Hi everyone!  So… been wondering what “the morning after” would be like, huh? Read on…
 
Chapter Twelve – I Can’t Live With You
 
 “I'm having a hard time
I'm walking a fine line between hope and despair
You may think that I don't care
But I travelled a long road to get hold of my sorrow
I tried to catch a dream
But nothing's what it seems
Love is saying baby it's all right
When deep inside you're really petrified
[…]I can't live with you
But I can't live without you
Cause I'm in love with you
Ooh and everything about you”
Queen – I Can’t Live With You
 
 
They had made love twice more after that, and right now they were just lying together on their side, gazing in each other’s eyes, basking in the afterglow. Not a word was spoken, but their smiles told entire stories…
 
Spike still had his doubts that the whole evening was real. For one, she was still there, she had not run off right after punching him in the nose, and not a trace of shame was visible on her face. She just lied there, looking at him looking at her. God, she was beautiful! And she loved him! At last she loved him! If this was a dream, then he wished never to wake up… and maybe…
 
“Do you want to stay the night?” he ventured.
 
If he had to breathe, he would have held his breath. If his heart could beat, it would have stopped. Awaiting for her answer and expecting it to be negative. Which would hurt even more now…
 
But she beamed at him instead, and said softly: “Yes, please.”
 
He couldn’t help a big grin to spread across his face, and he bent down to kiss her again with passion, wrapping his free arm to bring her closer. She kissed him back lovingly, and for a moment let herself feel love, loved and cherished. Nothing existed outside of his embrace.
 
Why was it wrong before? Oh, yeah, the whole evil-and-soulless thing… but he hasn’t been evil since he started loving me… Gayle might just be right, maybe you don’t need a soul if you have love… so maybe we can actually work this out… Remind me to get the girl a fruit basket – oh my god, Gayle!
 
“Oh my god, I can’t!” she said abruptly, tearing herself from her lover’s lips.
 
“Wha…? Why not?” Spike cried out.
 
“I gotta go! As in, now!” She jumped off the bed and started gathering her clothes…
 
“And I just woke up…” he sighed, falling back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
 
“What? Oh no, baby, it’s not what you think!”
 
“You tear out of here after you got your itch scratched, it bloody well looks like it!”
 
“But it’s not! I was looking for Gayle when I came here and got… sidetracked, remember?”
 
“The girl wants to be alone, Buffy, can’t you grant her that?”
 
“It’s not just that! I told Dawn and Willow I was looking for her, and if they don’t see me coming back, they’ll think something bad happened to me!”
 
“Well, ‘something bad’ sort of did...” he said with a little lustful smirk.  “Three times, in fact…”
 
Buffy laughed and threw the first thing she could grab at him… which turned out to be her pants. “You know what I mean, you perv! Plus I got to patrol!” She put on her bra and panties, realizing that it might be the first time he didn’t try to steal them…
 
“Oh yeah, of course, patrol… did you call me ‘baby’ just now?”
 
Buffy finished buttoning her blouse and thought about what he just said. She smiled again. “Yeah, I did. Is… that a problem?”
 
“A problem? Bloody hell, no! … you’re really alright with this, aren’t you?”
 
“You mean ‘us’? Yep. There’ll be not getting rid o’ me now!”
 
“Well in that case…” Quick as a flash, he had reached over the bed, grabbed her by the wrist and brought her back onto the bed and under him. Buffy squealed in delight. “… why don’t you call Nibblet on your cell, tell her that Chirpy’s alright, and that she’ll see you again in about three days…” He then proceeded to nibble on her neck and jaw…
 
“Food might become an issue…” she managed to say between moans…
 
“We’ll order in.”
 
“And work…”
 
“You got the ‘flu.”
 
“Scoobies will ask questions…”
 
“Tell ‘em you’re too busy getting shagged by the Big Bad to answer.”
 
She stiffened. “Yeah… about that…”
 
He stopped his ministrations to look at her. “What about what?”
 
“The others… I… kinda don’t want to tell them about us yet…”
 
“Oh, Buffy, for fuck’s sake, not this again!”
 
“They’ll wig! You know they will!”
 
“Well, then they’ll just have to deal with it, won’t they?”
 
“Just… not yet, okay?”
 
“Why the bloody hell not?”
 
