***

you part the waters,
the same ones that i'm drowning in.
you lead your casual slaughters,
and i'm the one who helps you win.

Faith woke up, sitting in a chair or actually, tied to one. She blinked her eyes, trying to break from the groggy feeling that came from being drugged. She scooted around in the chair, pulling against the ropes and finding she was effectively trapped.

"Good," Lilah said, perching on the edge of a large desk, "You're awake."

"I'm supposed to be in jail," Faith answered, wanting to rub her head, wanting to move her hands. She looked down at the ropes holding her, wondering if she would be able to break them once she revived herself completely.

"They're nylon," Lilah said, crossing her legs and smiling, "Five thousand pounds of pressure couldn't break those babies."

"What, so you're pissed that I didn't kill Angel?" Faith said, leaning against the chair and trying to breath evenly but everything seemed so slow and crooked.

"The partners are very disappointed in the way the whole thing played out," Lilah said, "We never actually thought you would kill him. We hoped you would succeed in helping him lose his soul or that the other Slayer would come and accomplish the deed. In the end, you cost us money, and Angel is still alive with his soul."

"Untie me," Faith said, struggling weakly against her bindings, "I'll help you fix this."

"Oh yeah," Lilah said nodding, "I'm gonna trust you. After sobbing in the vampire's arms like a child and willingly turning yourself over to the police, you expect us to believe that you can be trusted? God, we thought you were a force to reckoned with. A Slayer, for crying out loud."

"So, are you going to kill me or what? I guess you didn't break me out of prison to bore me to death with lectures on how you're disappointed in me, mom."

"You're right, Faith," Lilah said, hopping down from the desk and landing soundly on her high heels, before pivoting to pace condescendingly around the room, "We didn't break you out of jail to lecture you. You are going to help us fix this mess."

"How?" Faith asked, shivering as the drugs began to work their way out of her system.

"Well," Lilah said, nodding at the door, "You're going to do a little legwork for us. You can get close enough to Buffy and Angel to administer a little soup we've worked up. If you don't fail, then we might let you live."

"The cops are going to be looking for me," Faith protested, looking up at the guard who was carrying a large syringe in his hand.

"No," Lilah said, as the guard pressed the needle into her skin, "They think you're dead."

***

she'll pull out your feathers for her brand new hat,
and when she's done that she'll feed you to her cat.
so watch out. she ain't no good for you.

Angel was draped in pleasant sleep for the first time in weeks. Although Cordelia's couch was far from ideal for a man of his size, the vampire was exhausted and could've slept fitfully anywhere tonight. His friends were finally safe, he had somewhat reconciled with Buffy and Faith was tucked safely behind bars. This was the first time he felt he could sleep without keeping one eye open since Faith had shown up on his doorstep. Which is why the knocking on the door was having a hard time breaking into his deep sleep.

"Damn," he muttered as he opened his eyes and looked briefly at Cordelia's ceiling before rising to answer the door. He backed up slowly to avoid the sunlight and was immediately attached to the trembling form of a hysterical Faith.

"Faith," Angel said, swinging the door closed and prying her tearful face from his bare chest, "Why aren't you in jail?"

"Wolfram & H-h-hart," she heaved, reattaching herself to him, "they broke me out, going to kill me for not killing you."

Grabbing her shoulders and pulling her an arm's length from himself and steered her to a chair. When she was seated, he backed up to sit on the edge of the couch, "Tell me what happened."

"Angel," Faith sniffed, "I'm so scared. They drugged me. I'm not sure what they gave me but I feel funny. They said that I had to help them. They said the cops think I'm dead."

Angel's first impulse was to call Kate and check out her story, but remembered that Kate hated him now. He couldn't call Kate. His second impulse was to call Willow to see if she could help determine what kind of drugs were in Faith's system, except Willow equaled Buffy and he couldn't call there either. He sighed heavily and wished he was still sleeping, wrapped in a world of reuniting with Buffy, instead of looking at the tear stained cheeks of the other Slayer.

"What did they ask you to do?" He asked, leaning back to listen, pretending to not be on edge with her. Angel was aware that there are very few absolutes in the world, but there were some: Vampires would always be undead, the sun would always rise and set, he would always love Buffy and Faith could never, ever be trusted.

Angel watched wearily as Faith crossed the room and perched on the couch next to him, leaning closely in her prison jumper. He took the opportunity to turn and face her, while moving back, trying to keep a large space between them.

"They want me to try to kill you," she said, looking wildly around the room, "again. Angel, I don't know what to do. Please help me."

"It's okay, Faith," he answered, his deep voice filling the room with warmth and safety. He almost flinched as she flung herself into his arms and began sobbing on his chest once more. He did flinch when the needle pierced his skin. His eyes widened as he shoved her away, causing her to topple roughly to the floor.

"Faith!" He yelled, pulling himself to his feet, swaying on weakening legs.

"Don't worry, Angel," she answered, rising to her feet as well and wiping the tears from her face and replacing her look of despair with a cool smile.

"What the hell did you give me?" He shouted, stumbling closer to her, hoping the sound of his voice woke Cordelia.

"You're gonna love this," she whispered as she watched him fall, "So will Buffy."

***

to me, coming from you, friend is a four letter word.
end is the only part of the word that i heard.

Buffy was on patrol. Far from content, since she wasn't sure what content was anymore, but she was okay - truly okay - tonight. Adam was dead, the First Slayer was no longer trying to kill her friends in their dreams, Faith was in jail and Riley had successfully disentangled himself from the military. Things were definitely okay.

And the night was quiet. The air seemed to part easily for her as she walked, the night seemed to be sleeping, barely shifting at her approach. She almost smiled with the peacefulness of her surroundings and turned out of the park to head home. Now that the semester was over, she was looking forward to spending a couple of nights at home in her bed, hanging with her mom a little bit and doing some bonafide girly things.

"Buffy," a female voice said, slicing through the peace and causing her to look to her left.

"Faith," Buffy spat angrily, moving into a defensive stance without even considering another option.

"I...need your help," she said with tears welling in her eyes.

"That's funny," Buffy said, narrowing her eyes at the other Slayer, "Why the hell would I help you? And why aren't you in jail?"

"The law firm," she answered, "staged my death and broke me out. They said...they said I had to help them kill Angel."

Buffy's eyes widened and she took several large steps closer to Faith, "Where's Angel?" she demanded. Buffy knew that Angel was still alive. She would have felt it already if he died. Even though her instincts told her she was right, she still found herself worrying that maybe she wasn't.

"He's in LA," Faith answered, "I tried to warn him but he told me to leave."

"Well, that's a surprise," Buffy drawled, "Cause you've been so trustworthy all this time."

"Buffy," Faith said, taking a feigned timid step closer, "I'm really scared. They drugged me with something and I feel...I don't know...funny. I came here so you could stop me from..." Faith tapered off and looked desperately at the only girl in the world powerful enough to stop her.

"Stop you from what?!" Buffy yelled as terror filled her.

"Killing him, hurting someone else...I don't know," she said. Faith took a step forward and stopped, began to waver and clutched her head violently. Buffy stared at her, trying to weigh her options. Faith did look a little...less than Faith. She was still clad in her prison clothes, her hair was tangled and her face was streaked with tears and dirt. She looked terrified. In spite of her nagging better judgment, Buffy began to feel sorry for her.

"We'll walk to Giles'," Buffy said, "And you're going to let us tie you up until we figure this out."

