"I can't believe they let *you* graduate," Sasha teased Faith.

Faith stuck out her tongue at him. "I'm too smart to be kept back."

"You mean they're ready to *get rid* of you," Sasha replied.

"Maybe they're afraid of what *Dad* would say if you *didn't* graduate," Chris interjected.

"Huh," Faith huffed. "Some brother *you* are. Where's your sense of loyalty?"

"It went out the window after you taped that message on top of my graduation cap," Chris said with a snort.

"Oh, come on, it was *funny*."

"To *you*. No one else thought so."

Faith shot a dirty look at Connor. "Well? Aren't you going to defend me?"

"I make it a rule never to get between you two when you're fighting," Connor explained.

"We're not *fighting*," Faith snapped. "We're *arguing*. *This* is fighting." With that, Faith proceeded to smack Connor in the chest with the flat of her hand.

"Hey! That hurt!"

"You are such a wimp, Con."

"Read my lips, Fee. Fuck. You."

"You first."

"Bitch."

"Wuss."

Sasha and Chris watched the two of them trade barbs with considerable curiosity. Faith was notorious for trying to push Connor around, but Connor rarely let her get away with it anymore. Connor had his own ways of dealing with Fee that mystified the rest of them, but Sasha suspected that his primary method of controlling her was emotional. For all her bluster and bravado, Faith truly loved Connor and Connor knew that.

He used it to his advantage whenever Fee threatened to get out of hand.

Like *now*.

Connor abruptly stepped between her legs and pressed himself flush against her. Fee didn't even hesitate to react. Her body melted, gratefully flowing along the harder lines of his like a willing river seeking its source.

The change in Fee was so dramatic that Sasha couldn't help but notice. Connor was the only one Fee responded to like that. Sasha had a theory that arguing was actually a form of foreplay for them, but he was glad he didn't have to verify that firsthand. He had a feeling their lovemaking was every bit as intense and intermittently explosive as the rest of their relationship.

Connor backed Fee against the wall and kissed her hard. Fee immediately plunged her hands into Connor's tousled dark blond hair. Connor sighed and drummed his fingers on the other side of the wall.

They were in the Hunter living room for a change. Most of the time they spent together was at the old farmhouse. In a way, it had become their place to hang out, not merely for sex, but for talking, planning and, of course, *plotting*. But Neil had gone away for a long weekend with Ned, leaving Connor in charge of the house, and predictably, they had all gravitated there.

Sasha groaned and said, "Jeez, you guys need to get a room."

Connor grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

Fee leaned on Connor and wrapped her arm around his waist. Her green eyes gleamed with dark heat that suddenly seemed to surround her like an intense aura. "Sorry," she echoed, but her hand tightened possessively as it crept towards Connor's hip.

"If you keep screwing around, Faith, you'll never get this party planned," Chris said, an amused glint in his light blue eyes.

Faith laughed. "Well, I have no intention of stopping."

Connor kissed her quickly on the mouth. "Mmm…I appreciate that, Fee, but Chris is right. We're not getting very much done here."

"Well, we can't do anything till Emmy gets here anyway," said Faith.

"Speaking of Emmy, where is she?" Connor asked Chris.

"She went shopping with Skye," Sasha answered for him.

Faith frowned. "They went *without* me?"

"Ummm…yeah," Chris admitted reluctantly.

"Why?" she demanded, hands on hips.

"I dunno, Fee. I'm sure it has nothing to do with you, though," Chris replied.

Faith crossed her arms tightly over her chest and blinked. She was not going to cry in front of anyone. She refused to let anyone know how much her feelings were hurt. But her attempt to shrug it off failed.

"Okay," she whispered, embarrassed at the way her voice betrayed her by breaking.

Connor gave Chris a pained look before turning his attention back to Faith. "It's no big ddeal, Fee," he said softly.

"Uh huh," Faith agreed, her eyes big and dark in her face.

Chris looked decidedly uncomfortable. "It's supposed to be a secret, Faith. But it's a *good* thing, I swear."

"I understand," Faith whispered. But she really didn't. She knew that the others sometimes thought she had no deep feelings beyond what she felt for herself and Connor. But she'd grown accustomed to hiding in plain sight. It was a talent she was all too aware her father would *understand* even if he didn't *appreciate* it.