“Gosh, do you know how sexy you sound when you’re angry? No, no, bad Buffy, stay focused! What I meant is that… they’ll freak out and-and call us names, and-and say I’m messed up and – and just spoil everything! I just want to keep this – us, perfect, and not have to worry, at least for a while!”
 
Spike looked straight into her eyes. There was no shame there, definitely. “’Perfect’?”
 
“Yeah… as in, not polluted by everyone’s opinion… I know they’ll find out eventually, but until then, we can be just ‘us’, you know? Our love won’t be spoiled by their insults…”
 
He thought about it. “So… basically, you’re being selfish and not wanting to share?”
 
“Erm… yeah? Kinda?”
 
“Love, I don’t want to be a dirty lil’ secret anymore, I hope you realize that…”
 
“I promise you won’t have to be, baby. I just… want you to be just mine a little longer…”
 
To be just mine… That just so bloody delicious to hear those words coming from her mouth, he couldn’t resist: he reached up and mauled her lips with his.
 
“Could be just yours right now, pet…” he said between kisses, “and for a lot longer too…”
 
“Spike, stop!” Buffy giggled.
 
“Don’t want to…”
 
“Okay then… no! No really, I have to go… Sacred duty…”
 
Spike gave up. “Alrigh’… tell you what: why don’t I patrol with you? And then walk my lady home?”
 
He was still expecting her to say no, she had after all never let him be a part of that aspect of her life if she could avoid it. But, to his delight, she cooed: “Oooh, how gentlemanly! And then once the kiddies are all tucked in, you could sneak into my room and be all un-gentlemanly…”
 
He gasped in mock-shock: “Why, Slayer! You’re becoming naughtier than me!”
 
“I know!... that’s good, right?”
 
“Oh no…” he growled sexily, brushing his lips against hers. “It’s bad… you’re being very, very bad…”
 
She decided to go the distance. “Well, maybe I need to be punished for my wanton behavior…”
 
“That’s it! I’m taking you right here right now!”
 
__…-==-…__
 
The next night, Buffy was back in Restfield, almost giddy with excitement. Plan was she would do a quick patrol, then get to Spike’s crypt for a quickie (well, kinda quick: it was sometimes difficult to keep track of time when both Spike and lovemaking were involved…), then back home for some stone slab research… and then some Spike-luving again when he would sneak into her bedroom again…
 
She knew she couldn’t keep this secret for long, but right now, she just felt too deliciously naughty to care yet.
 
This time, it would work out… It had to… This time she would make sure it would. Spike and her could be happy, and nothing would stand in her way…
 
… except maybe the snarling fledgling that had just appeared in front of her.
 
“Oh goodie! Action!” she said happily. A good slay was all she needed right now to definitely get her ‘in the mood’.
 
“The last action you’ll ever have, bitch!”
 
Her eyes widened. “You're provoking me? Are you new here?”
 
The vampire stared for a second, then turned into conversation mode. “Why, yes, actually, I moved here about two weeks ago.”
 
“Only two weeks?”
 
“Yeah, ain’t that funny: it was supposed to be a new start, and now look at me: I’m dead!”
 
“Funny, yeah... soooo, what did you do, when you got here?”
 
“I had a little hardware store. Not much, but it was cosy.”
 
“And you…like it here?”
 
 “Oh, yes! It’s very nice. Very homely.”
 
“And you've never heard of me?”
 
“Oh, I didn't mean to be rude...”
 
“No, you weren't... does the term ‘slayer’ ring any bells to you?”
 
“The rock band?”
 
“A world of not even close.”
 
“Sorry… but then it won’t matter for much longer, will it?” he finally snarled before hurling himself at her.
 
Buffy stood still, stake at the ready, and was about to thrust it into the vampire’s ribcage, when said vampire suddenly exploded into dust. She stared in surprise as a stake customized with swirly carvings and sequins fell on the ground in the middle of the dust.
 
“I thought we were supposed to kill them, not write their biography” said an annoyed voice.
 
Gayle had emerged from the darkness, dressed in her usual casual chic with the heavy axe that had become her weapon of choice in one hand, and was walking towards Buffy, obviously still upset.
 
“Did you just dust that vamp with a stake-throw?”
 
The brunette shrugged. “Well, yeah.” She picked up her stake and put it back in her jacket.
 
