This is the tenth Part of Luna's Point of View of the latest scheme from Luna and Maggie.

If you're trying to keep track, the first part was Newfound Depths by Luna,

The Second was Unusual Depths by Maggie.

The Third was Newfound Desires by Luna.

The Fourth was Unusual Desires by Maggie.

The fifth was Newfound Strength by Luna.

The sixth was Unusual Strength by Maggie.

The seventh was Newfound Determination by Luna.

The eighth was Unusual Determination by Maggie.

The ninth was Newfound Dangers by Luna

The tenth was Unusual Dangers by Maggie

The eleventh was Newfound Realities by Luna

The twelfth was Unusual Realities by Maggie

The thirteenth was Newfound Existence by Luna

The fourteenth was Unusual Existence by Maggie

The fifteenth was Newfound Enemies by Luna

The sixteenth was Unusual Enemies by Maggie

The seventeenth was Newfound Adversaries by Luna

The eighteenth was Unusual Adversaries by Maggie

Now comes Newfound Longing from this corner?notice a theme? LOL.

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as we are enjoying writing it!

Love ya,

Luna

Disclaimer: Laurell K. Hamilton and the Berkley Publishing Group do not authorize this author. All characters that you recognize belong to Laurell K. Hamilton Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, the WB, and UPN own all rights to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and do not authorize this author.  Except for the ones created by the people in this group. This is solely for entertainment purposes.

Rating: R for language and adult situations

Author's Note:  A special thanks must go to my beta and friend Maggie, without whom I would be hopelessly lost and constantly behind.  I'd also like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed thus far.  It's been a hoot to write this I hope that you continue to enjoy our meager efforts to amuse and entertain you!

Newfound Longing

The trip to the lab was uneventful.  Fred drew quite a few vials that they could run tests on later.  Then we proceeded to draw pint-sized bags of blood.  She made sure they were quickly and efficiently stored.  I didn't know if they were going to be used for anything but just seeing Fred at work reminded me of Maggie.

I closed my eyes.  I felt tears pricking the back of them.  Just the thought of my sweet soul sister made my heart ache with pain and loneliness.  A single tear slipped from beneath my closed lids and slid down my face.  Absently I brushed it off my cheek.  Being here made me realize just how much I was willing to give up to make sure that *no one* could ever hurt her.  Yeah, I still believed that Maggie being connected to me represented a bigger danger than most of the other "monsters" in our world.

It's sad that I knew that *I* was a bigger danger to my family than anything this world could throw at them.  I could feel a full-blown pity party coming on and shook my head at my behavior.  I needed to get the hell out of here; this place was making me crazy.

Fred gave me the all clear.  She even said that she didn't think a short shopping trip would hurt anything.  I knew that it probably wasn't the smartest move I'd ever made.  These walls were beginning to get to me.  I wanted to be outside, wanted to see the stars, feel the wind on my face.

Sure they were purely selfish reasons but they were real nonetheless.  We walked back to the suite that I had taken over.  There was a comfortable silence between us or at least I thought there had been.

Fred shook her head and said,  "You know you really shouldn't annoy them.  They're not so bad."

"Says the woman who's never had their fangs in her neck," I said.

She stopped and turned to me, a scowl on her face.  "And just what is that supposed to mean!"

Sighing I stopped.  "Do you know exactly what they're capable of?"

"Yes," the young woman snapped angrily.

"Do you really?  Because let me tell you the soul doesn't make the demon go away.  Even *I* know that much!"

"How exactly *do* you know about us?"

"Trust me.  You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I said tiredly.

"That's the second time you've said that.  Why don't you try me," Fred challenged.

My eyes narrowed on her and I watched her flinch and step back.  I took another step forward.  "Don't say I didn't warn you," my voice low and cold.    She swallowed convulsively.  I didn't feel an ounce of sympathy for her.  "For me... you, them, this place," I waved a hand around to indicate the building.  "Is every bit as fictitious as you think *my* world to be!"

I turned on my heel and strode away from her.  In my anger I threw the door open obviously interrupting whatever the two vampires were arguing about.  They stared at me.  "Been a change of plans.  Keys and card. NOW!" I said holding out my hand.

