(Basement holding suite, Wolfram & Hart’s Rome office, at approximately the same time the rescuers are meeting at the Colosseum)

Buffy really, truly, deeply hated everything about waiting. The act itself grated on her already frayed nerves waiting for someone else to act belied everything in her Slayer nature. So she paced, mumbling under her breath, as her fine Italian leather ankle boots wore tracks in the plush carpeting.

“Buffy, seriously, sit down. You’re making me dizzy,” Dawn demanded. After the older girl gave no reaction, Dawn risked her safety by crossing the room and shaking her sister’s shoulders. Buffy bristled, pushing outward instinctively. Fortunately for Dawn, Buffy quickly realized the person grabbing her wasn’t a threat, just Dawn.

“Dawnie? What?” Buffy asked, confused.

Dawn regarded her sister’s haggard, stressed appearance. To an outsider, Buffy would appear perfectly coiffed and attired. An outsider would never notice how perfectly blended concealer masked the dark circles under Buffy’s eyes, the frown lines etched around her mouth, and the crease set in Buffy’s brow. An outsider would only see the beautiful, but thin woman before them. Dawn, however noted all these things, plus a million more. Being a little sister had its perks sometimes. No one, except for maybe Spike, knew her sister better than she did. So instead of fussing at her sister, Dawn simply hugged Buffy tightly and rubbed soothing circles on her back.

Buffy choked on the question caught in her throat. She breathed in the scent of Dawn’s shampoo, enjoyed its comforting smell, and sighed. “I’m sorry, Dawnie. I just….”

“Nothing to be sorry about, Buffy,” Dawn replied, continuing to smooth her stressed sister.

“We wouldn’t be in this mess if I had listened to my first instinct about the Immortal. You wouldn’t be stuck here in this drab cell. You’d be studying. What about your exams? I’m supposed to protect you. I’m the big sister, dammit,” Buffy babbled, tears pooling in her eyes.

“Hey now, stop it. Not your fault.” Her sister’s tears made her want to pull out her hair. Dawn stomped away from Buffy, clenching and unclenching her hands. “Maybe if you were a normal girl, they wouldn’t have done this, but you don’t know that. Okay? ” She paused to gauge Buffy’s reaction.

Seeing disbelief mar her sister’s features, Dawn wrung her hands and changed her tactic. “Anyway, I’d rather be here with you figuring out how to kick their collective asses than somewhere else worrying about you and not being able to do a damn thing.”

Dawn clasped Buffy’s hands in her own. “Hey, it’s what sisters do, right? It’s what Summers’ women do!” She stressed with a wide grin.

“When did you get so smart, Dawnie?” Buffy half-giggled into her sister’s brown hair. She squeezed Dawn a little tighter before releasing her.

“Hey, ancient eternal being here. I’ve always been the smart one. You should’ve realized that by now,” Dawn teased.

“Yeah, well, you’re the brains and I’m the muscle,” Buffy retorted, then caught herself. “If you tell anyone I said that…”

“I know, I know, death, dismemberment, serious grounding, blah, blah, blah. Like you would ever,” Dawn said, rolling her eyes. She collapsed onto the bed, arranging the pillows at her back against the wall.

“Okay, okay. You could at least pretend to be intimidated, ruin all my fun why don’t you.” Buffy began pouting and pacing again.

“For the Goddess’ sake, Buffy, stop it!” exclaimed Dawn. “I swear at times like this you remind me of Spike. Remember how he got when he first realized he could kill demons with the chip?”

Buffy smiled fondly at the memory even knowing Dawn hadn’t really been around then. Still, she played along. “Yeah, I almost wanted to steal Riley’s Taser just so I could shut Spike up for a little while.”

“I know what you need.” Seeing Buffy’s wistful expression Dawn pulled her gross face. “Eww, I so didn’t mean that, you perv. I meant let’s train,” she suggested.

“Oh, yeah, training. That’s what I was thinking about. Training,” stammered Buffy.

Getting up from her comfy spot on the bed, Dawn felt the knot of tension ease from her shoulders.

Just as the sisters started moving the table and chairs to make more room, the distinct sound of the cell door being unlocked could be heard. Both girls schooled their features to show annoyance upon seeing a new goon entering the room behind Joe.

“Ladies,” Joe greeted dryly. “Good to see you both.”

“Can’t say it’s a pleasure,” Dawn sassed.

Buffy gave her a high-five on the sly, mouthing, “Good one.” Then, she asked Joe, “What happened to Franz?”

“Yeah, yeah. Love you too princess,” snarked Joe. He gave Buffy a look, then tapped the hook of his cane to his coat’s left front pocket. “I’ll be sure to tell Franz you miss him. Ladies, this is Carlo. Play nice.”

Buffy slowly blinked to indicate she got the hint. Bumping Dawn’s hip, Buffy looked at her as if saying, “Hey, distract the guy, will ya?”

Dawn answered with her own silent, “Do I have to? He’s gross.”