“Wow… I can’t even do that… I mean, I did once with some vamp-ho who was ru– getting away, but it wasn’t with a stake, it was with a long heavy stick, more like a spear, really, so I had more momentum…”
 
“Now, who’s doing the word vomit? I used to be on the weight-throwing team in High School, hence the – literally – killing throw.”
 
“You were an athlete as well? Geez, Gayle, how come you never told me this stuff before? Oh, lemme guess: I never asked?”
 
“Erm… something along those lines, yeah.”
 
“Gayle… please come home!”
 
“Buffy…”
 
“Dawn’s not eating right!”
 
“What? Oh God, I knew it! It’s anorexia, isn’t it? I knew she was too skinny…”
 
“Huh? No! No, no, no! It’s just… well, my cooking leaves much to be desired…”
 
“Oh, I see! You miss having the maid around! Well, sorry for the trouble, m’lady, shall I get ya a cup o’ tea with tha’?” she said with a mock British accent, which had Buffy worried for a second…
 
“Spike? That’s not you in there, right?”
 
Gayle actually snarled. “Geez, Barbie! You make so much with the body swaps around here even you lose track?”
 
“Okay, that ‘Barbie’ comment? That hurt!”
 
“It was meant to!”
 
“I apologized! Several times!”
 
“Well ain’t that neat!”
 
“I thought you were after Spike!”
 
“You… What? You didn’t even know I kissed him then!”
 
“Ah-ha! So you admit it was you who kissed him!”
 
“I – He – Doesn’t mean I was after him!”
 
“It doesn’t? You know, for some people, it’s a freakin’ big clue!”
 
“Oh, sorry, I forgot! It’s all about what ‘some people’ think!”
 
“Well, actually…”
 
“I found another body.”
 
“… in a cemetery? It’s kinda where they are…”
 
“No, not here! Last night, in an alley in the town center.”
 
“Oh! You mean one of the liquidy variety!”
 
“Glad you could catch up. You still don’t read the news, then? I told you you should – Vamp! ”
 
Buffy had been so preoccupied by the argument, she hadn’t even noticed the familiar tingles at the back of neck. Another vampire had appeared behind her and was getting closer, all fangs out. Gayle threw her to the ground and kicked at the creature, who fell back but got back up a second later.
 
“Slayersssss…” he hissed, and ran off. Gayle sprinted after him, leaving Buffy on the ground…
 
Buffy sat up, rubbing her arm. She has roughly landed on a rock. She knew the girl had never meant to harm her, more like to get her out of harm’s way, but still, she could have been a tinsy bit more careful…
 
The hairs on the back of her neck raised up again, but this time in a fashion that made her smile…
 
“You alrigh’ down there, love?” said Spike before helping her back up.
 
“Yeah… Just a bruise. Will be gone in an hour, thanks to good ol’ Slayer healing.”
 
“Was that Chirpy?”
 
“Right again. She’s still mad at me…”
 
“That so?”
 
“Uh-huh…” she said sadly. “She hates me now. And it’s understandable. I was horrible to her…”
 
“Right. ‘Cos people only protect the ones they hate. Common knowledge.”
 
“What?”
 
“Pet, the girl pretty much fixed up our last tiff, and now she pushes you out of reach of some fledge’s fangs… Does that sound like someone who hates you?”
 
Buffy pondered this, then smiled at him. “You always know how to make me feel better.”
 
He smiled back. “Yes, well, makes up for all the times I should have kept my big gob shut.”
 
“I love you.”
 
“Love you too, pet. Come ‘ere.”
 
He pulled her in for a tight hug and placed a kiss on her forehead. Buffy wrapped her arms around his waist under his duster, and let his embrace comfort her.
 
“You want me to go after her?” Spike asked after a while.
 
“Nah. Let her work the aggressiveness out of her system. Besides, she won’t be long. Demon activity in on the low these days…”
 
Spike made a face.
 
“What?” she asked, worried.
 
“Well… might be nothing, but… like you said, demon and vamp activity has been real rare for a while now…  Should be good news anywhere else, but on the Hellmouth? That’s more like worrying…”
 
__…-==-…__
 
Gayle kicked at a headstone in frustration. She’d lost him! She had actually managed to lose a frikkin’ vampire! She started to swear under her breath, not even noticing that the headstone she’d kicked had split in two with one half flying several feet away…
 
Gaining back control, squeezing the handle of her axe real hard, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and just let herself feel her environment. After a second, her right arm shot up, her index finger pointing in a direction at four o’clock. She opened her eyes, looked in that direction and turned to walk briskly towards that way.
 