"Do you think that's wise," Angel asked.

"Actually I think it's the best thing for how I feel right now.  Now if you don't mind."  I curled my fingers beckoning for the items.

We stared at each other neither willing to yield an inch.  I don't know if either of us would have given in.  Spike broke the tension.  "Give *me* the stuff and I'll take the chit shoppin'," he said.

Angel turned and glared at the blonde.  "Why does that thought not make me feel any better," he asked.

"Probably because you know him too well," I said dryly.

Sighing the brunette vampire reached in his back pocket and produced a wallet.  I couldn't help the chuckle that fell from my lips.  Our gazes locked and I merely lifted an eyebrow at the object in his hands.  "Where else am I supposed to keep my cards and money," he asked.

My head fell to the side as I thought about that.  It seemed so strange to me to see a vampire with a wallet.  I mean Jean-Claude didn't carry one as far as I could tell.  Trust me, his clothing was just too tight for me *not* to have noticed a wallet shaped bulge. Finally I gave a one-shoulder shrug.  "I've never seen a vampire with a wallet; that's all."

"Not been around many vampire then eh luv," Spike asked.

I laughed.  "Honey, in my world they're not only legal, they have rights just like every other citizen."

The pair stared at me incredulous.  Spike was the first to recover his wits.  "Codswallop," he said succinctly.

My eyebrows rose.  "Fine, don't believe.  Don't make me no never mind."

"You're serious," Angel said.

"As a heart attack," I replied.  Their identical expressions of disbelief tinged with concern made me grimace.  "Okay bad choice of words.  I've been given the all clear and I'd like to get out of here."

The elder demon sighed.  "Fine," he handed the card to Spike.  "Don't go over the limit."

"I don't plan to Angelus.  I'm just going to get enough for a couple days.  By then we should have found something to send me home," I snapped.

"Better make it a couple weeks.  I don't think it's going to be very easy to find something that'll give you what you want," he explained.

"Fine, two weeks then," I said rolling my eyes.

Spike and I left the building.  There was a brief fight over the choice of vehicles but I won.  It was a really beauty too, a 2003 Ford F-150.  The metallic blue paint shone and had grey ghost flames that ended just before the bed of the truck.  I really have a thing for trucks.

Whether I was spending my own money or someone else's I was a penny-pinching bitch.  I could hit every store in the mall, come out with loads of things and only have spent five hundred dollars.  I knew there were going to be a lot of bags.  First off I didn't have *any* clothing of my own.  Secondly, I wasn't going to use anything provided by Wolfram & Hart.  The place gave me a major case of the wiggins.  If I didn't have to use anything they gave me then I wasn't going to.  End of story!

We made our way through the mall.  Spike talked very little. I was beginning to look like he should have let Angel bring me.  Fredrick's was the turning point.  He laughed as we entered the store.  The bleach blonde said something to the effect that he didn't think I'd bring a man into a store like this.

Rolling my eyes I continued to scan the racks looking for bras and panties.  Of course there was the traditional black and white, because they seem to go with everything, and a really cute coffee brown set, not to mention an ice blue set.  I'd never admit it to anyone, but I got the last two because the colors reminded me of the vampires.

There was just something about vampires in general that screamed sex.  So it made a twisted sort of sense that the sexiest thing a woman could wear should match the men, or vampires, that they were being worn for.  That was still true even if the men, vampires, never knew it.

That store was the icebreaker.  We chatted happily after that.  There weren't too many questions that I didn't answer and I knew better than to pry into Spike's life.  He was touchy about his past and I left him to his secrets.   The last place we hit was the shoe store.

Next to weapons, shoes were my weakness.  I spent the better part of thirty minutes browsing the aisles.   My head swam making me feel strangely dizzy.  It passed quickly and I shook it off.  I hadn't eaten in a while so I figured that was the reason.

As I continued trying on shoes I could feel myself getting hotter by the moment.  I knew I was in trouble.  Taking the last pair of shoes up to the counter I motioned Spike over.  He came quickly.  The blonde must have sensed something.  "Wha's wrong," he asked.

