling around in her mind. It wasn't too bad, her mentor had told her that she had been lucky, that she didn't agree with. She'd just killed a man, killed a man to survive, but that man had not been evil, hadn't been cruel or a rapist. No this was the darker side of the game. The side where you have to take a fellow immortals head despite the fact there are good, that they are on the side of the angels. Kill a man who had mentored many immortals in the game, thus saving their lives, but thus was a stickler for the rules of the game. Kill a man who had been an absolute wizard with computers.
Corina shook off her dark thoughts instead focusing on the task at hand, her up link light flashing as she hacked her way through several layers of security and routed her signal around the planet.
The satellite she was currently hacking was flying high above New York, looking down at a most macabre sight; her own grave. It fascinated her in a strange way, it was a strange thing to look at ones own grave. Empty thankfully or it really would be strange. Of course the man she saw sitting on a grave stone across from hers didn't know that.
Dressed gothically with long tussled hair, he struck an image that she would not, could not never forget. She could just make out that he was playing the violin that she had given to him, what had seemed a lifetime ago. She reached out a single finger trailing across the screen, caressing his image.
She smirked as Xander suddenly stood up, looking around him suspiciously.
The sleek car pulled up to the run down looking building, waiting patiently in front of the gate, an automated camera swept the low slung Lamborghini, reading the license plate and scanning it's list of allowed visitors. Once the powerful computer that was backing the system ran a check to verify the car and driver a gate slowly started to rise up into the roof, revealing a ramp, just wide enough for a pickup truck.
"You say this guy is the wizard of oz when it comes to gadgets, but look at this place" Phoebe said eying the surroundings with a critical look.
Xander just smirked at her and sat back away from the wheel, trusting Kasi to do the driving up the slender ramp.
Phoebe's eyes widened at the move, "What the hell are you doing?" she asked in a shocked voice as the top of the range car eased forward, apparently without any controlling influence.
"Chill, Kasi's got it covered" Xander said.
"Kasi?" Phoebe asked stunned and more than a little freaked as the car moved by itself.
"Yeah... Oh, you've not been introduced yet have you." Xander smiled widely, "Kasi say hello to Phoebe"
"I was wondering if you'd remember your manners" the AI said with a stern voice.
Phoebe jerked in her seat looking around her eyes wild, "What... Who... Where?"
"All good questions." Xander replied smugly, "Kasi is an AI, and a very special one at that, aren't you Kasi"
"Thank you Xander" the car said, it's feminine voice preening at the compliment.
"As for Who, she's Kasi. Knight Industries Automotive Sports Interceptor"
"AI?" Phoebe asked, her heart still hammering.
"That would be Artificial Intelligence, but I like to think of myself as an I" Kasi replied, her smoky voice smooth and calming.
"I?" Phoebe said still confused as hell.
"Intelligence, but she's more than that she's Kasi" Xander said, smiling at the holographic VU display. The engine gave an extra purr as the Knight Industries vehicle pulled easily up the steep ramp.
Phoebe shook her head, "You're full of surprises Xander, you really are"
Xander glanced at her with a lopsided grin, one that had rarely saw the light of day recently. One that Phoebe found herself smiling back into, "I like to think so Phoebe"
"Okay, well pleased to meet you Kasi" Phoebe said uncertainly.
"Likewise Phoebe" Kasi replied. "Xander, we are approaching our destination"
"So why am I here?" Phoebe interjected.
"Thought you might like a trip out" Xander said with a shrug.
Phoebe eyed him, "That's it?"
"Uh huh" Xander said moving out of the car quickly to avoid further questioning.
Phoebe narrowed her eyes at his retreating back, "He's up to something" she commented, nearly jumping out of her skin when she got a reply.
"He always is Phoebe, he always is" Kasi said sagely with no small amount of fondness in her voice.
Smirking slightly Phoebe slipped out of the car and wandered after Xander.
"MAX!" Xander called out as he walked into what could only be described as Aladins cave.
There was a crash and bang from near the back of the large warehouse like area, that seemed to be filled with bits of technological junk; wiring, circuit boards and a host of other interesting looking things.
Phoebe looked around, stepping carefully over some discarded items on the floor. "Who's Max?" she asked in an almost whisper.
Xander smiled, "Max is my wizard of Oz" he told her, "Anything I need Max can either make or get for me, everything from Vamp killer rounds to walkie talkies and Surveillance equipment"
"Vamp Killing Rounds?"
"Yeah, well he had some... trouble with vampires and spent time finding out how to kill the fuckers. The rounds are just one gizmo he came up with"
"He hates Vampires?" Phoebe asked for clarification.
"Yep, almost as much as I do."
"Then why doesn't he hate you?"
Xander smiled in a vaguely self satisfied way, "Why don't you ask him yourself?" he said nodding at someone emerged out of the darkness at the back of the large room.
"Xander!" Max called out jovially, "Glad to see you look a bit better man, how goes it?"
"Not bad Max, not bad, hows business?" Xander asked looking around. "The CIA still trying to hire you?"
Max snorted, "Yep, kinda getting snippy as well" Max smiled at Phoebe, "Ma'am"
"Max, Phoebe, Phoebe, Max" Xander said by way of an introduction.
"Hi There" Phoebe said, her eyes flirting with the handsome man.
Max smiled charmingly at her, "Nice to meet you properly"
"I was wondering Max, I kinda need something special" Xander said after a moment of the mutual appreciation society that had put up shop between Max and Phoebe.
"What's that? Oh yeah, the wolf things right. Kasi told me about them"
"Yeah, thanks for calming her down man, you're the only one she'll listen too"
"Apart from you X, apart from you" Max said laughing, "She'd jump off a cliff if you asked her to"
Xander flushed slightly, "Cut that out Maxie, Or I'll cut the other one off"
Phoebe smirked slightly, "Other What?" she asked innocently.
"Nut" Xander said with an evil grin.
"Ouch, do I even want to know how you lost that?"
Both Xander and Max became a little somber for a moment.
"Vampire did it," Max said his voice venomous, "Then left me for dead"
"Oh Jesus sorry, I seem to suffer from foot in mouth disease, sorry" Phoebe said, showing it was her turn to flush.
Max smiled at her with a flash of perfect white teeth, "It's all in the past Phoebe, don't worry about it."
Xander looked at him, "Okay, so Lycan's. What can you do for me?"
"Tut tut" Max said laughing slightly, "All work and no play, X All work and no play..."
Xander nodded, "Makes a dull Muerte" he said over pronouncing the 'e'. "You'll be the death of my reputation if that one spreads" Xander commented as an aside.
"Alright, alright, okay, I got kinda curious so I did some research and bingo, I find out silver actually works, so I play with that idea okay."
"I could've told you that one Maxie, but the fuckers take a lot of taking out." Xander said with an annoyed huff.
"Hold your horses then and let me finish. I figured from what Kasi was telling me that they were tougher than you're average Were... ," Max paused with a smile, and hurried on as he got blank looks, "never mind, so I tried to come up with a more powerful round for you."
"okay, so what did you come up with"
"Hydro XXX" Max said with a grandiose smile.
"Hydro-what?" Xander asked.
"You know the various theories and physics behind the way most fluids act when under pressure right?"
Xander nodded, "Yep"
"Nope" Phoebe said, "I hated Physics"
"Too busy making out?" Xander said with a sly smile.
Phoebe favored him with a mischievous look, "Wouldn't you like to know"
Xander continued to smile at her for a few moments then his attention snapped back onto Max, "Well Maxie, we're waiting, what's that genius level IQ cooked up?"
"Hold your horses, I'm still trying to explain," Max said with a chuckle, "Well, under pressure you can make water shred metal apart like it's tissue paper."
"Okay, so how does this help us with the Lycans?" Xander said glancing at his watch, "Cause in... eight hours I've got a meeting with the big boss and I kinda want to be prepared"
Phoebe frowned, "Won't they search you?" she asked stating the obvious as far as sh was concerned.
Max and Xander shared an amused glance, "Keeping secrets X?" Max said.
Xander nodded, "Of course Maxie, got to keep that mystique ya know"
"Secrets?" Phoebe asked, starting to become slightly annoyed.
"So, water. Urh, if it's holy water would that work for Vamps?" Xander said interrupting himself.
"Oh yeah" Max said his eyes lighting up, "I did a test last thing last night, boom"
"Cool, chalk me up for some of them" Xander said with a dark smile, "But that won't help with the Lycans will it?"
Max shook his head, "No... unless you substitute water for liquid silver"
"Isn't that mercury?" Phoebe asked, with a furrowed brow.
Max shook his head, "Good guess, but that's Quick silver. No liquid silver is prepared by reaction of nitric acid with silver, and then purified by recrystallization, giving me silver nitrate, like they use in photography. So, now if I put in this silver nitrate instead of water, you have the same explosive effect but with a Lycan killing fluid that will rip through them and blow out a hole the size of a serving plate with every shot."
Xander laughed, "Maxie, you're the best"
"Now wait up there X, I haven't had a chance to test the rounds yet..." Max began.
"Got any made up?" Xander asked, ignoring the mans statement totally.
Max let out a long suffering sigh, "Yeah"
"Then I'll test them for you"
"Okay fine, but you've got to blow of a few clips down in the range before you take them out on the field. I don't want them blowing your arm off, the Trio wouldn't ever forgive me"
Xander chuckled and nodded his acceptance, "That sounds fine. Phoebe wanna come with?"
"No, I'll stay up here, I don't like guns much"
"Okay" Xander said holding out his hand to Max.
Max smirked and reached into his back pocket and slapped two clips into Xander's hand, "So predicable"
"Asshole" Xander shot back with a laugh. "I won't be long" he told phoebe before walking off.
Max looked down at Phoebe from, his 6 foot 3 inches and smiled, "So, what is it you want to know"
Phoebe laughed, "Am I that obvious?"
"i know the look, but I don't feel like flashing today"
Phoebe frowned, "Huh?"
Max blushed slightly, a strange look on the handsome man, "Oh urh ... most women when they hear about my urm, missing parts want to see, strangely enough."
Phoebe let out a laugh, "No, I actually wanted to ask you about vampires"
Max stilled his features, the laughter gone from his eyes, "Oh?"
"Yeah, Xander told me you hate vampires, right?"
Max just nodded.
"Then why work with Xander and the others, what did you call them, the Trio?"
"The Trio and Xander are special. The vampires I hate have..."
"... A demon, yeah I know but..."
"Okay, what if I told you it was Iz that saved me that night when I lost my... body part. That if not for her I would have died from blood loss. She killed the vampire that was on his way back to finish the job and then helped me get better. Gave my brother a job and generally has looked out for me since. Not only are The Ater Anima Lamia different from the Demonia, they are the very opposite. You can trust them Phoebe, I give you my word on that. But the only way you'll really trust them is if you take the chance. Are you willing to do that?"
"Already have Max, already have" Pheoeb said with a brilliant smile, "Any one of them could've easily killed me. Hell, I even let Xander feed of me that night when he came back so beaten up"
Max raised an eyebrow at that, "Really?" he said then smirked, "Like it did you?"
Phoebe blushed an attractive shade of scarlet.
Xander looked up as one of the bouncers walked over to him smiling in a friendly fashion, "Xander, there's a limo outside, they say they're here for you"
Xander nodded, "Thanks Jimmy, Do me a favor yeah, let Iz know I've gone okay"
Jimmy nodded as far as was possible with the amount of muscle he had on his neck, "Sure thing Xander. Have fun"
Xander smiled darkly, "Of that you can be certain Jimmy, I'll catch you on the flip side"
Jimmy walked away, smiling and shaking his head. He liked Xander, but he sure was a weird kid as far as he was concerned.
Xander smirked, and started to talk to thin air, "Remember Kasi, keep up"
A voice sounded in his ear, and whatever was said made him wince.
Xander walked out of the club, stopping when he saw the stretched limo and the driver waiting patiently beside it. "You're looking for me?"
"Yes sir, if you'd like to get your vehicle you can follow me to our destination."
Xander pursed his lips, "Sorry, been a change of plan, car trouble. Can I hitch a ride with you after all?"
The driver seemed to freeze in place for a long moment, this wasn't in the plan. In fact this was a long way out of the plan. That and the back of the car wasn't empty, should he do this, or not? The thought processes of the poor man whirled for a few moments until finally he decided that the boss wanted to see this guy and saying no to a lift was a bad idea. "Of Course sir" the chauffeur said smiling politely. "This way please sir."
Xander smiled and walked to the door, "No need, I'll let myself in." he said pulling the door open before the man had a chance to say a word.
He stopped dead when his gaze rested on the sole occupant of the car, the very female occupant.
The woman inside of the car could only be described as heavenly with devilish curves. Her short blond hair was expertly quaffed into a soft haze around her head, the darkest blue eyes Xander had ever seen peeking out from her fringe. Seductively painted cupid bow lips, a full figure with a revealingly sexy red dress with a long split from mid thigh.
Xander smiled as charmingly as he could at her, "Hi" he said slipping into the car.
She looked at him with a carefully bored expression, her eyes flicking across his attire and settling back onto an unknown place in space or time. Xander managed to catch her eye during that flickering glance and saw a sadness there that almost reflected his own. He knew in some strange way that this woman, who couldn't be much older than him, had also seen the darker side of human nature and had been burned by it.
"My name is Xander" Xander said holding out his hand for her to shake.
She eyed the appendage and then looked up into his almost obsidian gaze. "Sapphire" she said her voice a husky whisper. She did not however take his hand instead turning slightly away from him and gazing out of the window, wondering why she had spoken to him, why she had told this stranger her name.
"So, how far is it" Xander asked.
Sapphire looked back at him, "Sorry?"
"This place we're going, is it far" Xander said, for some reason he really wanted to engage this woman in conversation. It had been so long since he had talked to someone his own age. Even Phoebe was older than he was, and even though Tegan looked about twenty...
"Central Park West" Sapphire said, her voice gaining a slight edge. Didn't this guy know whose she was.
"A fair way then, with traffic at this time of night" Xander commented wryly, settling in somewhat more comfortably. "So, what do you do then?"
Sapphire frowned at him, "I'm sorry, do I know you?"
Xander shook his head, "Nope"
"Then why would I want to talk to you" she said icily.
Xander just smiled at her, "Because"
"Because" Sapphire sneered, "That's a reason"
Xander looked deeply into her bored eyes, "You didn't let me finish Sapphire, Because you look so unhappy, that's why"
"Do you know who I am?" Sapphire inquired imperiously.
"Nope, but I know who I am, that's rare, do you know who you are Sapphire?" Xander said, he was half wondering why he was talking to this woman, why he was pushing her into a conversation, but there was something so very familiar about her.
"Really, and who are you, some sort of fucked up Swami?" Sapphire asked, her eyes flashing with anger, "You get into this car and suddenly think you can talk to me like this? Who the hell do you think you are. I'll have you know I'm more than happy with my life, and I don't need some pretty boy wearing makeup to tell me how to live"
Xander winced, "It's not makeup" he muttered, "Sapphire..." he began, realizing he had just fucked up royally. This talking to people malarkey wasn't him anymore.
"No, I think you need to be quiet now" Sapphire said, her eyes once again flashing with inner fire.
Xander smiled, "I apologize I've kinda forgotten how to talk to people"
Sapphire met his gaze, a lip quirking upwards slightly, "No shit" she said.
Xander smirked, then smiled and finally let out a laugh, "Sorry, it was a bit strong wasn't it. But you just looked sad, I hate to see a beautiful woman so sad... Oh god, that sounded like such a come on. You know what, you're right I'm just going to shut up now" Xander said blushing slightly and lapsing into silence.
Sapphire found herself smiling properly for the first time in her memory and laughing slightly as well, "No, that was... nice actually, thank you" she said genuinely.
Xander smiled into her eyes, "So, DO you want to talk?"
"To a complete stranger?" Sapphire said chuckling slightly, "You could be anyone, a spy for Myers" at that word she clammed up tighter than the proverbial crustacean ever could.
"Myer's who's that?" Xander asked.
