Period Of Adjustment

by
BmblBee

Part Thirty-One

Although surprisingly comfortable sitting in this strange house with these people that he really didn't know, Spike realized he needed to get moving. The day was still young and the crime was getting older by the minute.

He was anxious to get hold of Faith and share with her what few facts he had, bringing her up to speed. He had missed her
company both as a friend and a partner and knew she would be invaluable in solving this case.

He sat back and watched the animated conversation between Tara and Gunilla. Spike wasn't positive but it seemed to
center around the fact that Myrtle's aura wasn't shifting balance in the way the dearly departed should.

Spike really didn't have a clue to any of it but he was as delighted as the rest to see that Tara seemed to be winning. Even Heinrich whooped with laughter.

Spike was honest enough with himself to admit that he had no friends like this. No one to sit around openly with, sharing ideas, opinions and know he would be accepted and understood. He suddenly wanted very much to be part of it. To join the Circle.

But that, he realized, would have to wait for another time. Glancing down at his watch, Spike knew that he had to go.
Reluctantly his eyes met Xander's and he tipped his head in the direction of the foyer. Xander nodded and together they rose.

If the rest of the Circle noticed their leaving, they were considerate enough not to acknowledge it. The argument rolled on as Willow tucked an errant strand of blond hair behind her girlfriend's ear and refilled all their wine glasses.

Stepping out of the dining room, Xander took a minute to pull the sliding doors closed, giving them some much needed privacy. He then turned to the man he felt so committed to. "Spike, I............"

Spike held up his hand and let the flood of words spill forth, praying the tears wouldn't follow. "No! Let me. Look, Xan, I've been a total ass about everything. The house, your friends. Everything. But especially, you. I'm sorry about all of it. I was feeling worthless, frustrated,..............."

Whatever else Spike wanted to apologize for was stopped. Silenced with the warm, loving lips that sealed themselves to his. With his arms wrapped around Spike's waist Xander pulled their bodies tightly together as both tongues licked, tasted, and danced, deepening the kiss with a promise of wonderful things to come.

Reluctantly Spike broke contact, but only fractionally. "I gotta go." He leaned back in breathlessly and kissed Xander again.

"I know. You have a case to solve." Xander claimed the warm lips once more then nudged Spike's head to the side as he began to kiss and nibble the side of the detective's neck and ear.

"Can I come back here, later?" Spike moaned as he felt warm air puff against his cheek as Xander answered.

Xander smiled. "You can't come to my bed till you say the words Spike."

Spike thought for a minute then his eyes lit up with the memory of their first time together. He had taken a giant leap of faith and trust that time and he was more than willing to do it again. This time, however, he knew the expected words were something else. "I love you Xander. I love you with all my heart."

Xander stepped forward slamming their bodies more tightly together. Chest to chest. Cock to very eager cock.

"This is our home now Spike. I expect you to be here. It will be just like our first time. Do you know what that means. Spike? Do you know what I want?"

Spike's brain struggled to think through the lack of blood and the sex hungry fog as Xander continued to kiss and rub against him. Want? First time? What?

Suddenly Spike leaned back and a huge grin covered his face and he nodded his head. "I'll be back. You have that huge four poster bed upstairs all warmed up and waiting cause, Baby I know exactly what you want."

With one last kiss and a swat to Xander's ass, Spike turned and was gone out the door. Xander ran his fingertips from the damp warmth on his lips, down the front of his worn Grateful Dead t-shirt on towards the cock, now heavy with lust and anticipation. It was going to be a long afternoon. With a happy sigh, he returned to his friends.

Spike's feet skipped several inches off the ground. Everything had taken such a drastic turn for the better since he rose this morning that he could hardly believe it. Suddenly the sun was shining. The birds were singing and his cock was throbbing.

Andrew slowed in his frantic raking at the side of the house. He watched Spike hurry down the walk way and allowed his eyes to follow the swell and curve of the handsome detective's ass. He whimpered with his new found graphic knowledge and ran for the privacy of the carriage house. He had business.

Snatching the cell phone out of his suit pocket, Spike hit the speed dial as he dropped down into the seat of his Corvette. He smiled at the CD cases on the floor behind his seat. Yeah, he could deal with that.

"Hello?"