Faith nodded without speaking and stepped towards her. Buffy made sure there was a good space between them as they walked and kept one eye peeled on the dark haired girl. She couldn't help but notice that Faith was shaking and looked genuinely afraid. In fact, the longer they walked, the more she began to believe the story, the more she thought about what the truth had to be in the situation and the less she watched Faith, which is why she didn't notice the syringe in Faith's hand until it was too late.

Buffy turned and kicked Faith away, rubbing her arm as she moved, "What the hell did you inject me with?"

"A little gift from Wolfram & Hart," Faith said as she stood and dusted herself off.

"What was in it?" Buffy asked, feeling her limbs begin to grow heavy as she tried to move forward.

"Don't worry, B," Faith said, smiling, "it's going to be fun."

***

i can feel the pressure building high.
you should see you're headed for a storm

"Angel!" Cordelia yelled as she slapped his unconscious face for the third time. As she moved to hit him a fourth time, he reached up and grabbed her hand in mid swing.

"I'm awake," he said, blinking himself awake, "You can stop hitting me now."

"Why are you on the floor?" she asked, kneeling by his side in her pajamas, "I thought I heard you yell before."

"Yeah," he said, rubbing his head while he sat up, "I was yelling at Faith."

"Faith!" Cordy said, moving back to give him room, "She was here?"

"She drugged me," he groaned, pulling himself onto the couch again. He quickly surveyed the feelings that were raging through his body. His head was fuzzy, thoughts far from clear. He knew he had fallen and hit his head, remembered his conversation with Faith, but mostly he remembered his fear for Buffy's life. He fell asleep with a desperate need to get to his mate and woke with the same urgent feeling.

"With what?"

"I don't know," he said, "But she mentioned Buffy. I think she's going after her. I have to get to Sunnydale."

"You don't even know what she drugged you with," Cordy said, standing up, "You could pass out on the highway or turn evil or...anything could happen. I don't think you should go."

"If I was going to turn evil," Angel said, eyes darkening with irritation, "Don't you think I would already be evil?"

"Guess I'd be dead already," she muttered sitting down on the couch next to him.

"Right," he said, nodding, "Besides, if something does go wrong. Not saying that it will but if it does, I should be around a Slayer who can stop me."

Cordelia didn't argue with that logic, but she did feel a dark sense of dread filling her heart. Angel didn't look evil and he didn't sound evil, but there was a glint in his eyes that sent fear into her heart. She couldn't place what it was, but it was frightening. Something was coming and soon.

***

always through such strong resistance

When Buffy woke up, she opened her eyes with alarm and looked around her, feeling a pounding in her head almost immediately. Three large bodies were moving toward her and she scrambled to her feet, feeling for the stake, that thankfully, was still in her pocket.

"Slayer," one of vampires sneered, feeling confident and unstoppable with his two brethren at his side. He was certain that the Slayer could not take them all. And she looked dazed. He idly wondered what had knocked her out as he moved closer. Pity they hadn't reached her a few minutes before when she was still unconscious. But what was the fun in that?

"If I had a penny for every time a vampire said that," she said, not bothering to finish her sentence as she gripped her stake. Three vamps and one Slayer who could barely gather her senses did not equal good.

"Feeling okay Slayer?" He asked with a smile as he walked closer to her, loving the smell of fear that was radiating from the small blonde warrior.

"Fine enough to kill you," she bluffed, trying not to betray the tremors moving through her body as she smiled back at him and kicked him in the face. All three rushed in at once and something felt vaguely familiar about them as two held her and the third began approaching her neck. The movements were exactly like those of The Three the first time Angel saved her life.

"Good dogs don't bite," she whispered involuntarily as he neared her throat. Any strength she had woke with seemed to drain from her body with her words, escaping into the memory and the realization that she was going to die. She wasn't even sure if these creatures were real or part of a drugged hallucination but she struggled against him, feeling a scream grating inside her throat.

She felt Angel coming and knew that he was going to be too late to save her. His nearness was whipping at her body, leaving marks on her skin that she was sure would be visible if she looked down. She struggled against the vice grips on her body but found the drugs had taken more than just strength, but seemed to take ability to follow through with her movements.

The lead vampire lowered closer and closer to her skin until his teeth were nearly grazing her skin, when he noticed Angel's mark. He pulled away and looked at it with confusion. It wasn't just a vampire bite, it was a mark. All vampires knew the difference. It was in the placement on the skin, the exactness, the neatness of the scar.

"She's marked," he said, looking into her eyes, to his friends and then to her neck with confusion.

"She's the Slayer," one of them growled, "Kill her."

"No," she screamed, kicking out and sending him flying back and away from her neck. One of the lesser vamps, wasted no time leaning in and digging in. The second joined him, followed closely by the third, biting her neck above the mark and taking in her powerful blood.

"Angel!" she screamed, struggling to get them to release her even as they drank, causing their fangs to tear her neck, digging deep holes which became larger with each movement. One vamp turned to dust, causing the other two to release her immediately. Buffy watched the battle before her with half interest, feeling the three new bites on her neck. The second vamp turned to dust and the third took that opportunity to escape, running into the trees.

"Damn," Faith muttered as she watched the third disappear into the dark.

Buffy looked up at her savior with confusion, feeling heavier with drugs and the loss of blood, "Why did you save me?"

"You can't die...yet," Faith said, tossing the stake into Buffy's lap, "It's not part of the plan until later, B."

Buffy climbed to her feet as Faith disappeared in the trees in the opposite direction as the runaway vamp. Turning, she moved toward Giles' flat again. Each step was like quick sand as she went, trying to keep a grasp on her consciousness long enough to get to her Watcher.

***

i hope i've got a little more time.
i hope it's not the end of the line.

Giles was already waiting for Buffy to arrive when she was carried through the door by Riley. He quickly assessed the situation. Buffy's neck was covered with blood, which signified multiple vampire bites and by the frenzied look on her boyfriend's face, he clearly knew that Faith was here as well.

"Buffy," Giles said, after closing the door, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she said, nodding with uncertainty.

"Riley," Giles said, "The first aid kit it under the sink. Unless you feel you should be taken to the hospital?"

"No," she said, shaking her head, "I'm okay. They didn't take that much."

Buffy looked up at her concerned Watcher and launched into her story as Riley began tending to her wounds. She felt his hands shaking with either concern or anger, probably both, as he gently washed away the blood, cleaning out the holes in her skin. When she was finished with her story, she leaned back on Riley, who held her gently. She closed her eyes, feeling Angel's closeness more vibrantly with each breath.

"I talked to Wesley," Giles said, looking at her, bracing himself for her reaction to the news, "Faith visited Angel as well, just as she told you, but Cordelia says that he was drugged too."

"Is he okay?" Buffy asked, feeling Riley stiffen against her at the mention of Angel's name.

"Yes," Giles said, "At least we think so. He's on his way here. Cordelia said that he wanted to be near you in case something should happen...so you could stop him."

She nodded mutely and then looked up at Giles, "If I was given the same drug...if something happens..."

"Willow is on her way over now," Giles answered, trying to quell her fears, "She's going to take a blood sample from you and one from Angel when he arrives. Wesley and Cordelia will be on their way shortly to help in anyway that they can. We'll resolve this, Buffy."

"Giles," Buffy said, moving to the edge of the couch, "We've got to find Faith. She's out there free. She could be anywhere."

"Yes," he said, nodding. He quickly searched his mind for a solution when there was a urgent rap on his door. Angel stood at the threshold, looking less than normal, which matched the less than normal Buffy was currently sporting.

"Giles," Angel said, "Can I come in?"