Sapphire eyed him suspiciously for a long moment, she considered herself a very good judge of character, now at least. To start with, no, but now she had seen some of the worst humanity had to offer, now she was sure she could tell if this man was playing her. He honestly didn't seem to know who the hell Myer's was. "My boyfriend" she said finally after a long moment of thought.
"Why would your boyfriend want to spy on you?" Xander asked.
Sapphire's eyes flicked around the limo and to the drivers head. "To make sure I'm behaving myself" she said in a much lower voice.
"What, you're four or something?" Xander asked bluntly, "He has to keep that close an eye on you?"
"You wouldn't understand"Sapphire said, a note of helplessness in her voice. Even she wasn't sure why she was talking to Xander now, it just felt good to actually talk to someone, someone that didn't scare her. The Limo had taken on a strange otherworldly air, like they were the only two people in the world, that the honking traffic and noisy city no longer existed. It was both an intimate and at the same time an exhilarating feeling.
"Try me" Xander said, his voice matching hers in volume. "You might be surprised"
Sapphire let out a hollow laugh, "I doubt it"
"He's abusive, he hits you, tries to control your life and when it doesn't work he hurts you, tells you it's your fault that you're the only one to blame that you made him do it. Am I right?"
Sapphire looked at him mutely, giving him all the answer he really needed.
"It's not"
"What isn't?"
"Your fault, it's not your fault. You don't deserve that, you can do better"
She laughed again, "Who, you?"
Now it was Xander's turn to laugh in a hollow manner, "No way, I'm bad news, hook up with me and you'd be signing your death warrant. But... I could help if you need it. I've got some friends, with friends. We could hide you, get you someplace safe."
Sapphire frowned, "Why, why would you do that?"
"Why wouldn't I"
"Okay, then How"
Xander frowned, "How what?"
"How do you know what you know?" she asked in a small voice.
"I've been there, well not exactly where you are, but someplace almost like it" Xander told her candidly.
"Who are you?" Sapphire asked after a few moments of unblinking inspection of Xander's eyes.
"I told you, I'm Xander"
"Who is Xander?"
"Some call me Muerte, I think I'm meeting your boyfriend, though I'm not sure"
Sapphire's eyes widened, "THE Muerte?"
Xander cocked an eyebrow, "You've heard of me?"
"When you hang out with the people my boyfriend hangs with you pick up on weird shit"
Xander chuckled, "So I'm weird shit now?"
Sapphire smiled slightly, "The Lycan's have been talking about you"
"I figured, I'm here for some sort of meeting"
Sapphire looked at him with worry in her eyes, "And you came?"
Xander just smiled, "They don't call me that because I smell."
Sapphire laughed, "Are you sure? That coat is kinda smelly."
"Huh, well, I haven't had a chance to wash it. It's got demon goo all over it, and that dust from vampires ain't actually dust ya know, it's decayed flesh that's undergone a hyper accelerated necrosis"
"Ew!"
Xander winced, "Yeah, well as you can see I seem to have forgotten how to talk to people"
Sapphire laughed, she was doing that more than she felt she had in a long time, "It's okay, I know what you mean though. I feel like I haven't spoken to an actual human being in years" she smiled slightly, "until now anyway."
Xander chuckled darkly, "You still haven't I'm afraid."
Sapphire tilted her head to the side, "Being human, or having humanity isn't necessarily anything to do with species. There are a lot of humans in the world that act more animalistic than even the puppies"
"Puppies!" Xander said incredulously.
"Yeah, like most males then lay on their back's when their belly is tickled." Sapphire said with a quirky grin.
Xander nodded then smiled evilly, "You try that with me and I'll tickle you right back. We'll see who end's up on their back"
Sapphire's eyes danced with humor, it was nice to flirt a little without having to do it to survive.
Her eyes flicked outside and her demeanor suddenly shifted back into the cool blond ice queen, "We're nearly there" she said in a hollow voice.
Xander felt her change, he had been gently probing her empathically for the entire conversation, not something he would normally do, but there was just something about her that screamed help me, a call that Xander had never been able to resist.
He made a snap decision, "Can you get away?"
Sapphire surveyed him through cool, dark blue eyes. "Possibly, why?"
Xander handed her a card, "Meet me here, I can get you out, tomorrow at eight pm" he said earnestly.
Sapphire laughed, "Sure you can, and in repayment, what a blow job. Sex slave?"
Xander shook his head, "What is it with women, they always think I want a sex slave!" Xander said with exasperation, "I get nothing out of this, except a reminder why I do what I do, and that it's not all about killing and death."
"We'll see" Sapphire said after a long moments silent contemplation, "We'll see"
Xander smiled as the car came to a smooth stop, "Is that a yes?"
Sapphire once again regarded him silently, for a long drawn out moment, until finally she nodded just once.
Then Xander smirked, "Besides, you never know you're luck I might be persuaded to tickle your belly"
Sapphire frowned for a second before her eyes started to dance and then finally she broke into laughter.
Just then, the door opened at her side and the suddenly grave looking chaffer motioned for them to exit the vehicle. He hadn't been able to hear what they had been saying to each other, and unluckily he hadn't used the bugged car that evening, but he was sure the boss wouldn't like to hear that his girl was flirting with this Muerte.
Xander stepped out of the long limo his coat swirling slightly in his wake. His eyes took in the surrounding area quickly, noticing that there seemed to be a high level of security. His beautiful travel companion walked forward, a click of heels on tarmac momentarily filled his too sensitive hearing until he automatically compensated. He looked up at the large building that looked to be almost medieval, but was most likely built back in the 1940's it had two tower like wings with a squat main building that made it look more cathedral than abode. A large circular stained glass window dominated the front of the building with floodlights pointing up the building to emphasize the lines of the stonework. All in all it was a striking building, and was as close to a fortress as you could get without actually looking like it really was. Camera's littered the building, but they were placed in such a way as to appear to be a minimalist covering, you had to REALLY look to see the extra camera's hidden away in bushes, ivy and gargoyles.
"Are you coming?" Sapphire asked, her voice cutting through his quite inspection.
Xander smiled warmly, "Of course, after you milady."
Myer's was a good looking man, with dark hair and intelligent brown eyes. He worked out hard and kept as in trim as he possibly could. The only sign of the attack he had once survived was a slight limp and the fact he always knew when it was going to rain from the pain in his hip. He wore horn rimmed glasses that matched his face shape perfectly and was outfitted in the latest male styles. In short he was a man about town. Rich son to an industrial millionaire he had inherited his fathers way with investment and had doubled his fathers inheritance and then tripled it. He wasn't the richest man in America, or even New York but he was up there in the top ten and that was a very exclusive place to be.
He was only known as Myers, his full name only known to his father and birth certificate. It was one of those things that just kind of get stuck. His father had called him that and then everybody had, then everybody called him it, or if they were a subordinate, Mr Myers. Though, frankly, he preferred to be called Master.
His intelligent eyes scanned the entranceway and hardened as he watched his girl walk in with a tall man dressed in black clothing, long coat, hair tousled and almost obsidian eyes. Despite the distance, that was first stuck Myer's about this man was, his black eyes. He allowed himself a slight smile, the guy had presence you had to give him that. However, he had also messed with his plans, the people he had saved had not only been food, they had been a payment of sorts to the Lycans and he could ill afford any trouble in the ranks with them just at this moment. Not when he was so close to his eventual goal.
This man, this Muerte was a relatively new player on the field, but a player that had made one hell of a name for himself. Some said he was some sort of vampire himself, other's said he was an angel, mostly the demons honestly thought of him as some sort of personified Death. He had taken out a vampire clan, an entire clan in just a scant handful of days. Destroyed their base of operations and ruined the network that had been painstakingly built up after centuries of patience. Myer's had no problems with that, he hated vampires, really hated them. Despise wouldn't be to hard of a word to use. Frankly he was glad of it, this Muerte was welcome to the stinking vermin. No. Myer's only had a problem when he started to fuck around in his playground.
That was the reason for this meet. He had an offer to make, Myer's hoped that Muerte was intelligent enough to take it, though he had his doubts.
Myer's placed a false smile onto his face and started to walk down the central stair case to join this Muerte and Myer's girlfriend. That way not only could he greet this Muerte he could find out what the hell they were talking to each other about and why Sapphire was actually smiling at the man.
As he neared the bottom, his lieutenant, Lomax stepped out of the shadows, and walked to the young man, "I'll need to search you" Lomax said gruffly.
"Sure" Xander said holding out his hands with a smile, "Feel free" he darted a glance at Sapphire, "Though I have to warn you, I'm ticklish"
Sapphire smirked slightly, then blanched as she saw Myer's expression darken drastically.
Xander noticed her expression change and looked at the man he had traveled to meet. As far as he could tell there was no demon, and he didn't have the feel he had learned to associate with the Lycans, which left a few options but the most worrying was that he was totally human.
"Hello" Myer's said switching back into his wide and charming smile with a flick of a mental switch, "Now should I call you Muerte, or is that Mr Harris"
Xander smiled, "Either Muerte if you're feeling dramatic or Xander if your not" he replied easily. As Lomax finished his patting down and search.
"He's clean boss" Lomax informed Myers, his London accent seemingly out of place, in the expensive American house.
"Really, I had heard that you're always armed with... what was it now, oh yeah, One Silver, One Gold Desert Eagle 50AE's, those vampires they are so melodramatic. Don't you think Mr Harris."
Xander's eyes narrowed, "They can be" he said his voice calm. But it seemed to him that this Myer's was trying to piss him off.
"Sapphire be a darling and go away" Myer's said eying her with dangerous intent. "People," her said emphasizing the word, ", have to talk grown up things."
Xander felt a most virulent dislike for the guy right then. He hadn't liked the sound of him before, but now, now he hated the man.
Myer's glared at Sapphire, waiting for her to do his bidding. Her head tilted downwards, and she started to walk up the stairs. Xander watched her go as did Myer's but Xander did notice that they weren't the only ones. Lomax was watching her go with a hungry expression in his eyes.
"I take it you've called me here for a reason?" Xander said, once she had left his voice sharp.
Myer's smiled charmingly, "Straight to business Mr Harris, that's a good trait to have, very useful. Okay then, I have an offer for you. I've seen the surveillance video from the warehouse, and i liked what I saw. It takes a special breed of man to face down that many Lycan's and come out alive. I need that sort of man on my team. It would be a shame to have to fight, when it would be so much more mutually beneficial to work together. After all, I've been reliably told that you HATE vampires, almost as much as I do"
"You hate vamps?" Xander asked mildly, his stance shifting slightly into what looked to be a relaxed one. Myer's seemed to relax as well and leaned against the stair handrail.
"Yes Mr Harris, I do. You see I was once brutally attacked by one, They are the reason that I can barely move when it rains, that I have so much pain in the mornings and why I can no longer go riding or jogging, which were things I liked to do."
"They killed someone close to you as well?" Xander asked.
"No, was what they did to me not enough?" Myer's asked pointing at his leg.
Xander frowned, "It's bad that's for sure" he said as noncommittally as he could. As far as he was concerned it was a reason to dislike them, but to hate them as vehemently as this man did for that made him selfish as hell in Xander's book.
"So what do you say Mr Harris, will you join us?"
"Why?" Xander asked, "Is there a particular reason that you want me?"
Myer's smiled, "Perhaps, but I could hardly tell you that now could I?"
Xander smirked. "Fair enough, can I have some time to think about it at least?"
Myer's eyed him carefully then smiled widely, "Of course"
Xander smiled back, "Then I think we're done here for now don't you gentlemen?"
Myer's nodded, "I look forward to working with you, if you decide on the only sensible solution of course"
Xander smiled and started to back away, "I'll call the car round" Lomax said moving to do that.
"No need, I'll find my own way back" Xander said with a wide charming smile. He knew that he was playing a dangerous game, but frankly if he didn't get away from Myer's soon he was going to personally rip the fuckers head off.
"Alright then, suit yourself" Lomax replied walking with Xander to the door and seeing him out.
Myer's stayed exactly where he was, watching Xander go with hard eyes. Once Lomax returned to him he leaned towards him, "Contact Frost, tell him I'll owe him one if he removes this Muerte, right now, as in tonight"
Lomax smiled widely, "I reckon he'll jump at the chance"
"Good, I tire of death" Myer's said with a wry smile, "Now if you'll excuse me my good friend, I have to deal with Sapphire. She was being far to friendly with him don't you think?"
Lomax nodded, "The driver told me that they were right chummy on the way over"
"Did he say what they chatted about?"
"Nope, couldn't 'ere' them"
"Oh, talking of the driver, feed him to the troops. He was supposed to bring him here, not pimp my girlfriend" Myer's said with flashing eyes.
Xander walked a short way down the road, once he decided he was far enough away he contacted Kasi.
"Kasi come in"
"Yes Xander"
"Where are you"
"I am currently the other side of the park from your position" she informed him.
Xander nodded thinking, "Okay, i need to blow of some steam and it's been a while since I cleared the park. I'll meet you the other side in a couple of hours, if that alright my darling?"
"Of course" Kasi said, her voice sounding more silky than usual. Revving her engine slightly and causing a passer by to suddenly jump away from the sleek sports car, "Whenever you want me Xander, you only have to call"
"Now, that's a leading thing to say to guy" Xander chuckled back at her. "I'll see you soon"
"Yeah Mr Frost I can do that. Central Park West you say, yeah I'm there right now actually. You want me and the boys... Okay, coolness, I can't wait... Yeah Sandra that's the one, she's hot... You will, thanks Mr Frost, I won't let you down" Cyrus flipped his slender phone shut with a huge smile on his face. He turned to the others in his little team and let out a chuckle.
"What's up Cyrus?" Angus, his aide decamp, asked smiling like a loon despite the fact he had no idea why.
"That was Mr Frost, he's got a sweet little job for us"
"What's that?" one of the other ten vampires asked.
"We've got a hit contract to take out, apparently he was spotted walking into the park and apparently he's unarmed." Cyrus said still smiling widely. "Should be cushy, he'll pass right by us in about ten minutes"
"Coolness, what shall we do Cyrus?" another asked.
"hide you monkey's butt then jump him"
"What's he look like"
Cyrus chuckled, "Long black coat, black eyes, Gothic look"
Angus gulped, "You don't mean...."
"I fucking do" Cyrus said, "Just think, we'll be the vampires to take out the famous Muerte, catch him with his pants down" Cyrus showboated for a moment, "We'll be the ones that get the fame and all the women we could ever want. I'll bet Deacon Frost would have us as his right hand team. So come on, hide, then let's get him when he goes past."
The vampire's all cheered their agreement, then slunk off into the trees setting their trap.
Xander walked carefully through central park his ears listening as much as he was able to tell him if there were any tell tale signs of vampires. Screams being a good indication, but not the best. It wouldn't be the first time, he'd nearly staked a mugger or another generally nasty human type.
He walked one of the many paths that meandered through New Yorks, green park. The night was strangely still, with very little wind rustling the trees and Xander's breath fogged out in front of him in the light of the street lamps.
The first sign of trouble he had was a whistling of wind passing his ear. It was, however, enough of a warning to get him to drop down and spin round. His foot flashing up and round in an arc that intersected with the airborne body of a vampire. The kick sent the vampire off of course and slamming into a nearby tree cracking branches and bones in the process.
"Get him" came a cry from the trees and Xander looked around in a circle, watching as vampires, the meatpacking vampires as he called them, came out of their shelter. There looked to be about 12 including the one he had just sent flying into a tree.
"Oh look boys' it's Muerte" the leader said stepping forward cockily.
Xander's eyes started to darken, if such a thing were possible. A slow evil smile starting to form on his face.
"And look, he's not got that glowing pig sticker or those pretty guns. So nice of him to come here unarmed for us, wasn't it boys" Cyrus continued strutting around Xander in a circle.
The vampires dutifully tittered causing Xander to roll his now jet black eyes. "What makes you think I'm unarmed?" Xander asked bending and retrieving one of the daggers that was styled into the decoration on his boots. It was ankh shaped, the ankh that was now his trademark. He stood fluidly and with a snick of metal the ankh split into two cross shaped knives. "Cause this looks armed to me."
