Fic: RR&R Book IV (10c/?) NC17 see header for pairings

["The Bear" <thebear@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Chapter 10 Concluded

 

Buffy shifted from foot to foot nervously as she waited for someone to open
the door in front of her.  ?This is a really bad idea,? she thought, not for
the first time.  ?Talking to police--not my idea of fun.?

 

Despite Buffy?s apprehension, her lovers had convinced her that they should
seek out one of the crime scene investigators Willow had encountered the
previous week.

 

Buffy heard shuffling footsteps approach the door from the inside and thus
wasn?t surprised at its sudden opening--unlike her two lovers.

 

?Yes, can I help...? his voice trailed off as his eyes moved from Buffy?s
face to Willow on her left.

 

?Um...hi,? Willow said with a small hand-wave after several moments of
uncomfortable silence while the man at the door stared, his jaw dropped in
shock.

 

?How did you find me?? he blurted out.  His expression then turned
suspicious as he added, ?Why did you find me??

 

?Oh, well...it?s nothing bad, I promise,? Willow?s voice addressed the look
of trepidation on the CSI?s face.

 

His expression turned neutral.  ?Ah, well.  How can I help you then?? 

 

?Well, actually, we can sort of help you...though helping you will help us,
too,? Willow began.  ?Can we come in??

 

When it looked like he was about to respond, Willow suddenly interjected,
?Oh!  But don?t invite us in--you should never invite anyone into your house
at night.?

 

?Willow-babble,? Buffy tried to hid her smile--unsuccessfully as usual.
?Poor guy looks like he thinks she?s crazy.?

 

?Vampires can?t go into your house unless you invite them,? Buffy tried to
explain.  

 

He turned his baffled expression onto the slayer, causing her to blush.

 

?Vampires, of course,? he muttered, nonplussed.  ?You?re a vampire??

 

?No, no, we?re not vampires,? Willow clarified.  ?But you don?t know that,
and it?s just a good habit not to assume.?

 

?I see.  Fascinating,? he responded incredulously.   ?So, what is the proper
protocol for inviting someone in, without actually inviting them in??

 

?You can just step to the side, holding the door open,? Tara elucidated with
a soft laugh.  ?Most people will get the point.?

 

?Well then,? he said, following her instructions with raised eyebrows.

 

Buffy let the two witches go in first before following.  ?Must live alone,?
she thought as she took in the modern style furnishings and mostly unadorned
walls.  ?Nothing girly about this place.?

 

He gestured toward a couch in the living room, while taking a seat on one of
the chairs facing it.  ?I don?t believe we were properly introduced when
last we met,? he said sounding slightly sardonic.  ?I?m Gil Grissom, and I
presume you already know that I?m a Crime Scene Investigator with the Las
Vegas Police Department.?

 

?More than that, you?re the night shift supervisor,? Willow stated.  ?And,
you have a doctorate in entomology, plus you?ve published a bunch of
articles about the uses of insects in criminal forensics.?

 

?Eww, bug man,? Buffy thought with a grimace.

 

?Well, you?ve certainly done your homework,? Grissom stated with a slightly
surprised and wary look.  ?And, you are??

 

?Oh, I?m Willow,? Willow answered with a slightly chagrinned look.  ?And
this is Tara and this is Buffy,? she added, gesturing to her left and right
respectively.

 

He raised his eyebrows as if waiting for further elucidation.

 

Buffy glanced at Willow and saw her reflecting his expression, nearly
causing her to laugh out loud.

 

After a moment, Grissom?s shoulders slumped in what Buffy imagined to be
defeat.  ?Ha,? she thought with a grin.  ?Wil wins the battle of the
wills--hey, that?s funny.  Wil?s will wins!?

 

Grissom spoke again, interrupting Buffy?s interlude.  ?So, how exactly can
you help me?? he asked with a slight smile and an inquisitive look.

 

?Well, the police impounded a truck the other night--and it?s still on your
lot,? Willow began to explain.  ?But, you haven?t processed it, I guess
because you didn?t know that it was used by that guy that killed Xander.?