Fifty feet later, she heard a noise nearby, coming from a small mausoleum. She went closer when she saw the door opened, and dashed behind a headstone.
 
Peeking out, she saw a young girl coming out of the mausoleum. She was young and pretty, with long wavy brown hair. She was putting something inside her denim jacket… and had blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
 
Not waiting a second longer, she got up and called out to the girl: “Hey there!”
 
The girl looked at her, surprised first, but then smiled and wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. “Hey back. Looking for trouble?”
 
“Looks like I found it. Funny... you don't register quite like a vampire...”
 
“Not everyone's out for necks. I'm more of an ass girl myself. Handing them out, mostly.”
 
“So many puns I can make with that statement and the verb bite...”
 
“Yeah? Then this could be a lot of fun. Show me what you got, bitch, let's dance!”
 
The two girls threw themselves into the fight, both expertly dodging kicks and blows, until Gayle stopped a punch aimed at her face by catching the girl’s fist in her hand.
 
The fight stopped dead when their skins touched and both shouted in surprise:
 
“YOU'RE WARM!!”
 
Both girls let go of the other and took a step back, setting their bodies straight into battle stances.
 
“You’re not human!” the newcomer said.
 
“If I’m not, neither are you!”
 
“I’m not a vamp!”
 
“You came out of a crypt! With blood trickling down your mouth!”
 
“Followed a vamp there, he’s dust now! Blood’s mine, he managed to slug me one! You’re hanging out in a cemetery at night! With an axe!”
 
“Okay, enough now: who are you?” growled Gayle.
 
“I get to ask first!” the brunette snarled.
 
“Oh yeah? Says who?”
 
“Says the Slayer who's going to beat you into the next century!”
 
Gayle gawked. It took a second for her to realize just who she’d been beating up.
 
“...Faith?”
 
The aforementioned looked confused. “...yeah? How d’you know me?”
 
Gayle’s faced dramatically changed from confusion to glee, and she beamed. “Oh my gosh! I can't believe you're here! Wait a sec, shouldn't you be in prison?”
 
“I broke out.”
 
“That much is obvious.”
 
“It was for a good cause for once! Long story... Look I can’t exactly explain everything in a jiff, but…”
 
“I still can't believe you're here! This is so great, we're gonna be like the... the Slaying Supremes, or something! This gonna be...”
 
“Erm...”
 
“... so cool, oh, and wait for the first shopping spree I’ll –”
 
Faith held out a hand. “Sorry to interrupt –”
 
Gayle stopped smiling. “– the word vomit, I know, I tend to do that, sorry. And I still haven't introduced myself; I tend to do that too. Faith the Vampire Slayer, meet Gayle, likewise.”
 
Faith stared, mouth agape. “Erm... am I dead?”
 
“What? No, well not that I know of... It's Buffy who died...”
 
“B's dead?!?” Faith gasped, her eyes widening.
 
“No! Well, not now, but she was… erm, for a while, and then Willow made with the magic mambo-tango and... well… she got better…?”
 
She stopped talking when she saw the look of utter confusion on her opponent's face. Clearly this wasn't something that could be easily nor quickly explained either.
 
So she went for her ever-faithful, never-failed-me-yet back-up plan.
 
“Cocoa?”
 
__…-==-…__
 
Buffy and Spike had walked back to her house hand in hand. Occasionally, he would grab her by the waist and kiss her deeply, favor that she was all too happy to return every time.
 
Once on the Summers’ home front porch, he kissed her again, but was more reluctant to let her go.
 
“So pet, how are we playin’ it in there? Gunna give me the cold shoulder an’ all?”
 
She looked in his beautiful eyes that right now seemed so sad. He was really afraid of a repeat of last year’s, and she felt so bad about it. But she still feared her friends’ reaction and how it might influence their relationship. However, she absolutely refused to see her ‘secret boyfriend’ in pain if she could avoid it.
 
“Not going to give the cold anything. We’re not going to pretend. We just… won’t be outright open, is all.”
 
Spike arched a brow. “Like Xander and Anya are doing, you mean?”
 