Cyrus sneered, "What's a knife going to d..." he stopped talking as one of the knives embedded itself into his chest. He exploded into flame with the O shaped on his lips, giving him a comically surprised expression. Xander flipped the other blade in his hand smiling the entire time as he watched the others suddenly start to shift nervously.
Angus looked at the empty place where his leader had been and then at Xander, his eyes suddenly became insane. "You killed Cyrus you bastard!"
Xander chuckled, "So who's next?"
The vampires glanced at each other and rushed him all at the same time. Due to the fact he was surrounded by them, Xander was about to be smeared across the pavement, but at the last moment he jumped high into the air, twisting and flipping at the apex of the jump and landed behind Angus.
The vampires smacked into each other at speed and landed in a heap on the floor.
"I love doing that" Xander commented as he reached into the air beside him, pulling out one of his massive automatic pistols. He calmly pointed it at the back of Angus and caressed the trigger.
"Night night" he said as he gave the final tug sending a slug of compressed Silver Nitrate, (Blessed) straight into Angus's back.
The effect it had on him was impressive, as was the effect the blessed silver had on the three vampires in front of him as the fluid sprayed out of his body and slashed theirs apart. There was a large flaming explosion from the four vampires dusting almost at the same time. The flames having the effect that they always did on Vampires the remaining vampires went up in a towering inferno for a glimpse of time.
Once it died down Xander smirked, "Fuck me, I like these new rounds!"
"I was your death
I wont forget it
When you took your last breath
I didn't feel it
When they stole your will
I wasn't there
High upon the hill
Now all I can do is stare
I stare upon your grave
For the life I couldn't save
The memories you gave
I know one day will fade
I will see the years pass
But I know you have seen your last
I can't forgive me
It will always torture my soul"
(Lilli - 2004)
"Phoebe, I don't think this is going to work" Tegan said with a sigh.
Phoebe giggled slightly, "You're kidding right, I know it seems childish, but it's every mans dream"
"yeah, but this is Xander, he's been around a bit, you know. Anyway, despite her unusual coyness I think Iz did something like this"
"huh, him and Iz hey?" Phoebe said smiling slightly, "Didn't see that one coming. I knew there was something going on between him and Bel, but not Iz"
Tegan snorted, "Him and all of us Phoebe, but that's beside the point. Going after Xander like this could end up turning the tables on you and end up with you flat on your back sweaty tired and wondering what the hell just happened, and not caring because it felt SO good"
"Can you pass me that stocking" Phoebe said, "I don't know what else to do. I figure this'll give him a bit of a scare, but it won't work unless you help"
"I'll help, but it won't work anyway" Tegan said.
Pheoeb stood up after slipping on her stockings, "Can you help me with this Basque thing?" then she paused, "Hang on, you and Xander, I thought you were into women?"
"Xander's different" Tegan said quietly.
"Hmm, anyway, ready?" Phoebe asked shrugging on the black silk shirt she had purloined.
Tegan looked down at her clothes, or rather lingerie and chuckled slightly, "Oh yeah, but I'm telling you the only thing that's going to happen here is that you end up getting laid."
Phoebe laughed, "We'll see, come on before he goes out again"
"Oh no, he won't be going out today, Iz and I need to talk to him"
"So, you'll have a captive prisoner then won't you" Phoebe said with an mischievous glint in her eye. "Anyway, I don't know what you're so worried about, it's not like I don't know how to control a man. Whatever else he is, he's still male" Phoebe said airily.
Tegan let out a guffaw of laughter, "Oh he's male alright; Very male"
Pheoeb looked at her, "Really?"
"Oh hell yeah, he's" Tegan told her holding her hands out at distance that made Phoebe cock an eyebrow at her. "I shit you not"
"Hmmm," Phoebe said her eyes glazing slightly, then she shook herself, "But that's beside the point, it won't get THAT far."
"Uh huh" Tegan said with plenty of disbelief.
"How do I look?" Phoebe said in a moment of sudden self doubt.
Tegan smiled lascivious, "Pretty damn hot."
Phoebe beamed at her, "Thanks, you look edible yourself, come on let's get this done." She stepped forward almost breaking her ankle in the process, "Damn these things are high, I think I'm getting a nose bleed."
Tegan laughed, "Don't look at me, they are Iz's. Just keep your back straight and you'll be fine. They really do it for your legs by the way, I'M starting to drool!"
"Thanks, that green really brings out your hair and eyes, he'll be panting for it. I'm telling you this will be a snap." Phoebe said clicking her fingers as she said it. "We'll get him worked up, then I tie him up and boom leave him there for a day, give him time to reflect on his actions" Phoebe said with an evil smile.
"If you get him hot, you'll end up fucking him, I guarantee it!" Tegan told her.
Phoebe just smiled, "Ye of little faith!" she said turning on her heel and leaving the room.
Tegan smiled as she followed Phoebe out of the door eying her swinging hips, at the very least this would cheer up Xander and she was sure as hell going to enjoy herself.
Xander opened his eyes reluctantly, the last few days had been hectic and frankly he was very tired. Luckily he'd managed to get a fairly early night, the rounds that Max had made for him and proved to be highly effective against vampires, and luckily he had not had to use them on any Lycans. All in all whilst not exactly a quiet night it had been an early one.
Xander looked across the room and blinked owlishly at the vision he saw there.
Tegan was standing at the end of the bed, but she wasn't alone, she was kissing Phoebe passionately, as Phoebe kissed her back with equal passion. They were both dressed for bed, and not in pajama's. Phoebe was wearing a black Basque, stockings and she looked to be at least 6 inches taller than normal, and the fact was that Tegan was not much shorter. She was wearing a matching set but in forest green that matched her eyes and made her hair even more flaming red than usual.
Xander's jaw dropped then he shook his head and blinked a few more times, "This dream again" he said sleepily, "I'm gonna have such a wood in the morning." he commented and rolled onto his side and drew the covers over his head.
Phoebe broke the kiss with a soft laugh, "Told you it was every mans dream!" she said.
Tegan started reach for her with a slightly glazed expression until she caught herself, 'Damn, good kisser' she thought with an inward smile. "So what now?"
"We wake him" Phoebe said moving over to the side of the bed and tugging the covers away from Xander's face. "huh" she said.
"What?" Tegan said moving to the other side of the bed and slipping onto it.
"He looks so peaceful" Phoebe commented, "When he's awake he looks... I dunno, but not peaceful"
Tegan smiled softly at the back of Xander's head, reaching out and running her finger's through his hair. "He's got issues." she said simply.
Phoebe smiled then leaned over, flashing her cleavage at Tegan and laying a soft kiss onto Xander's lips.
As Tegan enjoyed the view, Xander's arm came up out of the covers and snaking round Phoebe's neck holding her down and still asleep he kissed her back.
"Hmm" Phoebe said as he kissed her, then snapping back to reality she pulled gently out of his grip. Blinking hard, "Woah!"
Tegan chuckled softly, "Tell me about it and he's not awake yet!" she told the younger woman, "I'm telling you, no in fact I'm warning you. You're biting off more than you can chew here. Back out now or suffer the consequences."
Phoebe sneered in a good humored way, "Yeah right. Look I'm not a simpering virgin, I have don this sort of thing before" she smiled wistfully, then evilly, "In fact I've done it a few."
"Sound's like a story" Tegan commented. "But he's not like the other men you've tried this with. We did tell you about the empathy thing right"
"Huh, yeah sure" Phoebe said distractedly as she worked out a plan of action, "But I kind of need him awake or it won't be the same."
Tegan just shrugged, "Okay, I warned you. You want him awake, I'll get him up" she said an evil smile of her own spreading across her face.
"Great, go for it." Phoebe said walking around the bed and sliding along side Tegan in a provocative fashion. Her hand resting on Tegan's naked thigh, one stocking clad leg slung over Tegan's likewise clad leg.
Tegan wet her lips and leaned into Xander's body, her lips just brushing against his earlobe. Her hand snaked under the covers causing Phoebe's eyes to widen as she saw where Tegan had placed her hand. Then squeezing gently she whispered into Xander's ear, "Xander ... Oh Xander wake up, fuck me Xander, I need you now." she paused the said "Please" in a long drawn out sigh.
Xander's eyes flickered slightly, "Tegan?" he asked turning his head and slowly opening his eyes, "I was just dreaming about you... Holy Shit!" he said jumping back a bit. "Fuck it I'm still asleep" he muttered to himself.
Tegan gave him another squeeze, with a little movement, just to remind him that he was in fact awake. "No you're not Xan, you're awake"
"Phoebe, what are you doing here?" he asked blearily, like he still couldn't quite believe he was awake. "And did I see you kissing 'Gan?" he asked with a slight frown, like he couldn't quite remember if it was real or not.
Phoebe didn't answer by speaking, instead she slid round so that she was straddling Tegan and claimed her lips in a scorching kiss which seemed to drag on for a long time. Once it broke Tegan smiled. "Seems I've suddenly got my hands full" she commented licking her lips.
Phoebe smiled down at her then sat back on her haunches before moving the leg nearest Xander in a slow seductive display as she slung it over his form. Then she shifted slowly and sexily across from Tegan to Xander, her body not loosing contact with either of them. Once her body had settled on Xander her eyes widened and she smiled in an erotic fashion. 'Damn, she wasn't kidding' she thought wickedly to herself, grinding slightly against him. She caught herself and shook her head slightly. Tegan smiled a secret smile as she saw Xander's eyes lock with Phoebe's for a moment.
She watched very carefully, waiting for that moment when it all became instinctive.
Phoebe looked down into Xander's too dark eyes, and watched his pupils dilate with desire, her own body starting to react to it. She admonished herself, sure, she found the guy attractive but this was about a little bit of payback. First the payback, then... well who knows what would happen in the future. "I want to play a little game." she said huskily.
Tegan cocked a brow, so far she was impressed. Phoebe seemed to be holding out pretty well. Then she frowned slightly, of course she might actually be immune, that was possible. She was after all a potentially powerful witch, not that any of Tegan's experiments with Phoebe had been able to coax out any of that power. Which, was weird in itself.
"What?" Xander asked his voice low and throbbing with the low current of sexual desire.
Phoebe ground against him again, without thought, as she pulled herself upright and reached behind her. There she grabbed the silk handkerchief's that she had tucked there and brandished them. Her hips rocking against Xander's mid-section.
Tegan almost laughed, she was sure that not even Phoebe knew that she was doing it, but judging by Xander's expression he sure as hell did. His eyes had that burning look that she had come to associate with his desire peeking. She had made a bit of a study of this effect he had on women, even her and the other members of the trio. After some discussion she had realized that it was one, totally unconscious and not only depended on him being attracted to the woman in question, but the woman had to find him attractive as well. Without that second dose of lust as it were it didn't work. Another reason why he hadn't been successful at first with her friend with the tongue piercing.
It was a feedback loop. The Hornier he got the hornier the woman got, and that just feed the power in the loop over and over again until it was almost uncontrollable. He certainly didn't know he was doing it. But as cruel as it sounded she had experimented slightly, and had found that if the woman, namely her in that case, showed any sign of discomfort or unwillingness to continue the loop was broken. Since she had discovered this and talked to Xander about it he had been able to 'block' it as it were, but the loop still built up, he just killed his side of it. Anything else wasn't really up to him or within his control. So it was actually kinda amusing to watch the once protesting Phoebe start the feedback all by herself.
Phoebe smiled down at Xander once again catching his eye, at some point the covers seemed to have ridden down and his bare chest and down just past his waist were no uncovered showing highly defined muscle. Phoebe's spare hand reached out and traced across the powerful build.
Then Xander's hands slid up her thighs from her knee, and up to her waist. Phoebe's eyes glazed over with wanton lust and the next thing she knew she was kissing Xander with reckless passion. As Tegan watched, almost laughing Phoebe dropped the silk items on the floor her hand dipping down between Xander and her bodies, reaching for and claiming his stiffening manhood. Her gasp did things for Xander's ego and her smile did even more.
"Oh wow, baby, where ya been hiding that" she said in a throaty voice, breaking the kiss for only as long as it took to say those words. Her tongue plunged back into Xander's mouth, entwining with his and slithering in an ancient dance.
With a smile of satisfaction, Tegan slid over the bed a ways her hand reaching and touching Phoebe's leg just above the line of her stockings, her cool hand on Phoebe's heated thigh. She wet her lips, her emerald eyes seeming to almost glow with desire.
Phoebe broke her kiss with Xander with a slow popping sound, her tongue darting to lick his lip playfully, then she looked at Tegan's hand then she slowly traced her eyes up Tegan's white stocking clad leg, across her lacy Basque and finally brown eyes met green and time hung still for a moment, stretching out with heart pounding intensity, then with a sultry smile Phoebe ran her hand down her own body, briefly pausing, cupping and squeezing her own breasts before running down to join Tegan's hand, she paused for a moment and Tegan held her breath. This was the moment of truth, either she would or she wouldn't, she almost smiled as Phoebe's hand ran up her arm and down to her breast before she leaned across and claimed Tegan's lips in a scorching kiss.
Xander blinked again, and if not from the obvious heat from Phoebe's body he would have to pinch himself. He watched the two women kissing passionately for a few moments. This wasn't the first time he'd seen women kissing, but hell if this didn't seem hotter somehow. It was obvious that Tegan was into Phoebe in a big was as well, just from the way she was throwing herself into the kiss.
Xander shifted slightly under Phoebe, his hardness reminding her what she was sat on and she moaned low in her throat in an erotic noise that caused his cock to jerk. Which, then caused her to moan louder.
His eyes molten Xander moved a hand from her waist and stroked it down her leg, slowly down to the knee and then even more slowly he traced it back up the inside of the thigh. Her body was quivering from the intensity of the desire flowing through her at that moment, shivering as if from cold, but in fact she was hotter than ever.
Tegan's hand caught Phoebe's hand as it rested on her breast and joined it with hers, fingers interlaced as she palpated her own breast, phoebes finger's adding to the thrill and making her moan into the brunettes mouth.
Then Phoebe let out a long drawn out groan as Xander's hand reached it's final destination and rubbed her pussy gently with the flat of his and pressing hard between her legs, his thumb teasing the lace that lay just above her clitoris. Her pussy became wet with desire, her nipples already hard were now almost painfully so.
Xander cupped Phoebe's pussy gradually working the lacy of her panties to one side to come in contact with her moist heat, his thumb flicking across her clitoris, as his other hand reached up and pulled the Basque away from one breast, he sat up and pulled a nipple into his mouth and both bite gently down and sucked hard.
Phoebe broke her kiss from Tegan much to the other womans disappointment as she suddenly let out a long drawn out sigh of, "Ohhhhh Gooooooddddddd" her head lolled onto Tegan's shoulder as she almost sighed, "Yeeesssss"
Tegan growled low in her throat, not out of annoyance, but out of sheer arousal. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment as she listened to Phoebes quickened breathing and the small sounds of titillation coming from the brunettes throat. "Hmmm," she hummed her spare hand tracing the top of her thigh with just her nails. The only sound in the room was Xander's sucking, Phoebe's soft expirations of pleasure and the rasp of painted nail on white nylon. Tegan moved her hand between her thighs when the tension was too high and cupped her own moistness, her fingers pushed aside her panties and she rubbed a finger between her hot, wet labia, the folds of sensitive skin encasing her finger now slick with her juices.
Phoebe's eyes snapped open at the small wet noises coming from Tegan and looked down. She caught her lip between her teeth sighing in want as she watched Tegan pleasure herself. Then she moved round slightly forcing Xander to change position as she twisted to rest on her knees her pert backside pointing directly at Xander. She traced her hand up the inside of Tegan's toned leg causing the redhead's eyes to snap open and fix on hers. Then her hand seemed to ask permission at the very top of Tegan's thigh. Tegan licked her kiss swollen lips and her eyelids dropped a slow smile twisting her lips into a sexy pouting look.
"Do you want to touch me Phoebe" she purred, her hand moving slightly faster against her slick folds.