"Pay for these.  We need to get out of here.  I don't feel so good."

Without another word he paid.  We gathered the bags and headed for the truck we'd commandeered.  The bags were put in the bed of the vehicle.  I climbed into the passenger seat, which seemed to shock the vampire considering how I had fought to drive the first time around.

He slid into the driver's side and took off.  By the time we reached the underground parking lot I was sweating profusely.  It wasn't a good sign.  "Hot bath," I breathed as Spike helped me out of the car.

"What," he asked incredulously.

"The thing that helps me heal is the heat from my pard, but since they're not here a hot bath will have to do," I explained.

"Right."  My knees buckled and refused to support my weight.  Spike seemed annoyed.  "Stupid bint.  Can't let a bloke help 'em out, might tread on their bleedin' rights."  He scooped me up in his arms and made for the nearest elevator.  I had a pretty good idea where we were going.

The ride was a short one and he stepped out of the elevator with me still cradled in his arms.  That in itself should have told him how badly I was feeling.  It wasn't very often that I let someone carry me but I wasn't sure that my own legs would support me.

"Angelus," Spike bellowed and the sound reverberated in my ears.  A piteous whimper escaped me.  He looked down at me, placing one of his cool hands against my fevered cheek.  "Sorry ducks."  His hand slid up to my ear as he pressed me against his chest and yelled again.

It seemed there was a response as Spike lifted his hand and turned down a corridor.  His long legs ate up the distance to the door.  He opened the door barely jostling me as he did so.  I could hear running water and my brows pulled together.  How had he heard anything much less Angelus over the shower?  I shook my head free of those useless questions.

I squirmed in the vampire's arms.  He slowly lowered my legs to the floor.  He didn't let me completely out of the circle of his arms and for that I was grateful.  The last thing I wanted to do was fall flat on my face.  Slowly I turned the knob for the bathroom door.

The steam that filled the room hit me like a slap in the face.  It was hard to breathe.  I could vaguely make out someone in the shower.  Spike and I took a hesitant step into the room.  "Angelus," I said softly but it echoed strangely in the room.  The water cut off sharply.

The shower door opened and another wave of steam hit us.  My heart froze.  No!  It couldn't be.  There was absolutely no way *he* could be here.  Staring back at me was a pair of eyes so like my own.  His normally unruly auburn hair was slicked back from his handsome face.  That quirky smile that seemed to convey so much was directed at me once more.

I lifted a trembling hand towards him and breathed the one name I thought I'd never say again, at least not where he could hear it.  "Conor?"

I could feel confusion from the vampire behind me and I turned what must have been dazed eyes up to him.  Spike stared at me then I turned back to Conor.  Only my beloved wasn't there any more.  There stood Angel with a pained expression.  I could feel the tears gathering.

It had only been a hallucination.  I turned and buried my face in the hollow of Spike's neck.  My arms wrapped themselves around his waist and I held on to him tightly.  My heart was breaking all over again.  To see him, or at the very least to have thought I saw him, and lose him again was too painful.

One of Spike's hands came up to stroke my hair and the other rubbed reassuring circles on my back.  I heard his chest rumble and knew he was talking to Angel.  I didn't care what was being said.  Nothing mattered, not really, not with the way my heart ached.

The sound of running water filled the room and that did garner some of my attention.  I turned slightly to see Angel filling the tub with water.  Before he could put the stopper in I said, "Let it run.  It has to be hot.  Our natural healing abilities come from heat.  I need that water to be as hot as possible."  Even to my own ears my voice sounded flat.

He nodded and let the water run.  Spike cupped my face.  "Luv, we need to get you out of these," he said plucking at the shirt I was still wearing.  "Can you stand on your own," he asked.

It wasn't until that moment that I realized that I was still clinging to the vampire.  I gave a one-shouldered shrug.    He let go of me and stepped back.  I swayed slightly.  Angel was behind me and caught me before I'd had the chance to fall.  "So who gets the honors of unwrapping the present," I asked trying for my usual sarcastic humor but failing miserably.