 

Grissom frowned and then asked, ?How do you know any of that, and what would
be the point of processing it now?  If indeed it was used by the man that
shot your friend, well...you?ve already killed him--or, rather, your friend
Dawn has already done so.?

 

?Hey, that was self defense!? Buffy blurted out, responding to his
disapproving tone.

 

He looked slightly surprised by her interjection.  ?I didn?t indicate
otherwise; however; I wasn?t there--and to my knowledge, neither were you.
How can you be sure??

 

?Because I know my sister,? Buffy heatedly responded.  ?She might be a pain
in the butt, but she?s not a murderer...murderess, or whatever.?

 

He tilted his head and stared at her quietly for a moment, as though
weighing her words.  ?Regardless; I don?t see how processing his vehicle
will help, if he is already dead...? the expression on his face suddenly
changed, and then his eyes narrowed and he addressed his own conjecture.
?You don?t know who he was, and you think there may be someone else
involved...a partner in crime??

 

Though they remained silent, he must have seen something from them because
he immediately stiffened.  ?You do realize that I can?t share information
with you, even if I was so inclined--?

 

?Oh, that?s fine,? Willow interjected.  ?We wouldn?t want you to break any
rules.?

 

?Then how--?

 

?It might be better if you didn?t ask,? Willow again cut him off.  ?Anyway,
here?s the vehicle?s information,? she said as she leaned forward and set a
3?x5? card onto his coffee table.

 

?When did she write that down?? Buffy wondered.  ?I don?t remember her
writing anything down...in fact that doesn?t look written, more like from
her printer, which I don?t remember her having...? her thoughts meandered
off the subject.

 

?I?m not sure that I?m in a position to help you,? he began hesitantly as he
stared at the card.

 

?Aren?t you obligated to investigate once you?ve been made aware of an
alleged crime?? Willow asked; her voice sweet and light despite the
hammer-blow of her question.

 

Her focus snapped back to the here and now, Buffy stiffened--taking up a
slightly defensive posture  as he glanced sharply towards her redheaded
lover.  

 

?Normally, that would be true,? he answered evenly.  ?However, as it happens
I am currently under suspension. ?

 

?Oh,? Willow said, deflating slightly.  ?Well, you can pass it on to one of
your people, can?t you??

 

When he hesitated, Buffy turned to Willow and said, ?We could find someone
else--didn?t you say there were a couple other CISs there?  Wasn?t one of
them there with Dawn and almost got shot but Dawn saved her??  

 

She turned back to the man in the room as she finished her thought.  ?Maybe
she?d be willing to help us.?  

 

?Bad Buffy, I shouldn?t enjoy this,? she thought as the color drained from
Grissom?s face.  ?But, he shouldn?t be trying to stall us either--or making
nasty accusations about my sister.?

 

?I?ll make sure it gets taken care of,? he hastily interjected, leaning
forward to grab the card.

 

?Well...um, good,? Willow sounded nonplussed.

 

?Can I ask you a question??  he asked, his curiosity apparently overcoming
his trepidation.  

 

?Oh, um...ok,? Willow answered after looking to Tara and Buffy.

 

?If magic is truly real,? he began tentatively.

 

?If?? Buffy marveled at his chutzpah as she watched her lovers don
identically arch looks. 

 

He continued as though completely missing their response.  ?How is it we?ve
never seen it before??

 

?I don?t know,? Willow began, and then paused with a thoughtful look.  ?You
probably have seen it, but just didn?t believe it and convinced yourself it
was a trick of the light or something like that.?

 

He looked skeptical as he answered, ?I?m reasonably certain I would not have
dismissed it if I had seen someone appear out of thin air in a crackling
ball of blue lightning.?

 

Tara laughed out loud, and Buffy grinned widely as Willow blushed.

 

?Why is that funny?? he asked.

 

?Huh, doesn?t look pissed,? Buffy thought, ?just curious...what an odd guy.?

 

?Magic isn?t usually so...flashy,? Tara said after a moment to gather
herself.

 

?There?s nothing wrong with having a little panache,? Willow mumbled her
protest.

 

Just then there was a knock at the door and Buffy watched a brunette enter
the house, calling out, ?Grissom??