“Oh, you noticed that too?”
 
“Well yeah, I’m dead, not blind!”
 
“They think they’re so sneaky…”
 
“We could be sneakier.”
 
“Stop it, you’re making me all hot!”
 
“That a fact?” he groaned low, kissing her throat.
 
They pulled off each other in a flash when the door opened. “I thought I heard voices!” said Willow with a cheery smile. “Was patrol okay?”
 
The ‘secret’ couple entered the house, trying to keep the grins off their faces. “Couple of vamps, nothing Major” answered Buffy. “Oh, and I saw Gayle briefly.”
 
“Really? How is she?”
 
“Mad at me.”
 
“Oh… I’m sorry, Buffy.”
 
“She also said she found another ‘body’ last night.”
 
“You mean a big puddle of goop?”
 
“Yeah… somehow the idea of just a dead body is less disturbing than a goopy one…”
 
Giles was still in the lounge, taking notes and surrounded by opened books and dictionaries. Buffy wondered if he had actually moved since last night. She turned back to Willow: “How’s the translation coming?”
 
“On the Rosettagon?”
 
“On the what?”
 
“Well you see, it’s got seven sides, right? So, in geometry, it’s a heptagon, and it has several parts telling the same story in different languages, like the Rosetta Stone. So, Rosetta + heptagon = Rosettagon!”
 
Buffy just stared. Willow’s face fell. “I know: I’m a geek… a nerdy geek…”
 
Tara joined them and wrapped her arms around her lover’s shoulders. “No you’re not, babe: you’re just so smart and quirky, it makes everyone stare in amazement.”
 
Willow beamed and hugged her tight. “And this is why I’m marrying this woman!”
 
Smiling at the happy couple, Buffy turned to Giles. “So, anything yet?”
 
“I’m still trying to work out the subtle differences. This verb here is conjugated in a way that could either be imperative or subjunctive, and either way could change the whole meaning of the sentence. Also, the second part and its periphrastic conjugation are troubling me with the use of the gerundive…”
 
“I’m sorry Giles, was I supposed to get anything you just said?”
 
Spike smirked as he intervened. “Means he’s not sure yet, pet, as the whole thing is quite complicated and he wants to be careful so he doesn’t get it wrong.”
 
She looked back at Giles: “Well couldn’t you just have said it like that?”
 
Giles let out a deep sigh, and took off his glasses to rub his eyes. The intense research was starting to tire him. “I heard there was another, erm, ‘body’?”
 
“Yeah, Gayle found it last night.”
 
“Ah, yes, Miss Masterson. Always in the right place at the right moment.”
 
“What do you mean?”
 
“Just that. Somehow she seems…”
 
He was interrupted when the front door opened to let Gayle in. Buffy beamed and started running towards her… and stopped dead when she saw Faith. “What the hell…?”
 
Gayle rolled her eyes. “Hello to you too, and interesting choice of words. But yeah, look what I found!”
 
Faith gave a little wave, looking almost shy. “Hey, B. Long time no see.”
 
“Shouldn’t you be behind bars in a shocking orange jumpsuit?”
 
“Wasting no time, I see. It’s a long story, but I’ll try and keep it simp– Behind you! ”
 
Spike had appeared behind Buffy, and Faith leaped at him, landing a kick in his chest that made him tumble down in surprise. As she was getting a stake out of her jacket, Buffy grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her backwards.
 
Faith landed hard on her behind, bewildered and staring at the blonde Slayer.
 
“You’re protecting a vamp? Are you the bad Slayer now?... am I the good Slayer now?”
 
“Spike is on our side!”
 
“Well, make ‘em wear a sign or something!”
 
The commotion had brought everyone in the lounge, and they were staring at the new arrival. Gayle helped Faith up and glanced at Spike: “It’s nothing personal: she attacked me too.”
 
“You had an axe!”
 
“Well yeah, it’s the Hellmouth… When everyone is done beating each other up, I’ll get on with the cocoa making.”
 
“Oooh, cocoa!” clapped Dawn.
 
Gayle smiled “Yeah. You wanna help?” She looked around and saw the other Scoobies smiled back at her, happy to have her back. “I take it cocoas all around?”
 
Xander raised a timid hand. “Could we have marshmallowy goodness with that?”
 