Giles nodded without speaking, knowing the vampire did not need his permission to enter. Standing aside, Angel walked in as Buffy rose to her feet. She began to fall and Riley stood quickly to steady her. A deep growl rumbled off of Angel and at first Buffy thought it was because he saw Riley touching her but he crossed the small expanse of room to touch her neck.

"What happened?" Angel growled, feeling the demon inside him screaming in anger at the idea of another vampire daring to bite his mate.

"Faith drugged me too," she answered, "and I passed out. When I woke up, I was attacked by three vampires. They almost didn't bite me cause they said I was marked."

"How did you get away?" He asked, looking briefly at Riley.

"Faith saved me," she said, shaking her head in confusion, "She said I wasn't supposed to die yet."

"Yet!" Angel echoed furiously, feeling anger for the harm of his mate filling him, "I'm going to kill her."

"What happened to saving her?" Buffy asked with eyes flashing with residual anger from their previous conversation in LA.

"I'm over that," he said, trying to calm himself and touching her neck. Riley pulled her back to sit on the couch and out of Angel's range of touch when Willow walked in followed by Tara, Anya and Xander.

***

but if i had to choose a number,
i'd want it to be number one.
i don't want to be number two.

Willow was intently studying the blood samples with what looked like a dervish of complicated chemistry homework and just the sight of it made Xander tired. He turned to face the room and looked on as Angel and Riley glared at each other while intermittently looking over the woman they both loved with concern. Wesley and Cordelia's arrival had added a greater tension to the room and he was wondering what he had done to deserve the gift of his ex's arrival. The whole room was making him tired.

"So," he said, plopping down in a chair, "How are we gonna stop the looney Slayer?"

"I think we should start patrolling," Angel answered, standing to his feet. He felt a wild restlessness filling him with each second that ticked by. Watching Riley fawn over his mate was making him crazy, as was the knowledge that there was a lone vampire out there buzzing off the stolen Slayer's blood.

"Angel," Wesley said, crossing the room, "I think we should wait until we have the results of the blood work."

"I'm tired of waiting," Angel said, losing patience with the room, knowing Buffy felt the same way. He had been glowering at Buffy's patience wearing thin all this time. She looked like she was ready to explode any minute.

"I'm tire of waiting too," Buffy said, standing as well, "Faith is out there doing God knows what and we're waiting here. We should be doing something before she kills someone."

Angel was right, Buffy was ready to explode and she couldn't sit with Riley petting her one more damn second. Every time he touched her, she felt her skin itch with Angel's displeasure. Primal desire for each other was commuting between the two soul mates from across the room and the antediluvian compulsion to hunt was captivating both of them. Their base predatory structures were rising to the surface as they felt a lust for the kill take over all other feelings.

"Buffy," Giles said, joining Wesley's side, "I think that Wesley is right. We should wait for the results before you two go out. We may need to prepare an antidote."

"Giles," Buffy said, feeling anger she didn't understand taking over her body, "I have to get out of here. I need fresh air."

"I think the drugs you were given may have something to do with what you are feeling. Please wait a little bit longer. I'm sure that Willow will be done with her research shortly."

Buffy nodded and with a great amount of irritation answered, "Fine."

Angel paced to the window and then turned around look on Buffy and her lover once more. Even when he was fighting Riley a couple of weeks ago, he didn't feel what he was feeling now. Now he felt an almost irresistible urge to rip his throat out. Buffy was shying away from his touches, was no longer leaning against the boy but away from him and the new turn had not escaped Riley's notice either.

"What I want to know," Riley said, feeling the tension of the room soaking into him, "Is what that vampire meant when he said that Buffy was ‘marked.'"

A low growl escaped Angel making the room tingle with fear and Buffy stood again, preparing for the fight that would inevitably break out. She knew what being marked meant. Not because it was ever explained to her but because she had figured out a long time ago why that scar and no other ever stayed on her body. Her enhanced healing abilities had removed all other wounds from her body but scar remained and tingled from the memory of her lover.

"Angel," Buffy said quietly in answer to his growl. She saw the anger rising up in him and buffered it into herself.

"He wants to know, love," Angel said, knowing full well that his beloved had figured it out a long time ago.

"Yeah, I do," Riley said, standing as well, feeling his hackles rise at the sound of the undead calling his girlfriend "love."

"It's simple, really," Angel said, his voice resonating so close to a growl that Buffy could almost hear it slamming against her soul.

"Angel," Buffy repeated, her voice low and her eyes digging into him.

"Would you prefer to tell him, baby?" Angel said, smiling cruelly and then turning the smile on Riley, "See, Finn, when a vampire bites someone, usually the intent is to kill. But if they want to make that person a possession, mate...or a minion, they mark the body of the human, showing other vampires that the person in question belongs to them."

"Marking your territory," Cordelia said from across the room in obvious anger, "Like a dog pissing on a fire hydrant?"

"Essentially," Angel said with a cold, nearly insane smile, "I marked my territory."

"Your territory?" Riley asked, blazing with anger, "Is that what you think Buffy is? Your minion?"

"She's not my minion," Angel answered, stepping closer to Buffy, equalizing the distance between them, creating a triangle, "She's my mate."

"Not anymore," Riley said as the rest of the room braced themselves for violence. Riley wanted to reach out to Buffy and pull her into his side to prove his words were true but one glance at the arboreal look in her eyes told him that a different course of action would be advisable.

"Yes," Angel purred, sweeping his mate's body with his eyes, causing her to shiver, "She's still mine. Tell him the truth, love. Don't you think he deserves it?"

Buffy tried to break the feelings that were coursing through her, feelings which Angel had since stopped trying to fight. The drugs, whatever they were, were taking over and making her care less and less about everyone in the room except for the darkly sexy vampire standing mere feet from here. She could almost feel his skin beneath her fingertips, could almost feel his arms around her. Everyone in the room was staring at them, except for Willow, who was immersed in science.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Riley shouted, not allowing Buffy the time to answer. He didn't want her to answer. He knew he would regret it for the rest of his life if she did.

"She belongs to me," Angel said, voicing the growl he had held in until now, "Always has."

"Then why is she with me?" Riley shot back, his eyes an icy blue tangible anger.

"Because I allow her to be," he answered, feeling as if Angelus was steering his words and only sheer will was keeping him from the kill.

"Angel," Wesley said, stepping slightly closer, "Please calm down. Remember, you are under the influence of some substance that is making you feel this way."

"It's always been true, Wes. Drugs are just letting me tell the truth," Angel said, looking briefly at the ex-watcher, before raking his eyes over Buffy's body again, who was shaking violently now, trying to keep her silence.

"What's always been true?" Xander asked, standing as well, more to be able to move himself out of harm's way when it arrived than anything else, "That Buffy belongs to you? What is this? Some kinda primal thing?"

"Y-yes," Buffy answered, finally breaking her silence. She never felt like she belonged to Angel before. Never felt anything but pure love for him. Tonight she knew. He was hers. She was his. Soul mates and equally primal possessions of each other, drawn toward darkness together. She couldn't stay with Riley. He couldn't handle the domination of the night that controlled her and her mate. There was nothing in the naivete of Riley's human mind that could grasp the reality of the shadows that swallowed her life.

"What?" Riley gasped incredulously, glancing over at Angel's gleaming smile before looking back at Buffy.

"He marked me to show that I'm his mate," Buffy said nodding at the floor, "He belongs to me as well. His mark isn't visible but it's there."

As she spoke, she moved toward her mate, touching his chest briefly and his arm came up to land on her small hip possessively. Giving into the power of whatever drug she had been administered, she leaned against Angel and faced the room.