 

 ?Oh dear, Sara? Grissom sighed so softly that only Buffy?s enhanced hearing
allowed her to pick it up.

 

?Holy crap, what is she doing here??

 

?God, rude much?? Buffy wondered as she looked to Willow and saw that she
too was taken aback by the resentment in the woman?s voice.

 

?Sara?? Grissom?s voice displayed surprise as well.

 

?Gil, she?s the reason we got suspended!? Sara complained.

 

 ?How am I the reason you were suspended?? Willow challenged, clearly
feeling affronted by the allegation.

 

?He seems like he?s annoyed, or embarrassed or something,? Buffy thought as
she watched his eyes slide slowly away from Sara before focusing on Willow.

 

?I wouldn?t necessarily say that you were the reason,? Grissom began. 

 

?You reported what she did and it got us both suspended!? Sara protested,
still standing in the room?s entrance, now with her hands on her hips and
glaring at the only man in the room.

 

?Ah, sounds like she?s more pissed at him than Wil,? Buffy thought.

 

His eyes slid back to Sara, and his answer was pedantic in its delivery.  ?I
wrote an accurate, factual report.  Eckley took exception to the report and,
rather than allow it to go on record, applied the only possible course of
action that allowed him to reject it--?

 

?Yeah, putting us on a psych-suspension,? Sara interjected.

 

?Well, clearly you two have some issues that you need to work through,?
Buffy said, adding in her thoughts, ?in the bedroom.?

 

?Right, so we?ll just go then,? Willow added, her half-grin demonstrating
that she was catching on to Buffy?s point.  

 

The three Sunnydalers stood up and walked toward the exit, causing Sara to
hastily move into the room and away from them.

 

?You know, you two should really consider resolving that sexual tension--it
might put everything else into perspective,? Tara?s parting advice came as a
shock to all.

 

Buffy?s eyes bugged out and she hurried out the door before giving in to the
laughter welling up inside her.

 

===== BtVS =====

 

?I can?t decide whether this was a very bad idea, or a very good one,?
Xander thought as the scantily clad dancers moved through their elaborate
choreography on stage.

 

?Scantily clad doesn?t really cover it--ha, no pun intended,? he added to
himself.

 

«Never have so many feathers and ruffles covered so very little skin,» Dawn
ardently agreed with him.

 

The show ?La Femme? was, if anything, more intensely beautiful and erotic
than its billing indicated.  Without any overt or deliberate bumping and
grinding like the strip-show, the women on stage here were nevertheless
exuding a blistering-hot sensuality that had Xander nearly writhing in his
seat.

 

?All natural,? the thought popped into his head as his eyes scanned the bevy
of bouncing breasts before him.

 

«And au naturale,» Dawn replied with a smirking tone to her thoughts.

 

?Wow!? Xander exhaled in awe as one of the dancers bent and twisted in ways
he?d have thought were beyond human ability.

 

?I need to start practicing my yoga exercises again,? Dawn whispered,
sounding jealous.

 

?Uh huh!? he agreed immediately, his mouth getting ahead of his brain.  ?Uh,
I mean--?

 

«No, seriously; I agree,» Dawn reassured him with a thought.

 

They watched in rapt silence for a few minutes as their hands began to slide
up and down each other?s thighs--each of them having difficulty restraining
themselves from straying into more intimate touching.

 

As the show came to an end, they immediately joined the crowd?s roaring
approval, leaping to their feet and applauding fervidly.  In Xander?s case,
rising was accompanied by a wince as his erection strained against his
jeans.

 

He leaned into Dawn as she stretched up to speak into his ear.  ?Remember
how I said it was just Willow?? 

 

?Yeah?? he nodded his head.

 

?Might have been underestimating things,? she replied, her voice was heavy
with arousal.

 

Xander turned to stare into her eyes and saw that she wasn?t just teasing
him.

 

?When we get back to the room I am going to make you scream!? he said with a
growl.

 

?Forget that,? she contradicted.  ?I?m gonna screw your brains out the
moment we get in the cab!?

 

He smiled wolfishly.  ?Gonna cast the glamour first??

 

?Do you really care?? she challenged.