There was no answer.  I looked up to find the two of them sharing a look.  Yet again I got the feeling they were communicating on a level that I wouldn't understand.  Finally Spike sighed and nodded his head.  He hesitantly reached for the hem of the shirt.  I helped the best I could, which basically meant I lifted my arms.

Angel wrapped a strong arm around my waist as the blonde vampire reached for the button of the jeans.  They were both clearly uncomfortable.  That was nothing compared to how I felt.  I realized as the jeans hit the floor that the only thing separating Angel and I was the towel he'd wrapped around his hips.

I turned my gaze away from them embarrassed by my body 's obvious reaction.  It had been a long time since I'd been with someone, at least sexually.  I had my "kids," Maggie, and when he was home Lija to hold me.  But after Conor I had all but become celibate.   There had been an occasional fling, but nothing that seemed to touch my heart.  How could it after the one man I'd waited over a year for was dead and gone?

Spike leaned over and turned the taps off.  He looked at me and I could feel his gaze though I didn't turn to meet it.  "In you go."

Taking halting steps as Angel carefully walked me to the tub, I slid one leg into the water and a hiss escaped me.  "Too hot," Angel asked.  The timbre of his voice so soft sent chills chasing down my spine.  I had to force my brain to function.  I'd love to say that I despised the vampire so much that he repulsed me.  However, that was so very not the case, not with his body in such close contact with my own.

I could feel them both staring at me and looked up.  "Huh?"  'Yeah, witty responses that's me,' I thought with a mental eye roll.

The chuckle that shook Angel's body was enough to piss me off.  Whether it was smart or not I put my other leg in the tub and stepped out of his reach, though I did have to hold the opposite ledge to keep from falling face first into the water.  My legs shook with the effort to stay up right.

Slowly I lowered myself onto the edge of the tub.  It put me within touching distance of Spike.  I didn't know if that was any better, considering I was in some serious LUST with him.  It might have been wiser for me to stay near Angel.  At least around the elder vampire I could *probably* control myself.  I wasn't so sure I had that kind of restraint where Spike was concerned.

"Damned if I do and damned if I don't," I muttered to myself as I raised shaking hands to the end my braid.  I'd never had my hair this length and it wasn't long before I could feel tears of frustration welling up.

A cool hand touched my shoulder.  I looked into Spike's crystalline eyes and felt like I could fall into them.  Turning my head sharply away I stared at the tiled wall across from me.  It had felt too much looking into Asher's eyes and I wasn't about to give anyone that kind of power over me again.

"Luna," Angel called softly.  I turned, but dared not meet his eyes; instead I focused on his mouth.  I could see his lips moving and heard him as if from a long way off.  The thought of what those full kissable lips would feel like as they glided over my skin kept playing over and over in my mind.

Without warning I slid into the bathtub and submerged myself.  'Maybe I can drown before I get a chance to die of embarrassment,' I thought as I was quickly pulled to the surface.

Gasping, sputtering, and choking I sat there as Spike yelled, "What the bloody hell did you do that for!"

The blonde vampire had a hold of my forearms.  He shook me when I didn't answer.  He, or rather they, wouldn't have liked the answer I would have given.  I sent a glare to his lips.  I was still too afraid to meet his eyes.  Something was happening and I didn't know what.

The water sloshed.  I turned to find Angel slowly lowering himself into the heated water.  Normally the sight of nude body didn't make me feel anything other than slightly curious, but the thought of sharing the tub with this man made me panic.  I struggled to get away forgetting that Spike still had a firm grasp of my arms.

In blind terror I jerked uselessly against Spike's grip.  Water covered the bleach blonde and made a puddle under him as I continued to fight to get away.   I barely heard Wesley enter the bathroom much less what he said to Angel.  All I knew was that I felt the other vampire like a line of heat against my back and a low reverberating growl resonated through my chest.

It was like he hit some sort of hidden safety switch.   The tension eased out of my body and I hung almost limply between the two.  Angel's hand brushed over my hair.  The words he murmured were nonsensical and soothing.  As if understanding I wasn't going to try to hurt myself or the man behind me Spike let go of my arms.

