"Hey."

"Hey," Connor echoed Faith without looking up. He was throwing stones at the wall that separated the Hunter and the Samuelle properties, but he didn't appear to be aiming for anything.

Faith waited patiently for several seconds, wondering if Connor was going to acknowledge her any further. But it quickly became clear that he was not.

Never one to hold her tongue, Faith snapped, "Quit ignoring me."

"I'm not. I'd have to be aware of you to ignore you," Connor responded flatly.

Faith frowned. "Are you trying to piss me off?"

"I dunno. Is it working?"

She reached out and touched his shoulder, unprepared for the way Connor flinched. "Don't!"

"What's the matter?"

"I don't want you touching me, that's all."

"Why?"

Connor picked up another stone, but before he could launch it, Faith grabbed his wrist. He turned to face her then, his expression so tormented that Faith almost let him go. "I hurt you once."

"That was a long time ago. I know you wouldn't do it again."

"You can't trust me."

"I do trust you," Faith protested, her green eyes darkening to the color of moss.

"How can you? I can't even trust myself."

"It's over with, Con. Don't be that way."

"You're right, Fee. It *is* over. You shouldn't even be here."

"Now you *are* trying to hurt me," Faith whispered, one lone tear escaping the corner of her eye.

"Fee…" Connor dropped his gaze to his wrist where Faith still held him fast.

"I love you," she continued in a low voice, the tense grip of her fingers belying her eerily calm tone.

When Connor didn't speak, Faith went on, filling the anxious silence with words that struggled to make sense of when things had gone so terribly wrong. "I thought we were past this. I thought we were such good friends now that this couldn't possibly touch us again. I thought…that maybe…you were ready to move on to the next level."

"You know how Mom always insisted that I take piano lessons?" Connor mused out loud. "I used to hate it. It took time away from *you*."

"It's different now, Con. You play because you *want* to. Not because you're good at it. Or because your Mom wanted you to be some kind of trophy son."

Connor cast a furtive glance at Faith, his eyes seeming almost haunted. "I finally had something to say, I guess. Music helps me…do that."

"Are you saying I'm a distraction?" Faith asked as quietly as she could. Inside her stomach clenched and tightened and tried to turn itself inside out.

"Oh, yeah. Bigtime. Mom would definitely *not* have approved of us being such close friends."

"What about you? How do *you* feel about it?"

"I wish…I could let myself feel what I used to feel with you. But it's locked up inside of me now."

"Con, you're not the same. *We're* not the same. You can give yourself permission to love me."

Connor smiled sadly, his dark blue eyes misting over. "No, I can't. I couldn't live with myself if I ever hurt you like that again."

"Then…" Faith sniffed, not even bothering to hide how upset she was. "What am I sposed to do with all this love I have for you?"

Connor shook his head dumbly.

"You're just going to let me go?"

Connor closed his eyes and dragged a reluctant breath into his lungs. "I have to."

"You really are a jerk," Faith said, but there was absolutely no venom behind the words at all. She knelt on her knees on the grass and leaned forward to kiss him. "At least let me say goodbye."

Connor nodded slightly.

Her lips brushed his cheek and Connor made the mistake of thinking that she was finished with him. She wasn't.

With a motion so swift and so soft that Connor might have imagined it, Faith angled her mouth over his, catching the surprised gasp that escaped him. He broke away from her, his breath hitching in his chest. All the remembered pain of what happened after Madeline's death came flooding back with startling suddenness.

But it was followed by another memory. A memory of how a fifteen-year-old girl, armed with nothing more than love and determination, managed to overcome his meager defenses and save him from himself.

"You never gave up on me," Connor whispered, a puzzled look creasing his forehead.

Faith blinked away the tears that sprang to her eyes. "And I never will. Even if you send me away now…I'll keep coming back."

"You're not afraid of me?"

Faith shook her head vehemently, setting her long auburn ponytail to swinging. "I love you."

Connor sighed and closed his eyes, his expression unreadable but for the hot tears that slowly rolled down his cheeks. "I love you, too. I never stopped, even after…"

She bent her head and tenderly kissed the corner of his mouth. Another tear fell, trickling its way onto her bottom lip. Her eyes an unfathomable shade of dark green now, she stared intently into his face as her tongue flicked out to capture the errant drop of moisture. Struck by a monumental wave of desire, Connor pulled the clip free from Faith's hair and watched it tumble down over her shoulders.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked hoarsely, afraid to take his eyes off her for fear she'd disappear.

"Yes." It was more than a word. It was an affirmation of the bond that remained unbreakable between them, no matter what obstacles life saw fit to put in their way.