Phoebe moaned, her heated gaze never moving from Tegan's self ministrations. Xander watched them, gently rubbing Phoebe's pussy most of his concentration on the game being played out between the two women. He shifted slightly to get a better view and essentially settled back to enjoy the show.
Tegan smiled in a self satisfied way and continued her slow rubbing movements, her labia now glinting with moisture. "Would you like to slid a finger into my hot, dripping pussy?" she asked, then slipped her finger into her vagina, letting out a gasp. Her emerald eyes jewel like in their intensity.
Phoebe smiled slightly, watching Tegan finger herself slowly with deliberately evocative movements. The red heads pale skin flushed and becoming red beneath her hand. The skin of her chest between her breasts flaming with pulsing blood.
Tegan sighed, "Well would you?" she asked, speeding up.
Phoebe then really smiled, and evilly, "No" she breathed, "I want to do this" she said moving forward, one hand pushing Tegan back strongly, causing the red head to fall backwards slightly, her head lolling over the edge of the bed. Her hand moving away from her pussy. Then Phoebe moved down and forwards her mouth covering the entirety of Tegan's intimate parts. Her tongue lapped the outer labia, drawing one into her mouth where she sucked on it, hard.
"Oh fuck!" Tegan exclaimed surprised as hell but the sensations running around her body worth the shock tenfold. "Oh baby YES!" she yelped as Phoebe's tongue flicked across her Clitoris before she French kissed Tegan's pussy, her tongue delving deeply into the other woman's vagina.
It was Xander's turn to growl, causing Tegan to raise her head slightly, so she could look at him, "Come here, now" she ordered her voice hoarse, "I... Oh god... Want... OHHHH AHHH Fuck." she paused, apparently trying to get her thought back as Phoebe's tongue swirled around inside of her body. "cock, want cock, fuck my mouth Xander" she managed in a rush.
Phoebe groaned at her words, imagining what it would be like to suck on him. She liked girls, but she preferred to drive stick. She felt Xander's hands leave her body, and felt the loss keenly,he had been expertly rubbing her pussy just the way she liked it. The heat from his hands had left a burning after image on her skin. She consoled herself by using a finger to gently tickle the base of Tegan's now soaked pussy.
Xander walked around the bed, he was already naked from his night asleep, now his rigid manhood stood out proudly from his body. He looked over at Phoebe to see that she had switched tactics again and was kitty licking with the flat of her tongue up and down Tegan's labia, her eyes fixed on his cock with such a hungry intensity that he nearly dived back over the bed and tore her off of Tegan and fucked her raw then and there. He didn't, he knew his turn would come and then so would she. That, he promised himself. So he continued round the bed until he came level with Tegan's upside down head, where he saw that same intense look in Tegan's eyes. Her emerald regard if anything made him even harder then he thought possible. She licked her lips enticingly her hands leaving Phoebe's hair and reaching up and taking a hold of his cock.
Tegan growled again as she felt the steely hardness of Xander in her soft palm. She ran her hands gently down the sides of his cock watching as the skin moved, just for a moment enjoying the sheer manliness of the guy whose cock she had in her hands. Then she gripped harder with one hand while the other hand moved down to the base and cupped his balls in a gentle grip.
Xander's eyes closed as he felt Tegan's hand start to move rhythmically up and down his shaft, twisting her grip as she did so. For someone that hadn't slept with a man in several hundred years, she saw knew how to give a hand job. Her speed slowly increasing until he started to buck into her grip slightly.
Tegan smiled smugly and then without warning angled Xander's cock into her mouth and sucked as hard as she could, the slurping noise she made almost, but not quite covered Xander's "Fuck yes"
Phoebe's eyes snapped back up to Xander's cock as it slipped between Tegan's red lips her pussy seemed to pulse as she watched Tegan slurping on the man that had saved her. Her own hand somehow found its way down to her dripping sex and a finger slipped into her pussy. The sight was just so damn erotic.
Tegan's hands moved round Xander's body and cupped his toned butt, pulling him closer to her and forcing more of his shaft into her mouth. She shifted slightly her tongue tracing lazy pattens on the underside of his manhood and arched her back. Once in position, she pulled even harder forcing him deep into her mouth and her throat, sucking like his cock was the last oxygen in the world. Then continuing to suck she let him move backwards.
As she did that Xander's eyes opened and an utterly stunned expression was in his eyes as Tegan licked around the helmet of his cock and then sucking so hard he felt his brains start to shift south. "Oh god fuck Tegan, Jesus" he managed to grind out in a low hum.
Tegan chuckled sexily, having the effect of humming against his cock and causing him to moan out in pleasure. As she did that Phoebe slipped two finger's into Tegan's molten heat and started to slide them in and out, making Tegan moan and once again it hummed against Xander's cock.
"Oh g... 'Gan, , fucking .... s ... k my cock" Xander ground out too far into the pleasure zone to be very legible. And Tegan's constant teasing of his shaft with her tongue was only driving him deeper into Neanderthal land.
Phoebe hummed a laugh into Tegan's pussy causing the other women to jerk with pleasure her already tortured body being driven to higher levels of pleasure as Phoebe expertly worked her clitoris with her tongue and her fingers pistoned deeply into her vagina.
"Tegan" Xander said almost clearly, "too hard, oh god, let off a bit" he ground out through sheer strength of will. The fact that Phoebe's eyes were still glued to Tegan's fellatio of him was not helping his control much, her eyes were Burning and it was more than sexy it was out the other side. "'Gan, FUCK! 'Gan, loosing it"
Phoebe let out a spine melting moan of desire her tongue stilling its motion for a moment, but her fingers still moved and twisted inside of Tegan's sex playing hr like a violin. "Make him come Tegan, PLEEEAASSSEEE make him come for me" she drew out her entire body seemed to be trembling for the sight.
Tegan moaned and sucked harder, taking notice of Phoebe instead of Xander.
Xander's eyes flickered closed for a second and he actually swayed on his feet with the intensity of that suck. The wet noises emanating from where Tegan's hot mouth melded to his cock almost sending right over the edge. Phoebe didn't dip her head again, instead she locked her eyes onto Xander's her eyes wild as passion and excitement mixed into a heady cocktail of desire.
"Xander" she said her voice a purr from the devil herself.
Xander focus on her as she licked her lips slowly, "I'm going to fuck you" she said her voice soft, eyes molten, chest heaving and fingers pulsating into Tegan's pussy. "I want to you to fuck me. Fuck me so hard I'll scream, I want you to make me come" she continued in that same silky voice.
Tegan moaned around Xander's cock at Phoebe's erotic words, the images in her mind setting her further aflame. "You'll feel me Pulsing, Shivering and Shuddering around your cock, my hot pussy clamped around your Cock" she made her lips in to a sinful shape as she said the final word, "until you blow, then I'll blow you till your hard again and we'll go again. And again, and again" he breathing sped with each repetition, "and again, oh fuck i swear I can feel it already."
Xander's face was now a mask of concentration, he was so close now almost embarrassingly so, if not for the two amazingly sexy women in the room with him. No man could be expected to last with them, not for long. He was however determined not to loose control, to maintain some semblance of dignity at least for a while longer and he longed to push into Phoebe's sex for the first time, to feel those slick lips hold him in their vice like embrace, to watch her face as she took him in That almost heavenly expression of beauty that women had at that moment. He would last at least until then. That is if Tegan ever stopped for a breath. "Oh god Tegan"
"Hmmm, she's good isn't she" Phoebe said pushing harder into Tegan's pussy and making the older woman moan out around Xander's cock, taking him deeper at the same time with a slight gagging noise.
"Fuck!" Xander managed pulling Tegan forcibly off of his shaft before he totally lost it. Much to Phoebes amusement if her throaty chuckle was any indication.
Phoebe's eyes lit up and she shuffled down Tegan's body, placing her moistness directly over Tegan's mouth before she had chance to complain of Xander's swift exit. "Fine; if you didn't do it... My turn" she said as Tegan's mouth latched onto her pussy sucking her clit hard.
Her eyes half closed and she pouted sexily before ducking her head and taking Xander's cock into her mouth. Tegan slid back up the bed slightly, letting her dip down lower and Phoebe took advantage of that by wrapping her hand round the base of Xander's cock and holding on tightly.
Xander's eyes closed as her tongue traced the line at the crown of his penis round to the back, flicking across the join there and then pursing her lips and pushing the head of his penis to rest on them. Then she pushed slightly, parting her lips and taking him painstakingly slowly into her mouth.
Tegan's tongue flicked out and lapped her juices from her heated sex and made her moan around Xander's cock and dip her head lower.
Xander was about to try to remove her, despite the amazing feelings she was causing, lest he loose control; and then Phoebe seemed to loose whatever control she had left. Her spare hand reaching out and clamping painfully onto Xander's buttock, her nails leaving lines of blood as her head started to bob up and down his now slick shaft.
"Fuck!" Xander squeaked out as he felt the room start to dim.
Phoebe's moaning was now almost continuous and highly erotic. Her hand was working the base of his cock as the other held him in place. Her mouth was clamped around his hard shaft her tongue whirling around the head of his cock with almost painful intensity, before pushing down till he hit the back of her throat and the sucking her way back up twisting her head as she did so.
"Gonna come!" Xander said pulling slightly on Phoebes hair. But it was no good at all, in fact it just made her try harder, the intensity of her suck that much more intense, her hand moving that Little bit faster. Xander;s knees felt week, his mind was on fire and he felt the wave that signaled the loss of his control started to crash through his defenses.
"Oh fuck oh god oh fuck Phoebe fuck!" he ground out his hips starting to buck.
She smiled around his cock, writhing her pussy against Tegan's mouth and fucking him with her mouth.
"FUUUUUUCCCCKKKKK!" Xander roared finally loosing control completely.
Phoebe felt his release hitting the back of her throat and continued to suck, her own body pulsating with his orgasm as Tegan's tongue probed her pussy. A finger suddenly ticked her rectum the shock of the move sending her into her own ecstatic chasm of bliss with a frightening suddenness. Her mouth let go of Xander and she actually screamed with the intensity of it before trailing off into a low growling moan.
Virtually purring Phoebe smiled a cat that's got the canary smile before running her tongue down Xander's till semi hard shaft and gently sucking on his cock head, draining the last drop out of him. She felt wanton, wanted and she loved every single moment of it.
Tegan let out a lascivious moan from her position between Phoebe's legs her lips wet with the other womans orgasm.
Xander smiled in what could only be described as a naughty way, "Seems poor old Tegan's been left out." he commented, pulling Phoebe away from Tegan's questing tongue.
Tegan let out a growl of frustration that was silenced when she looked up and saw Xander's now only semi hard cock above her head. She reached for it, but Xander moved away, Phoebe clamping her legs around Xander to stay up.
Phoebe and Xander's eyes locked for a moment, Phoebe licking her lips saucily.
"Hey" Tegan said from below them.
The two just smiled at each other, but Xander moved around to the side of the bed with Phoebe going along for the ride.
Tegan was just starting to sit up when Xander suddenly put down Phoebe and literally leapt on her pinning her to the bed. He looked down into her shocked emerald gaze his eyes smoldering. Phoebe perched on the side of the bed, crossing one toned leg over the other with a slither of material.
Tegan looked up into the inky depths of Xander's smoky look her heart suddenly pounding in her chest. She had seen that look before, she was always very excited to see that look there.
He just hung above her like that for a moment, driving up the heat of the moment until it was furnace hot.
"Oh god" Tegan whimpered as Xander's head dipped down and started to trail kisses around her collar bone. "The things you do to me boy!" she said with awe in her voice as she felt her legs start to shake slightly with excitement, she felt Xander's hands on her waist, the heat she felt emanating from there.
Xander chuckled a low rumble in his chest, "Oh... 'Gan, the things I'm GOING to do to you..." he told her kissing his way up her neck to her jawline and then capturing her lips in a fiery kiss.
Phoebe looked at the two, seeing that there was definite sparkage between them and a certain familiarity with each other's body. She could possibly leave the room at this point, but then that really wasn't her style. She slipped along the bed, moving down so she was closer to Tegan's head, waiting for Xander to move out of the way.
When he did she replaced his lips with hers and kissed the redhead almost before she had a chance to catch her breath. Phoebe's hand reached into Tegan's fiery locks and tangled in their silken embrace as Xander kissed his way down the redheads lithe body.
"Oh gooooooodddddd!!" Tegan breathed as Phoebe let her breath for a moment, "Damn but you're once hell of a kisser" she complimented her.
"Thanks" Phoebe said a sultry smile playing across her lips, "You're pretty damn fine yourself."
Tegan's eyes glazed and she sucked in a scarlet red lip between her perfectly white teeth as Xander kissed his way up and down her thighs. She was throbbing with desire at this point, her pussy was molten with moist desire.
Phoebe's eyes became even smokier as she watched the auburn haired woman's eyes flutter to a close as Xander's tongue flicked across her labia. He then repositioned himself properly between her legs and moved his tongue around her lips in a circular motion, his tongue slick with her juices.
Phoebe cupped the smaller woman's breast in her hand and slipped the material of her Basque over the soft creamy flesh. Tegan's lust darkened nipple flicking to stand upright and drawing her eye. Phoebe licked her lips and moved her head forward her hair falling down and tickling Tegan's flesh. Her tongue flicked out and lapped a the hardened nub of flesh before sucking it in between her lips and gently sucking on it.
Xander's hand trailed up Tegan's inner thigh and then down again rolling one hold up stocking down to just above her knee. Then he did the same the other side, all the time his tongue flicking a tattoo on her labia, never entering her vagina, instead teasing her gently towards bliss.
"Oh fuck" Tegan whispered into Phoebe's hair, her hand coming up to cup the brunette's head and tangle with her hair, drawing her downwards harder to her breast as Phoebe rhythmically sucked her nipple. Tegan suddenly let out a yelp like gasp as Phoebe bit her nipple playfully before her hands wandered over to the other breast and freed it, pinching the nipple between her fingers Phoebe felt Tegan suddenly buck under her, turning her head to one side she continued to suck on Tegan's nipple whilst toying with the other. Her eyes locked on Xander who was sucking Tegan's clit as his hand pushed two finger's into her heat over and again pumping her solidly, but not too roughly. Giving the redhead the perfect amount of pressure to tease out pleasure just below pain, sharp in it's intensity and erotic in the extreme.
"Ah, oh, ah, Jesus fuck" Tegan grunted as she was pleasured dually from the two attractive people.
Phoebe kept her eyes locked with Xander who was giving her such an erotic look her legs were entwining around themselves snakelike with a rasp of material. Tegan's breathing was becoming heavier as she built towards an orgasm of titanic proportion. She knew it, and they knew it. Tegan was hotter than hell and having far to much pleasure for it to be legal.
Xander was harder than ever, his hand still moving in and out of Tegan's hot tightness with slight wet slaps his mouth clamped around her clit sucking and flicking his tongue across the ultra sensitive flesh there and driving Tegan into a frenzy. Her head was thrashing from side to side as conscious her mind seemed to leave her body totally. Phoebe's hot mouth was bringing her to the brink let alone what Xander was doing with his tongue. "Fuck, love it baby" she panted. "Do thing ... tongue" she managed, her legs bending at the knee to give him better access as the lolled to the side.
Xander smiled as he disengaged from her sensitive clitoris with a soft wet pop and slowed his masturbation of her. Phoebe was still looking at him with that or so erotic look and he took a moment to lick his lips at her and flick his eyes down her black lace, silk and nylon clad body, she was every mans wet dream dressed like that and her body seemed to have been designed for seduction.
Phoebe let Tegan's nipple slip out of her mouth with another wet pop causing the redhead to growl in frustration. "I want to see" she said her voice nothing more than a throaty purr that made Xander's hard cock twitch.
He didn't say a thing, he didn't need to. He knew that the Trio loved it when he 'Did that thing with his tongue' as they called it. He slowly lowered his head and nuzzled his nose against Tegan's pussy causing her to moan in anticipation and allowing him to inhale her scent. Then he placed his hands under her buttocks and lifted slightly. His arm muscles bulged and his chest tightened for Phoebe's viewing pleasure, and pleasure she got.