Buffy gave her best “Do it Dawnie, or else.”

Dawn huffed, nodding her assent.

Dawn walked over to Carlo, who was burdened with their food cart, and said, “Here, take it over there. Um, thanks for lunch.” She noticed Carlo checking her out, which squicked her out; still, got to work through the ick factor. Giving the goon a coy smile, Dawn made sure Carlo’s eyes were riveted to her hips as she walked back to the table. Oh yeah, truly gross.

Buffy held in a snort as she watched Dawn working her charms on Carlo. Joe kept his back to the cameras, slipping his left hand into his pocket. Withdrawing a folded slip of paper, he surreptitiously handed the paper to Buffy, who then placed it in her waistband.

“Okay, Carlo, let’s go,” Joe ordered, winking at Dawn after Carlo passed through the door. “See you at dinner, ladies.” He closed the door behind him.

“Dawn, I’m going to wash my hands before I eat, okay?” Buffy said, after hearing the lock click back into place.

“Okay, Buffy.”

Buffy went to the bathroom, turning on the hot water. Since the first two messages, Joe only passed her blank sheets of paper. Well, blank except for the invisible ink. She’d learned steam worked best. After getting enough steam going, Buffy held the paper over the steam, letting the paper absorb it. Soon enough, letters started to form.

Party set for tomorrow afternoon.
Be ready.


****************

(Meanwhile, at an undisclosed hotel, Rome, Italy)

“So, Buffy is Spike’s girlfriend?” Dana asked Connor.

Dana sat on the bed braiding her hair into a single plait while ruminating on everything Mister Xander had taught her about Buffy, the head Slayer, her Slayer sister. She had learned Buffy had been the Chosen One, the one girl in all the world to stop the spread of evil, but then something “wacky” happened, and a second had been called. Now, they are many Slayers. Dana was still fuzzy on all the details.

Buffy was her Big Sister Slayer. Dawn was Buffy’s little sister. So, Dawn was also her sister, sort of? That’s how she was going to think of them both - her sisters.

Dana had been nervous when she had returned to Los Angeles with Faith and Rona. Mister Xander had promised Spike wouldn’t kill her on sight, but he hadn’t seen what she had done to Spike. She had felt Spike tense when he’d sensed her presence in the alley and had readied herself. The vampire surprised her, though, by accepting her and making her feel wanted. Even if she didn’t have a duty to Buffy and Dawn, Dana would have begged Mister Xander to let her join Spike in this fight. She owed him. Now, she wanted to know why Spike called Buffy and Dawn “his girls.”

She watched Connor stalk about the room while Illyria stood sentry at the window. Connor’s brown shirt clung like a second-skin to his chest and arms. Looking at him caused a fluttery feeling in her stomach. Illyria turned her attention away from the goings-on outside to give Dana a hard look. Dana just knew Illyria had detected something, but the goddess said nothing. Instead, Illyria pursed her lips in disgust before resuming her lookout.

“I think Buffy’s more than just Spike’s girlfriend, but yeah,” Connor answered, oblivious to the silent communication between Dana and Illyria. He busied himself checking the weapons cached for the tenth time in less than thirty minutes. Holtz had instilled in him an almost obsessive-compulsive need to be overly prepared.

Continuing to watch the humans walk on the sidewalks below, Illyria’s memory flashed to the heated feeling of flesh on flesh, wet kisses, and warm breath on her shell’s neck. She could almost feel the weight of Wesley in her arms and smell his musk. Recalling easily what the immortal Cassandra stated about the emotion humans called love, Illyria knew the shell she inhabited had loved Wesley. Ever since Wesley had taken a portion of her power, these repugnant emotions reared their heads at unexpected moments. She suspected her fellow Old Ones were mocking her from their beds in the Deeper Well.

“Spike and the Slayer have mated,” Illyria asserted. “His scent has begun to reek of it.”

“Yeah, they’re mates,” Connor replied. “But don’t tell anybody, okay?” He gazed intently into Dana’s eyes, hoping to stress the importance of the secret in his look.

“Why not?” Dana frowned, mesmerized by Connor’s blue eyes.

“It serves none in the battle,” Illyria began, only to be interrupted by Connor.

“No, that’s not it, Illyria. You’re wrong.” Noticing Illyria taking offense not only being interrupted but also being told she was in the wrong, Connor quickly placated. “Illyria, being mated like Spike and Buffy are isn’t a sign of weakness. When you ruled in the Old Days, were any of the Old Ones mates?”

“A few,” Illyria conceded. “They were considered weak and pathetic, submitting to repulsive urges to copulate for more than mere breeding. Their young were delicacies. Those mated were mere toys, playthings for amusement, liking plucking the wings of a gnat. Their cries when their mate was destroyed filled our bellies. I do not approve of Spike being reduced to a mate. It makes my pet weak.”