"Faith? Hey, partner. You up for meeting me at the scene of a crime?"

Spike immediately held the phone at arms length as the expected scream pierced the air. He steered the wheel with one hand while the babbling questions ebbed and flowed.

"Are you kidding? Are you back? What case? Where are you? Does Giles know? Did that prick Hiney really release you?"

Spike frowned on the last one. For some reason he didn't like Faith using the same name he himself had called the psychiatrist at least a dozen times.

As soon as she paused to breath, Spike jumped in. "Giles knows. Yep, I'm back on the job. Full title and everything.
As for Hiney, he isn't that bad. Just doing his job, but hey listen, the reason I called is because I'm working a case at the Leesville Convalescent Home and I need my partner with me. Is that still you or have you abandoned me. Maybe ditched me to partner up with the amazing detective Angel O'Connor."

Spike chuckled as Faith called him every profanity she could think of. A few Spike himself had never heard. He also knew by the halting stammering way she spoke that she was running down the stairs of the precinct and heading for the garage.

"Faith! Enough! Fact is, I am all that, and a bag of chips, but the good news is that Xander forgives me and I know you do too. Now, wait for me out front and I'll swing by and pick you up."

After a couple more "You are such a dick"s Faith happily darted through the station house and outside where she would bounce on both feet till she saw the Corvett coming. Maybe things would be all right after all.

Part Thirty-Two

It was just like old times. Spike at the wheel of the Corvette, arm resting outside the window and the police scanner turned
down on low. Faith, settled in comfortably in the passenger's seat beside him, and the two of them discussing their current case.

Their pattern of sharing information, formulating ideas and plans seemed to fall into place so effortlessly it was as if Elvin Masters had never happened.

But, he had, and neither of them would ever be the same again. It was always there in the backs of their minds and although not discussed, each knew the other was still suffering. Still, they had each other and they had a job to do.

"So is this all you have?" Faith held up the thin folder that it had just taken her all of five minutes to review.

"Well, that's all I have on paper, but I do have other, um, speculations."

Faith chuckled. "And would those "speculations" have come from a certain......." Faith wiggled her fingers over her head and whistled the theme from The Twilight Zone. "Xander, the magnificent, Harris?"

Spike had already decided now was not the time to mention the Circle. "Ha ha, Smart Arse. Yes, as a matter of fact they do. You want to question his validity?"

Faith threw up her palms. "Nope. No doubts or questions in my mind. So what does he think and where are we going?"

Spike quickly filled her in on the name and she agreed that the best place to start was with Miss Greene herself. Suddenly his confidence on solving this case was boosted tenfold as they sped through the late afternoon California streets.

"Um, say, Spike?"

"Uh huh?"

"Hey, just hypothetically, do you think Xander could use his interesting little talents to, um, say, find a missing person?"

Spike took his attention off the double yellow lines of the pavement and looked into the face of his friend. He suddenly became aware of the dark circles under her eyes and the bony, sunken look to her already small frame. "You got a missing person? A case Giles put you on, or is it something more personal? How's Kennedy these days, Faith?"

Faith turned her body as far as the small bucket seat would allow and stared silently out the window. Spike drove on but promised himself to talk to Xander this evening.

Within minutes they pulled in to the visitors parking area of Jacobs Financial Investment building and immediately headed for the office of Mr. Jacobs himself.

As they approached the receptionist they were delighted when her welcoming smile fell and was replaced by a scowl as she recognized Spike.

"Oh, Detective, ah, Pit?"

Spike chuckled. "Pratt. William Pratt. I'm surprised you remembered me since we didn't get a chance to speak the last time I was here. It's Miss Greene isn't it?"

The buxomly blonde did her best to look aloof and she flipped her hair in a move that reminded both detectives of a certain weather girl on channel 8.

"It's MRS. Greene. Although I'm divorced. Look, Mr. Jacobs is tied up in meetings all afternoon and can't see you today. Maybe if you leave and then call me on the phone I can set up an appointment for......"

"Oh, that won't be necessary. We actually came to speak to you. Is there some place we can go for a bit of privacy?"

A look of stunned shock drained the blood from Mindy Greene's face and it was all Faith could do to suppress a gleeful giggle. Doing her best to compose herself, Mindy showed the two detectives to a back room that was obviously set up as a break and lunch room.