Then he 'kissed' Tegan's pussy. Literally kissed it, with tongue included before lifting slightly and running his tongue down either outer labia which made Tegan shudder and moan a little louder. Then he moved his tongue round in a circular motion flicking it into her pussy when it hit 6 o clock before twirling it round again, keeping as much contact as he could and his tongue slick with spit and her juices. He kept doing that for a while and Tegan started to react, at first slowly, her hands letting go of phoebe all together, reaching for the sheets and twisting them into her grip, which tightened so the tendons in her arms showed clearly. Her back arched as Xander continued to twirl and dip, his tongue flicking the clit at 12 o clock and his hands gripping her buttocks in a strong grip. His head started to move as well, still in that circular motion and Tegan showed signs of extreme arousal, her blood raged through her body as he wound round and round.
Phoebe's eyes widened as the deceptively simple movement continued to drive Tegan wild, her back now lifted off of the bed, head draped backwards and mouth lolled open. Unintelligible groans came out of her mouth in a rush as Xander increased his speed.
"Yes" Tegan said, clearly and precisely, in a tone of voice that made Phoebe moan with desire and touch herself, a single digit slipping between slick folds.
"Yeessssssss" Tegan hissed "Oh GOD yes! ... ... ... Oh my god baby, FUCK! YYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS"
"Oh god" Phoebe groaned her own ministrations increasing, her other hand joining in as she propped herself in a position to be able to see and pleasure herself. She doubled the digits, two fingers inserting into her moist pussy while the other hand rubbed her clitoris round and round. A little like Xander's tongue was doing to Tegan.
Tegan's chest was flushed as befitted her porcelain complexion and it was heaving with the labored breaths as Xander's tongue pushed her upwards and onwards on the path to her orgasm. She knew it wouldn't be long now, her grip on the sheets increased, her back arched to almost popping distance and Xander just kept on doing what he did with his tongue.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck" Tegan sighed in a litany of desire.
"OhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHH!" Phoebe groaned out working her hands faster, her desire driving her to reckless speeds. The wet sounds of her progress causing Xander to redouble his efforts.
Tegan's world went black, sound roared through her ears, her body tensed, every single muscle in her body seemed to flex, defining her every curve as she came hard, her come wetting Xander's face. Her voice SCREAMED out her orgasm. Phoebe was driving straight over the edge when Xander locked eyes with her and licked his lips with the devil in his eye. She also let out a scream of pleasure coming round her own fingers more intensely than she had EVER before. Her eyes drooped and mouth gaped as her head lolled against Tegan's soft chest.
"Oh fuck" Phoebe whispered after a full minute of just listening to the almost silence of the room, just Xander's breath kept her company. That and the soft rise and fall of Tegan's chest, though it was so soft she couldn't hear the actual movement of breath. Her own heart was drowning it out.
"Fuck!" Pheoeb decided after another few moments.
Xander chuckled at her softly, looking at her propped up on one elbow still between Tegan's thighs.
Phoebe lifted her head, "What are you laughing at?" she asked, with a mild glare.
Xander's lips quivered but he didn't say a thing.
Phoebe turned to Tegan, "Are we going to let him laugh at me" she asked with a playful pout. Which turned to a frown as she didn't respond. "Tegan?"
"She's not in a position to reply right now." Xander said is voice a deep rumble of amusement.
"Why, what, how?"
"You like asking that don't you?" Xander said his eyes dancing with mirth and no small amount of lust.
Phoebe growled at him, "Okay wise guy, what happened?"
Xander shrugged, "I'm not sure, but it's the same sort of thing as my bite. The movement of my tongue set's up a feedback loop and cause well it turns me on, I reflect it back. There's some other stuff about womens power centers and shit that I can't remember. Tegan will tell you when she regains consciousness."
"You mean, she's really out for the count?" Pheoeb asked with a laugh in her voice.
"Oh yeah, was a little put out the first time that happened I can tell you!" Xander said laughing at the memory.
"Does this jut happen with Tegan?" Phoebe asked, curious.
"Nope" Xander said, "But before you ask, not right away I can't!"
"Who said I was going to ask" Phoebe said, regaining her smoky look, "In fact I WAS going to offer something to you" she continued, pushing herself into a sitting position before sliding off the bed and standing up, slowly, seductively, arching her back and pushing out her ample breasts as she did so.
"Oh, and what was that?" Xander asked watching her like a hawk.
Phoebe parted her legs slightly, standing with her feet double shoulder width apart and in full view of Xander, from the tip of her 6 inch heels to the top of her head. Her entire glory was on show. "What would you like me to offer you Xander" she purred, licking her fingers free of her juices slowly, her cheeks imploding as she did so.
"Anything you have on offer at the moment?" Xander said. Shifting slightly.
Phoebe smirked sexily at him, she trailed her hands down from her lips, down her throat and between her breasts, pushing her shirt to one side and round one breast, then the other. "Everything I have is right here for you" she told him, her hand continuing down her body.
"You know I wanted to fuck you in that alley, right?" Xander told her, "Even when you were tearing me a new one about your 'boyfriend'"
Phoebe laughed throatily, "Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment."
"You should" Xander said with a hungry gaze at her body, his eyes glued to her hand as it trailed between her thighs. She leaned forward slightly, showing an expanse of cleavage, but he was locked on her fingers as her hand curled around her mound of Venus and gripped gently, rubbing herself slowly and teasingly. "Because you are one sexy woman Phoebe." Xander said, his voice rough.
Phoebe chuckled in the back of her throat, and took her hand away from her pussy and hooked her thumbs round the waistband of her knickers, pulling it out and holding it there. "Do you want to look at my pussy Xander?" she asked.
Xander nodded numbly, "Uh huh" he said past a tight throat, she was driving him mad.
Phoebe wiggled her hips, slowly pulling down on her knickers rolling them round her hips and then letting go. They floated down her legs and hit the floor. She stepped out of them, her legs a little further apart from when she had started, her sex on display, and the scent of her filled Xander's nostrils causing them to flare.
"Oh boy!" Xander said breathing in deeply. "You smell SO good."
Phoebe cocked an eyebrow at him so he continued, "Vampire thing."
She smiled and placed a hand on either hip, standing there in his hungry gaze. "More?" she asked her voice just barely above a whisper.
"Oh god please." Xander said, then blushed slightly.
"What next?" she asked him, her voice temptation personified.
"I'll show you" Xander growled starting to move.
"Oh no, Mr chuckles, this is your punishment. You don't get to touch, not until I say. Stay where you are, or I stop"
Xander growled low in his throat, but his eyes burned for her.
"Now, what next?" she asked again.
"The corset thing" Xander said, his voice thick with longing.
"The Basque you mean?" Phoebe asked teasingly.
"Uh huh!" Xander said, his mind aflame with the sexy woman in front of him, who was teasing him into an early grave.
"Not the shirt?" she asked, her eyes wicked.
Xander shook his head without really thinking about it much.
Phoebe smiled, her hands not moving from hip to between her breasts but rather taking a round about route that teased and titillated. She slowly took hold of the lace thong that held the two halves together and pulled them. The bow unraveling with mind fizzing slowness until it was suddenly no more. Then she let go and gripped either side, pulling them slowly apart until several inches of skin showed, but her nipples remained covered. Then she trailed a nail up and down the revealed flesh smiling sexily into Xander's eyes, biting her tongue slightly, giving her a naughty appearance that matched the devilish look in her eye.
With excruciating slowness she moved her hands between the two halves and slowly moved up to between her breasts easing the two halves away and over either breast. Her breasts in view for the first time Xander licked his lips, he longed to touch her, but he really didn't want her to stop.
The lace garment then fluttered away from her body and landed behind her. She took a moment to kick backwards, causing her breasts to swing forward slightly and Xander's breathing to hitch.
She looked him in the eye and slowly lifted a leg, resting her foot on the bed, she stood tall, and arched her back slightly running her hands up her body and up through her hair and up. Her breasts standing out on her perfect body.
Xander let out a very real sounding growl that excited Phoebe in some part of her that existed in us all, a dark, sensual place of instinct and urge. She looked at him through her hair, her brown eyes dark with desire, that was matched and then multiplied in Xander's almost black orbs, that glinted with pure unadulterated lust.
Phoebe reached forwards slightly and ran both hands down her raised leg, her stockings dropping with them. Then she swapped legs and repeated the process. Her movements faster than before as her desire built to levels she was having trouble resisting. She bent over for a moment, sliding off her shoes, kicking of her stockings and in a moment of caprice, putting her shoes back on again. She looked back up only to find that Xander was no longer on the bed.
She frowned and was about to looked around for him when her hips were grabbed from behind. She looked back over her shoulder at him, a sultry smile just twisting her lips, "Naughty" she chided softly, then gasped as she was pulled back against his steel hard cock. She breathed hard, "Oh god, that cock is so big" she told him, sounding sexy as hell as she did so.
Xander had lost the ability to speak instead he moved her slightly and she smiled wickedly, getting the idea. Bending at the waist, she lent on the bed and wiggled her ass against his manhood, "Fuck me Xander, take me from behind," she begged.
Xander placed a guiding hand on her lower back and used the other hand to line himself up with her entrance, then he slowly pushed forward, first meeting her outer labia. His cock head pushing her lips apart with deliberate slowness. Then the heat of her hit him and he shook with the effort of not just thrusting into her. He forced himself to slowly enter her. All the way in Phoebe let out a long low sigh of sensuality that made Xander's balls tighten. Slowly he pushed forward, with excruciatingly slowness for both parties Xander slipped into Phoebe's heat, her wet pussy making the journey a smooth one and they fitted together like glove and hand. As Xander pushed further and further into her; Phoebe's mouth gaped open and her eyes flew open her sigh of pleasure becoming a cry of ecstasy as he filled her up. His balls finally hitting her in the ass she let out a yelped, "Fuck!"
"Big" she growled out her eyes wild with desire. Her voice made Xander smile as he started to draw slowly back out of her, just as she started to whimper he pushed back in, harder and faster than before, causing her to moan.
He drew back out, this time to the very cusp of leaving her body before using his hand to draw her back hard and meeting her halfway with a thrust of his own. "FUCK!" She cried out, throwing her head back, "That's it. Do it hard!" she pleaded, her voice studied seduction.
With a slightly smug smile, Xander pulled back and thrust forward in a single fast movement that made Phoebe cry out in pleasure and thrust herself back against his cock, taking him deeply into herself. She straightened up, craning her neck to kiss him hard on the lips, biting slightly as she let go of the kiss and caught his lip gently between her teeth, loosing herself in desire. "Fuck me!" she demanded once she had let go.
Xander complied with a thrust that sent her back into a bent over position, and this time he didn't pause before repeating the process, driving deep into her molten pussy and forcing her to her elbows on the bed. Her gripped her hips in his hands and pulled her back against him HARD, pushing as deep as he could go, bottoming out inside of her and causing her some pain, not that she cared it added to the pleasure. He pulled her back and thrust, back, thrust, back, thrust, harder and faster, his muscles tensed, face a mask of concentration as he pounded phoebe's pussy. She buried her face on the bed, her ass up in the air giving him better access, which he used to full effect. His pelvis hammering his cock deep within her body.
"fuck, yes... fuck yes" Phoebe panted into the covers right beside Tegan's head. "Do me Xander, harder you fuck!" she yelled at him, lust taking over her mouth and demanding more of the same.
Xander concentrated and started to speed up, his strength allowing him another burst of it. He controlled the actual pressure, but he sped in and out of her hot vagina like a piston, he could feel the start of another orgasm building at the base of his stomach, the sensations of Phoebe's tight pussy clamped around his cock, every vein being massaged and titillated, her slow seduction had forced him close and the feel of her heat was becoming hard to bare. He knew he had to hold on, at least for a while longer, he could feel that telltale tightening that heralded heaven inside of a woman. Her vaginal muscles started to flutter just as she started to chant, "Coming, coming, fuck YES Fuck me" at him. He complied pumping into her as fast as he was able, rigid as steel but hot and ridged for her pleasure.
Phoebe's eyes rolled up into the back of her head and her sweat soaked hair flopped in her eyes. She swore she felt her toes curl and then a scream was ripped from her throat as she was thrown of the abyss of her orgasm, tightening, clamping around Xander's shaft and fondling him in her grasp.
"AWWW FUCK!" Xander said, just as Phoebe's orgasm overtook her and they came together hard and fast like their sex had been, but like the sex it just made it all that more intense and overwhelming.
As their joint climax passed Xander felt his knees wobble slightly and dropped forward catching himself and leaning on the bed heavily, breathing in a likewise fashion together Phoebe and Xander remained locked together, as joint orgasm an it's course in an earth shattering explosion of pleasure upon pleasure.
Then Xander did something that shocked the hell out of phoebe, much to her great pleasure he remained hard and started to pump still buried did inside of her. What she couldn't see was that his face was a mask of concentration as he forced his will on his own manhood. Keeping himself hard for this amazingly sexy woman. Slowly speeding up again. Tender from before the sensations seemed tenfold for phoebe and she panted wordless sounds, grunts of pleasure as Xander picked up his pace. The orgasm she had just had seemingly pulled back, continuing the pleasure and sending her into heaven she whimpered in pleasure as her orgasm seemed to roll straight into another one making her cry out in both surprise and pleasure as she came again in such a short time frame. The only other time she had experienced multiple orgasms was Xander's bite.
Xander suddenly stopped with a swear on his lips, leaning heavily against her, "Sorry, I'm done for now" he told her.
Phoebe blinked a few times, then laughed throatily, "You've got nothing to be sorry for baby, Believe me!"
Phoebe let out a low moan as Xander pulled out of her slowly, freeing himself with exquisite slowness.
"You two are so FUCKING hot together!" a voice from beside them, startled them both.
Phoebe pushed herself to her hands, sliding down across the bed and looking back at the now awake Tegan with a slow smile, "Hmm." she commented, her entire body thrumming with satisfaction.
Tegan chuckled softly, "It's a shame I missed the action!" she told them turning slightly to look at Xander.
"There's plenty more for you Tegan, don't worry. Just give me a minute." Xander told her, sitting down on the edge of the bed and flopping onto his back. Looking up at the ceiling with a grin on his face.
Tegan eyed his man hood with desire in her emerald eyes, licking her now red stained lips slowly, "A minute, is my poor baby tired?" she said in a purr, reaching out and holding his firm manhood in her hand.
"'Gan..." Xander breathed his voice deep.
"Oh come on, where's that stamina I KNOW you've got?" Tegan asked huskily. Smiling as she felt his manhood stiffen at her voice and words. "Don't you want me baby?"
Xander growled low in his throat, but a smile graced his lips. Tegan smirked and let go of him and moved round, slinging a leg over his waist, straddling his thighs. She then reached down and rasped his cock, sliding her hand up and down in slow teasing movements, "That's it baby, you just lie there for me, I'll do the work." she said, no censure in his voice, just wanton need. She pressed the shaft of his cock against her hot pussy and slid it up and down, using her legs to raise and fall slightly, moistening the now hard rod of his manhood.
Phoebe shifted round to watch as Tegan smiling softly to herself rubbing Xander against her wet heat her hand rubbing the back of his shaft, her labia the front.
"Tegan you're a bad girl." Xander said, breathing sharply in through his nose.
"Oww punish me" she purred back at him, biting her lip saucily.
Xander's head raised and shot her an incredulous look, that quickly became a smile, "I'll remember that." he told her twisting his hips to press against her suddenly, Tegan took advantage of the movement, moving up and lowering herself down on his cock, her eyes fluttering shut as she did so.
"Oh fucking shit" Xander said, his head lolling back again, right between Phoebe's thighs. She had shifted position and he hadn't even noticed. "Hi" he said looking up into her eyes with a lopsided smile.
"Hi yourself!" she said back, her eyes meeting his for an instant of time, before flicking back up to Tegan's.
The two women's gazes locked as Tegan moved slowly on top of Xander, rotating her hips slightly to add a twist and extra grip. "Oh yeah." Xander sighed his hair tickling Phoebe's thighs, when he moved.