But what she truly mourned was the loss of her brother's confidence. Since childhood, the two them had shared a special empathy for each other, an empathy that strengthened and intensified the bond between them. Now Faith felt as if all her childhood illusions had finally fallen away.

"Fee…" Connor began, but he couldn't find any other words. Faith felt abandoned. He could tell. He knew what that felt like and it hurt his heart.

She released her grip on Connor and stepped away from him. "I just remembered…I have to go," she said quickly, averting her eyes even as her vision blurred.

"Fee!" Connor called after her, but she was gone.

He shared a troubled look with Chris and Sasha. "What's going on?"

Sasha sighed and met Chris' conflicted gaze. "We should tell him."

"Tell me what?"

"But first…we should tell *her*."

"Fee, wait!" Connor called out, racing to catch up with her.

When he did, however, he almost wished he hadn't. She averted her face, though it was clear to him that she'd been crying. "Oh, Fee…"

He cupped her chin and tilted her face up so that he could look directly into her red-rimmed eyes. She looked so tragic…and yet, it was that very vulnerability that led him to whisper, "You're so beautiful."

"No, I'm not," she contradicted. "How can you say that? I mean, my nose is running, Con-"

He cut off whatever she was going to say with a kiss. She tasted salty. Like tears. Suddenly he broke away and held her, his cheek pressed tightly to hers. "I love you."

He felt, rather than heard, her sob. "I love you, too," she managed to say.

"Nobody matters but you and me," Connor vowed.

Faith nodded slowly, her eyes growing wide as she watched Sasha and her brother approach. Connor felt the tension in her and whirled around to face them. "What do you want?" he demanded, automatically assuming a protective stance in front of Faith.

Chris sighed. This was hard on him. He and Faith were more than brother and sister. They knew each other in a way that others could only guess at. But that bond was being threatened, and all for the sake of a secret that never should have been.

"Skye wanted to…thank you for what you did for her. She wanted it to be a surprise, but I think we're all agreed that you should know." Chris glanced quickly at Sasha and received a nod in response.

"She wanted to get you something special…something unique. But I'm no good at that stuff myself. So I told her to ask Emmy," Sasha explained.

"We never meant to hurt you, Fee," Chris said Hearing the pleading tone that had entered his voice filled him with dismay. But he could see that Faith was reacting to that very thing, as if she no longer doubted his sincerity.

Faith didn't speak, but she was definitely listening. Her hand sought Connor's, and he squeezed it affectionately.

"They should be back any time now," Chris added, praying that the two girls weren't delayed.

Suddenly a burst of laughter wafted their way. Oblivious to the undercurrents, Emmy and Skye giggled conspiratorially as they joined the others. "Close your eyes," Skye sing-songed.

"What?" Faith asked.

"Close your eyes, then put out your hands," Skye directed, clearly unable to completely quell her earlier laughter.

"Why?" Faith questioned. She didn't know if she was being rude or not, but she couldn't help it. The past few minutes had been hellish, and she didn't want to risk any further misunderstandings.

"Just do it, silly."

Sasha caught Skye's eye and said, "Sweetie, she knows."

Skye glared at Sasha and pouted her lips. "You told her?"

"We had to," Chris said. "She thought we were shutting her out."

Skye looked aghast at the idea. "No, no, I wanted to get you something special. Emmy was helping me pick it out. That's all."

"You got me a present?"

Skye nodded, her light blue eyes curiously somber now. "I hope you like it. We were late because I wanted it to be engraved."

Faith's green eyes flickered with some as yet unnamed emotion. Prompted by Emmy, Skye opened her hand and literally poured the most exquisitely fine silver chain into Faith's cupped hands.

"Oh, it's so pretty."

"That's just the chain, Fee. Look at the charm."

Faith threaded the chain through her suddenly trembling fingers and stared at the heart-shaped silver charm. Deeply engraved into the face of it were the words "More than sisters, friends" in French.

Connor knew that Faith was touched. He was standing so close to her that he was able to press one hand into the small of her back for support. He could feel the fine tremors that raced beneath her skin, and he wondered if she was going to cry again.

But Faith managed to maintain her composure as she said, "Thank you."