"He left me because it was too dangerous to stay," she explained, looking at her boyfriend with the last shred of caring she had left for him and the rest of the room. Strangely, she no longer cared about the danger that had seemed so important before. She felt Angel pressing against her, sliding his hand over her lower belly and pulling her in tighter. His large hand intimately spanned the whole of her width. He leaned in and kissed her neck gently, landing on the unbroken skin of her scar and raised his eyes to Riley as his lips touched her skin.

"These other bite marks will fade," Angel said, pulling the bandages from her neck gently, "but mine will remain."

"Forever," she whispered as everyone looked to see that they had started to heal already, seeming to dim next to the gleaming mark that Angel had left there. Her little word caused a shiver to ripple through the room. She didn't move as Angel removed the bandages and kissed puncture, as if he were trying to remove the stain of the other vampires' teeth from her perfect body.

"Buffy," Giles said firmly, causing her to snap her eyes over to her Watcher, "Please think clearly. You have been drugged."

"I know, Giles," Buffy purred, leaning her head against Angel's broad shoulder, "I can feel it inside me. It's like velvet."

"Buffy," Riley said in a panic, "Come over here. To me."

"What part of ‘mate' did you not understand?" Angel asked with a smile, relishing in the feel of her burrowing against him, filling him with warmth that he had gone without for so long.

"Angel," Cordelia snapped angrily, "You are out of your gourd. Let go of Buffy and think for a minute. Willow's almost done figuring this out. Right, Willow? Willow?"

"Huh?" Willow said, looking up from the multicolored vials in front of her.

"Are you almost done? I know you're all with the science right now and not paying attention, but people are losing their damn minds in here."

"Yes," she said, looking back down, "Almost done. There's a magickcal element here along with a medical one, so it's taking a little longer to puzzle it out."

"Let me be the first to say ‘duh'," Xander said, looking back at Buffy and Angel.

"Angel," Buffy sighed, rubbing the hand that covered her torso, "I wanna go out. Tired of waiting."

"‘Kay baby," he said, tickling her ear with his lips. Pivoting, he moved with her toward the door.

"Wait!" Giles yelled, hurrying across the room but was met with the closed door as the lovers escaped.

***

you're drinking what they're selling.
your self-destruction doesn't hurt them.
your chaos won't convert them.
they're so happy to rebuild it.
you'll never really kill it.

Faith climbed in the back of a nondescript black car once she reached the street and faced Lilah, who was sipping a glass of wine with a brilliant smile on her face.

"The shamans say that the spells are in motion," Lilah said, "Good job."

"Yeah, whatever," Faith answered, "Are you done with me now? Cause I need a shower and I have to get out of these clothes."

"Not quite," Lilah said, "But we have a room for you at the hotel across town, where you will be guarded. We gathered some of your clothes and they are waiting there for you. You can shower and change there."

"What else do you want me to do?" Faith said in irritation, tossing two empty syringes at the lawyer, "I did what you asked."

"Yes," Lilah said nodding, "And I said ‘good job.' Now we only require a few simple things from you. I'll tell you about those later. Right now, we'll just sit back and watch the magick work."

"I hate you fucking people," Faith said as the car began to roll through the streets of Sunnydale.

"Yes, well," Lilah said emptying her glass with a smile, "Most people do."

***

Part Two

***

to resist it is useless
it is useless to resist it

Angel and Buffy walked away from Giles apartment with dark power coursing through them so violently that they felt almost impervious. Their eyes smoldered, pulsing the air around them. Holding hands, they strutted away from sanity and toward a whole new world of inconsequence.

"Thank you," Buffy said into the heated summer air, "I couldn't stand being in there one more second."

"Tell me about it," Angel said, allowing his hand to glide over her ass with a smile, "Where do you want to go?"

"I want to shower and change," Buffy said, looking down at her dirty, ripped clothing, "Then we can go have some fun."

"Sounds good," Angel said, imagining the shower with a gleam of pleasure. They turned toward her house in unison, their steps making one sychronized sound on the concrete. Their thoughts and emotions seemed to ravel and unravel together, keeping on the same wave of lunacy. The full moon shone down on them, crying out in a scream, filling them with power and more power. Neither of them had ever felt so free, so without mercy, so blissfully certain of what they wanted and how they planned to obtain it.

***

yeah you don't love me like i love you.
although you pretend,
i can see this will end.

"I got it," Willow said to the stunned group, standing up from her seat and stretching briefly before launching into her explanation, "The drug is partially medical and partially magickal, as I said before."

"What is it's purpose?" Giles asked, cleaning his glasses quickly and returning them to his face, only to see that Wesley was doing the same thing.

"Yeah, cause Angel was acting all Angelus like," Xander said, "And Buffy was kinda...Faithy."

"No kidding," Cordy muttered, catching a look of surprise from Xander for her agreement with him.

"It's seems to be about invincibility," Willow said, "Not being invincible but thinking they are. It dims reasoning and brings out primal feelings. A de-civilizing drug, I guess. I think it urges them away from caring about anything but their base desires."

"That explains a lot," Wesley said, nodding.

"Can you create an antidote?" Giles asked.

"Probably," Willow said, glancing briefly at Tara in askance, who nodded gently, "But it'll take a while."

"Great," Cordy sighed, dropping to the couch, "Who's gonna make sure the super couple can't hurt people?"

"And what about Faith?" Xander asked. Both questions were met with silence. With two Slayers gone rogue and one vampire on their side, the possibilities for carnage were limitless.

***

call me morbid or absurd. but to me, coming from you friend is a four letter word

Faith showered and dressed, already feeling better. She looked out the peephole to see two guards standing outside her door. She craned her head and stood on her tiptoes, trying to size them up through the tiny hole. From her fish bowl view, it looked like they were both armed and probably not human.

Without thinking twice, as was her way, Faith opened the door and started fighting. The guards were chosen carefully for their ability to defend themselves and were ordered to kill The Slayer if necessary. They were very well trained and were nearly able to take her out, but after ten minutes of loud fighting and the discharge of a weapon, which caused doors to open up and down the hallway and curious eyes to peer out, Faith knocked them both out. And ran out of the hotel.

She was met with two other thugs outside of the hotel, waiting for her in the event that something like this would happen. Not stopping to fight them, she dodged them and went running into the night toward Giles' apartment. She took the long way so she could keep from being followed, tracking through two cemeteries and about ten different backyards. Finally, breathing heavily and terrified, she knocked on Giles' door.

***

we're always on this roller coaster,
if you want me, why can't you get closer

In the Summers' house, once the bathroom door closed, Angel's lips were devouring Buffy's, biting at her lips, sucking her tongue urgently into his mouth. He ripped away her clothes as he kissed her, dropping them in shreds on the floor. She, in turn, was yanking his clothes from his body, baring his skin to her touch. He reached between her legs and roughly felt her sex, delving into her dripping heat and causing a loud moan of pleasure to escape from her mouth into his. He pushed her against the closed door and entered her, wrapping her legs around him as he thrust wildly inside her.

"Angel," she cried out as he brutally pressed her into the door, "Oh God."

"Buffy," he growled as he sucked one of her tempting nipples into his mouth. She clawed at his back, leaving long lines of blood behind as she bucked against him, craving his growls, which grew louder.

"Fuck me," she rasped, "harder."

He roared into motion, grabbing her ass with both hands as he moved harder inside her, splintering the oak door behind them. The curse forgotten, with only the most base of desires in his mind, he impressioned her into the door, holding her weight with ease. His urgency was prodded with the thought of her fucking Riley and Parker, of being touched by other men who were not worthy of her. His body pistoned against hers while his mind filled with bloody thoughts of revenge against the men who dared touch his mate.