Tegan kept her gaze locked with the other woman as she worked Xander's cock, pressing down and rocking her hips slowly.
Phoebe watched entranced as Tegan slowly moved atop of Xander, her eyes locked with the redhead, as she painstakingly rocked her hips for maximum effect. Phoebe allowed her gaze to shift from Tegan's unusually bright green eyes, tracing down and just looking at the other woman. From the way her lips pursed into a sinful shape as she pushed down, hitting a particularly sensitive spot that made her breathing hitch just slightly. The way, her chest was beaded with a little sweat. Her breasts soft creamy skinned but standing firm and proud, darkened nipples standing out in contrast to her almost white skin. The muscles in her stomach shifting as she moved, her thighs flexing and relaxing with even lift and dip, and finally the way that Xander disappeared inside of her swollen pussy.
Phoebe moved without conscious thought, lifted herself from her haunches to her knees she reached out and cupped Tegan's neck pulling the auburn haired woman in for a passionate kiss, that lasted and lasted until air became an issue. Their tongues entwining in an erotic dance and finally parting from each other, both with a slightly stunned, but exceedingly heated look in their eyes.
Phoebe's eyes suddenly shot wide open when Xander took advantage of her position above his head and moved his lips to hers, sucking in one of her outer lips with a soft wet pop. Tegan smirked as the other woman's eyes glazed slightly as Xander's tongue pushed her lips to one side, delving deep within her. Reaching out, the slender redhead took a breast in her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, catching Phoebe's nipple between thumb and forefinger and rolling the hardened flesh between them.
Phoebe gasped as Tegan leaned forward and took her nipple into her hot mouth sucking as Xander suddenly sucked on her clitoris, like they had secretly planed the move and were in perfect concert with each other. "oH CHRIST!" Phoebe groaned as Xander's tongue started to move around in a circle, spreading her lips and flicking across the sensitive inner labia.
Tegan's head moved back away from Phoebe's breast, her hand replacing her mouth as she reached out, both steadying herself and Phoebe. Her hips rocking faster as she watched phoebe's pupils dilate, her breathing quicken in pace and her chest heave with excitement.
Phoebe leaned forward slightly, resting her hands on Tegan's breasts and softly cupping them as Tegan started to bounce and twist in a faster motion. Xander's cock felt like it was hitting the back of Tegan's throat, and she loved that feeling.
Xander moaned into Phoebe's pussy, his tongue moving faster, his heart pounding. He reached round and grabbed Phoebe's ass, stilling her motion slightly and improving his tongues contact. Then he pressed up and at the same time bucked his hips slightly making Tegan cry out with pleasure.
Tegan reciprocated but speeding up and slamming down harder on his shaft, bottoming him out inside of her moist heat.
Phoebe's head lolled on her shoulders and she started to make small keening noises in the back of her throat as the joint pleasure from Xander and Tegan drove her out of her mind. Reveling in ecstasy she moaned and shuddered, her body felt on fire.
Tegan watched Phoebe's eyes, the two exchanging a heated gaze each locked on the others pleasure filled eyes, Phoebe suddenly smiled a sexy smile and Tegan felt the crashing force of her climax suddenly rising as Phoebe mouthed, "So fucking hot" at her. With a stunned expression Tegan came, HARD, her eyes never leaving the brown eyed gaze of Phoebe.
Xander felt Tegan clamp down around his cock and redoubled his efforts on Phoebe, the sensation of Tegan coming round his cock, making him so horny that he was reduced to primitive feeling, sensation ruling his mind as he worked his tongue round Phoebe's entire pussy.
Phoebe suddenly started to buck, her eyes glazed but still watching Tegan run the course of her orgasm as she felt something start low in her body and climb up with a nerve mangling tingle. That went from her toes all the way to the roots of her hair. Her face drained of color only to flush as the most mind blowing sensation suddenly exploded in a crashing crescendo of pleasure which seemed to increase every microsecond it continued.
Phoebe let out a strangled, "Fuck" that sounded more like, "f.c.u.k" before coming on Xander's face, but he didn't stop, instead pushing her onward, stretching her orgasm out as Tegan continued to move on his cock, still in the midst of her own climax. Suddenly she exerted as much pressure as she was able, an almost painfully intense grip suddenly clamping a hold of Xander's shaft and she bounced up and down, holding him firmly within her grip. This sent Xander into his own orgasm, as Tegan and Phoebe came on top of him. Then as the moment drew into eternity Phoebe suddenly became limp in Tegan's grip and Xander let out a loud moan of satisfaction as he exploded inside of Tegan's hot embrace.
Phoebe's eyes snapped open with a startling suddenness the memories from the morning flooding her minds eye and causing a slight smile to appear on her lips. "Well that wasn't supposed to happen" she said her voice full of laughter.
"I told you" Tegan's soft voice told her.
Phoebe's head whipped round and saw Tegan standing at the door dressed in her more normal casual clothing. Her eyes alight with humor.
"That you did, but oh boy..." Phoebe broke off, "Well what can i say, wow"
Tegan laughed, "I'll take that as a compliment."
"You should, where's superman?" Phoebe asked sitting up in bed only to look down and suddenly remember that she was no longer wearing the Basque, or anything much except bizarrely enough her heels and the silk shirt. "Whoops" she said with another laugh, uncaring about being naked in front of the other woman. It wasn't like she hadn't seen it earlier.
"We've managed to pin down old Muerte and we're heading out in an hour. Do you want to come along?"
"I don't want to impose." Phoebe said.
Tegan snorted, "Consider yourself one of the family." she smiled, "I think you've been well and truly initiated!"
"Wasn't I though." Phoebe said in a throaty voice.
"Careful girl, you'll get my motor running again." Tegan said Tongue in cheek.
Phoebe just smiled sultrily, "Broom, Broom."
Xander walked back into the apartment after finishing off his run and looked around, "Hello" he called out into the dark apartment.
"Hello yourself" Belinda said walking out from the kitchen area with a soft smile which Xander returned, "Had a GOOD day I trust"
Xander chuckled, "Hmm, sure did, if a somewhat surprising one"
"Don't be so surprised Xander, you're a good looking guy. You should get used to people finding you attractive"
"Don't know if I ever will" Xander said looking down for a moment.
Belinda appeared in front of him and used a single finger to tip his head back up, "Yes you will" she said with certainty. "Because nothing could make you unattractive to me, so I'll be finding you attractive for the next eon of millennia or so."
Xander looked deeply into her eyes, "What did I ever do to deserve someone like you in my life Bel. Because whatever it is, I thank god I did it, every single day."
Belinda leaned forward and kissed him softly, "Come, the girls have a surprise for you, then later on, we're going to have a long 'CHAT' it's been far to long for my liking and Tegan can't have all the fun now can she, Iz and I should get a share of the Xandery goodness."
"Xandery goodness?!" Xander said with a laugh, "really?"
"Uh huh" Belinda said with a laugh of her own, "The very best fix of all"
"Then by all means, when we get back from whatever this is with Iz and 'Gan. Let's urh ... get high together?"
Belinda laughed and took his offered arm, leading him back out of the apartment. Just as they were leaving the door she said, "You never know, perhaps we can persuade Phoebe and 'Gan to join us"
Xander choked, "Bel, I kinda need to be able to fight you know. I'll be too damn tired out if you try THAT!"
Belinda's lilting laughter floated back through the now closed door.
Just on the edge of 'The Village' New York.
"So why are we here?"Xander asked.
Kasi couldn't smile, not physically at least, but there was a certainly a smile in her voice, "because this is where I was asked to take you" she replied.
"And you don't know either?" he asked Belinda who was sat next to him.
"I do, but I'm hardly going to tell you and ruin the surprise now am I?"
"You're all evil, why the hell, and more importantly how they hell do I surround myself with women?"
"You're just lucky I guess," Kasi said surprising a laugh out of Belinda.
"Why isn't he here yet?" Iz asked for what seemed like the nine hundredth time.
"Iz; honey, did you take your Valium this morning" Tegan replied as she leaned back against the wall of the large open foyer.
Iz pierced her with a glare, then softened, "I got to say 'Gan this is an excellent choice. Great location, with a bit of work it'll be a money pot. Wonder why it was so cheap?"
"Dunno, but the agent was a real piece of work, he spent the entire time looking down my top or up my skirt. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't actually know what he was selling." Tegan replied airily.
Iz looked at Phoebe, "So what do you think of it?"
Phoebe smiled like a Cheshire cat, still feeling more than a little mellowed out, "Gorgeous!"
"Well thank you honey, but do you like the complex?" Iz said with a laugh.
Phoebe smiled and stuck her tongue out, "Yes, it's great. Fabulous in fact. What's it for?"
Tegan chuckled, "Xander"
"THIS is his surprise GIFT!" Phoebe said suddenly snapping out of the haze she'd been in.
"Uh huh" Iz and Tegan said together.
"That's one hell of a gift!" Phoebe commented her eyes wide. "Wish I had friends like you" she said more quietly.
"You do," Iz said with a slight smile. "Us!"
Phoebe smiled, "Thanks"
Just at that moment the door swung open and Xander breezed in with Belinda on his arm walking along with a laugh on his face that only Belinda seemed to be able to put there.
"Hey guys" Xander said as he and Bel reached them. He disengaged from Bel and swept Iz up for a friendly hello kiss and then did the same for 'Gan and much to her surprise and pleasure he did the same for Phoebe.
"So," he said once he had put Phoebe down, "What's the what?" then frowned slightly at the once familiar expression that now sounded alien to his ears.
Tegan and Iz took up their places in front of him and beamed at him.
He smiled back blinking slightly, "O....kay, what's going on"
They glanced at each other but Tegan nodded to Iz who smiled her thanks, "We've been talking and, well, this is a little project for you."
"What is?" Xander asked looking around and craning his neck to look past them.
"This is; dumb ass!" Tegan said swirling around with her arms outstretched.
Xander blanched, "You've got to be kidding me. You're telling me your brought me a BUILDING." he shouted causing the other two to flinch slightly. "Are you insane, this isn't a gift it's, it's, I don't know what to call it. It's too much, I... I..." he trailed off.
Iz and 'Gan smiled at each other, "Knew it, didn't I. I knew he'd be speechless" 'Gan said triumphantly.
Xander turned his glare on to her and she suddenly realized that he wasn't speechless he was pissed, "You know I love you right, both of you" he said in a quiet voice.
They nodded, looking a bit confused.
"But this is too much, I can't except you spending this sort of money on me. I'm sorry, I'm sure you'll be able to get your money back"
Iz and 'Gan frowned at each other. Suddenly 'Gan stepped right up into Xander's face but not before prodding him first, just for good measure. "Now wait a minute little boy!" she said her eyes flashing emerald fire at him.
Belinda actually smirked at the sight of the small in stature Tegan facing off with the tall and somewhat powerful Xander. Of course she knew that the two loved each other and that any argument with them usually ended up as a somewhat sweaty occupation.
"Stop" Iz said moving to get between the two, ever the mediator, "Xander, you WILL be accepting this, and it's not a gift. We expect you to work for this."
That calmed him down a bit and he looked at Isabel curiously, "How so?"
"We'll be training you in running a business and this is the learning project. We will expect to see profits and we WILL want a share" Isabel said. Of course that hadn't been the original plan, but the was well aware of how stubborn both Tegan and Xander could be. She had no wish to go through all that, now she just hoped Tegan would take the hint and go with the revised plan.
"Yeah, and if you don't we'll sell it on, deal?" Tegan said, smiling slightly, but still breathing hard from her flash of anger.
Xander's hand rested on her hip and she knew that she and Iz had already won, "I'm such push over when it comes to you guys. You know that right?" Xander said with a chagrined smile.
The Trio all smiled smugly at him, "Fine!" he relented with a laugh, "But you will take a hefty percentage of the profits. Money isn't important to me guys, you should know that, but you all are!"
Iz and 'Gan looked at each other then back at him, "Ahhh!" they said together causing Belinda and phoebe to burst into laughter.
"Fine, try to be serious and in touch with my emotions and this is what I get!" Xander said and smiled at them, to remove any sting his comment may have engendered. "So," Xander continued looking up and around, "How old is this place anyway, looks kinda Gothic. I like it!"
"Thought you might, but it's actually only about 160 years old according to the papers." Tegan replied glancing at the papers she had retrieved from the tan leather case she had brought along. "It was built by Peter Styuevant to a design from Europe during the Gothic renaissance they were having at the time. The strange thing is that it was only leasing apartments for about 50 years before it suddenly went on the market and during the time since it has had about 50 owners, all of whom pulled out before the sale completed."
Xander frowned slightly, "Why?" he said worriedly, his spine tingling with apprehention.
"Appartently they jut didn't feel it was right for them after all. One of the buyers died here in the last 5 years actually. They say the place is haunted in the area, but you and I both know that Ghosts really don't tend to hang around!" Tegan told him with a beaming smile.
"I didn't know that actually, but what they hey." Xander said, glancing at his watch. "Look, I love it, and I've got just enough time to have a quick look see before I really have to get back to Valance."
Iz frowned, "Why?"
"I'm hopefully meeting someone there." Xander replied smiling slightly and walking forward looking around with obvious enjoyment in his eyes. He really did like the place, it had a cool Gothic look which seemed to match his style these days. The entranceway there were currently in had a grandiose feel to it, a high roof with columns reaching up to the ceiling and despite the state of the place he knew it would be amazing once it was cleaned up. "Come on, let's go for a look around!" he declared clapping his hands together.
As he walked away they four women trailed in behind him, exchanging amused glances.
After a just under an hour of generally looking around and poking around a little bit in the large complex they arrived back in the main entranceway. Xander's eyes were alight with dreams of what he could do with the place and even Belinda was nodding with a smile. The place had a lot of potential, which made the availability and price all that more strange.
Phoebe smiled, and walked to the front door, turning back to say, "Can't wait to see this place when you've finished with it."
Her hand touched the door handle as Xander said, "Yeah, going to have to pretty much gut it though"
Phoebe pulled of the door, when it didn't move she laughed, "Doh! Push not pull Pheebs" she said to the others chuckling. Then she pushed and still nothing happened. "Strange,could've sword this was the door" she muttered moving along to another of the three doors.
A heavy feeling seemed to fill the air that had the four vampires looking around with worry.
Phoebe tried the other door and finally the last door no avail. "Okay, funs over, who locked the door."
"Urh, Come 'ere Phoebe" Xander said looking around nervously as the hairs on the back of his neck rose.
"What, why?" Phoebe asked doing as she was asked.
"Somethings ..." Tegan began slowly.
"... not right!" Iz finished drawing her light jacket around herself.
Belinda let out a sigh and was stunned to watch it fog in front of her face.
"Oh shit" Xander breathed, darting forward and dragging Phoebe the rest of the way, and palcing her behind him. A low, nerve wrecking moan suddenly filled the entranceway echoing around and filling their dark souls with dread.
The Trio, Phoebe and Xander looked around as the noise continued to reverberate around as if emanating from the very depths of the building and crawling out of the walls like a living thing.
As they watched the glass of the doors frosted over, at first slowly and then with alarming speed until they were literally encased in ice. The temperature in the foyer was now dropping sharply to match, all of their breath's fogging the air. The fog hung there motionless for a moment, before it seemed to be dragged away from them, pulling it away into the center of the room.
Once there, the fog seemed to swell and at first double, then triple and finally quadruple with each passing moment. It swirled in place for a few seconds then it sped up creating a tornado of whirling condensed air that made a tubular shape standing some eight feet away from them.
"What the fuck?" Xander said, moving forward.
"Xander, No!" Belinda called out, her voice full of command.
Xander stopped dead, looking back at her with confusion etched on her face, "What is it Bel?"
"Don't get too close to that" she informed him, "That's super chilled air, it could freeze you instantly"
As she spoke the column of chilled air started to change shape forming first a set of legs, a skirt, waist, lower abdomen and breasts. Then a neck was created, a chin forming out of nothing until an entire woman stood before them, made of super cold air.
The form seemed to smile, it's features moving in a strange parody of life as it did so.