 

By this time people were starting to trail out of the theater and the aura
of arousal was heavy in the air.  Xander glanced left and right and saw that
people in their aisle were moving away from them in both directions rather
than waiting for them to move.  His breathing sped up and he could feel his
body flush with heat as an idea struck him.

 

?Cast it now and I?ll bend you over that seat and take you right here,? he
dared.

 

Her jaw actually dropped for a moment as she gasped out loud.  Then her eyes
closed and she whispered something for a moment before looking back up at
him.  ?Done.?

 

He bent down slightly and wrapped one arm around her lower back and the
other just under her ass, and then he pulled her tightly to him and kissed
her fiercely.  

 

Her legs wrapped around him and she clutched at his shoulders as she moaned
into his mouth.

 

«I want you so bad Xander!» her thoughts in his mind echoed his own.

 

Without a word, Xander broke the kiss and pushed her away from him.  As soon
as her feet hit the floor, he turned her around and shoved her upper body
forward over the back of the seats before them.

 

?Hell yes!? she grunted loudly.

 

He flipped up her skirt and pushed down her panties just enough to expose
her pussy.  ?So wet!? he exulted as he pressed his fingers to her.  He
wasted no time unbuckling his belt and shoving down his pants and boxers,
ignoring the spike of pain in his cock but nonetheless sighing with relief
when it at last sprung free.  

 

In a heartbeat he was in her and pumping fiercely, any concern for her
discomfort overwhelmed by her cries spurring him on, and his own lust.

 

«Don?t wait for me, I?ll cum when you do,» she urged him to let go.

 

?Dawn!? he roared only moments later, cumming like a freight train.

 

?Yes! Xander!? she screamed out loudly as she joined him in ecstasy.

 

The feedback phenomenon they?d recently experienced happened again and by
the time it faded, Xander found himself exhausted and draped over his lover,
pressing her down against the seat-back.  ?God, sorry ?bout that,? he huffed
as he struggled to get up off of her.

 

??Sokay,? she panted, struggling to push herself back upright, their bodies
still joined.

 

The sound of clapping startled them both.

 

He looked toward the stage to see two of the performers--a smoking-hot
brunette and a nearly as sexy redhead--still in un-costume, grinning madly at
them as they applauded.  One of them even let fly a wolf whistle that had
him blushing over his whole body.

 

?I thought you cast the glamour!? he exclaimed through clenched teeth.

 

?I did!? she growled back, and he could see her pale flesh blushing to match
his own.

 

?Madame, Monsieur, please--you should take a bow after such a passionné,
frénétique...how you say it...spirited, yes, spirited performance,? the
redhead spoke with a deep French accent.

 

Dawn pushed Xander back and out of her, and then quickly pulled up her
panties and pushed down her skirt.

 

?Doh!? Xander grunted, pulling Dawn in front of him to hide behind as he
tried to will his erection down.  ?Not helping!? he thought with combined
annoyance and arousal as the two women on stage ceased their applause to
embrace each other, the brunette idly toying with the redhead?s right
breast.

 

Dawn made his ?situation? even worse by wiggling her butt against him.

 

?Oh, do not hide yourself homme grande, you have nothing of which to be
ashamed,? the redhead said with a laugh.

 

?Tellement vrai? the brunette said, nodding her head.

 

?How did you see us?? Dawn wondered aloud.

 

?Mon chér, your aversion was well done, but ineffective to sorcière, such as
we.? The redhead answered.

 

?Oh crap,? Xander sighed.  ?They?re sorcerers.?

 

?At least that takes care of that,? he thought as he tucked his rapidly
diminishing erection into his pants and zipped up.

 

?I don?t think so Xan,? Dawn disagreed.  ?They don?t seem evil.?

 

?Trust me,? Xander countered, ?The sexy evil ones never do, until its way
too late.?

 

?We were so very pleased to see how greatly we had inspired you,? the
redhead nearly purred as her hands began to openly explore the brunette?s
body.  

 

?And so, you have inspired us,? the brunette spoke up, her accent even
thicker than the redhead?s.

 

?She is very beautiful, no?? The redhead said as she moved behind the
brunette and reached around to pinch and flick her left nipple, while her
right hand wandered down the voluptuous body and between her legs, two
fingers disappearing up inside.  ?As sexy as you Ma fille, and very, very
willing to please.?