Gayle winked at him and, linking arms with Dawn, went into the kitchen.
 
Buffy seized Faith by the arms and led her to the dining room, the rest of the Scoobies in tow. There, she made the brunette sit down. “Spill!”
 
“Okay! Okay… Long story short: Angel broke me out.”
 
Spike growled out loud. Buffy just gawked. “Huh? Who did what now?”
 
“Angel. Remember? Soulful vamp with spiky hair and broodytude? Your former boyfriend?”
 
“I know who Angel is, thank you very much! Why would he break you out?”
 
“That girl he works with, Cordelia? She’s been having those horrid, real vivid vision by the dozen recently, and there’s been some weird demon activity in the L.A. underground these past few weeks.”
 
“Let me guess: on the low?”
 
“No, actually. We’ve been having vampire and demon immigrants coming by the ton. Most of them from here.”
 
Buffy glanced up at Spike: “So that’s where they all went.” Looking back at Faith: “Any idea why?”
 
“Word is that there’s something big brewing up on the Hellmouth. Real big. Cordy’s vision tend to show stuff like you only see in horror movies, like melting guys or something like that…”
 
The whole gang except for Gayle was now sitting at the table, all ears at attention. This was starting to sound all too familiar…
 
“She also sees this woman, the one who’s doing the melting. Never could see her face, except that she’s dressed in white and hanging out with two guys. One of them, and this is way creepy, is dressed like a priest.”
 
“Caleb”, interrupted Buffy. Spike’s jaw had tightened suddenly and he was grinding his teeth.
 
Faith made a face. “Shit, it has a name?”
 
“Yep. Gayle and I met him the other night. Real strong too. Two of us, and we couldn’t take him out.”
 
“That’s bad…”
 
“Tell me about it… And the other guy?”
 
“The other one stays in the shadows, Cordy’s never seen his face. But seems like the whole demon community feels threatened by their presence, and know they’re not here for a bake sale. So they either lay low or move out.”
 
“By the prickling of my thumbs, I feel another apocalypse this way comes” said Xander.
 
“Wrong again. According to Angel’s sources, it wouldn’t be and end-of-the-world ploy. More like a hostile takeover. With much bloodshed.”
 
“As in Miss Melty wants a throne on top of the ant hill?”
 
“You got it. And apparently, you’ll need all the slaying arms you can get, but since Angel has got to keep an eye on Los Angeles…”
 
“That’s why he broke you out.”
 
“That’s why he broke me out. Of course, we didn’t know about Gleeful Gayle back there. And really, B, I wanna help. I’m reformed, I swear! Just gimme a chance to prove it!”
 
Buffy looked deep into Faith’s eyes, searching for any trace of deceit. She found none. “You know what? I believe you.”
 
“You do?”
 
“Yeah. I’ve learned a lot recently about second chances…” She glanced up at Spike while saying the words, smiling. He smiled back with such tenderness it was all she could do not to kiss him.
 
Willow brought her back to reality: “Buffy, do you remember what we talked about the other night? About the possibility of there being a Succubus out there?”
 
“You still think it’s that? But you said it’s the wrong M.O. …”
 
“Wrong M.O., yes, but it’s still the right victims, so even if it’s not a Succubus, it’s a good place as any to start with. Now, I’ve done my research and…”
 
She stopped for a second when she realized everyone was now sitting at the table, looking at her. She felt a bit nervous, like when she had to present a science project back in High School. She swallowed hard and continued.
 
“… turns out there are only four Succubi actives today, each of them ruling over one quarter of the Earth.” She produced a folder from which she extracted several photocopies of ancient looking-drawings, obviously from some equally ancient book. “The first one, and first known, is Lilith, who rules over the Northern Quarter.” She passed along a drawing of a beautiful naked woman with long wavy dark hair down to her knees, her body leisurely draped over a mossy boulder. “She was also the first wife of Adam, until she decided he wasn’t… erm…”
 
“He wasn’t at all sexually adventurous and not giving her enough orgasms”, completed Anya. At the funny looks she received, she shrugged. “What? Doesn’t everyone know that? It’s an old funny story in the demon world.”
 