It had a coffee machine, a small refrigerator and an older model microwave sat on the crumb covered counter. apparently a cleaning lady was not in the budget. They all settled in, getting reasonably comfortable in the hard plastic chairs that sat around the square card table.

Neither Spike nor Faith spoke for a few minutes. They always liked to give their suspects a moment or two to sweat and fidget before they began. It gave them an edge going in.

"So, Mrs. Greene, how long have you been schtuping the boss?"

Mindy Greene leaped to her feet. Her face was no longer pale as the blood rushed to it and her temper flared. Instantly, Faith put a gentle reassuring hand on Mindy's arm.

"Sit down, Dear. You must excuse my partner. He has no manners. Now I think what he was asking is, what IS your relationship with Mr. Jacobs?"

Glaring daggers at Spike's smirk, Mindy slowly lowered herself back down. "We are friends and he is my boss. That's all. Besides, he's married. MARRIED!"

Faith flipped open the file and appeared to scan the reports. Reports she already knew by heart. "Well, it says here that on the day Miss Miller died you and Mr. Jacobs were having lunch together. Is that right?"

Spike crossed his legs and chuckled. "Is that what you call it now days? Lunch?"

Mindy Greene blew up. She jumped to her feet and screeched, her fists balled up at her sides. "You're an asshole. I won't talk to you. You can't just come in here and treat me like this!"

Faith stood up beside her and faced off with her obnoxious partner. "She's right, Spike. That was uncalled for. If you can't treat her with the dignity and respect she deserves then I think you need to leave and let me talk to her alone."

Spike shrugged and stood, seemingly unconcerned. "Yeah, well, hurry up. I have other things to do today." He then turned and left the room, closing the door behind him quickly to conceal the huge grin on his lips.

Faith laid a hand over one of Mindy's, patting her sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Hon. You know how awful men can be. Just between the two of us I got a boyfriend at home that acts like a jerk too. In fact, sometimes I don't know why I stay with him."

Mindy instantly felt a kinship with this woman detective. After all they certainly were fighting the same fight. Her life had been one failed relationship after another and now, thank God, she had someone who understood.

Faith ran her hand up and down Mindy's arm soothingly. "So. MEN! What kind of man is Mark Jacobs? Is he an ass like all the rest of them?"

Mindy immediately lit up. Her eyes shone like the star at the top of a Christmas tree and her whole body vibrated.

"NO! He's wonderful." She sighed, dreamy eyed. "He gave me this job. I used to sell shoes at the Toe Tapper down at the mall but he said he wanted me near him."

Faith leaned in, whispering conspiratorially like a thirteen year old. "Are you and him..........you know?"

Mindy slapped her hand over her mouth, nodded and giggled. Immediately her demeanor turned serious. "Yes. But it isn't something cheap like your partner said. We're in love. He wants to get a divorce and marry me. He promised."

Faith appeared totally concerned for her newest best friend's welfare. "Then why doesn't he? It isn't fair for him to string you along like this."

Mindy sat back in her chair. Her eyes dropped to her lap and her fingers fumbled with the bottom button on her tight blouse.

"He couldn't cause that bitch of a wife of his ran up a whole lot of bills. You know, credit cards and stuff. If he tried to leave her she would have ruined him. He promised as soon as he could find a way to pay everything off he would file for divorce."

Faith painfully gripped her own knees to keep from squealing.

Part Thirty-Three

Spike had settled into his car to wait. He had the radio cranked up and was enjoying an article on Britney's latest meltdown in a People magazine he had swiped on the way out of Jacob's waiting room.

He and Faith had done this a dozen times. It was their version of good cop bad cop and you would think anyone with a reasonable mentality would recognize what was happening. Nope. Almost without fail, it worked every time.

He could just imagine that right about now poor Mindy Greene was commiserating with Faith on the wretchedness that was the male species and hopefully spilling her guts about the crime.

Spike smiled and flipped the page. "Oh, Shit! A photo shoot of John Barrowman in his underwear! Yes! So tell me, Grandda, what do you think of that?" Spike held the page up to his left shoulder and chuckled.