 

Xander?s efforts to fight off a return to tumescence were in no way helped
by the whimper that came out of Dawn.

 

?Yes, I see that you like her too,? the redhead said with a moan.  ?Tell me
mon-petit, would you want to have her lick your slippery little vulva, or
would you prefer to watch as she swallows your man?s grande viande??

 

?Oh God!? Dawn?s gasp echoed the thoughts in Xander?s head.?

 

?Perhaps your man could take her from behind while she tastes of your
honey?? the redhead added, noisily pumping her fingers in and out of the
brunette--who was moaning loudly, clearly enjoying both the words and actions
of her lover.

 

?I feel like I did during the show!? Xander muttered unthinkingly, his body
flushed with heat.

 

«Oh my God, you?re right!» Dawn?s mental shout snapped Xander back to
awareness.  «They?re casting some kind of spell!»

 

?Oh, so sad,? the redhead said with a pout.  ?You see through it.?

 

Though still highly aroused, Xander felt the burning heat that had been
filling him recede.  ?Some kind of spell alright.?

 

?You?re right Xander,? Dawn said aloud, her body stiffening.  ?They are
evil!?

 

?Oh, no...we are not evil,? the redhead said placatingly.

 

?Un peu de mal, peut-être,? the brunette interjected, causing the redhead to
grin wickedly.

 

?Perhaps,? she said to the brunette, ?but only a little.?

 

?I knew it!? Xander growled angrily.

 

?Do not fret so,? the redhead contested, her hands still playing with the
brunette, though much more gently.  ?We mean you no harm.?

 

?We just want to play,? the brunette moaned out.

 

?Sure, that?s how it starts,? Xander groused.  ?Next thing you know you?re
tied up waiting to be sacrificed.?

 

?Mon ami, what are you saying?? the redhead protested.  ?We do not sacrifice
humans!?

 

?But you?re sorceresses, right?? Dawn refuted.  ?Demon sacrifice is right up
your alley.?

 

?Oui, nous sommes des sorcières,? the brunette objected heatedly.  ?Mais
nous n'avons pas le culte du diable!?

 

?What?? Dawn asked, taken aback.

 

?Sorcery, yes,? the redhead answered.  ?Devil-worship, no, human sacrifice,
no.?

 

?Ah,? Xander said, feeling only partly relieved.  ?I notice she didn?t say
anything about animal sacrifice.?

 

«Eww!» Dawn cringed mentally

 

?Well, that?s, uh...good, I guess.? Xander quickly blurted out.  ?We,
ah...we?d better go now.?

 

?You may please yourself, of course.  But would you not rather we please you
instead?? the redhead asked seductively.

 

?Tempting,? Dawn said, causing Xander?s breath to catch.  ?But no
thank-you.?

 

?Your loss,? the redhead sniffed.  ?Come slave, let?s see if one of the
others will put you through your paces.?

 

The two dancers walked off, their asses swinging in unison as they left the
stage.

 

?God, why are all the sexy ones evil?? Xander thought.  ?Present company
excluded,? he quickly added as he felt Dawn stiffen in his arms.

 

?Um hmm,? Dawn hummed in a tone that let him know he had only just saved
that one.

 

They walked out hand in hand, silently, and went to the valet area to get a
taxi.

 

Only after Xander held the door open for her and followed her into the taxi
did he break the silence.  ?Montecito, please,? he told the driver before
turning to look at Dawn.  ?So...it was the spell, huh??

 

?What do you mean?? she asked, bemused.

 

?What you told me at the end of the show,? he prompted.  When she frowned,
he added, ?You know, about how ?only liking Willow might be an
understatement.??

 

?I don?t think so,? she added after a moment?s introspection.

 

?Really?? he asked, surprised.

 

?Yeah...I can?t get it out of my head,? she said shaking her head.  ?Even
now part of me wants to turn around and run back to take them up on their
offer.?

 

?Holy crap!? Xander though, shocked and not a little aroused.

 

Licking her lips, Dawn ran her hand up his thigh and whispered, ?The glamour
should still be in effect...?