Her eyes met Skye's, and something important passed between them, something that didn't require speech. All of a sudden, Skye hugged her sister, unabashedly shedding the tears that Faith tried valiantly to suppress. "No, thank *you*."

"You're a good kid, Skye," Faith murmured huskily.

"I'm not a kid," Skye answered back with a playful lilt. "But thanks."

Chris surreptitiously wiped at his eyes, while Sasha leaned on the younger man's shoulder. Connor smiled at the picture they all made together. "Hey, we've still got a big party to plan."

"Yeah," Chris agreed. Emmy bounced excitedly before giving him a big kiss.

Sasha laughed. "Next time you do that, give a guy some warning, okay? That was way too close to *my* face."

Emmy stuck out her tongue, in imitation of Faith, and everyone chuckled, including Faith. "Hey," she said with a watery smile, "*one* of us is enough."

"Amen."

"Who said that?"

"I'll never tell."

"There are *eight* people in our living room," Declan said. "*Why* are there eight people in our living room, acushla?"

"Counting our son?" Sey asked absently, continuing to shred lettuce into a large bowl. They were in the kitchen, and for once, Sey was taking a turn at making dinner. Declan was the real cook in the family. He always had been. But Declan was going to be made a full professor at the University, and Sey wanted to do something *special* to celebrate.

"Aye. Are you going to put the little cherry tomatoes I like in there?"

"Of course." Sey began chopping the onion, and almost immediately, his eyes started to tear. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of wiping at his eyes with the hand that had touched the raw onion. The next thing he knew, tears were streaming down his cheeks.

And Declan was staring at him. "Maybe we should go *out* for dinner."

"Why? Because the kids are in our living room?" Sey asked with a sniffle.

Declan laughed softly. "Do you have any idea how *adorable* you look?"

Sey rolled his eyes expressively. "My nose is running. Besides, I'm too old to be adorable, Dec."

"You'll *never* be too old for that, baby."

"You're in a good mood."

"And there's still eight people standing in the bloody living room. Imagine that."

"They're planning."

"What? To take over the world?"

"Heh," Sey snickered. "They were over at Neil's because he was away with Ned, but they came home unexpectedly."

"And *we* inherited them? That's nice. What were they doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Sey."

"Listen, I've got dinner to make. This really isn't a good time. We've got people in the living room."

"I *know* that! And there's never a good time to hear that our daughter may not be a virgin anymore."

Sey's eyes widened comically, and he squeaked, "Who told you that?"

"A fucking birdie. Who do you think?" Declan drew a bead on his mate, his silvery eyes tracing Sey's now-frantic path from the counter to the refrigerator.

Sey turned on the faucet and washed his hands. "Well, I know Emmy didn't tell you that."

"Really," Declan said dryly.

"Anyway, Chris wouldn't do that."

"He's a fucking paragon of virtue, baby, but he's still a 17-year-old boy," Declan said, scooping up a handful of chopped onion.

Sey dried his hands on a piece of paper towel and smiled. "You sure about that?"

"What? What it's like to be 17?"

"I'm amazed you can remember back that far, but no…I meant are you sure you want to eat those?"

"And why not?"

"They make your breath stink," Sey teased, his tongue creeping out between his teeth.

Declan reached behind Sey and undid the clasp that restrained his shoulder-length hair. After it fell in loose waves around Sey's face, Declan leaned closer and closer until Sey's lips parted in anticipation of being kissed. His warm breath tickling Sey's face, Declan whispered, "Then…I won't…kiss you."

"Not even if I beg?" Sey murmured, his dark chocolate eyes riveted to Declan's mouth.

"Not even then."

"You're mean."

Declan closed his eyes and sucked Sey's bottom lip into his mouth. With a whimper, Sey began to kiss him back, his tongue desperately seeking its counterpart. After several breathless seconds, they broke apart, panting.

"Maybe you don't stink *that* bad."

"Maybe there are better uses for that mouth."

"What about dinner?"

"We'll go out…later."

"What about Emmy? You were worried about Emmy."

"Emmy's in love. I know the feeling."

"Well…what about the other seven people in our living room?"

"Let 'em get their own dinner."