~*~*~*~*~

"So you have really had a bad time of it haven't you? I mean all the men in your life have been jerks too, haven't they?" Faith blinked innocently.

Mindy sighed and took another swallow of cold coffee. "Yeah, my mom told me not to marry Jack Greene, but I was a
kid, eighteen, and just wanted out of the house. Anyway, pfft, that lasted less than a year. Maybe if he had tried rehab like I asked, but I guess that doesn't matter now."

Faith nodded and patted her hand. "You should just try to forget him. Maybe go back to using your maiden name. What did you say it was?"

Mindy scratched her head with obviously fake, jewel crusted, fingernails, then absently flicked the dandruff out from under the tip. "Kinsey. Yeah, maybe I should, but it won't matter cause soon it will be Jacobs. Mindy Jacobs. Sounds real high class, don't ya think?" Mindy smiled and let out a dreamy sigh, her eyes took on a hooded happy look.

Faith put on her most convincing sympathetic frown and squeezed Mindy's hand. "Are you sure? I mean men can be so fickle. My boyfriend has been promising me a ring for years. But, shit, there just never seems to be enough money."

Mindy immediately shook her head and scooted forward happily. "No, it's not like that for us. Besides, sometimes a girl just has to take the reins and lead the horse to water herself. I've got a plan that I KNOW will work. I, um, can't say what, but it will."

Faith figured that was it for now. She didn't want to push too far just yet. She didn't want the future Mindy Jacobs getting suspicious too soon. Reluctantly she withdrew her hands and picked her purse up off the floor. She threw her sun glasses and cell phone in and rose from her chair. "Well, I better get going. My partner is waiting and you know how impatient men are." Faith rolled her eyes and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Mindy nodded. She felt sorry for this poor woman cop. Stuck with such an ass hole for a partner. She didn't know how she managed. "Yeah, I know. Maybe you can stop back sometime. You know, without him and we can have a real girl talk."

Faith smiled sweetly. "Oh, I'll be back, Dear. You can count on it."

Spike saw her darting down the front steps and he reached over, flipping the passengers side door open. Faith dove in, breathless.

"I don't want to get your hopes up, but I think I got something. First, it seems Mr. Jacobs promised the less than innocent Miss Greene a wedding ring if he could come into enough money to get out of a bad marriage. Second, Miss Greene says she has a plan to acquire said money, and third, and this may be the big one, her maiden name was Kinsey."

Faith waited. Spike blinked.

"Oh for God's sake, Spike. Don't you read your own statements? The orderly at the nursing home, the last one to see Myrtle before her final bath, was named........are you ready? Adam Kinsey. Co-inky dink? I think not. I think we need to look into him again."

Spike tossed the magazine over his shoulder where it landed on the floor among the pile of CD cases. He grinned, thanked the stars for his partner, and started the car.

~*~*~*~*~

Buffy hurried off the set and down the hall to her dressing room. Well, to be honest it was really just the first floor broom closet but after she had insisted, they put in a mirror, a small make up table and took out most of the mops.

She had a hot date tonight, the first in weeks, and didn't want to risk being late. Of course fashionably late was expected, but late late might just piss him off. She had been really surprised when that cute EMT Riley Finn had called and asked her out.

Fact was, she hadn't been laid in so long she would have gone out with Quasi Moto if he had hauled his ass down out of the bell tower long enough to ask her. She paused for a minute to give it some thought 'Yeah, I could work my way around the hump' then nodded and hurried on.

According to her calculations she had about ten minutes to dress and another twenty to make it to the restaurant across town. She darted into the ladies room for a PTA bath (pussy, tits, and armpits) and rushed on to change. Ever since her "promotion" from news anchor to weather girl, her dating pool had seen a drastic change.

While doctors, lawyers and certain high ranking detectives wanted to fuck a news woman, a weather girl apparently spreads 'em for EMT's, shoe store managers, and IRS employees.

Within minutes Buffy was firing up the Miata and heading downtown, her only concern being the woefully low arrow on her gas gauge. For the millionth time she promised herself that the first chance she got, she would worm her way back into the news room.

All she needed was a chance. A chance to get rid of that back stabbing, smooth talking, great cock using, mother fucker, Max Webster. Buffy smacked the steering wheel and scowled as her thoughts turned dark.