Willow cleared her throat in a very Giles-like manner and produced another drawing, of an Oriental woman, dressed in a luxurious Chinese tunic with an extremely suggestive neckline. “There’s Naamah, for the Eastern Quarter. Next,” she passed a picture of a dark-skinned woman, wearing only a long, heavily beaded skirt and gold band on her hairless head, “is Eisheth Zenunim, for the Southern Quarter. And last but not least,” the last drawing was that of a woman looking younger than the others, with curly pale hair, a playful smirk and a naughty gleam in her eyes, some kind of a toga loosely hanging off her shoulder, “is Agrat Bat Mahlat, ruling over the Western Quarter. Which would be where we are, by the way.”
 
The drawings passed from hand to hand. Spike stopped on the one of the Western succubus, his mouth hanging open in recognition, but nobody seemed to notice.
 
“The four queens” continued Willow, “are also, technically, the wives of the King of Hell, a.k.a. the Devil, amongst other names. So, if it is a succubus we’re looking for, we’re dealing with the big guns here, guys.”
 
“What about Caleb?” asked Buffy.
 
“Like Rico said, he’s not working alone.”
 
Giles chimed in. “Succubi are a fairly widespread legend back in Europe. Now I should also like to mention that they are shape-shifters, which might explain why Cordelia never saw the woman’s face in her visions: she might using several. But they cannot take a male form, only female, so we will still have to deal with the other two. Which means we could have our hands more than full…”
 
Without a word, Spike got his cell phone out and dialed a number quickly before bringing it to his ear.
 
“Abby? Hey, luv, Spike here. Yeah, I got a phone at last. Not too bad, and your good self? Say, I was wondering if I could see you t’night… Brilliant! At Willie’s in an hour? Ta, pet, see you then.”
 
He switched off his phone and looked at Buffy, seeming quite pleased with himself.
 
Buffy frowned slightly. “What was that all about?”
 
“Got us a date with a Succubus. What else?”
 
A collective gasp was their reply. After a beat, Xander was the first to speak: “Okay, I know I should make some sort of funny here about demon interaction, but… Damn, man! You actually know a Hell Queen? You can honestly start to color me impressed!”
 
Spike stared at the youngster. “Thanks, whelp… I think.”
 
“How do you know a Succubus? Or is this one of those things I should not ask?” asked Buffy, slightly worried.
 
“I’m a man of many talents, pet. And I’ve got my connections. I’ll tell you more when we meet her, yeah?”
 
“Meet who?” asked Gayle, coming into the room with Dawn, carrying at tray of steaming mugs. She started serving when the reply came…
 
“A succubus named Abby, apparently” said Buffy.
 
Gayle almost dropped her tray. “Wh-what?”
 
“I know! What kind of a name is that for a demon?”
 
“They’re not exactly – Wait, how do we know a succubus?”
 
“Are those new pants?” Buffy gaped, pointing at Gayle’s lower half.
 
“Why, yes. I got them yesterday… comfort shopping, you know…”
 
“They’re amazing!”
 
“Aren’t they though? I know bell-bottoms usually scream ‘hippie-chic’, but it’s still chic, you know? And they just make my ass look so great and – Hey! I’m still mad at you!”
 
Buffy gave a winning smirk. “Admit it: it’s getting thin! You’re gonna forgive me sooner than you want to!”
 
Gayle threw her arms in the air. “That’s it. I’m outta here!”
 
“Where are you going?”
 
“Patrolling. Won’t do itself, ya know.”
 
“You already patrolled! I patrolled! Faith patrolled! Gayle, why can’t you stay here for more than five minutes?”
 
“Honestly? I don’t want to. Not right now. Cocoas are ready, clue the new girl in if it’s not already done. Gayle out.”
 
She went to the door, opened it wide… and abruptly stopped short of running into the tall figure that had appeared there, a hand raised in an obvious attempt to ring the bell before being interrupted.
 
Gayle beamed. “Well, hello there, hot tall and broody!”
 
Some lines (you’ll know which ones, I’m sure) inspired AND lovingly ripped off from the Season Seven episode “Dirty Girls”, written by Drew Goddard.
 
I know several of you will notice I’m taking great liberty with the AtS timelines and storylines. We’ve already established I’m not making any profit from all of this, so sue me… I just really wanted Angel and Faith here…
 
Soundtrack:…well, looky here: no soundtrack… what’s wrong with me?
 
As for reviewing…Well, must I really beg or make with the threats every time to get some lovin’ around here? Come ooooooonnn!!!