"We can't just walk into the bedroom and pretend they're not there, Declan."

"Why the hell not?" Declan resumed kissing Sey's neck, and Sey felt a definite swoon coming on.

"Ummm…I forget."

"So we're agreed then," Chris said.

"Yeah."

"Uh huh."

"Okay."

"Right."

"Mmm."

"Yes."

"Wait a minute, back up there a second. Skye, did you just say, Mmm? What kind of an answer is that?" Chris demanded with a frown.

Skye giggled. "Sorry. Sasha was whispering in my ear, and I got a little bit distracted-"

"Hey," Chris cut her off. "I don't need the details, Skye. You're still my little sister. And Sash?"

"Yeah?" grinned Sasha.

"You're killing me here. She's my sister, you know?"

Sasha wrapped a possessive arm around Skye's shoulders and angled his hip against hers, as if he craved skin-to-skin contact with her, no matter how slight. "I know."

"Jeez, I think all the blood in your body is in one place."

Faith snorted before she burst into gales of impolite laughter at her twin's acerbic remark. Chris swiveled his head in her direction and snapped, "You're the last one who should be laughing, Fee."

Connor stopped chuckling long enough to defend his lady's honor. "Hey, man, that's not funny. After all, we've all seen you making out with Emmy."

Chris' face darkened. "Don't even go there," he growled.

Adam , whom everyone had forgotten was lurking on the periphery of the impromptu meeting, stepped in. "Chris…chill. Let's just agree to say, we've all been there…and we could all use a little more common sense once in a while. Okay?"

Jazz leaned on his lover with feline grace, his slender frame easily accommodating the harder lines of Adam's more muscular body, like a cat utterly content within its beloved master's embrace. "You're such a peacemaker, baby," he murmured, adding a sputtery laugh at the end.

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to undo my good work? You seductive little minx?"

"I'll be good," Jazz said, his green eyes continuing to twinkle mercilessly.

"You're always good, Nick. Sometimes that's the problem."

Jazz laughed, a bit more loudly this time, and Adam was forced to kiss him to keep him quiet. He had a feeling he wasn't exactly setting a sterling example for Chris and the others, but he couldn't help himself.

Chris cleared his throat intentionally, and Adam reluctantly let go of his lover. "Um…as I was saying…"

"We get the picture."

"Is this meeting adjourned?" Adam asked.

"Why?" Chris replied with a bit of a smirk. "You have something better to do?"

"That depends on your definition of better," Adam quipped, giving Jazz' shoulder a squeeze.

"Do you guys ever get out of bed?" Faith exclaimed.

"We're here now. What's your point?" Jazz replied, a cheeky grin curving his lips. A lock of light golden brown hair fell into his face, and Adam automatically brushed it away. Faith shook her head. The two of them were like one person.

"So…let's recap…before we lose anybody," Chris said dryly. "We have the hotel suite booked."

"Check."

"We need a car."

Faith smiled at her brother. "Maybe Dad will get you one for graduation, Chris."

"Right. I'll book the limo," he replied.

"The hotel's going to do the hospitality thing so we don't have to bother with snacks and stuff."

"What the hell's a hospitality thing?"

Skye piped up. "It means we're spending so much money on the room, they're throwing in a few chicken wings and some orange soda."

Sasha chuckled. "That's all? What cheap bastards."

"That reminds me. Are we drinking or not?"

"Alcohol?" Sasha blinked in momentary confusion. "After what happened to me last time? I don't-"

"This is a party, you know," Skye reminded him. "And it's not like we'll be driving or anything."

"Okay. I vote we drink."

"In moderation," Sasha added.

"Of course," Chris agreed. "There's a TV and VCR in the room. But we need a stereo if we want to dance."

"Or make out," Faith said, sticking out her tongue at her brother.

"This isn't going to turn into an orgy," Chris said sternly.

Jazz laughed. "Oh, well, then I'm not coming."

"You are too coming," Adam whispered, unable to resist nuzzling his lover's cheek.

"Maybe later," Jazz murmured under his breath, his surprisingly dark eyelashes fluttering down to conceal his unusually vivid eyes.

"Get…a…room, you two," Chris said, throwing his list at the young couple.