“No, Illyria, it really doesn’t. Perhaps in the Old Days that was true, but no longer. Mating makes them stronger, especially for vampires. I haven’t read up on how it affects other demons. The connection they share can be used to a strategic advantage,” Connor tried explaining.

“Advantage?” Illyria questioned.

“Yeah, imagine how good it would be in a fight to know exactly where your mate is, knowing if they need your help, or being able to silently send a signal to them if you need it. Plus, from what I’ve read, a mating bond gives both partners a sense of completeness, of never being alone. I think it’s cool.”

“Never be alone...” Dana bit her lip, contemplating how she much she would like that. She’d been alone for so many years.

Illyria ruminated on how alone she was in this world. She no longer reigned over Vahla ha'nesh, her acolytes lay scattered as mere dust, her Qwa'ha Xahn had been killed, and Wesley died in her arms. Even Wesley had preferred the lie of her shell to her companionship. Only these new pets - Spike, Connor, and Dana - had given her a sense of place in this changed world.

“Illyria, Dana, look, I don’t believe Spike knows that I know about him being mated, okay? Illyria, does he suspect that you know?” Connor asked.

Illyria considered her reply for a moment. “No.”

“It’s a secret, Dana – at least for now. Can you keep it secret?” Connor bit his lower lip, and Dana fought the sudden desire to taste that bottom lip.

“Yes,” she whispered. “But why doesn’t he want us to know?” Her hands dropped from her unfinished plait.

Connor moved to sit behind Dana, running his fingers through her hair, loosening what remained of the braid. He began separating her hair into three sections like his sister had taught him. There was that split between his realities again. He’d never actually learned to braid anyone’s hair. The girl he remembered really wasn’t his sister, just some construct implanted by Wolfram & Hart. Yet, she was real; the eldest Reilly daughter. Connor guessed he should thank the bastards for giving him that memory, so he could put it to use with Dana.

Dana stilled, her nerves taut, her body beginning to feel lightheaded and heavy at the same time. A strange thrill pulsed through her mirroring her heartbeat. Connor’s fingers made her all feel all tingly and, at the same time, very sleepy.

Illyria snorted her irritation at the scents emanating from her two young pets. Human behavior confused her. She preferred it when they were mere apes ready to be culled to satisfy her appetite.

Connor ignored his semi-erection, carefully placing one leg between Dana’s bottom and his growing problem. He’d gathered some of her history from Faith before they left for Cleveland and had overheard some of the girls gossiping at Watcher’s Headquarters. He really liked Dana, and he didn’t want to scare her even if he got the impression she liked him too.

He answered softly, “I’m not Spike, so I can’t tell you what he may be thinking, but if it were me...I would want to reunite with my mate first. I’d want to make sure she still shared those same feelings. Remember, Buffy and everyone thought Spike had died. I don’t know what he was thinking when he didn’t immediately tell Buffy he was back. If it had been me, nothing would have kept me away.”

As she felt the blood rushing to fill her cheeks, Dana was thankful Connor couldn’t see her face. His words caused her to want to be the girl Connor imagined. She fought against the desire to lean back against his chest. She could only hope to be so lucky someday, never imagining Connor had already started planning how to woo her.

Suddenly, Illyria moved from the window to the door. Connor reached out his senses and felt the prickling he’d begun associating with Spike. His uncle had returned, with more than their recent company. He nudged Dana as he quickly finished her plait.

“They’re back,” Connor simply stated.

Dana swivelled around, catching the heated look in Connor’s eyes. Lowering her eyes but still looking at him through her lashes, Dana nodded. “I’ll keep the secret. I’ll be good.”

At Dana’s last three words, Connor gulped stifling a couple of swear words. He had to forcibly remind himself again how innocent Dana actually was. She would have no clue as to the power of those words. Damn, it didn’t appear he’d be standing any time soon.

Fortunately with Illyria already opening the door for Spike and the rest of the group, he didn’t have to.

**************

Spike observed how close Dana and Connor were sitting on the bed and, more importantly, how stiffly Connor was sitting. He noticed how Connor’s left hand tried to cover his crotch. Spike smirked at Connor, flashing him a sly smile wondering if Xander would say anything.

Spike kept silent as Xander introduced Oz and Amanda to Illyria, Dana, and Connor, making special note of Oz’s subtle reaction to the boy. Oz gave Connor and Dana a half-smile full of knowing.

Finding Oz at the Colosseum and then watching Oz’s reaction to his presence thrilled Spike. Vampires and werewolves tended not to associate with each other unless the need arose. Nina, being new and without a pack, didn’t count. Perhaps Oz was the same way. He could tell Oz had been shocked by his wolf’s desire to be submissive earlier. He sensed the wolf’s loneliness, and it called to him.

Before rescuing his girls, Spike knew he would have to find a moment alone with Oz to get them sorted.

Something he had not felt in decades teased at the edges of his mind. It reminded him of his early days with Angelus, Darla, and Drusilla. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. Could it be that he had a family once again?