"Wow, she's pretty!" Phoebe said taking a step forward for a better look.
"Things are rarely as they appear," Belinda told her, reaching out and taking the young woman's arm in a firm grip, "You can trust me when I say this!"
Xander stayed where he was, his head tilting to one side as he looked at the face of the phantom with a vaguely confused look on his face. "You know she kinda looks familiar!" he murmured.
Before he had chance to place the face, the figure exploded outwards suddenly. Changing from mist to something else entirely.
The entire entranceway seemed to explode into the strange viscous liquid and all of it seemed to hone in on the unsuspecting group. It came from the walls, the floor and from the very air itself. Bright green and seemingly made out of a combination of spider web and goo it splashed against them with incredible force. Driven off of his feet Xander was thrown back against pilled with enough force to daze him.
Somehow, Tegan managed to get in front of the unsuspecting Phoebe and shielded her body with her own, only for them both to be thrown all the way across the foyer and to thump hard into the still frozen door ways, cracking the ice only slightly.
Iz was driven the ground as a large lump of the stuff dropped down from the ceiling and covered her head to foot in vile smelling stuff.
Strangely in the center of it all watching with a slight twist of her lips to show her amusement Belinda stood, untouched and clean as they others were pummeled and covered from head to foot in ectoplasm.
The storm lasted only a few seconds and then just as suddenly as it had started it finished, leaving four very confused people and one highly amused Belinda.
Sapphire walked into the club, suddenly feeling at a loss for the first time in years. She wore the height of fashion, in an elegantly understate dress that just kissed the top of her knees and plunged in all the right places. Her blond hair was in a soft halo around her head and face and she looked like a million bucks. Beside her stood a girl in black jeans and corset and looked as grunge as it was possible to get, whereas normally it would be Sapphire that looked in place, this time it was the other girl. Sapphire feeling utterly under dressed, as four more women walked past her all wearing variations on Gothic gowns, looked highly bemused.
She supposed that she shouldn't be really, after all the guy that had given her this address had been gothically dressed if somewhat less so than most of the inhabitants of the club. She should have realized what the dress code was going to be. She hadn't, but that aside, she was here for a reason after all.
She looked over to one of the bouncers and sashayed her way over to him, as he approached he smiled invitingly at the hot blond coming his way.
"Do you know Xander Harris?" she asked as she reached him.
A momentary flash of irritation crossed his face to be replaced with a stern scowl, "Who wants to know?"
"My name is Sapphire" she replied, "He's expecting me."
The large man eyed her suspiciously, "He's out, don't know when he'll get back." he stated after a moments thought.
Sapphire smiled grimly, "I should've known," she said her voice hard.
"If you want to wait, I'll bring him over when he gets here" the bouncer said nodding over to the seats.
Sapphire eyed it with distaste for about a millisecond before shaking her head, "I don't think so. I think I've waisted enough time here!" she said her eyes flashing.
She turned on one red heel and stalked off towards the door.
The bouncer shook his head laughing slightly, "That Xander, he likes to live dangerously!"
Sapphire made it out the door, and round the corner on the way to her car before a powerful arm wrapped around her neck and lifted her clear of the floor.
"'Ello darlin" Lomax whispered into her ear.
Xander pulled himself away from the wall shaking his head slightly sending ectoplasm flying all around him, like a dog shaking off water. "Yuk!" he commented shaking some more off of his arms and hands.
In the center of the room a pile of goo shifted slightly and seemed to shudder.
Xander almost laughed as he saw the familiar leg flailing around trying to shift itself and it's body out of the pile of disgusting detritus. "Iz? Is that you?" he asked scraping some off of his face and walking forward.
"It was, EW!!!" Iz replied flailing around a bit.
Xander stood above her looking around with a wary eye and a slight smirk on his face.
"You, know if it wouldn't be too much HASSLE, can you help me out here!" Isabel said her temper flaring for possibly the first time since he had met her.
"Sorry Iz, here" Xander said pulling her out of the foul smelling goop.
"Thanks" she said shortly, then she made the mistake of turning around and spotting Belinda. "how the fuck! Did you manage to get through that without getting touched!" she demanded angrily with her hands on her hips.
Xander chuckled slightly then turned around searching for their missing members.
"I've learned a few tricks" was all that Belinda would say about the matter, her eyes laughing at her childe.
Isabel scooped some ectoplasm from herself and tossed it at Belinda only to watch it deflect away and hit the wall. "A spell? Cheating cow!"
"Tegan!" Xander suddenly yelled startling them both and then he was off at a dead run across the room dropping to his knees a few feet from her prone form and slid to where Phoebe was fussing over it with tears in her eyes. "What happened?" he demanded, his hands going over Tegan's slender form, checking for breaks and other problems.
"She jumped in front of me, then we got thrown and she twisted around. Why did she do that?" Phoebe asked the tears in her eyes finally dropping.
Belinda walked behind the young woman and gave her a hug, "She knew that it would've killed you"
"And her?" Phoebe said pointing to Tegan's limp body, now cradled in Xander's arms with Iz looking her over with a professional eye.
She took a moment to glance back at Phoebe and smiled reassuringly. "She'll be fine, just out for the count for a little while. Don't worry it takes a LOT to take us out."
Phoebe let out a sigh of release and moved over to Tegan and pushed some of her fiery hair away from her face, "Thank you." she whispered.
"Lomax, fancy meeting you here." Sapphire said with a sardonic lilt.
"What are you do in 'ere?" Lomax asked, still holding her tightly, pressing himself against her slightly as he sniffed her hair.
Sapphire suppressed a shudder, "Checking the club out. Looked interesting."
"This is where we picked up 'ole Muerte boy." Lomax said his other hand running round Sapphire's waist.
"So?" she asked struggling in his grip. Trying to get away from the bulge she could feel starting to grow. "Let go will you?"
"Oh no, I've been told," he spat the word 'told', "To make sure you don't get away again. The boss ain't 'appy with you darlin'"
Sapphire shivered in fear. But didn't struggle a tiny bit as Lomax dragged her to the black Lincoln town car he used for 'business'.
Tegan;s eyes opened slowly, emerald eyes peeking from first slits and then wide open and slightly glazed openings. "What happened?" she asked, shaking her head slightly. At her back was wood and she felt cold. "Where am I?" she asked, this time a little louder.
"Xander carried you here, we're in one of the apartments" a female voice told her, Phoebe's voice is Tegan was any judge.
"Why?" Tegan asked moving round quickly and sitting up to face the direction from which the voice had come.
Phoebe started forward, "Careful! You've had a nasty hit to the head!"
Tegan smirked, standing up slowly, "I've had worse!"
"I'm not so sure, you scared the hell out of me/us" Phoebe corrected herself quickly.
Tegan looked at her steadily for a moment, her emerald eyes seeing straight into Phoebe's soul, or at least that was how it felt to Phoebe. "I'm 5000 years old Phoebe, I promise you, I've survived worse than a bang of the back of the head." Tegan told her her voice had shadows in it that made Phoebe shudder.
Then what she had really said hit Phoebe, "How OLD!"
Tegan chuckled slightly "Just 5 millenia!"
Phoebe's mouth worked for a moment before she laughed, "Talk about sleeping with older women!"
Tegan laughed as well and they laughed together for a moment, "So where are the rest of them, and how did you get lumbered with baby sitting duty?"
Phoebe smiled, "I wanted to look after you. After all, you just saved my life."
Tegan cricked her back, "Hmmm, and as Xander might say. Can I just say ouch!"
Phoebe laughed again, feeling a little better, "Thank you by the way."
Tegan waived it off, "You've got far too much 'potential' to waste" she said with a saucy smile.
Phoebe smirked and slinked over to the red head, "Potential?" she asked.
"Potentially mind blowing, already amazing" Tegan told her with laughing eyes.
Phoebe didn't smile her eyes were smoky, "I've never been attracted to a woman... before now"
Tegan actually gulped slightly, "The Others!" she said in a blurt.
Pheoeb smiled, mentally chalking a point to herself, "Xander's at the front door, Bel's gone exploring and Iz is... oh yeah cleaning up!"
"I suggest we see what wonder boy's up to then!" Tegan decided after a moment. Then she walked past phoebe and as she did she landed a quick kiss on the brunette's lips, "Definite potential" she said before walking away with a slight swing to her hips.
Phoebe laughed and followed the red head out of the door.
They arrived in the foyer to find that Xander was 'punching' the wall of ice.
Tegan's eyes flashed, "What the HELL are you doing!"
"I've got to get out of here!" he said his voice rough with anger, "I made a promise to someone!"
"Hitting the several foot thick ice won't help" Tegan said quietly.
"I KNOW that, my gun didn't work either!" Xander said, "I was just pissed."
Phoebe looked down at his fist, "Xan, you're bleeding."
Xander glanced at his knuckles which were pretty shredded, "Don't worry about it Pheebs I'm fine"
"Pheebs" Phoebe said, "I like that" she finished with a smile, "Now; let me see that fist!"
Sapphire opened her eye, singular. The other was currently swollen shut, her lip was split and at least one of her teeth were loose and there was immense pain from her ribs and she was sure that her right arm was broken. That, however, was small fry considering what else had happened since she had got 'home' from the club and had come face to face with a livid Myer's.
He never looked at her sexually anymore, for which she was very grateful, she was a trophy, like his precious artwork she was to be put on a shelf and looked at, shown to his friends and generally only used for that. However, he liked to use sex as a punishment and punish her he had. She shuddered wincing in pain as her body complained at even that slight movement. All because she had trusted someone, she wouldn't let THAT happen again. Not that she had to worry, Myer's had taken great pleasure in telling her that Muerte was going to die.
She wasn't sure what was worse for Myer's, from the things he had been saying he considered her to be some sort of whore for his pleasure, so she was pretty sure it wasn't the thought that she had had sex, it was the fact that she had done it with someone else. Even though, she really hadn't, but her cried pleas had fallen of deaf ears, and he had continued to punish her.
She gently pushed herself to crouched, she had passed out at some point during her vicious beating and all because she had not been 'accommodating' enough for Myer's. What the fuck did he expect, she wondered with a flicker of fire. Very carefully she pushed herself to her knees and gathered what was left of her 5,000 dollar Gucci dress around her shoulders and pushed up.
She let out a cry of pain as she found that her ankle had been stamped on at some point, luckily it didn't seem to be broken, but it still hurt like hell. She shifted her weight to the other leg and pushed again, using the nearby wall to steady her as she did so. Once on her feet she swayed slightly her head spinning and her stomach rebelled. She quashed the nausea with force of will, she had no wish to be disciplined for making a mess on the rug, as had once happened before. That time the rug had been thrown away afterwards because of the amount of blood that had been bled from her.
She had only spilled her wine.
She tumbled around the door frame and came face to face with Lomax.
Lomax looked at her and felt his blood boil the animalistic instincts within him wanting to rip Myer's limb from bloody limb. He controlled the urge, at least for now. He needed the little shit for a short time yet, but after that was over, he would pay. That and Sapphire would be his life mate, to stand at his right hand as he led the Lycan's into the future.
"I'm sorry." he said, his eyes cast down, unable to meet hers. He wasn't the most honorable man in the world, many of his actions were questionable by human standard, but the pack looked after their mates, this was disgusting to him. With those words, softly spoken, he walked away from the slightly stunned woman leaving her alone to clean up and rest her bruised body.
"Damn IT!" Xander swore again, his fist slamming into the wall of ice with excessive force, for normal ice at least. "I NEED to get out of here!" he yelled then whipped around and lashed out with a perfect side thrust kick that had knocked demons five times his size across a bar. This time, it had very little effect.
"Xander Calm Down!" Tegan snapped at him, "Loosing at that will do nothing!"
Xander growled at her, "Fuck that!" he told her reaching out to the side and retrieving his crystal Katana from the pocket dimension that it nestled in.
"Xander, what the hell are you going to do with that?" Tegan asked, ignoring Phoebe's surprised gasp.
"This!" Xander replied, moving back a step he charged the wall point first. The end of the Katana hit the ice and it flashed a bright livid blue. "Progress!" he crowed increasing the pressure.
The wall flickered and spat with electric like intensity as Tegan and Phoebe watched stunned as Xander made some progress, the Katana started to slowly slip into the wall. Then the wall flared twice in quick succession and with a ZIP of electrical power Xander was tossed across the room like a rag doll, and about as limp.
Xander found himself sitting on the floor the other side of the room and suddenly seemed to teleport to his feet. He let out a growl and started to walk forward.
Belinda walked into the room from her inspection of the building with a vaguely heavy heart. There seemed to be no way out. Every exit was covered in the same wall of ice as the front doors and her experience couldn't bring a way out to mind, not yet anyway. She then heard Xander's growl and looked over at him with concern in her eyes. It was VERY not good for Xander to get that angry, she watched as he stalked to the front doors and then stopped dead seeming to shimmer in place for a moment as he accessed his teleportation ability, then nothing. The paranormal field around what appeared to be the entire building had blocked his exit. She watched with a slightly horrified expression as he let loose with a massive swing of the Crystal Katana which sliced across the ice bringing forth a flash of blue and winced as he was once again thrown across the room.
Tegan smiled as the wall seemed to tremble a sheet of ice falling away from the barrier and dropping to the floor where it broke into several jagged pieces.
Xander shook his head again, clearing the cobwebs and stood up looking down at himself to make sure he was fine. The first sign of trouble he had was Tegan's scream of warning. His eyes flicked up to see a sharp sheet of ice spinning towards his neck.
His view was then blocked by Bel as she stood in front of him,making no move to protect herself from the magically enhanced guillotine.
Xander didn't think, at least not consciously. He crossed the distance between himself and Bel in a blink of the eye, moving at almost Isabel speeds as the sharp ice flew on. Then as he reached her he grabbed her shoulder just as the ice was a mere inch from cutting into the soft flesh of her neck. Pulling her sharply backwards he increased that distance. Still just reacting and not moving, he leg swept her hard, using pure technique. He knew that brute strength with Belinda was useless, but the technique he put into the moved folded her knee backwards, increasing the momentum he had started with the tug on her shoulder.
The ice continued straight on it's course passing over Belinda's head with a millimeter to spare, as it passed over Belinda thought she saw a sad face looking back at her in the reflection and it wasn't the one she knew from the mirror. Then time seemed to speed up as the ice sheet continued on, straight for Xander, who whipped around in a arc that dipped taking his body out of harms way and his foot hitting the underside of the flying death sending it off course and smashing against the ceiling at speed.
Then because of the wild kick he over balanced and landed on top of Belinda just in time to shield her body from the falling shards of ice.
Xander let out a muffled yell as several of the shards impacted with his back, not penetrating because of his magically enhanced jacket, but still hurting like hell.
Then in what had seemed eternity but was in fact less than a second the crisis had passed, leaving the room deathly still.
That stillness lasted all of ten seconds before Belinda pushed Xander bodily off of her, and into the air, such was the force of the push. She stood and plucked him out of the air and glared at him.
Xander glared right back at her, his feet hanging a foot off of the floor.
"What the FUCK did you think you were doing!" Belinda demanded her voice sounding almost insane.
"Me!" Xander roared, "What the Fuck were you thinking!" he virtually screamed.
Phoebe looked at Tegan with almost fear on her face, "How old are they?" she asked, most of the display she had just witnessed had been too fast for her too human eye to follow. However, she had seen some of it and what she had seen was staggering, finishing as it did with Belinda's little show of strength and speed. Also, she hadn't even seen Xander move to intercept Belinda.
Tegan shook herself, trying to get rid of the stunned feeling she had. She unfortunately HAD been able to follow it and what she had seen scared the hell out of her. She had watched Belinda step into the path of certain death to protect Xander, and that SCARED her. Then she had seen a turn of speed from Xander that he shouldn't be capable of, full stop, and then the power behind that kick was stunning. "Belinda is 15,000 years old." she said in a whisper, ignoring Phoebe's strangled gasp of surprise, "But Xander is only 1 year old, not even that."