"We've got one. But for some reason, you won't let us go there," Jazz kidded him. There was something curiously sensual in nearly everything that Jazz did, and the teasing glint in his eyes was no exception.

"I give up. Meeting's over."

"Good," declared Adam, sweeping Jazz into a fervent embrace. His lips buried deep in Jazz' shoulder-length hair, Adam breathed, "I can't wait to get you home."

"I like the sound of that."

"What?" Adam drew back and studied the younger man's face. "The part about not being able to wait?"

"Yes, but…" Jazz dipped his head for a moment, temporarily obscuring his expression as well as his startlingly green gaze. "What I really like is…the part about home."

"Oh, Nick, it is. It is home, but only cause you're there."

They kissed with such utter tenderness that the others slowly began to disperse around them.

As Faith passed her twin, she patted him on the shoulder and said softly, "Good luck with that whole not having an orgy thing."

Adam closed the door behind him and slung an arm around Jazz' waist. "You want to *splurge* and call a cab?"

Jazz sighed and turned to face his lover. "We'll never get enough saved for a car if we keep splurging."

"Well, we can't walk. Do you know how far it is to town?"

"We've walked it before," Jazz reminded him.

Adam threaded his fingers through Jazz' hair and pulled him closer. "I don't want to walk, baby," Adam whined. "You'll get all tired out and fall asleep on me."

Jazz laced his fingers through Adam's and swung their hands back and forth. "I've got more energy than you think I do."

"I'm not going to win this one, huh?" Adam said with an air of resignation.

Jazz smiled and kissed him, never relinquishing his grip on Adam's hand. Adam groaned softly and kissed him back, his fingers tightening around his lover's.

"Walk with me, Adam," Jazz whispered against his mouth. "I'll make it up to you."

"Promise?"

Jazz took a half-step back and held onto Adam's hand. "Promise."

They reached the road, which was darker than it should have been because the streetlight in front of the Samuelle house was out, and stopped. "As long as we're walking, can we stop by Dad and Pete's?"

"Ah, now I know the real reason you wanted to walk."

"I haven't seen them in a couple of weeks. I miss 'em."

"My fault, babe. I should have bought a car when I had a chance to get one cheap." Adam sounded so guilty, Jazz just had to reassure him.

"No, Adam. We *needed* a bed."

"You're just saying that. Our old bed was fine. We could have waited to get a *new* one."

Jazz kissed him again, his tongue tentatively peeking between his teeth to lick at Adam's lower lip. "No, we couldn't. We wore out the old one. You know you'd keep me on my back in bed full-time if you could."

"Well, yeah," Adam admitted. "But you make me sound so…*shallow*."

"So we'll walk and we'll save money and we'll get a car…*someday*."

"I could ask Dad if-" Adam mused out loud.

"No, you couldn't. We're standing on our own two feet now, Adam. Even if we don't have *everything*, we've got what we *need*, baby."

"Since when did you turn into the voice of reason?"

"Ah, but I'm not all *that* sensible, Adam. Otherwise, I'd take you up on your offer to get a cab and be home in bed with you before midnight."

Adam skimmed Jazz' cheek with the back of his hand. Jazz pressed his face against Adam's hand and closed his eyes. "I love the way you touch me."

"I love touching you."

"I know." Pause. "This could be a *very* long walk home, Adam, if we can't keep our hands off each other."

"Let's go see your folks before I end up with a raging hard-on and drag you into the bushes to have my way with you."

Jazz slid his hand down the center of Adam's body until he reached the bulge between his legs. He spread his fingers across Adam's groin and gently squeezed. "Too late."

"Oh, man," Adam whispered, his mind suddenly robbed of all reason.

"I have an idea."

"What?" Adam asked, barely able to think for the way Jazz' hand was caressing him.

"Come."

"Here?" Adam jerked to attention with a startled gasp.

"Sssh. If there are no dogs in the kennel, we might be able to sneak into *our* place without anyone knowing."

"Please tell me you're kidding. Do you *want* to get caught with your pants down?"

Jazz chuckled. It was a bright sound made all the more so because of the surrounding darkness. "We're legal now, Adam. Practically…*married*." He chewed on his bottom lip. "Practically."