 

Every bit of the lust and desire he?d felt both during the show, and the
?encore? came rushing back to him as Dawn knelt between his legs and undid
his pants. 

 

?There is a God,? Xander thought, causing his lover to giggle loudly as she
slid his cock down her throat.

 

?I *so* love my life!?

 

===== BtVS =====

 

Sara Sidle grunted with satisfaction as she dropped down, impaling herself
over and over on her new lover.   She smiled with satisfaction as she
watched him unsuccessfully try to keep his eyes from rolling back into his
head.

 

?This is every bit as good as I thought it would be,? she thought with both
pleasure and satisfaction.

 

?Wonderful...you?re wonderful,? Gil Grissom gasped out, his hands gently
running up and down her thighs and hips as she rode him cowgirl style.

 

?Mmm,? she hummed delightedly, feeling her impending orgasm grow ever
closer.  

 

She briefly flashed back to the recent events leading up to this result.

 

===== BtVS =====

 

Then-

 

She felt a thrill of fear run through her as she scrambled out of the way of
the three women exiting Grissom?s living room.

 

?God, one of these days my mouth is really going to get me killed,? she
thought, chagrinned at her overtly rude behavior in confronting the woman
she had witnessed perform some powerful and scary magic.

 

Her face flushed with heat as the taller blonde stopped, turned and said,
?You know, you two should really consider resolving that sexual tension--it
might put everything else into perspective.?

 

Neither she nor Grissom spoke as the three women exited the house and could
be heard laughing as they walked away.

 

Her inner imp rose up at that point and she turned to face her friend and
boss and said, ?She?s right you know.  It couldn?t hurt.?

 

She maintained eye contact despite the crawling feeling in the pit of her
stomach while he stood there looking gobsmacked.  ?He shouldn?t look so
surprised, It isn?t the first time I?ve let him know I wanted him,? she
thought peevishly.

 

To her surprise, he?d said nothing, but advanced toward her and swept her
into a passionate kiss.

 

===== BtVS =====

 

Now-

 

?No that I?m complaining, mind you...pretty much the exact opposite, in
fact,? she began with a sigh.  ?But what made you change your mind??

 

?About what?? he asked, his usual questioning frown not quite able to
overtake the look of pleasure on his face.

 

?About this,? she said, taking his hands from her hips and interlacing their
fingers as she increased her pace.

 

?Ngghuh...oh!? he grunted uncharacteristically, to her great delight.
?This...?

 

?This,? she agreed.  She leaned forward, pulling his hands to her breasts
before bracing herself against his chest and beginning to roll her hips as
she moved up and down on him.

 

?Oh my!? he nearly whimpered at the change in movement.

 

?Oh, yeah,? she thought gleefully.  ?That feels fantastic!?

 

?Last time, you didn?t seem very interested,? she said quietly, oddly
self-conscious given the context of the discussion.

 

Despite the way she was working him, he managed to focus his gaze intently
on her eyes.  ?I was always interested, Sara.?

 

?Then why...why now and not then?? she pressed the issue even as she told
herself to leave it and concentrate on what she was doing.

 

?This time I listened to my heart instead of my fear,? he said with a
passionate voice.  ?This time I made the right decision.?

 

Emotion rose up inside her and her body began to shudder with orgasmic
delight.  ?Jesus, Gil!? she cried as her body jerked.

 

She was barely aware of him pistoning himself up into her for a few moments
until his face took on a rictis grin and he softly cried her name through
clenched teeth.

 

?How I love you,? she thought ardently, nearly crying it aloud as she lay
down against him, blissfully content.

 

===== BtVS =====

 

?I?m just saying, I would have preferred it if I had noticed them standing
there, that?s all,? Xander said as he held open the door to the Montecito
Resort Hotel and Casino.

 

Most of the taxi ride back to the hotel had been taken up with an exchange
of oral sex, so they were just now returning to their discussion of the of
the odd evening they were having.

 

?So, you?re saying; if you had seen them watching us, you?d have stopped
right in the middle?? Dawn laughingly questioned him as she preceded him
into the building.

