Ethan’s wrists were chaffed and his arms were stiff. His elbows were bent, as his arms were hanging at an awkward angle from the bed post. The handcuffs had been rubbing his skin raw. He hardly noticed though. All he felt was the ice cold breath of Heidi as her face hovered near his nether regions. She was insatiable. Ethan was reaching exhaustion, and that fact alone amazed him.

“Is it my turn yet?” Howard’s voice filtered over from behind Heidi’s shoulder. Heidi’s eyes rolled up towards the ceiling in exasperation and she crawled off of the bed, leaving Ethan to rest for a moment.

Howard was tied up in a leather lounge chair. “I should have muzzled you too.” Heidi said in exasperation. His eyes were glued on her, drinking in her nubile, naked body. He was dressed only in his white cotton boxers, which were strained at the moment. As Heidi noted his state, she giggled and sprawled down upon his lap, rubbing herself against him. He hissed and squeezed his eyes closed, arching his back to get closer to her. The ropes bit into his wrists, a coat of blood coloring the coarse threads. It beaded and began to drip to the floor. Heidi’s nostrils flared, and she bent her head down and behind the chair. She licked her lips and her face transformed into that of the demon. Her tongue snaked out, and she lapped at his wrists, drinking in his blood that pooled there.

As the hot blood flowed down her throat, she lost herself inside the demon. She drank deeper and deeper, her body rubbing and arching against Howard. He ground himself into her, moaning. He couldn’t move his arms or legs since he was bound. The pain and pleasure were simultaneous and exquisite.

On the bed, Ethan’s eyes grew wide. This was going too far. Not that he cared if she killed the poor bastard, but…”You are draining him.”

His voice cut through the fog and haze of her hunger. Her fangs retracted and she licked her lips clean. Howard arched up once into her, and then he was finished, panting and spent. Heidi hopped off of him and looked down upon him, smirking. “Glad it was good for you too.”

In the back of his mind, Ethan knew he was forgetting something. Now that he was released from her thrall, at least for the moment, he knew he was supposed to be doing something, or going somewhere. He arched upwards on the bed, the handcuffs straining against the posts and cutting deeper into his wrists. “Dawn!”

Heidi ignored him and pulled her clothes off of the floor.

“Heidi, she’s The Key. I’m meeting Buffy at Pine and 12th at midnight. God, what time is it?”

Heidi pulled on her jeans and glared at him. “The Key? The key to what?”

Ethan stilled and stared at her, impassioned. “The Key to everything. The Key to all the universes, the Key to eternal power. The Key over death and over life.”

Heidi finished dressing and stood at the end of the bed, crossing her arms over her chest. “A most valuable key then.” Her mind whirred with the possibilities. She went over and cut Howard lose of his bindings, throwing his clothes on his lap. “Clean yourself up and get dressed. It sounds like we have somewhere to be tonight.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. They had two hours.

“Uh, Heidi? Dear? What of me?” Ethan smiled wanely at her as he tried to sit up, but his handcuffs prevented much movement. Heidi glanced over her shoulder at the bound sorcerer. “What of you?” Howard had finished getting dressed and hurried over to get the door for his Heidi. She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, dear.” With that said, they left, both pointedly ignoring Ethan’s shouts and screams and curses coming from the room.

* * *

Spike pulled Xander’s pickup into the driveway and turned off the engine. “Sorry that didn’t go as planned, pet.” His arm rested around Allison’s shoulders as she sat forlornly, leaning against his side.

Xander burst out of the house, Buffy and Willow hot on his heels. “You stole my truck! What were you doing?” He hastened over to make sure it was in decent shape.

Spike pointedly ignored them all for the moment. He got out and walked around to the other side to open the door for Allison. She gave him a sad little smile as he held out his hand to help her down.

“Spike, what is the deal, stealing my truck like this. Where have you two been!” Xander was beside himself. But Spike didn’t bite, instead walking Allison slowly into the house.

“Let’s take this inside, shall we? Unless you want the entire neighborhood to hear?” He was uncharacteristically subdued. They were used to a vampire with a quick and venomous tongue. That alone caused them pause, not to mention the look on Allison’s face.

“I’m thinking the mission didn’t go well,” Willow whispered into Buffy’s ear as they followed Spike into the house.