"When?"

"Tonight."

"Where?"

"I know a place." Her lips caressed his ear as she whispered the words that would make their love real and substantial.

He kissed her, vaguely alarmed when she seemed to be pulling away from him, only to find out that she lay contentedly on her back in the grass. His fingers entwined with hers, he raised her arms over her head and began to kiss her neck.

"Harder," she urged.

"But it'll leave a mark."

"Oh…yes," she murmured.

Finally convinced that he wasn't hurting her, Connor settled comfortably on top of her, his weight pressing her deeper into the grass. Alternating between her mouth and her neck, Connor could feel her much-needed warmth flowing into him, thawing out the cold places that had surrounded his heart and kept it prisoner.

"I love you," he breathed against her swollen lips. This was a luxury he had denied himself for too long, thinking it would hurt to feel anything. Now his love was like a tide that could not be stopped.

"Prove it."

He bit down on the cord that stood out in her neck, marking her as his. When she jerked spasmodically beneath him, he drew back sharply, certain that he had violated his oath not to hurt her. But she smiled and fingered the new bruise with one trembling hand. "That was intense."

Connor blinked. "You…? From a kiss?"

"Not just any kiss. *Your* kiss."

Faith pulled Connor's hand over her breast. "Can't you feel my heart pounding?"

Connor began to lower his mouth to the nipple that peaked through the thin material of her blouse, then froze.

"Are you a vampire?" Luc exclaimed in obvious delight.

"Wh-what?" Connor almost stuttered.

"You were biting her neck. Are you a vampire?" Luc asked again, his tone clearly awestruck.

Faith twisted around to lean on her elbow and face her little brother. "Yes, he is. And if you don't get out of here right now, I'm going to tell him to *eat* you."

To her consternation, however, Luc grinned from ear-to-ear. "Cool!"

Faith's heart beat fast and furiously. Creeping around in the shadows was not exactly her thing. She was more of a right-in-your-face kind of person. But she didn't want to take the chance of running into anyone.

Especially not her little brother. Luc was tenacious, a character trait that could be equally attributed to his mother or his father. When Faith told Luc that Connor was a vampire, instead of reeling from the horror of it all, Luc had grinned and declared, "Cool!"

It took the two of them almost two hours to disabuse her brother of this notion, at least half of which was spent in trying to explain why she'd said it in the first place. Luckily for her, Luc wasn't particularly interested in her love life.

But Faith knew that didn't mean that Luc had given up. He was probably lurking somewhere close by right now, waiting to see whether Connor bit her again.

Faith moved swiftly and softly through the darkness, her hands feeling their way along the side of the house. A dog barked loudly, startling her into a near-scream. Jumping back, she landed against the wall with a thump. "Ow," she exclaimed, realizing that her head was not as hard as some people thought.

When she caught her breath, she broke into a satisfied smile. "I wonder if I'm as good at this as Mom or Dad."

"Skulking? Stalking? Spying?" a disembodied voice asked with a trace of sarcasm.

Faith gasped and hugged the wall. Some spy you make, she told herself. It's *Connor*, for God's sake. Remember him?

"You scared me."

"I noticed," Connor said. Faith still couldn't make him out. There was no moon out tonight and the darkness seemed almost inpenetrable.

"You came," she whispered.

"Did you think I wouldn't?" Connor asked incredulously.

"Well…after that business with Luc, I wasn't…sure."

Connor shook his head, though Faith couldn't see him. "He's a good kid. Even if he *does* believe in vampires."

Faith moistened her lips nervously. "So…you want to bite me?"

"Right here?"

"No…let's go inside."

"What made you pick this place?"

"Adam told me about it. It's where he and Jazz—"

Faith could hear the sound of amusement in Connor's voice. "Thanks. I get the picture."

"You sure you don't want your first time to be in a bed?"

"*My* first time? You mean, *our* first time, don't you?"

"That's right. Rub it in. I'm a virgin. I don't know how I managed to live this long without making some poor girl suffer," Connor quipped.

"Yes, you do. You waited for *me*."

"Shit, Fee. You make it sound almost *romantic*."

There was a short pause. Connor could almost hear her think. "Well," she said eventually, and Connor just knew Faith was biting her lip, "it *is*, isn't it?"

Connor relented and managed to find her hand in the dark. Pulling her hand to his lips, he kissed it. "Yeah," he whispered.

"Think we shook my brother?"

"I hope so…cause he definitely shouldn't see what I'm about to do to you."

Faith blinked. "What about what *I'm* going to do to *you*?" she asked coyly.