"It's all right Luna," Angel said calmly.  "I've got you."  It sounded strange to hear him talk.  It sounded animalistic and something I wouldn't have expected from the vampire.  I briefly wondered if that's what I sounded like when I was well and truly angry.  I pushed the thought away as I let the heat from the water and the presence of another warm body soothe me.

Lazily I turned my head to see Wesley and Spike talking in low tones.  I knew that I could eavesdrop on their conversation but that seemed like too much effort.  I could feel my eyelids drooping; part of it I knew was from sheer exhaustion, while another was my body's natural healing technique.

A bright flash of light had my eyes snapping open.  I hadn't even realized I'd closed them.  Spike and Wesley stared at one another for a long moment before the former watcher nodded at something the other man asked.  Wesley looked at Angel and I then.  His face was blank, empty, and for some reason that bothered me.  It was like he knew something I didn't.  I hated that feeling.

The sound of wet cloth hitting the floor had my head turning to see that Spike had removed his shirt.  His hands were unfastening the top button of his jeans.  My eyes widened as I realized what he planned on doing.   I shook my head and tried to move away.

Angel's arms were locked securely around my own and held me against him as he continued a low growl.  Angel must have realized that his incessant growling wasn't working and my struggling only served to put our bodies in closer proximity.  He held me with one arm and tilted my head back until I was forced to meet his eyes.

Our gazes locked and I had a moment to think that I could surely drown in those liquid depths.  I squeezed my eyes shut though I hadn't quit fighting.  His lips came down on mine.  One would have thought the kiss would have been harsh brutal; it wasn't.  It was soft and gentle.  Had I been in my right mind I would have fought that much harder against this assault on my senses.

One passion is much like another, whether it's anger, lust, or panic.  They can all be turned in another direction and this was no exception.  I could feel my body relaxing and molding itself to the vampire's larger frame.  A hand trailing water up my thigh and across my stomach caused me break the kiss to turn my head.

I stared into Spike's crystalline eyes, without thought leaned forward and captured his mouth in a hungry, demanding kiss.  My tongue glided over his sealed lips.  I could feel Angel's lips as they slid down the side of my neck.  His blunt teeth nibbled on that sensitive spot behind my ear.

A whimper escaped me and Spike swallowed it.   I could feel their hands all over my body.  Part of me was horrified that I would so willingly capitulate while another was busy telling the first to shut the hell up!  Yet another part of me was nagging at me.  There was something, some reason we shouldn't be doing this.

I pulled away to breathe, to think.  It wasn't really likely to happen with the two wonderful pieces of eye candy currently sharing the tub with me.  Closing my eyes I untangled my arms from around the two demons and covered my face.  My fingertips massaged my forehead.

There was a copper tang as I swallowed hard.  Suddenly, I remembered why this was a really bad idea.  Slowly I lowered my hands, wiping away the sweat and moisture.  When I reached my upper lip I pulled my hands away from my face and stared at them in a sort of numbed bewilderment.

My fingers were painted crimson.  I was bleeding.  Dropping my hands in the water I rubbed them together cleaning them.  I wiped my upper lip with the back of my hand.  The numbness was staring to wear off and I could feel panic starting to creep in.  The back of my hand was covered in my blood.

"Would now be a good time for a trip to the lab, so they can draw the blood out," I asked churlishly.  The pair of them just stared at me.  I think that they knew it was hysterics.  The conflicting emotions I was feeling gave me the strength to stand from the tub and climb over them.

Water dripped onto the floor as I snatched up a towel.  I wrapped it around my body as I headed for the sink.  Slapping on the cold-water tap I waited for it to cool off.  I grabbed a washcloth and ran it under the faucet drenching it before wringing the excess out.  I cleaned my face.

Tears pricked the back of my eyes and I had a hard time controlling them.  My hands gripped the edge of the sink tightly.  I lowered my head and cried.

Unbidden came the thought that all I had done for Maggie was for nothing.  She was never going to speak to me again and Lija... I didn't even want to think about that.  He would more than likely pitch me out on my ass faster than I could blink.  That was only if he didn't let his temper get the better of him first.

'I am so screwed and not even in a good way either,' I thought dismally.  'No home, no family, what have I got?  Nothing.  No one. God!  I just want to go home.  I wanted to hear my sister yell at me for leaving empty Pepsi cans all over the floor.  I wanted to feel her arms around me as I cried at night for what I could never have.'