'Fucker got my scoop, my job, and even most of the men I was fucking. Worst part is now because he's mister big shot important news man, he's too important to even fuck ME! I'll show him. I'll get him. He'll be sorry and I'll be back on top.'

Slowing down and checking the intersection, Buffy hit the gas and zipped through the red light. She quickly realized she was only blocks from the restaurant and immediately began rubbing her forehead to smooth out the anger wrinkles. She checked her hair and mascara in the mirror and slapped on another coat of Devil Red #5 lipstick.

EMT or not, Buffy wanted laid.

Part Thirty-Four

Spike slowed at the caution light and stopped for the red. Both partners had sunk into a comfortable silence as each pondered the case and their next step.

"So what do you think?"

Spike looked over at the question and knew the next step was up to him. He could go home to a warm bed, a new house, and a willing, loving partner, or..................

"I say we head over to the nursing home. I think we need to talk to Adam Kinsey before he has a chance to check in with Mindy and compare notes. If we handle this just right we can wrap it up fast and close it. What do you think?"

Faith smiled and nodded. It was great to be back on the same page with an intelligent partner. She couldn't wait to see Angel's face when he got the news. More importantly, she wished she could see Kennedy's face.

Spike saw the dark cloud looming over Faith's head and he knew she needed to talk about it whether she wanted to or not. "So. You and Kennedy arguing?"

Faith eyes burned with anger at the intrusion, but it was a fury she couldn't maintain. Truth was she needed to get it all out and who better than the man she thought of as much brother as partner. "Problems?" She barked out a harsh laugh. "I think you have to talk to argue." She shook her head and turned her face away. "She left me. Walked out. Kapoot. I don't even know where she is, Spike. I call her a dozen times a day and get nothing. Maybe she's hurt. Maybe she's...."

The rest of her sentence was choked off as Spike reached over and placed his hand over her's.

"O.k. stop that kind of thinking. Listen, Kennedy has been through a lot. More than any of the rest of us. Besides the shock of Elvin's crimes, I'm sure she's carrying a lot of guilt at not knowing it was him."

Feeling Faith tense up, he held tightly to her hand. "I'm not saying the feeling is justified, but you have to agree, we have a lot of our own guilt to deal with. Let's be honest, Faith, keeping the rose a secret was a judgement call and we made the wrong call."

Spike saw the anguish in Faith's eyes but went on. "You know it's true, Faith, and it's time it was said. We screwed up. It's something we'll take to our graves with us but it isn't something we can allow to paralyze us. We have to go on. We each have to find a way inside ourselves to deal with it and I think that's what Kennedy is doing. Whatever we're feeling, she must be carrying one hundred times that. When she finds that path, that way to reconcile her place in the whole scenario, then she will need you to help lead her down it. You have to be strong and patient. She'll call. She'll come back. I know because I very nearly threw it all away with Xander. Luckily, he's a lot smarter than I am."

Spike smiled and gave her fingers one last squeeze as they pulled into the parking lot of the Leesville Nursing Home. "Now, you ready to do this?"

Faith dug a tissue from her bag, blew her nose, and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm ready. Oh, and just for future reference, Xander isn't the only smart one. Thank's Spike."

"Anytime, Partner. Now let's go get 'em."

As they entered the home, Spike wasn't surprised to see new security measures in place. Just inside the front door sat a small table, chair and three hundred pound security guard with a name tag reading. "Orvill".

Spike and Faith immediately displayed their badges and signed the book that was shoved in their direction.

Orvill removed the tooth pick from his mouth, clearly unimpressed with their authority. "Near on to five o'clock. All the big wigs in the main offices probably already gone home for supper. Who you wantin' to see?"

Faith looked up as she leaned over the admissions book. "We would like to speak with Mrs. Winters but if she's gone then we just need to look over the personnel files. I'm sure someone here can unlock those for us."

Orvill looked stunned. That was certainly nothing that was in his job description of sign 'em in and sign 'em out. A fuck up in the wrong direction could cost him the cushiest job he had ever had. He stammered. He wavered. He sweated. Luckily, just before the expected heart attack knocked him from his padded swivel chair,

"Detective Pratt?"