Suddenly they were so close, Faith could feel Connor's breath on her lips. "Me first. If you have any energy left when I'm done, you can do anything you want to me," Connor whispered huskily.

"Don't think I won't either."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

"Mmm…" Faith murmured as Connor's hands slid down to her hips.

They found the little room off the main kennel. It was right where Adam said it was. They kissed with complete abandon, knowing that this time they weren't going to stop.

Connor backed Faith against the table that dominated the small, dimly-lit room, his lips never leaving hers. Without breaking away from him, Faith hoisted herself up onto the edge of the table. Connor took full advantage to exploit her position and ran his hands up the insides of her thighs.

With an imperceptible shiver, Faith opened her blouse, allowing Connor access to the tops of her breasts. He pressed tiny kisses to the bare skin that swelled above the cups of her bra while one of his hands snaked its way under the clasp that held her breasts captive. "You sure you never did this before?" she asked breathlessly.

He smiled. "Well, I've only done this about a million and a half times. In my dreams."

She chuckled softly, then froze as he undid the clasp. Instead of removing her bra, he pushed the straps down over her shoulders, trapping her arms. Then Connor proceeded to caress her breasts as if they were the only part of her.

"Ohhh…"

Suddenly they were too hot to wait. Connor pulled off her blouse and her bra. Faith shimmied out of her jeans, almost tearing her panties in her hurry to get them off. "Please…"

Connor tore his shirt in his eagerness, but it was quickly forgotten as he dropped his jeans to the floor beside the rest of their clothes. His fingers probed her entrance and found her ready. Faith would have pulled him on top of her, but all at once Connor stopped. "Condom."

"In my jeans pocket."

Connor kissed her hard, grateful that one of them was still able to think straight. He retrieved the condom and pushed his erection between Faith's hands, silently urging her to put it on him. "Do I have to do *everything*?" Faith grumbled.

"Not *everything*," Connor whispered hotly. Within seconds Faith was lying on her back, Connor's hand working feverishly between her legs to bring her to climax.

"Oh…don't. I don't want to come now. I want you inside me."

He kissed her again, his teeth teasing her bottom lip. "I will be. Trust me, this'll relax you. So it won't hurt as much."

"Okay."

Faith closed her eyes and whimpered as Connor's fingers slid inside her, preparing her for him. Just when she despaired that nothing more would happen, Connor exchanged his cock for his fingers, breaching her virgin channel. "Oh, my God," she exclaimed, feeling him throb deep within her for the first time.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes…" she breathed when her climax abruptly disrupted her concentration. The silky feel of her all around him, trembling and quivering in rhythmic disarray, brought him to completion seconds later.

Collapsing atop her with a groan, Connor buried his face against her bare breast. Faith smiled and threaded her fingers through his tousled blond hair. "Is it my turn yet?"

"You want to meet me for lunch at the student union?" Adam called from the bathroom.

Jazz shook his head, then realized that Adam couldn't see him. "I can't. I have a line on a job."

Adam frowned and popped his head outside the door. "But you still have to eat."

"I'll grab something later," Jazz said absently, folding a piece of newspaper before pocketing it.

"What kind of job is it?" Adam asked as he left the bathroom, wiping a bit of shaving cream from his now clean-shaven face.

"Huh? Oh, it's just-"

Jazz looked up just in time to see Adam bend his head to kiss him. "Mmm," Jazz commented with a smile. "I'm sure it's not that kind of a job."

Adam's lips curved into a peaceful smile. "Your considerable talents are wasted then."

Jazz chuckled and pulled Adam's head down for another kiss. "Not wasted. Just not for anyone else."

"I did it! I got the job!" Jazz shouted. The echoing silence of the small apartment made it clear that his lover wasn't home. It felt so empty when Adam wasn't there.

Jazz pulled off his jacket and threw it on a chair. Toeing off his shoes, he padded to the bedroom softly. "I hope you're not going to be too late, Adam," Jazz murmured to himself.

"Too late for what?" a voice asked behind him. Jazz spun around, his long straight golden brown hair whipping around his head like a halo.

"For this," Jazz declared, wrapping his arms around Adam's waist. Without saying another word to each other, they kissed avidly, hungrily, as though they hadn't seen one another for a long, long time. Adam fell back onto the bed, taking Jazz with him, and the younger man settled comfortably atop his lover.

"Hey, beautiful," Adam whispered, the abundance of his love for Jazz shining from his dark brown eyes.

"I'm not," Jazz said shyly, hiding his face against Adam's chest.

"You are."