"Luna,' Angel's voice broke into my musings.

"What do you want Angelus," I asked not looking at him.

"Look at me," he said and I did.

There was so much going on in that head of his.  I could almost see the smoke as he followed each thought out to its conclusion.  He wanted to do so much, and for all the right reasons, but I was living proof that good intentions paved the road to hell.

Something clicked as I stared at him.  He was afraid.  Angel wasn't afraid of me.  He was afraid that if he or Spike fed from me that there would be no going back for either of them.  They had both subsisted on animal blood for so long that getting it from a warm willing body was going to make it that much harder to go back.

"Wanting it doesn't make you a monster.  Your soul isn't the end all be all of your existence.  It's merely a guide of what is expected of you.  You, and you alone, have to decide what's going to happen.  How far you're willing to go."  I let that sink in for a minute.

Spike was frozen, seated on the edge of the tub.  He looked like someone had struck him right between the eyes with a two by four.  Angel seemed to be seeing me for the first time.  It was his look that made me uncomfortable.  I took a deep breath.  I had to finish this.  "Where I come from donors, if you will, are common.  There was only one person that I'd ever willingly fed."

"That Jean-Claude bloke," Spike asked.  His previous stupor seemingly vanished.

"No," I said, shaking my head.  "His second Asher."   Angel and Spike stared at me dumbfounded.  "Asher held a special place in my heart.  He doesn't any longer." I shook my head to try and clear the memories away.  "Too much has been said and done for me to ever feel the same way about him."

"But I'm getting off track.  Donors are a dime a dozen where I come from.  When I said I would feed you I never realized what it would mean to you.  You're used to being able to drain your victims."  They flinched at my causally spoken words.  "Let's face it that's exactly what they are.  Before you say anything," I looked pointedly at Angel.  "I'm not judging you, people in glass houses and all that, but you can't do that to me."

"And why not," the blonde asked.

"Two reasons.  One, my body's already producing more blood than it can possibly need."  I didn't say any more.  There really wasn't a need.  They knew it, or should have.

"And the second," Angel inquired.  I guess he wanted it spelled out for him.

"The second, because I don't want to die.  If you tried to drain me Spike may try and kill you.  If he doesn't.  I will."  I was very serious about this one.  Despite my moment of weakness earlier I wanted to go home.  I knew I wasn't alone.  This place, Wolfram & Hart, was playing with me and I hated that more than anything.

"Okay, Luna," Angel said.

A drop of warmth hit my chest.  I looked down; another joined the first.  Turning I looked into the mirror and saw the lower half of my face was a bloody mask.  Picking up the discarded washcloth I cleaned my face once more.  I turned around and came nose to chest with the brunette vampire.

A frisson of fear went down my spine.  These weren't like the vampires back home who could roll your mind if you let them.  I stared into Angel's coffee colored eyes and asked, "Will it hurt?"

"It doesn't have to," he replied as he took another step closer.

There was something odd about this whole situation.  His skin was warm, which it shouldn't have been according to this world's physics.  His skin should have cooled rapidly.  I took a shaky step back and bumped into the sink behind me.  "What's happened to you Angelus," I asked as my voice quivered.

"Look in the mirror," he answered softly.

I turned and gasped.  It was echoed a moment later as Spike looked as well.  I touched the mirror to make sure it was real.  My head turned, "Huh?  How?"

"You," he responded.

"Again I say, huh?  How?"

"I'll second that and add a bloody hell," Spike commented as his own fingers touched the glass surface.

"Fred tested the blood on samples of mine and Spike's.  There are some rather unique side effects."  He grabbed my hand and placed it over what should have been his un-beating heart.  It pounded under my hand.  I turned my head again and stared at the reflection of Angel in the mirror.

I swallowed hard.  "How much did you have Angelus?"

The brunette vampire's eyes were drowning deep, though there was no power pulling me into them, and for that I was grateful.  'Only a pint.  We wanted to make sure that the findings weren't wrong."  His hand came up.  His thumb brushed over my upper lip.  He pulled his hand back and licked the digit clean.  The look of satisfaction I could have done without.