Buffy pressed back against her demon lover with the same urgency. Her mind clouded by lust and want, she didn't think of the curse either. She wanted nothing more for him to erase the memory of Riley and Parker, scarcely able to believe that she had ever been with anyone but him. She rocked him inside her deeper, crying out as he moved, as if each movement was a blessing.

***

i am intrinsically no good
i have a heart that's made of wood
i am only biding time
only reciting memorized lines

Giles scrutinized Faith, who was standing awkwardly near the door, preparing to flee at any second. He hadn't her trusted in a very long time didn't plan to start now. She looked genuinely afraid and nervous to him, but Buffy & Angel had said much the same thing about her too. He decided to proceed with caution.

"Faith," Giles said, with one hand on his hip, waving his glasses at her with the other, "I certainly hope you don't expect us to be stupid enough to believe your story."

"Look Giles," she said, "I know I messed up but they're going to kill me. I drugged Buffy and Angel. I admit it, but for real now - I want to help."

"Giles," Xander said, looking around the room for a weapon, "She's just going to try to kill one of us. Who are you supposed to drug this time Faith?"

"Faith," Giles said ignoring Xander, "I suggest you tell us everything."

As she launched into her story, Riley stood and slipped out, finally unable to wait any longer for some miraculous cure that could possibly be too damn late.

***

are they strangers or lovers

"We came in here to shower," Buffy said, as Angel finally deposited her on her feet.

"Mmmm, so we did," Angel said, looking over her body with interest, loving the blushing in her skin that appeared after she had just made love. He pressed her back against the broken door, feeling his arousal already returning as he kissed her swollen lips.

She broke the kiss with a giggle and moved toward the shower. She leaned over and turned on the water, baring her ass and sex for her lover. He growled as he came up behind her, running a hand against her moist core and over her ass. She slipped out of his grasp with a smile and stepped into the spray, pulling him in along with her.

"Shower," she said firmly but playfully.

"Fuck the shower," he growled, reaching between her legs and was met with a moan that shook his sanity, "I can tell you want something else."

"I want to be clean, Angel," she said while moaning and spreading wider for his probing fingers. He dropped to one knee and lapped at her moist core before sucking her clit between his lips. She convulsed against him as she came immediately. Losing her footing in the shower, she nearly fell but he caught her legs, flipping them over his broad shoulders as he continued to worship her until she was screaming and clawing at the slick shower walls.

Finally, after he had taken his feel of the honey pouring from his lover, he laid back on the shower floor and moved her over his lap as the water rained down on them. Trembling violently, she guided him inside her, where he was met with muscles still quivering from release. She braced her hands on his chest as she began to ride him slowly, feeling the soft spray pelt her back.

"I love you," he whispered as held her hips in his large hands.

"I love you," she echoed, both of them rasping with pleasure. Deep inside them, animalistic need punched out, turning their sensibilities to mush, leaving their sense of responsibility out in the cold. Buffy and Angel both had spent so much of the past years helping everyone else and blocking their own desire for each other that when fealty was stripped away, all that was left was need for each other.

***

i want to do whatever it takes, takes, takes.

Riley crept through the darkness and made his way to Buffy's house and was almost relieved to see that there were lights on there. Since Buffy's mom was out for the night, he knew it had to be them. A sinking feeling was breaking through his chest as he neared the door. He didn't want to go in there. In fact, he wanted to run away to Iowa and hide from what he couldn't bear to find inside the house.

But he made his feet move across the street, up the walk, onto the porch and he paused at the door, listening. Hearing no sound, he turned the knob slowly and crept inside. The sounds he heard upon entering forced him back out into the night to stand guard on the house. He was shaking with anger as he backed into the shadows and waited for one of them to emerge.

After a long wait, he saw Angel leave the house alone. He stood there, wondering if he should follow Angel or wait for Buffy. Weighing his options, he followed the vampire into the night.

***

she opened the door quietly and stepped into the night.

Buffy finally was able to shower, in spite of Angel's growing sexual needs and her own. As she dressed, her lover left her to stop by the mansion and change into clothes that were less destroyed than the ones he had been wearing. She flipped through her closet, humming to herself as she searched for something to wear. Landing on her red leather pants, she smiled brightly and put them on. She rubbed her neck absently as she thought about the last time she wore these pants, when she fought Faith and he fed off her. Seemed appropriate to wear them.

Turning back to her closet, she found a little black top that she never wore outside of the house before today. She looked in the mirror at her bare belly button and cleavage, feeling delightfully naughty. She slipped on black leather boots before sauntering out in the night. In her right mind, Buffy would have felt under dressed and overly naked in the outfit, but tonight she only thought of Angel's eyes burning into the pieces of skin she had left bare.

Buffy moved toward the mansion, missing him already and anxious to be back in his arms. She picked up the pace, feeling more alone in the half hour he had been gone than in the year he had moved to LA. Primal need for her mate took over and she started to track him in the night, moving more toward the feel of him than the direction she knew he traveled.

***

i can see their dead weight
just dropping like stones

Angel did not go to the mansion, but headed across the park and into a manhole, dropping soundlessly into the sewers below. He tracked the scent of his mate's blood through the dark maze, knowing immediately which turns to take and which direction to travel. Angel also knew that his heightened sense of awareness of her had increased exponentially just today, but he embraced it freely as he tracked the lost vampire that dared to bite his mate.

He found himself in a small crypt where four vampires sat drinking around a fire. They all looked up, staring at the angry stranger with interest.

"Who are you?" one of them asked, looking over at him.

"Name's Angelus," he growled, causing them all to stand up with shock. The Angelus?

"I'm just here for you," Angel said, pointing at the one vampire in the crypt who reeked of Buffy's blood like he had just bitten her a moment ago rather than hours before.

"W-hat do you want with me?" the vamp asked with blatant fear in his eyes.

"You fed off my mate," Angel said, reverting to game face and moving toward him quickly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied, backing away.

"You reek of The Slayer's blood," Angel snarled, catching the doomed vampire, "Are you going to tell me you didn't see her mark?"

"No," he said, with eyes that begged for his life, "I...Master, she's The Slayer."

"She's a marked Slayer," Angel said, plunging a stake in the vampire's heart and turning on the rest of the room with angry golden eyes. They shrank back in fear of the master vampire who had just killed their brother.

"We weren't there, Master," one of them whimpered in fear.

"I know," he said nodding as his face reverted back to human, "Spread the news to your friends. The next vampire to touch my mate dies like he did. Understand?"

"But Master," another protested, "She's The Slayer. We can't kill the Slayer?"

Angel's stake flew into protester's chest and the rest backed up further when they saw him explode into dust as well.

"Anyone else have questions?" Angel growled looking around the crypt. Silence met his glare and he turned to leave. Riley, who had watched the whole incident from the sewers, scrambled back up the surface and ran toward Buffy's house. Angel found the surface and headed toward the mansion.

***

i want a girl with uninterrupted prosperity
who uses a machete to cut through red tape
with fingernails that shine like justice
and a voice that is dark like tinted glass

When Buffy was halfway to the mansion, she heard footsteps behind her. She stopped and turned around to face Riley.

"What do you want?"

"Buffy," Riley answered, "Please come back to Giles'. Willow is working on a reversal spell for whatever you've been drugged with."

Her attire was far more revealing than what she normally wore and it made him nervous. He knew that Angel already had made love to her, but he still couldn't stand the idea of her body bared like that for just anyone to see.