"Well, I'm glad you think so," Jazz replied, tracing the place where Adam's heart would be with his fingers.

Adam threaded his hands through Jazz' hair, savoring the feel of the silky strands that threatened to slip out of his grasp. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Jazz answered, the throb of emotion in his voice almost palpable.

"You want to make love?"

Jazz smiled. "Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but I'm starving. Think you could feed me first?"

"Sure." Adam kissed him, tenderness warring with passion for long moments before asserting itself. "You want me to cook?"

"Or we could get pizza."

"Not again." Adam rolled his eyes almost comically. "Besides, we really can't afford it."

"Now we can."

"Oh?"

"I got the job."

Jazz waited impatiently for his news to sink in, slightly dismayed that Adam's reaction wasn't as effusive as he hoped. "Oh…that's great."

"You don't want me to work?"

"No, it's not that. It's just-"

"You want to wrap me up in cotton and keep me a prisoner here in your bed?" Jazz teased.

Adam laughed. "Now there's an idea."

"But it wouldn't keep us in pizza."

"I could ask Dad for a loan."

"You'd hate yourself for doing that, Adam. You know you want to be independent."

Adam nodded.

"Well, so do I."

Adam sighed. "I guess I wanted you all to myself a little while longer, that's all."

"I swear, this isn't going to change a thing between us, Adam."

"I know."

Suddenly Jazz jumped up, his green eyes bright and clear with resolve. "You order the pizza. Dessert's on me."

"Oh, yeah? What's for dessert?" Adam asked, his dark eyes suddenly hot.

"Me."

"I could get into that."

"God, I hope so," Jazz declared fervently.

After they made love, Adam was in a thoughtful mood. Reluctant to let go of Jazz, Adam wrapped his arms around the younger man and kissed his bare shoulder. "So…tell me about this new mystery job."

"It's not a mystery," Jazz protested with a chuckle. At Adam's stern glance, Jazz immediately sobered. "Well, maybe a little bit of one."

"I got a job waiting tables at Valentino's," Jazz blurted out, as if he instinctively knew that there would be an objection forthcoming.

Adam raised himself up on one elbow and stared at his lover in disbelief. "That's a club."

"Yeah."

"A gay dance club."

"I'm not dancing, Adam."

"Good. But what are you doing there?"

"I told you. Waiting tables. Somebody has to."

"Tell me again why it has to be you."

"Cause it's practically the only thing I know how to do, okay?" Jazz almost shouted, instantly contrite when he saw the flash of hurt that appeared in Adam's eyes.

"You're better than that, Nicky," Adam said softly. "You're in college. You can get something else."

"Later. When I graduate. Four fucking years from now. Adam…I want to contribute something to this relationship, too."

Adam dropped his gaze to the blankets that barely covered the two of them. Suddenly he felt exposed, vulnerable, in a way that he hadn't felt before.

Jazz swore under his breath and cupped Adam's chin in his hand. "I love the way you take care of me. But I need to be somebody, too."

"You are somebody. You're an incredible somebody," Adam managed to say, feeling as though he'd been pierced through the heart.

"Maybe. Someday. Anyway, it's just a job, Adam. That's all it is."

"I get that."

"Now you're upset."

"I'm not upset."

"Yes, you are. Adam, I know you."

"I am not upset."

"Good. I'm glad," Jazz snapped. Moments later, he sighed helplessly and brushed the hair off Adam's forehead. "It's just a couple of days a week. Nothing that'll interfere with school."

"Or us?" Adam couldn't help but ask.

"Or us."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Famous last words. Bitten off in haste. Repented at leisure.

"You're late again," Adam commented as he poured a glass of milk with suddenly shaky fingers.

Jazz shrugged. "Yeah, but I had a good night. Is there anything left of dinner? I didn't get to eat."

"Again? Nicky, you need to eat more."

"What are you, my mother?"

Adam flinched as if he'd been struck. "No. I just…care about what happens to you."

"I'm fine."

Adam looked deep into Jazz' feverishly bright eyes and gasped. "Nicky, you're high."

"Am not."

"What are you on?"

"I'm not on anything, Adam. Jeez, give it a rest, why don't you?"

"Did somebody slip you something? Are you letting the customers buy you drinks?"

"I don't drink. Not really."

"How much is 'not really'?" Adam demanded.

"Maybe a shot here and there. Just to be sociable. I'm making good tips."

"Yeah? For what? For serving drinks? Or for giving blowjobs under the table?"

Jazz laughed bitterly. "I never should have told you about that-"

"Well, are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Are you fucking someone else, dammit?"