Sliding along the counter I came into contact with Spike.  He was staring at me as if he'd never seen me before.  For some reason that made me want to cry.  I turned my head away.  His hand came up cupping my cheek and forced me to meet his eyes.  I was grateful that those cerulean orbs held no power over me.

The look in his eyes I was familiar with.  It was hunger.  It was a hunger born of bloodlust and the need to see himself for the first time in over a century of un-life.  I didn't need a mirror to know my eyes were wide and a bit frightened.  "Will it hurt," I asked again.

"It doesn't have to," he echoed Angel's earlier answer.

"Okay," I whispered and tilted my head.

The pale smooth column of my neck was exposed to him.  'Open your eyes," Spike demanded gruffly.

Slowly my eyes fluttered open.  I stared into the now golden depths of the vampire's personal demon.  I raised my hand and touched the ridges now marring his forehead.  This was what they called their true form.  I doubted that was their "true" form, but I wasn't fool enough to say it aloud either.

The touch turned into a caress and Spike's eyelids slid shut.  A low almost purring sound filled the room.  Lazily I turned to find Angel so close that with a deep breath he could have touched us.  His own demon had emerged. The noise was coming from both of them; that's why it had seemed to fill the space.  Raising my other hand I stroked the ridges of his face.

Slowly my fingers moved over their faces.  It was as if I was memorizing them somehow.  Angel reached up and grabbed a hold of my wrist.  He placed a gentle kiss to the palm and stepped away.  His handsome human visage slipped back into place.

I cupped Spike's face in both of my hands.  He looked confused.  It was nothing compared to the way I felt.  I stared into those golden eyes and could almost feel his demon straining to just throw me against the counter and sink fangs into me.  Spike had to have been a much stronger person than anyone had ever given him credit for if he was able to control himself like that.

Even a demon's patience is not limitless.  A deep threatening growl filled the room.  From the corner of my eye I could see Angel stepping up.  I held a hand up to hold him off without ever taking my eyes off the vampire in front of me.  I was hoping that I would find some kind of reassurance in that gaze.  I didn't.

Okay, I'd tried to do this as a human, time to try something else.  I closed my eyes and felt my jaw expanding, my canines descending.  When I opened my eyes the differences in the room hit me immediately.  The lights were brighter, the scents stronger.

My nostrils flared and took in the scents.  There was the predictable neck ruffling scent of vampires but under that was the indefinable scent that said male.  Without conscious thought my tongue traced a line up his jaw to his ear.  My cheek slid along his as I buried my nose behind his ear.

Spike's fingers dug into my hips almost painfully.  It was a terribly intimate position, especially considering we were only clothed in bath towels.  There was no fear now.  I knew in this partial shift if he tried to take too much I would rip his throat out.   It lessened the fear I had a tenuous hold on.

I breathed Spike's scent.  He smelled faintly of leather, tobacco, and his own personal scent.  It was spicy with an underlying tang of newly turned earth.  His scent was overwhelming any coherent thought.  My body shifted restlessly against his.  This brought on a fresh wave of growls.

The towel slid away or it could have been ripped away.  I didn't care as long as our skin touched.  One arm came up around his shoulders and cupped the back of his head.  The other slid down his back.  I wallowed in the vampire's scent.  My teeth sank into his neck.

Fresh blood filled my nose and I bit down harder.  My mouth filled with saliva as the copper fluid rushed in.   I drew back slightly and stopped suddenly as I realized that Spike's mouth was latched onto my neck.  With every pull of his mouth there was a corresponding pull on a lower part of my anatomy.

I whimpered, grinding my pelvis against his.  My fingers dug into his scalp and lower back.  Our bodies teased each other through the layers of fabric.  My eyes slid shut.  Colors exploded behind my closed lids.  Spike and I moved against one another frantically.

My fingers pressed the vampire's face closer and as if sensing my need, his fangs slid deeper.  The sharp sting of muscle being penetrated allowed me to shatter in his arms.  An animalistic sound was ripped from my throat.  My legs were locked around Spike holding him close to me.