Adam betrayed what he thought of that with a restless shudder that Jazz could literally feel beneath his fingertips. "No practically about it, Nick."

For the first time, Adam cursed the night because he wanted to see Jazz' eyes. He needed to see the light that he was sure was there. "It's too fucking dark out here," he cried in frustration.

All of a sudden Jazz' mouth was on his, its honeyed depths opening to admit his tongue which swirled inside. "Maybe you're right, Adam. Maybe walking home this late at night isn't such a good idea."

Adam made a noise that could have been a cross between a growl and a whimper. He let Jazz lead him down the road, interrupting their progress from time to time to steal a heart-stirring kiss. By the time they arrived at the kennel, Adam was on fire.

He pushed Jazz through the kennel doors, vaguely registering the fact that there was no barking to alert anyone to their presence. Jazz stared at Adam. His back was up against the wall, and there was literally no way he could move.

Oh, but he wanted to. He wanted to plunge his tongue inside Adam's mouth and plunder it ruthlessly. He wanted to tangle his hands in Adam's hair and anchor them there. His lips parted in anticipation of the kiss to come. His slim hips twitched restlessly as he fought to control the urge to grind them against the hardness he knew he would find between Adam's legs.

"I want you," Adam murmured.

"Please."

Adam unsnapped Jazz' jeans with a pop that sounded like it would be audible to everyone inside the house. All at once it was *yesterday*, not *today*, and Adam could feel all of the familiar agitation that once drove them into each other's arms, seeking relief from the tension that accompanied their frantic attempts at union. "I love you, Nick," Adam sighed as he buried his face against Jazz' neck. His fingers closed around Jazz' cock, and the younger man squirmed impatiently, shifting their bodies into tighter alignment.

A few quick hard thrusts and it was all over. Jazz exhaled noisily, and Adam captured his mouth, trapping what meager sounds he could make inside. "Oh, God, Adam…"

He didn't know enough words to describe how Adam made him feel. *Still* made him feel. As if the wanting would never end.

There was simply no disguising that they'd been fucking.

Jazz' disheveled state, from his tousled hair to his soiled jeans, telegraphed everything. Adam's possessive embrace filled in the rest of the blanks.

Yet somehow they found themselves standing in James' and Smoke's living room, pretending that they'd decided to stop by on a whim.

"It's so good to see you, Pete."

Smoke resisted the urge to smile. "I'm glad you came."

"Pete!" Jazz exclaimed, feeling his face color.

Adam's arm tightened around Jazz' waist. He knew, he just knew that Jazz wanted to hide his face against his chest, but he wouldn't. They could take a little teasing now. The bond between them had grown stronger and more intense over the past few years, and now it was damn near unbreakable.

"It's late. I hope you're not planning to walk home."

"Actually, we were," Adam replied.

"Well, I'd offer you a ride, but I've got a better idea."

"Oh?" Jazz feigned disinterest, but his heart started to race. He had a feeling that Smoke was about to fulfill a fantasy of his that he'd never confessed to *anyone*, including Adam.

"Why don't the two of you stay overnight and go back in the morning? You can stay in your old room, Jazz."

When Jazz didn't say anything right away, Smoke quickly added, "With Adam, I mean."

Jazz felt as though he would swoon on the spot. "Umm…"

"Say yes, Jazz," Adam whispered in his ear.

"Okay."

Jazz came out of the shower, a towel covering his wet hair, but otherwise naked. Adam lay back on Jazz' old bed and waited expectantly for his lover to climb under the covers. "Feel better, baby?"

"Yeah."

After throwing the damp towel on the floor, Jazz slid under the sheets, finding Adam's naked body warm and aroused despite their earlier lovemaking in the kennel. "Mmm…"

They kissed, their hands and legs entwining with each other with a hunger that bordered on obsession. When Jazz finally surfaced to catch his breath, he whispered, "Do you know how much I dreamed of having you here?"

"What if your folks hear us?"

"I think I can find a way to keep your mouth shut, Adam."

It was a while before the lights clicked off in Jazz' room, but finally they did. Smoke smiled to himself as he joined James in their bedroom.

Maybe it was just Smoke's imagination, but he had a feeling Jazz and Adam had skipped the wedding and gone right to the honeymoon.

Not that that was a bad thing.