Allison glanced around the living room looking for her friend. “Isn’t Carolee back yet?”

Buffy shook her head. “I’m afraid they got a flat tire on their way back. Giles just phoned. They shouldn’t be here before too long.” I hope, thought Buffy. She really needed her Watcher. She glanced at her watch noting they had a couple of hours yet.

“Where’s the Lil’ Bit?” Spike asked, as he helped Allison over to the sofa, sinking in it beside her. He still held his arm protectively over her shoulders.

“I sent her away. I want her far away from here and safe.” The thought of Ethan even in the same continent as the rest of them made Buffy’s skin crawl. “What happened Spike?”

“Yeah, and you are so lucky my truck is in one piece, fang boy!” Xander paled considerably when he received the wrath of Spike’s glare. Buffy elbowed him and told him to shush.

“It seems Ethan has an accomplice. I’m not even sure if he’s the one in charge, actually.” Spike glanced over at Allison. She was so quiet and sad looking that it scared him. He hoped she could be strong through all of this.

“Long story short, we found where he was staying. He wasn’t alone. There was some vampiress there. I have no idea who she was, but she had some kind of enthralling power. Ethan and Howard both seemed to be under her spell. Then, well, I’m not sure what happened. One moment we were fighting them, and the next we were standing in the room, alone. The three of them were gone.”

“I killed my first vampire.” Allison whispered. She was clearly in shock.

“You certainly did, luv.” Spike tightened his arm around her shoulders before tearing his eyes away from her and back to Buffy.

“Three against one. Easy odds.” Willow smiled, always the one trying to see that the glass is half full. She deflated when no one else seemed to support her enthusiasm. Then she squared her shoulders and stood up, angry. “Well, it is good odds. We defeated the First, we killed the Master, and we’ve beaten Ethan twice. When we work together, we can do anything.”

“That’s right.” Allison said, her face taking on Willow’s own resolve face. “It’s what you guys do.”

Spike smiled and squeezed her shoulder. “It’s what we do.”

* * *

“Sod it!” Giles cursed and scratched at an itch on his cheek, leaving behind an oily mark. He was hunched down on his heels attempting to tighten the lug nuts on the spare tire he had just installed. Carolee tried not to giggle as she stood behind him. At this final curse she came up behind him and gently rubbed at his shoulders. “Of all the times to get a flat tire!” he groused, relaxing as she tenderly massaged his shoulders.

With a final crank, he finally got the last lug nut tightened and slowly stood up. He turned and smiled down at Carolee, taking her into his arms for a nice hug.

“You’re getting me all greasy, you know.” Giles started to step back but she just giggled and held him tighter. “I don’t mind.”

They were about thirty minutes from Whispering Pines and an hour away from Ethan’s deadline. They really had no time to spare, but none of those things crossed their minds as Giles bent his head and captured Carolee’s mouth in a long, slow, sensuous kiss. His arms were around her waist, and as the kiss deepened, he pulled her closer against him. She sighed into his mouth and ran her thumbs around the sides of his ears, finding his earring and tugging lightly on it. He practically purred at her touch.

A car drove by, the headlights illuminating them momentarily. Giles broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers.

“Wow,” Carolee whispered, breathless.

“Indeed.” Giles smiled, still holding her close. Carolee shifted, suddenly finding herself quite bold. Her smile gave away her thoughts.

“What?” Giles asked, a serene smile on his face as he wondered what she was thinking.

Carolee blushed, and then captured his earlobe in her mouth, kissing and licking at his earring. He groaned again, his arms tightening around her waist. “I’ve imagined doing that forever,” she said, her warm breath tickling his ear further. Another car drove by, bringing them out of their reverie.

“We should get back,” he said.

“Yes, we should.” Carolee rested her head on his shoulder. She felt like she was floating and her knees were a bit weak. “Promise me something?”

“Anything,” he said, pulling out of the hug so he could look at her face. He lightly cupped her cheek as he waited for her request.

“When we get Howard back, and save Dawn, and I know we will do both of those things, take me to your home in Bath?” She hoped she wasn’t being too forward asking him that, but she felt more safe and more bold with him than she ever had in her life. It was quite the combination. She felt like she was basking in love.

“There is nothing I want more. Consider it done.” He took her hand in his and opened the passenger door, helping her inside the Suburban. “Let’s get this show on the road.”