"I don't want to," Buffy said with a smile, "I'm doing just fine."

"No, you're not," he said, taking a step closer to his girlfriend. Was she even his girlfriend anymore? He wasn't sure now.

"Of course I am, Riley," she said, feeling Angel's approach gliding over her skin, "It's over between us, so stop following me. Get over it already."

"Buffy, you need help," he said, looking around for Angel's inevitable approach, "Think about this. You're screwing a demon, Buffy! You're sick."

"No," she intoned, "I need to be left alone. And who I screw is none of your damn business."

"Buffy," Riley said, stepping closer yet again so that he could reach out and touch her if he wanted to, "Come with me. Please."

"Go away, Riley," she said as she turned and continued on her way to the mansion, but he grabbed her arm and spun her back around to face him. He opened his mouth to protest her leaving and was with met her fist, which struck his jaw, as she yanked her arm out of his grasp.

"Don't make yourself the enemy, Ri," she taunted, "That's not where you wanna be."

"Oh, I disagree," Angel said, walking up behind them. He had put on his leather pants as well, along with the silk maroon shirt that used to make her weak in the knees, "I think he wants to be the enemy."

"You are my enemy, asshole," Riley said in a voice so strident with anger, he almost grunted the words out. He almost respected the vampire for taking out the vampire that had bitten her, but the fact that he had left the rest of the crypt alive, reminded him of who he was dealing with.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Angel said, shrugging at the anger shooting at him from the boy. Putting his arm around Buffy, he looked down at the tempting cleavage showing from her shirt and smiled at Riley winningly.

"Come on, baby," he said to Buffy, pulling her away.

"Don't take another step with my girlfriend," Riley sneered stepping towards them.

"You don't want to do this. Believe me," Buffy said, in an almost whine.

"No," Riley said, daring to reach out and grab her again, which caused a growl to erupt from Angel. He swept Riley's legs out from under him and crunched his boot into the boy's throat.

"She's not your girlfriend anymore, boy," he growled, "She was never yours. Now be on your way before I kill you."

Turning, he raised his elbow and Buffy wound her arm through his and headed away. Riley rolled over onto his knees and coughed as he tried to clear his throat. The slightest pressure added by Angel and his neck would have collapsed. Riley stood and followed the lovers in the dark, knowing that Angel could have killed him easily but didn't.

**

cool blue reason wraps around your throat

Riley crept after them and followed as they coiled their way through the throng of hormones at The Bronze. They breezed through, bumping people out of their way and causing others to step aside from the power and intimidation that seemed to radiate from the couple. Several people stared at them with interest. They couldn't put their finger on what it was that made the attractive couple so frightening. But they were. Dominance streamed off them in waves, backing the whole club mentally to its knees.

They moved to the dance floor and she began maneuvering in tantalizing movements while her lover stood, swaying and moving his hands over her body. She slithered up and down, moving against him and sending sexual energy into the club. The longer Angel stood there surrounded by humans, the hungrier he got. Bloodlust was making his eyes flash from brown to golden and back again. He growled, but not of sexual want, but of hunger and the sound stopped Buffy.

She looked up at him and caressed his face, "Feeling...mmmm....peckish?"

"Ravenous," he growled, looking down at her.

"Want a little taste?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye, leaning her head to the side and running a finger down her delicate throat, which still had three vampire bites and one scar on it.

"Dying for it," he whispered against her lips. She turned and leaned against him, pushing her hips against his as she surveyed the club. He slid his hands over her torso and over her breasts as he looked with her. He looked over the people in the club, kissing Buffy's neck. He wanted so badly to kill one of them but something inside him was keeping him from the kill.

Spotting a secluded corner, Angel pulled Buffy to it, kissing her lips gently and slowly deepening the kiss. Angel moved down to her neck slowly, sucking his mark gently. He changed to game face quickly and prepared to sink his teeth in her throat, when Riley knocked Buffy aside.

"Finn," Angel growled, still in game face, "I'm getting tired of you."

"My sentiments exactly," he answered, gripping a stake. Swinging, he tried to plunge the stake in Angel's heart but was blocked easily and knocked across the club. Angel laughed at Riley's fall, as he landed on top of a dancing couple. Morphing back to human, he held his hand out to Buffy who accepted it.

"Your boyfriend is becoming a pain in the ass, love," he said, "Think I'm going to have to kill him."

Buffy shrugged noncommittally as Angel led her from the club, neither bothering to see if Riley had managed to disentangle himself from the couple.

***

Part Three

***

your demons would all be around

Riley dashed to the pay phone near the entrance of The Bronze and dialed Giles' number. He drummed his fingers against the wall impatiently as the phone rang.

"Giles," Riley said, bursting through the Watcher's greeting, "I need someone to head toward The Bronze with the dart gun."

"What's happened?"

"Angel was going to feed off Buffy!" he shouted in desperation.

"What?" Giles asked with worry, "Is Buffy okay?"

"I don't think ‘okay' is the word."

"What do you mean?"

"She was going to let it happen. It was almost as if she...wanted him to do it."

"Dear God."

"Yeah. Dart gun?"

"Of course," Giles said, "I'll send Xander."

"I'll meet him half way."

***

there's only room, there's only room, there's only room for you

Angel & Buffy moved swiftly into the night, moving fluidly together, away from the club and Riley's watchful eyes. Both smiled broadly as they took on the night, slicing through the darkness with an arrogant iridescence. Angel moved his hand under the edge of her shirt, caressing her bare back as they walked, as if he couldn't get enough of her skin. It was so soft and perfect beneath his fingers. So much softer than he remembered.

They moved through a nearby graveyard and happened upon two large demons digging up a grave. Buffy groaned softly with irritation as she saw them and walked with Angel as he attempted to move in a different direction, but the demons spotted them and immediately turned to engage.

"Can't you just pretend you didn't see us?" Buffy asked as they moved toward her, "Guess not."

The demons were unusually virile for...well, demons. Buffy had never seen their kind before and was more frustrated for every second that they refused to die. Finally jumping up she broke the first one's neck, sighing happily when he fell with a loud thud in the partially dug grave. Buffy looked over at Angel moving smoothly around the demon who was shaking the ground with his large stomping feet. She leaned against a headstone and watched with pleasure as Angel battled the remaining demon. His articulate efforts, ducking and swinging with ease, made her belly rumble with want. Finally, copying her movements, her lover broke the demon's neck and dropped him to the ground. He turned and smiled at her, dusting his hands off.

Buffy looked down at their lifeless bodies, "They don't poof. Usually I drag them somewhere."

"Do you really want to do that?" Angel asked with a devilish grin.

"Nah," she answered, shaking her head and taking his hand. With minds clear of concern, they moved away from the grave.

***

you need to straighten your posture and suck in your gut.
you need to pull back your shoulders and tighten your butt.

"Finally," Riley shouted as Xander jogged up with the dart gun. Riley grabbed it from his hands and turned to run in the direction he thought they might have went.

"You're welcome!" Xander called out and began to jog after him.

"Sorry," Riley shouted over his shoulder.

"Do you even know where they are?" Xander shouted back, trying to catch up to the soldier who was running like he was under fire.

"No," Riley said, slowing a power walk, "I don't even know if they went in this direction. I'm just guessing."

"Calm down," Xander said, meeting his strides, "Angel's not gonna kill Buffy."

"How do you know? They had sex. I'm sure you remember the curse, right?"

"Yes," Xander said, grabbing Riley's shoulder, causing him to halt for a second, "Look Buffy knows the difference between Angel with a soul and Angel without one. If she was letting him feed of her - and let me say yuck - I know she wouldn't be doing it if he had lost his soul."