Spike turned to see Joyce Winters enter the foyer. She had her coat tossed over her arm and her briefcase in her hand hoping for once to get out of work on time.

Spike stepped forward, hand extended, easy smile on his face. "Mrs. Winters. This is my partner Faith St. John. I know you're on your way out and we'll try not to keep you. If possible we would like to see your personnel files and then maybe speak to Adam Kinsey once more."

Joyce Winters weighed her options. She could demand a warrant for the requested files. She could refuse to allow her employee to be reinterviewed. She could spend all night here and in the end she knew these detectives would get what they wanted and she would have blown another night away from home.

'Home' Joyce huffed. Unfortunatly there was nothing at home but a frozen dinner for one and a fourteen year old cat. Neither of which was all that appealing. She also didn't want to do anything that may appear that she hindered the investigation. "Of course. Anything to cooperate in your investigation. We want this solved as quickly and quietly as possible. Do you think Mr. Kinsey had something to do with it?"

Spike and Faith followed her to her office and waited while she unlocked the door, stepped inside and retrieved the requested file. "We really aren't at liberty to say just yet."

Faith scanned the page and when she found what she was looking for her blank face was the signal Spike had been waiting for. No tell was her tell. A total lack of reaction was all he needed to see.

"Mrs. Winters, may we make a copy of this one page?" Faith left no doubt that the request was not one that could be denied and Joyce Winters pointed the way to the copy machine.

Faith handed the copied page to Spike and the original file back to the administrator. "I think we're ready to see Mr. Kinsey."

Spike scanned the page. It was Adam Kinsy's original job application. Half way down the page it requested references. Adam Kinsey had listed two people. Mindy Greene, his sister, and Mark Jacobs, her employer.

He looked over and the electricity that shot between their eyes was a familiar one. He and Faith had this pony corralled. All they needed to do now was throw a saddle on it's back and ride it down town.

Part Thirty-Five

This evening was very important and Xander wanted no glitches, arguments or misunderstandings. He and Spike had had enough of those to last a life time.

The Hiney's had left around five and taken Andrew with them. Willow and Tara stayed behind to help clean up. It was just like old times and Xander had to admit to himself that as much as he loved Spike, he needed his friends too.

The whole day had been fantastic. He and Spike were back together. Spike and his friends, his family, were on at least speaking terms and the bedroom was finally on the verge of being properly christened. Nothing else could possibly go wrong.

Tara filled the sink to the rim with hot bubbly water and quickly loaded the dishes in while Willow prepared to dry.

"Xan, Sweety, why don't you check the living room and the dining room to make sure we got all the wine glasses."

"Oky doky" Whistling happily, Xander floated happily from the kitchen to do as he was told.

Tara smiled innocently as she watched him go. The minute he was out of ear shot she shook the soapy foam off her hands and grabbed Willow's arm, getting her attention. "Did you ask him? Did you? You said you were going to. We don't have much time, Willow."

Willow avoided her gaze, shaking out her dish towel and fussing with the stack of food crusted pots. "Well, no, not exactly. The opportunity just didn't seem to come up. But I will. I said I would and I will. Anyway, there won't be any problem. Just look at this place. It's huge. Xander would be thrilled to have us move in with them. It'll be great. You just wait and see."

The last part was said with much less enthusiasm than Willow had tried to insert.

Tara seemed unconvinced. "What about Spike? I don't think he hates us any more, but I'm not sure he would be excited to have us chanting and raising the dead at midnight in the middle of his sitting room while he's trying to watch the Laker's game."

Willow flinched. Spike was going to be their biggest obstacle. "Don't be silly. Spike is crazy about us. Anyway, he needs us, especially now that the Circle will be helping him solve all his cases. I just know he'll be tickled pink over us moving in. It's gonna be great."

"What's gonna be great?"

Both girls looked up as Xander breezed back into the kitchen with three more wine glasses to wash.

Tara turned her back to him, resuming her cleaning and concealing the worried look on her face. This was a job for Willow. The same Willow who was now shrugging and smiling easily. "Oh, we just meant you and Spike together tonight. It's going to be great. I mean how could it not? This is such a great place and you guys are really great together. It's just great. Really great. What time will he be home?"