 

He felt a flush of embarrassment as he pondered the question.  ?Could I
actually stop?  Maybe--?

 

«That?s a ?NO!?» Dawn?s thought intruded.

 

?Maybe,? he again thought to himself, deliberately ignoring his lover?s
contradiction.  ?*If* we got busted by a cop or something...but probably not
just because two hot, mostly naked, women were watching.?

 

?I?m a bad, bad man,? he said sheepishly as he felt himself hardening in his
pants once again.

 

?Yeah, but I like when you?re bad,? Dawn said with a combination of
flirtation and consolation in her voice.

 

«Besides, it was kinda hot, knowing they were watching,» her lusty thoughts
did nothing to bring his arousal back under control.

 

?So what about that freaky spell they did on us?? he changed the subject
slightly.  ?I?m not sure how okay I am with that.?

 

?You mean during the show, or after?? she prompted him, taking his hand and
interlacing their fingers as they slowly walked through the casino.

 

?Both...either, I don?t--I don?t know,? he stammered slightly, shrugging his
shoulders as he conveyed his uncertainty.

 

?I dunno,? she said, pausing in thought for a moment.  ?I don?t really think
there was any harm in it, at least not during the show.?

 

?Really?? he asked, surprised.  He glanced toward her with his eyebrows
raised.

 

?Sure,? she replied, meeting his eyes.  ?I don?t think people go to that
show because they?re fans of dance choreography, you know,? she said
sardonically.  ?They?re there to get all hot and bothered.  After all,
that?s why we went.? 

 

?Yeah, okay...I guess that?s true,? he allowed.

 

?So, that spell just, I dunno...enhances that feeling,? she continued.

 

?Okay, I can see that, I guess,? he said as they continued to walk.  ?But
what about when they used it on just us??

 

?Yeah, that wasn?t too cool,? she agreed.  ?I mean, it?s flattering that
they were offering and stuff, but then it?s kinda like they were trying to
force it on us, and that?s no better than some jerk-jock spiking a girls
drink at a party to get laid.?

 

?I told you they were evil,? he muttered, still focused on her and trusting
his peripheral vision to let them wend their way through the crowed casino
floor.

 

?I suppose...? she concurred begrudgingly.  ?Not really ?end the world?
evil, but still--not of the good.?

 

?Actually, It?s kinda sad how pissed off we?re not,? he said as he thought
more about it.

 

?Whaddya mean?? she frowned in confusion.

 

?Well, you said it yourself,? he explained.  ?If they were a couple jocks
that got a hold of a lust spell to sucker girls into sex--?

 

?You?re right,? she interjected.  ?We?d totally kick their asses.?

 

?Yep, but ?cause they?re smokin? hot babes,? he continued.

 

?And they *so* were!? she heartily agreed.

 

?We?re barely even annoyed,? he finished, trying not to focus too much on
how Dawn?s newly-found bisexual tendencies were driving him crazy.

 

?You?re right--total double-standard,? she concurred.

 

?And, yet, I?m okay with that,? he admitted ruefully.

 

?Well, I guess guys don?t mind the idea of being treated like sex objects by
women,? she said with a smirk.

 

?I...I can?t argue with that,? he said after a moment?s thought.  ?The
thought of two hot showgirls trying to take advantage of me...it?s just not
bothering me--not even a tiny little bit.?

 

?Pig,? she interjected with clearly feigned annoyance.

 

?But, I gotta say, the thought of them being sorceresses and probably trying
to sacrifice us to some demon--before, during, or even after the sex...? he
trailed off with a shudder--thoughts of Ms. French, his former substitute
teacher/preying mantis monster came to mind.

 

?Yeah, kinda puts a damper on things,? she said with a grimace.

 

Xander angled to dodge around someone standing in their path of travel and
nearly ran right into him when the guy deliberately moved to block the way.

 

?Hey, you got a problem pal?? Xander growled, turning his focus on the
impediment, which turned out to be a 50ish year old man, with thinning hair
and a sardonic grin.

 

?Yeah, yeah I do,? he answered as he held up a golden badge.  ?I got a real
problem with murder.?

 

===== BtVS =====

 

TheBear!

thebear@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

http://papa-bear.com