"She's under a spell," Riley said, "No one knows exactly what effect it's having on them."

"She's The Slayer," Xander answered, "I'm worried too, but she can take care of herself."

"I don't know that," Riley said, moving to walk again, "I've never met a vamp as strong as him before."

"And Buffy's kicked his ass before," Xander said, shaking his head as he followed, "I'm telling you, she's not gonna let him kill her."

"And I'm telling you," Riley said, not pausing in his steps, "That I'm not going to sit around and find out if that's true."

***

i think i'm alive and i think i'll survive.
i'm finally cutting through this haze of love, haze of love.
for days and days and days, i'm in a haze of love.

"God, I missed you," Buffy whispered as they stopped to kiss against a large oak tree.

"Me too," Angel whispered, digging his fingers into her leather clad lips for emphasis. Buffy slipped to his neck, kissing along his perfect, cool flesh and moving to his chest. She unbuttoned his shirt rapidly, worshiping the skin she found there and moved down over his stomach. She stopped at the button of his leather pants and smiled up at him as she freed his cock from its confinement. Angel watched as her pink tongue flicked over the tip, glistening with excitement, and took him into her mouth. She squirmed with enjoyment as his head thunked against the tree and a moan sprang from his mouth.

"I've always wanted to do this for you," she whispered, as she covered his length with slow, wet kisses.

"I think I've had about a million dreams about this," he whispered back hoarsely as he looked down to meet her eyes. He crunched his fingers into the tree as she took him back into her mouth, moving against him in slow, hard stokes. Colors whirled behind his eyes as she pleasured him, kaleidoscoping the night.

A day ago, maybe less, Angel was positive that this fantasy would never come into being. Now he almost felt like pinching himself to see if he woke up in his bed alone like he had so many times before. Feeling her mouth sucking in agonizing strokes over his cock, moving against him, touching him as if she could read his mind, was almost more than he could handle and he found himself gripping the tree harder to keep his knees from buckling.

Angel was not new to the world of oral sex. After 150 years with Darla and numerous other sexual exploits that would have made his lover blush, nothing compared to being with the woman he loved, the only woman he ever loved. If his heart could beat, it would have stopped by now and if love was a sound, it would have made ears bleed all over Sunnydale.

"Buffy," he said, choking her name out inside a groan, "I'm going to come."

She didn't stop but sucked harder as he released his cold seed into her mouth. High on love and a brawny mixture drugs, they felt as if their passion was being written out on each blade of grass. Their movements seemed quicker and slower at once, stronger and weaker at the same time. And Angel felt as if he needed breath to live as she crept her way back up his body, stealing against his heaving chest. He took a moment to collect himself before pulling her up to his lips.

"I love you," he whispered again, feeling as if he couldn't say it enough and thought about how he was going to get those tight leather pants off of her body, "Need to be inside you."

Her answer was a moan of agreement as their hands moved together to peel the pants off of her slim hips and realized that her boots would need to be removed as well. Growling with lust, Angel moved behind her, while her pants stayed trapped at her ankles above her boots. He entered her fully, burying himself to the root inside her blistering heat.

"Love you," she groaned as he pulled her back against his chest, clutching both breasts with his hands, sliding over them and pinching her nipples, before reaching between her thighs to manipulate her clit. Outlined in moonlight, with drugs raging inside them, she panted against him, thrusting back against him as they moved together.

***

you part the waters, the same ones that I'm thirsty for.

Xander and Riley looked down on the now tranquilized bodies of Buffy and Angel, taking a long time to drink in what they saw before and what they had before them now. Riley felt his heart dying. He wished he had never come after her, he wished he hadn't seen her having sex with Angel, he wished he hadn't seen her willingly bare her throat for him, but most of all, he wished he hadn't seen her orgasm when he bit in. His entire view of her had changed in a second and he was sure that he was going to vomit in any moment. The worst part of it all was that he still loved her, still wanted her and was incredibly turned on from seeing her naked body in the moonlight.

"I told you Angel wouldn't kill her," Xander said, lifting Buffy and slinging her over his shoulder, hoping Riley wouldn't notice his arousal.

"Yeah," Riley said, gripping Angel under his arms and dragging him over the grass, "I know. But...she was letting him feed off her."

Xander shivered involuntarily and walked slowly next to Riley, "And she was enjoying it."

"I know," Riley said, grunting as he pulled Angel's body, wishing he could just stake him and get it over with.

"Why are you so damn calm all of a sudden? If that was my girlfriend fucking a vampire and allowing him to suck her blood I would be freaking here."

"Cause this is my second round of the fun - although last time I only heard it - and I'm getting over it."

"You're getting over it?" Xander asked, still nearly shouting.

"No," Riley said, pausing to look up at Buffy's friend, "Just sounded better that ‘I'm in a blind panic here and too manly to show it.'"

"Oh," Xander said nodding, "That's better. Thank you."

"Welcome."

***

your feasty eyes won't make me fall apart.
your turquoise and silver won't weaken this old heart.
yeah, dancing and chanting in a sacrificial rite.
i fell to the ground on a windy, windy night.

Buffy woke to the sound of Angel's fierce growling and found herself tied to a chair in a nice little row made up of her, Angel and Faith.

"This is funny," Buffy said, rolling her eyes, "You can let us go now. It's not like we hurt anyone."

"Oh but you were going to sit back while Angel sucked you dry!" Xander shouted, feeling slightly guilty for his voyeuristic activities and the fact that he knew Angel wasn't trying to kill her.

"You were watching us?" Buffy yelled, pulling at her ropes, feeling them stretch slightly. She wasn't sure what Angel thought, but she thought they had found them after the fact. They certaintly gave them plenty of time to get dressed. She looked over at Angel to see what he was thinking and found a look of feral anger as he stared at Riley. He knew the boyfriend had seen the whole thing too - and had tranquilized them. Buffy looked over at Faith, who wasn't even trying to free herself. Her head was hung in defeat.

"He watched us," Angel said, halting his growl and twisting his lips into a cool smile as he worked on the ropes behind his back, "How'd you like what you saw, Riley?"

"Fuck you, vampire," Riley spat, clutching a stake in his hands, wanting more than he had ever wanted anything in his life to stake the vampire across the room.

"Hit a nerve?" Angel asked, glancing over at Buffy to see that she was working her binds just as diligently as he was, just as he had suspected, "What bothered you more? My cock in your girlfriend or the way she came when I fed off her?"

Riley dove across the room to attack his foe, but having to pass Buffy first, he found himself flying back from the force of her boot in his chest. Angel laughed and shook his head, looking around the room, "I can't believe you guys didn't tie our legs. What were you thinking? I mean, really, I'm kinda disappointed."

"We'll note that for later," Wesley said succinctly, feeling disappointed that they hadn't thought of that before. He threw a look over at Giles who was leaning over Willow's shoulder, in an attempt to help, but was just prolonging the process by making her even more nervous.

"He's right ," Anya said, from her cozy spot in the corner, "We should have planned this better."

Giles, Wesley, Cordelia and even Xander all cast her a angry look for restating the obvious.

"What?" she asked, looking back at them in confusion.

"I'm going to kill him," Riley said, standing to his feet, "If someone doesn't put a fucking gag on him."

"What? Can't take it, soldier boy?" Angel said, unraveling the last section in his rope.

"Uh, Will," Cordy said, stepping back, as she watched them struggle with their bonds, "I think they're not going to be tied up for very long. Where's the potion already?"