Xander looked at his best friend and somewhere in the back of his mind red flags and warning bells were screaming, unfortunately before he had the chance to ask, the cell phone he had dropped in his pants pocket vibrated and jangled loudly.

"Hello?"

"Xan. love, 's me. Faith and I think we can start to wrap this case up tonight if we just stick with it for awhile. Do you mind? If it's going to be past midnight I'll call back. Will you still wait up?"

Xander smiled. The warm tingle that just hearing Spike's voice always caused spread through his body and settled equally in his chest and pants. Turning away from his girls, Xander wandered out of the kitchen into the privacy of the hallway. "I'll wait all night for you if you want me too. Besides, when you get home I don't want you to have anything else on your mind besides what I'm going to do to you. I'm gonna put my lips on every inch of your body. Your mouth, your chest, your cock and all the way down to those long slim sweet little bony toes."

Spike whimpered. "Don't do this, Xan. Not now. Please, not now."

Faith immediately snatched the phone from Spike's white knuckled fingers. "Xander! I don't know what you just said to him but I can imagine. Shame on you. We're in an old folks home, you perv. Do you want to scare the residents?"

Xander laughed. "Hi Faith. O.k. Take care of him and don't keep him out too late. We have plans. Hey, remind him............."

Suddenly whatever Xander was going to say died in his throat as the image of Kennedy sitting alone, crying, in a motel room flooded his senses. Her loneliness, guilt, and sorrow overwhelmed him.

"Remind him of what? Xander?"

Xander tried to pull himself together and hoped the tone of his voice didn't reveal the change of mood. "Oh, um, nothing. Never mind. Tell Spike I love him and I'll see him when he gets home. Bye."

Faith blinked at the quick cut off as she handed her partner his phone back. "He says hurry up, he loves you and don't forget.........something."

Spike smiled. He didn't forget. He knew what Xander expected, but that was for later. Right now they had a suspect to interview.

Xander closed the phone and returned to the kitchen where the girls were finishing the clean up and exchanging curious looks. Finally, in response to Tara's head tipping and eye rolling, Willow decided to breach the subject. "Say, Xan, Honey, do you remember me telling you that the lease is almost up on that dinky little apartment Tara and I are living in?"

Xander wondered how he could have been so negligent to not even consider what Kennedy and Faith must be going through. "Huh? Oh, lease, yeah?"

"Yeah, well you know what a shit hole it is any way. Small, dingy, shoot, we even had a mouse last spring, remember?"

If the emotions Xander had picked up were any indication, Kennedy was alone. That meant she and Faith were not together. Xander wondered if Spike knew and if he did, why he hadn't said anything. "What? What mouse?" Xander jumped back and looked all around the floor waiting for a flash of brown fur to zip by as the offending creature made an appearance.

Willow laughed nervously and swatted his arm. "Not here silly. At our place. You know the cramped little hovel that we're being thrown out of because we can't make the rent increase. Cause let's face it, I'm on minimum wage at the Magic Box and Tara doesn't make much more working over at the book store at the mall. And who the hell has the nerve to charge that kind of money anyway for a one bedroom walk up with no air conditioning and a hot water heater that only holds enough hot water for one shower a day?"

Willow's voice had settled into a low hum in the back of his mind. Like a radio left on for background noise the words were indistinguishable. Xander made up his mind right there and then to speak to Spike about trying to get Faith and Kennedy together and work things out. They were so good together and there was no way Elvin was going to screw with her life one last time. Not if Xander could help it.

Willow took the damp dish rag and wiped off the counters as she muttered almost under her breath. "So we're going to be out on the street with no place to live unless a really good friend with a huge house invites us to move in. Course we won't expect to stay for free. We can help with utilities and groceries and the price of seance candles has really gotten exorbitant."

Now that Xander had made the decision and knew what he and Spike would do, he felt one hundred percent better. "I'm sorry, Willow, what were you saying?"

Willow took a deep breath and crossed her fingers. "I said, you're that good friend that is always there for us, aren't you?"

Xander's face beamed with a smile that reached from his heart to the corner of his eyes. He threw an arm around Willow's shoulders and the other around Tara's. He pulled both his girls in close and kissed the tops of their heads. "I sure am. I will always be there for my bestest girls."

Willow and Tara took that as a YES.

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