Slowly I came back to myself.  Lazily my eyes fluttered opened.   My hands drifted over Spike's back and finally up to cradle his head.  Turning his face to mine I kissed him.  I drew back and whispered, "Thank you."

"Trust me, luv, the pleasure was mine," Spike drawled.

"Are you two finished," Angel interrupted.

Turning toward the elder demon I was confused.  He looked like he was upset.  No, that wasn't right.  He looked slightly uncomfortable and a bit frustrated.  I held out a hand to him. Angel just stared at it.  I frowned at him.  "What's wrong Angelus?"

He shook his dark hair.  "Nothing," he said shortly.

Spike and I shared a look.  "Bullshit," I returned.  His lips thinned out.  "Please, Angelus, I'm tired.  Just tell me whats wrong," I pleaded.

Angel folded his arms over his chest and leveled annoyed eyes on me.  "Fine you really want to know?"  I nodded.  "He shouldn't have been able to do that."

My brows pulled together.  I was bewildered.  "I don't understand."

"He shouldn"t have been able to make it that pleasurable for you.  We just don't have the ability to make our bites orgasmic."

I fought to keep a straight face.  I think it was the fact that uptight Angel had used the word orgasmic that did it.  The glare he sent my way helped me to keep from laughing.  I knew I needed to be serious so I tried to concentrate on what he'd just said.  Idly my hands drew circles over Spike's shoulders.

Tilting my head to the side I returned Angel's gaze.  "Maybe it's not something he did, but something I unconsciously did."

Now it was his turn to frown.  "What do you mean?"

Spike's hands kneaded the small of my back.  A purr rolled out as his talented fingers slid over my skin.

"Would you two knock it off," Angel snapped.

I smiled sheepishly at him.  "Sorry," I said as I tried to remember what we had been talking about.  "The only other vampire I'd ever fed, well, his bite is literally orgasmic.  So maybe subconsciously I lump all vampire bites to the same category."  One shoulder rose and fell.  "I don't know what to tell you.  Can we go to bed now?"

That answer didn't ease the scowl that was on Angel's face.  "Angelus, please, Please, PLEASE, can we just go to bed now?  I'm tired and I'd really like to get some sleep.  I promise we can discuss this to your heart's content in the morning."

He seemed mollified by that and nodded.  "Spike you think you can get her to her room?"

My eyes widened.  "I am so not wandering around this place in nothing but a towel!"  Each word was louder than the last until I was yelling.

I could feel Spike's shoulders shaking and knew he was laughing.  I slapped the back of his head.  "Keep it up chuckles."

"Fine," Angel shouted when Spike looked like he was going to add fuel to the fire.  "But don't think this is going to become a regular occurrence."

Barely resisting the urge to roll my eyes I said, "Angelus, I have *no* desire to spend more time than necessary in *your* bed."

Spike let me up off the counter and I walked out of the room, brushing past a scowling Angel.  I stood in the living area and turned to look at the pair emerging from the bathroom.  I raised an eyebrow at the brunette vampire.  He pointed to a door across the room.

I opened the door to walk in.  A yawn caught me off guard and I stopped a couple of steps inside the room.   Crossing the room to the huge bed I pulled the covers back.  "Figures," I muttered rolling my eyes.  "Black silk."  I crawled into the middle of the bed.

Angel entered the room followed closely by Spike.  "What do you think you're doing," Angel asked.

"Going to sleep," Spike replied as he slid in next to me.

It was going to take some getting used to; I expected them to be cool to the touch and now they were just as warm as any human.  Spike cuddled up behind me.  "You're naked," I said sleepily.

"So are you.  Now sleep," he said pushing my head back down on the pillow.

A short aggravated growl filled the room as Angel slid in on the other side.  "Don't think this is going to happen again."  He said shortly.

"Okay, Angelus, anything you say," I returned as my arm snaked out and over his waist.  One of his hands dropped to my arm and his fingers brushed over it.  It was going to be so easy to fall asleep tonight I thought.  The only thing that would make this night better would be to have Maggie and Aries here instead.  'Beggars can't be choosers,' I thought before letting sleep claim me.