"Just one more second," Willow said, leaning over the kitchen counter, working diligently with Tara at her side and Giles breathing down her neck.

"That's about all you have," Angel said as the ropes snapped. Buffy's were fraying quickly and she was just about to get free when Angel pulled them apart. Riley pivoted, scooping up the dart gun and shot. Angel batted the dart easily away and attacked Riley, knocking the gun from his hand. He lunged at Riley's throat but the soldier kept him at bay, pushing the vampire away from his defenseless jugular.

"I can't wait until the spell is broken," Riley said with gritted teeth as he tried to wrestle Angel off of him, "And she remembers everything you've said."

The rest of the room looked on, wanting to help, but knowing that Buffy would stop their attempts. So they all hovered, covered in tension as they waited to see if someone was about to die. Finally, gaining a second of upper hand, Riley pushed Angel off of him and rolled away, coming to his feet. He glanced over at the dart gun, which Angel picked up. He aimed and shot, hitting Riley's neck and watching with glee as he fell to the ground.

"Mmmm, silence," Angel said, as he reached out for Buffy's hand. Glancing over at Giles with a deadly serious look, Angel said, "If he follows us again, I will kill him."

"Buffy," Giles said, prying his eyes away from the dangerous vampire leering at him, "You're sick and drugged. We now understand the implications of the spell on you, but you wouldn't let Angel kill anyone, would you? As the Slayer your duty is protect. Do you remember that? Willow has the cure. If you just allow her to administer it, then all will be well. Please, think for a moment."

"No Giles," Buffy said, shaking her head, "I was sick before to think I could live my life for everyone else all the damn time and never having one minute for myself. I haven't had anything for myself since Angel left. Now I want to taste life...for once."

"Not like this," Giles said, "If you were in your right mind you would realize how wrong this is."

They heard a snap behind them and Buffy & Angel turned just in time to see Faith swinging a chair at them. It was too late to react and both were knocked unconscious once again.

"Sorry," Faith said, looking over at Giles, "I broke your chair."

"That's...okay, Faith," Giles answered, almost unable to believe that she had just saved the day.

"Do you want to tie me up again?" Faith asked, "I know I promised I would stay tied up but it seemed like..."

"That's quite alright," Giles said, shaking his head at the strange turn of events. Who would believe that Faith would be the good guy while Angel & Buffy needed to be stopped? The whole world just seemed terribly askew today.

"Okay," Willow said, walking in with two full syringes, "Anti-crazy serum coming up."

"Took you long enough," Cordy snapped.

"Shut up, CC," Xander said, "It's not like you contributed anything here."

"I was here for moral support. All you did was deliver a dart gun and yell."

"Be quite, both of you," Giles snapped, "Willow, please continue."

Willow bit her lip to keep from smiling as she injected the two unconscious warriors with the cure.

"How long until it works?" Wesley asked, knowing that no one wanted those two to wake up before the effects of the drug were reversed.

"Shouldn't be long?" Willow answered, turning her answer into a question, because truthfully, she had no idea how long it would take. They all looked down as the lovers started to stir, groaning. Buffy looked around the room and then to Angel, who did the same thing, both feeling fuzzy and tired. Angel stood unsteadily and pulled her to her feet, still looking around the room warily.

"Come on, love," he whispered and she nodded, following him out. Out on the lawn, she whimpered and Angel nodded his agreement.

"Just a little further and we'll be safe," he said. They moved slowly through the grass, dragging each other to safety.

"The sun is going to rise in a couple of hours," Wesley whispered, looking at the sky.

"Let's leave them until then," Giles suggested, "Buffy will come back to us when the serum takes effect."

But he didn't sound sure. He didn't look sure. Giles, along with the rest of the team of misfits, were terribly afraid that a nearly unstoppable power had been released. The answer seemed to come too easily this time. He turned slowly and went back into his crowded apartment, feeling his age with every tiny movement. Wesley followed him in and looked over at the tired faces around the room. One emotion flowed freely inside the small place: Fear. And lots of it.

***

Lilah sat behind the desk in her hotel room in her makeshift office, glaring at the guards before her with anger.

"Let me get this straight," she said, in a low angry voice, "Faith got away and Buffy and Angel have been given a serum which may or may not reverse our efforts."

"Yes, ma'am," one of them said, nodding his head slowly.

"One of thing needs to happen to save your lives," she snapped, "Go get Buffy and Angel. I will not take the shit that rolls down to me from the senior partners because you two screwed up.! Find them and bring them to me."

They nodded and moved from the room. She dialed the phone in anger and paused to look at the guard who was left standing inside her room, since it was his job to be there, "Get the hell out into the hallway!"

He nearly tripped in his hurry to escape the woman's wrath and shut the door slowly behind him as she hung up the phone and redialed. Taking a deep breath, she smiled into the phone, "Lindsay. Lilah. Yes, everything is in motion...Faith is with the Watchers...Buffy and Angel should be reaching the apex....no, you should be worried. I won't screw this up, but you are legendary in fumbling...no...no...just do your damn part!"

"Asshole," she muttered as she smiled at the phone. God, having this much power was fun. The best part was deceiving so many birds with so few stones. She grinned freely at the her desk. Willow had completed her part in creating the "antidote" that would actually act as a catalyst and Faith was in the center of the action and unknowingly would bring the whole thing together when her drug kicked in any time now. Sighing, she leaned back and lifted her legs to the edge of the desk. She just hoped that the little witch hadn't seen the smoke screen.

***

do you think she's swimming in your lies?
do you think it's all just murky green?
don't you think that she would realize?
yeah, do you think she has never seen?

Faith looked down at her hands, which were starting to shake more every hour. She shoved them in her pockets and looked around the room nervously to see if anyone had noticed the action and released a deep breath as she saw they hadn't. She made her way over to the corner, where the witches were cuddling and taking quietly.

"Is the spell gonna work?" Faith asked, looking down at them.

"Um...I think so," Willow answered, feeling nervous around the other Slayer, just as everyone else was. She remembered vividly the feel of Faith's sharp blade against her throat not all that long ago. The fact that she was there, in the Giles' house, being treated as someone who can be trusted was frightening.

"How long until we know?" she asked, even though Willow had already made it clear that she wasn't sure.

"Don't know," Willow said, as Riley began to stir from his place on the floor. He groaned and opened his eyes slowly. Realizing what had happened, he sat up and looked around the room urgently.

"Where's Buffy?" He asked, assessing his injuries.

"Angel took her and left," Xander answered.

"Did they get the antidote?" He asked, moving slowly to his feet as he felt the tranquilizer beginning to wear off.

"Yeah," Xander answered.

"But we don't know if it's gonna work?" Riley asked and was met with a room of uncertain silence, "Great. I'm going to look for them."

"Riley," Giles said, stepping over to him, "I don't think that is the wisest course of action. This is a very delicate circumstance. Angel has not killed anyone as of yet, but we can't be sure that he won't. He seemed very...interested in taking your life. Perhaps we ought to wait and see if the serum worked. Buffy will come here if it does."

"And if it doesn't? Maybe he'll get a little interested in killing her. Sorry, I'm gonna take my chances with the demon. I can't just sit around here and wait."

"I'll go with you," Xander said, rising, "If Dead Boy kills you, at least I'll be able to relay the story to everyone later."

Riley gave him a withering glare before heading out into the midmorning sunshine. Xander smiled at Anya and pecked her cheek.

"Xander," Anya protested, "I don't want you to go where you can be killed. You did that already."

"Don't worry," he said, heading for the door, "they won't kill us. They got the serum, remember?"

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