"I'm not even going to answer that, Adam," Jazz spat, turning sharply in the direction of the living room.

"Now where the hell do you think you're going?"

"To bed."

"Out there?"

"It beats sleeping with someone who doesn't fucking trust me."

Slam. That was the bathroom door.

Slam. Adam burrowed his head under his pillow and tried not to hear the sounds of self-destruction outside the bedroom. He didn't care if Jazz decided to trash the apartment, but he prayed that he didn't hurt himself doing it.

"You fucking moron," Jazz shouted.

"I heard that," Adam said, raising his head out of his self-imposed cocoon.

"Good."

"Nicky, go to sleep," Adam begged, hoping that whatever demons had gotten into his young lover, they would disappear by morning.

"You know what the worst part is?" Jesus, thought Adam, squeezing his eyes shut. Jazz sounded like he was almost in tears.

Thump.

Apparently, Jazz either sat down or fell down, his back slumping against the bedroom door, which was closed but not locked. "I love you…so much…I never even look at other guys."

Adam's grip on his pillow tightened. "I know," Adam managed to say hoarsely around the lump in his throat.

"So why the fuck did you have to say that to me? Huh?" Jazz barely finished speaking before he started to sob.

"Nick…don't," Adam pleaded, out of bed before he was aware of it.

He opened the door with some degree of difficulty. His lover was blocking the doorway, his slender frame crumpled up like a rag doll that had been thrown away. Adam knelt down and pulled Jazz into his arms. Jazz started to struggle, but he didn't have the will to fight him. Adam slid the rest of the way down to the floor and held Jazz while he cried. His hair was a sodden mess, his eyes and lips swollen and almost bruised looking, but he was still beautiful to Adam.

"I'm sorry, Nick. I fucked up."

"Yeah, you did," Jazz said, fisting Adam's hair. They stared at each other for several seconds before Jazz' relentless grip brought Adam's mouth close enough to kiss. They kissed wildly, their libidos suddenly as out of control as their emotions. It was as if they were trying to prove to one another that the unbreakable bond between them remained intact.

"I should pound your ass for what you did to me."

Adam's lower lip quivered. "If it'll make you feel better…"

"No, it won't make me feel better." Jazz sighed heavily and raked a hand through his own tousled hair. "Loving you is so fucking easy. How come living with you is so hard?"

"I don't know, baby."

Jazz buried his face against Adam's neck. He could feel his lover's pulse beating fiercely at the base of his throat. "I feel like shit."

"I know."

"I don't know what happened to me, Adam. I've never felt so-"

"Out of control?"

"Yeah."

"Pretty scary, isn't it?"

Jazz almost managed a smile. "You're telling me."

"We'll work something out, Nick. I don't want you to go back there."

"Maybe this wasn't the best idea I've ever had, Adam. But I still need a job."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do. You don't fucking understand. There's something I've been trying to do for a couple of months now. And now, if I quit this job, I'll never get it."

"What is it, Nick? I'll get it for you."

"No! You can't!" Jazz stared at him, wild-eyed. "Do you see this ring, Adam?" He pointed to the high school ring that he wore on his left ring finger. "You gave this to me two years ago. When you graduated."

Adam looked bewildered. Jazz' mind was taking off in so many different directions at once, Adam was having trouble following him. "I don't understand-"

"When I graduated, I couldn't afford to buy my class ring. Pete wanted to buy it for me, but I said no."

"Nicky, why?"

"Cause I want to get it myself, Adam. I want to pay for it with money I made."

"Why is this so fucking important to you now, Nicky?"

For a moment, it seemed that Jazz wasn't going to answer. Then he shuddered and met Adam's concerned gaze with tortured eyes. "I wanted to give you something, Adam. From me."

Adam shook his head slowly, willing himself not to echo Jazz' tears. "You don't have to do that, Nick."

"I want to, dammit. I want you to wear my ring, Adam. Now do you fucking get it?"

Adam pulled Jazz closer and kissed his wet, tear-stained cheek. With a noise that might have been a whimper, he buried his face in Jazz' hair. "I get it, baby."

"So…" Jazz sniffled. "Do you still want me to quit?"

"First chance you get."

"I thought so," Jazz said. "Can't you find it in your heart to let me do this?"

Adam could barely breathe. "I'm afraid, Nick."

"Of what?"

"Losing you."

"You can't lose me, Adam. I love you."

"I love you, too, Nick," said Adam, his voice breaking. "I swear I do."

"Then don't stand in my fucking way," Jazz whispered, his green eyes glistening.

Adam blinked, then swallowed hard. "Yeah."