"Huh!" Phoebe said as she watched the ancient woman holding the most feared vampire hunter since Van Helsing aloft in the air like he was nothing while Xander glared at her with anger in his eyes. The sort of anger that had made him so infamous in the first place.
The stand off lasted for a few more seconds until Xander did something that was so rare as to be called mythical. He burst into tears.
"What the hell were you doing Bel?" he sobbed his body going limp. "What do you think you would accomplish by that move hey?"
"Saving you." Belinda said softly, lowering him to the ground and gathering the taller man to her breast.
"Bel, that was dumb. You're worth so much more than me, and that's not even taking into account what you are." Xander said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand and actually sniffling.
Belinda stroked her hand through his hair, "That is so astronomically wrong it's almost funny my love" she told him softly, with iron under her tone.
"You are the last of the Atlanteans, the first AterAnima, you hold the knowledge of ages in that beautiful head of yours and you want to die to protect me!" Xander said, his anger growing again, "That's insane Bel."
Belinda shook her head, "You have a destiny Xander, one that is so much more important than my old bones. I will do what I have to do to ensure you reach it." she told him, with a no nonsense tone.
They were interrupted from further conversation as Tegan let out a small yelp and Phoebe folded up into her arms, fainting dead away, mumming "15 thousand years old!" and letting out a small sigh.
Belinda and Xander exchanged glances a slight smile flickering on both their faces, then they looked at Tegan who was fussing over the prone Phoebe and smiled a little wider. Then the smiles disappeared and Xander moved forward kissing Belinda, not the steamy, hot kisses he normally dished out, this was a soft and tender kiss of lover's.
It didn't last long, they both knew that they had to check on Phoebe, who was laying in Tegan's arms, but both wanted to show the other that they loved each other and neither wanted to be without the other.
Xander finally grudgingly let go of Belinda, "Don't do anything that stupid again, no matter what you may or may not think about or of me. I'm just not strong enough to survive without you in the world." he paused taking her chin gently in his hand, "Even if we're apart I'd know, do you understand?"
Belinda smiled softly and nodded, "I do, as would I my Childe."
"This has nothing to do with that vampire crap. This about us!" Xander said, "I'd like to think there is something special about us Bel, and I don't want that thrown away because of some destiny crap. I make my own destiny Bel and I always will. I want, no I need you to be part of that destiny, or I'll drop on my sword right now!" he said, black eyes burning a hole in her soul that brought with it a strange warmth and lightness.
"I'm sorry, I didn't understand" Belinda said after a few moments, her eyes watery and threatening to let loose the tears they contained.
Xander nodded, then smiled, switching moods with alarming speed. He then took her hand and led her over to where Phoebe lay in a distraught Tegan's arms.
"How is she 'Gan" Xander said kneeling down to check her over.
"I THINK she just fainted." Tegan said, fussing slightly over the brunette and eliciting a slight smile from both el and Xander. "I told her your ages, I think after everything... well; it was a bit much." she continued a slight trace of humor entering her voice.
"She's taken in a lot." Xander said his voice business like with an underlying trace of pride, "Taken it damn well too. Better than I did, that's for sure" he said with a self mocking smile. He then stood and left Belinda and Tegan to revive the overawed Phoebe.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at the ice wall and glanced at his watch swearing softly as he did so. Tegan noticed the move and had to ask, "What's so important about this person you had to meet. Was she hot?" she asked a slight flash of her old humor showing through her slightly worrying worry for the brunette still nestled in her arms.
Xander's face flickered into a smile for a split second, "Very, but that's not the point."
"What is then?" Belinda asked smiling softly, she knew, she just wanted to hear it.
"She's in trouble and needs help, I've let her down."
"Surely she'd understand if you explained" Tegan paused, "Assuming she knows about all this shit of course" she finished with a shrug.
Xander was already shaking his head, "No, she's been let down too many times, I think. This will just be proof for her. I've got to get out of here, maybe it's not too late." Then his creased into a frown, "Idiot!" he exclaimed.
"Huh?" Tegan said, wondering what the hell he was thinking now.
"Kasi!" Xander said with an exasperated sigh.
Tegan smiled, "Of course, she could knock the wall down"
Xander shook his head again, "No, can't risk that it might be able to damage her. No, what she can do is help me figure a way out of here." with that he turned to the side and used his personal communications link to the black Lamborghini. "Kasi, come in."
"Xander" a sexy voice said into his ear.
Xander smiled genuinely, "It's good to hear your voice my darling. We've got a bit of a situation here."
"How can I help?" Kasi asked, concern in her electronically synthesized voice.
Xander rattled off their address to her, "Find out all you can about that address, specifically strange deaths and the like. We've got a haunting situation here."
"Consider it done!" Kasi told him, her sensors reaching out into Cyberspace and probing several hundred databases.
Xander turned back to the others just as Phoebe's eyelids fluttered open.
The first thing Phoebe saw was a pair of concerned emerald eyes looking down at her. She smiled slightly, "Hey" she said softly.
Tegan virtually beamed at her, "Hey yourself".
Xander looked at Bel with a question in his eyes, to which Belinda just nodded, causing the man to smile widely, before becoming serious again as a voice sounded in his ear.
Isabel ran the wet cloth down her body shivering slightly from the coolness of the material as it traced a line from her face, down round her neck, between her breasts and down passed her navel,long her inner thigh and finally down to the calf. She then wrung it out in the sink, the water now almost illuminated with a bright lime green. Then dampening it with the tap she started all over again.
Suddenly there was a horrendous knocking at the door, that scared the living hell out of her, followed by another hinge trembling bang.
"Who is it?" she asked, just about keeping the tremble out of her voice.
"HEEEERRREEESSS XAAANNNDDDEEER!" Xander called through the door, a laugh evident in his tone.
"Oh very fucking funny!" Iz said opening the door and glaring mildly at him, trying to keep the smile off of her face, but failing miserably.
Xander suddenly found he couldn't breath as Isabel stood before him, without a stitch of clothing on her body. Her long athletic limbs moist and her breasts tipped by hard brown nipples.
His gaze suddenly turned hungry as he looked at her slowly from top to bottom.
Isabel smiled sexily at his intense inspection of her trailing a hand between her breasts and swinging her hips slightly, "Like what you see?" she asked him.
Xander just nodded, wetting his suddenly dry lips.
Isabel felt he rush of lust hit her that she always enjoyed from having Xander look at her like that. The trio was now, whilst not used to Xander's unconscious empathic lust enhancer, they were at least aware of it. Frankly, they loved it as well. Knowing that he found them THAT attractive was a turn on by itself, then knowing what he had in his arsenal was a sure prelude to some mind blowing sexual experiences.
Iz smiled saucily, "Fancy a quick one?" she asked, cupping her breast and tweaking her nipple slightly.
Xander was nodding before his mind kicked, "Not right now" he manged through a thick throat.
Isabel smirked, "Go on, just a quick Fuck." she said over pronounced the word fuck sashaying close to him and cupping the hard mound in his trousers.
"No time." Xander croaked. "Need to leave, think I may know how." he said swallowing convulsively.
"Not even some head" she asked rubbing the flat of her palm against his bulge.
Xander struggled to remain in control and nodded his head, whilst saying, "Not now, but later..."
Iz laughed at his obvious indecision and decided to give him a break, moving back to where she had managed to wash her dress of the worst of it. She bent at the waist flashing her perfect behind at him. She had only after all decided to make it easier, not easy.
"Oh god!" Xander murmured out loud, even though he thought he'd only used his inner monologue.
"Sure you won't change your mind?" Isabel said, standing with her dress in hand and preparing to to shrug it on.
Xander shook his head, "No, but I really shouldn't" he said laughing slightly, "Come on tease, I'll make sure to pay you back for that later" he said holding out a hand as Iz dressed and slipped on her shoes.
"Oh god I hope so!" she said, walking past him, pausing long enough to rub her backside against him as he stood to one side. Then laughing as he slapped her butt she led him out of the bathroom towards the main entranceway.
Xander led Isabel down to the foyer, laughing and joking as they went in a highly flirtatious manner, the same manner they had taken up almost as soon as meeting each other and had never let up on. It was a bit of an in joke sometimes to see who could out flirt the other. Isabel always won of course, she was 800 years old which gave her 780 odd years of experience over Xander. He liked to think he held his own, for a short while at least though and occasionally he would see her cheeks flush ever so slightly as she got THAT twinkle in her eye that had always boded well for him.
"So what happened earlier?"Iz asked suddenly out of the blue.
Xander looked back at her with a smile, "A gentlemen, doesn't reveal that sort of thing."
"You don't need to, Tegan and Phoebe were both making plenty of noise to announce what was going on!" Iz said with a giggle, "Besides, since when have you been a gentleman?"
"Oh thanks Iz!" Xander laughed back.
Isabel shrugged, "Hey, they're boring, you're FUN. Now are you going to tell me or do I have to ask Phoebe and 'Gan, because I can guarantee one of them will tell me."
Xander gave her a wicked look, "In which case, I don't NEED to tell you anything, because doubtless you'll check your facts with them anyway. This way, Iz, I'm saving YOU time."
Isabel stuck her tongue out at the back of his head as he turned away from her.
"I saw that." Xander said on principle.
"I don't care." Isabel said laughing.
"And that's what I love about you my darling." Xander said shaking his head.
Isabel suddenly stopped him, her hand on his shoulder.
Xander turned back to see her serious eyes, "What's the matter Iz?" he asked her softly.
"Do you, do you really love me?" she asked, her eyes a little watery.
"Of course I do, I wouldn't of said it otherwise. I love you all, very much." Xander said seriously.
Isabel beamed at him, "I'm going to miss you." she said, her eyes flashing in shock as she said it.
"Miss me? I'm not going anywhere Iz. Don't you worry about that." Xander said with a bemused expression.
Isabel covered her expression quickly with a blinding smile, "Come on Romeo, lets get back and we can deal with this Ghostly Doings and go home. Then you can show me you love me!"
"Sounds great, but..." Xander trailed off as they walked into the foyer and found that there everyone was, gone!
They stepped down into the large entranceway slowly, both on their guard. Xander quickly retrieved one of his Desert Eagles and passed the silver weapon to Isabel. She took it from him and quickly checked it over with a professional air before becoming deadly as only someone 800 years plus could. Next to her Xander hefted the Golden Eagle and looked around the room, searching for some clue as to what was going on, or had happened to the others.
"It's quiet" Isabel noted in a whisper.
"Too quiet" said Xander, his empathic sense's reaching out and only brushing up against Isabel's soft aura.
Isabel's blue eyes flicked around one last time, her heightened senses allowing her to spy what looked to be some of the dress she had lent Phoebe. Her nostrils flared as she was sure she picked an all too familiar scent.
"Blood" Xander and Isabel said together, moving across the floor to where the bloody rag lay.
Xander bent and pushed it with the barrel of his gun, flipping it over. His eyes hard he stood up, "If you've hurt her!" he shouted at the ceiling.
"Xander, what are you doing?"
"Let's play a name game" Xander continued in a loud voice, "What if I were to say the name, GRACE ARTHUR"
THAT got a reaction, the walls seemed to tremble and started to run with ooze once again.
"Oh no, not this crud again!" Isabel said mournfully, "I hate getting icky"
"That's not what you said about the chocolate paste" Xander commented looking pleased with himself.
Isabel just glared at him, before going on to say, "Okay smart ass, how did you know you'd get a reaction with that name?"
Xander tapped his ear, "My beautiful assistant told me."
Blocks away from the building in which they were sat a lass black sports car suddenly revved it's engine in a happy purr.
"Who?" Isabel asked looking blank.
The revving suddenly sounded irritated, startling a couple who had been making out nearby.
"Kasi you ditz!" Xander said still smirking as the Ooze started to drip, "This building was once owned by none other than my good friend Grace Arthur."
The walls stilled their shaking and the ooze became a flood, taking shape in the middle of the floor into the same figure as had been formed of mist. "And there she is. Or at least an image of the ghosts murderer, I'd be guessing." Xander continued, as Isabel stepped back and stood up a step away from the goop.
The ghostly apparition walked closer with a squicky sound from the ooze at it's feet shaking it's head.
Xander frowned, "No?"
Again the ghost shook it's head.
"Damn, well you can't be Grace Arthur, once a vampire's been made, Demonia at least, the soul goes to hell for eternal damnation, supposedly at least But what ever else happens, the soul's gone. No soul, no ghost." Xander tapped his chin thoughtfully. "So Grace Arthur didn't murder you?" he asked the ghost as it came to a stop in front of him, dripping ooze.
The ghost nodded it's head.
"She did?"
another nod, "Okay, now I'm confused. Okay, whatever, look," Xander paused, not really sure what the hell to say at this precise moment in time. "Can I have my friends back?"
The ghost shook it's head.
"Please?" another shake, "Why not?"
The ghost seemed to actually smile and ran a finger along it's throat.
"You killed them?" Xander snarled moving forward and grabbing for the ghost that disappeared and reformed behind him. Xander turned and growled at it, not liking having his own trick thrown back at him. "If you killed them, I'll make sure this building is nuked, whatever you do to me." Xander said in a low voice.
The Ghost shook it's heat, somehow still seeming to radiate amusement at him. A fact that was annoying the hell out of him. So, he did what came naturally to him these days and prepared to fight, his arm reaching out blindly and retrieving his Katana from mid air he placed his gun in his coat and took an en-guade position.
The ghost suddenly reeled away from the Katana like it had been burned, causing Isabel to smile. Xander didn't really notice, saw it more as a defensive move.
"The sword..." Isabel began, but as she started to speak the ghost suddenly focused on her, like it had forgotten she was there.
It's face seemed to melt in fast forward and then the rest of it followed as the ghost started to move towards her. Xander tried to move in front to block it, but just got covered in ectoplasm that virtually flew away from the sword, but covered every other inch of his body. When he turned he let out a shout of despair as Isabel was grabbed from behind and lofted into the air.
The strange sight then sped towards the wall and As Xander let out a roar of anger, thinking that Isabel would be seriously hurt they went straight through it leaving behind a splash of ectoplasm.
Xander didn't waste a moment and tried to take to his heels. When his legs didn't respond he looked down and saw to his stomach lurching annoyance that the Ectoplasm was holding his feet still in an concrete like grip.
It was then that Isabel's words filtered through, the clean state of his sword and the fact that the ghost had leapt away from him. It all hit him at once and a thousand thoughts ran through his mind, the upshot of which were that he dipped his sword down towards his feet. He watched with almost fascinated horror as the goop started to shrivel away from the magical weapon, the pure energy in the sword an anathema to the spectral energy.
He probed the ectoplasm's tolerance by swinging the sword around him in an arc and watched as the spider's web goo just flew off of his body and almost seemed to run away from it. Wearing a grim smile, Xander then moved forward as quickly as he was able, pushing the ancient sword ahead of him like a flashlight, cutting a swathe in the night.
Isabel shook her head, clearing away the cobwebs of fear her eyes glaring into the long hallway that laid out in front of her. Now that she came to look at it, the hallway in fact seemed to be miles long, she couldn't see the end, and if she wasn't mistaken twisted 360 degrees at the very edge of the depth she could see.
Her long blond hair in disarray, she took a moment to toss it out of her face, using a deft movement of her hand she managed to somehow tie it up into a loose bun at the back of her head. That done she started to walk forward.
She leapt back as ectoplasm bubbled out of the floor in front of her high-heeled feet in a disgusting parody of a mountain spring. Eyeing it warily, Isabel started to move around only to jump back as it suddenly did an impression of a geyser instead, gushing up to hit the roof where it pooled into a puddle.
Backing up completely Isabel prepared herself to run through the horrible liquid. After all, she had been a lot things in her long life that were worse than a little mucky. She had spent the better part of her childhood years covering in all sort's of shit and filth, which if she were honest with herself was most likely why she liked to be clean now. Squaring her shoulders she prepared to run forward, just as the geyser became a flame that roared out of the floor like a gas explosion and rolled towards her at a hundred miles and hour.
One of the few things that can kill an AterAnima was bearing down on her; so, Isabel did the only thing she had time for before the flames engulfed her.
She screamed.