Hey there! :) Here's the next chapter of my Buffy/JCA crossover ficlet collection. I hope you're liking this as much as I do writing it. :) And I send my thanks to my friend Harry2 for the nice feedback on this story as well. That means a lot to me. :)

A high roller, even when the chips are down
To win her over, I'd seen the tables turn around
She's ten the hard way, I can feel it in my bones
She'll be makin' my day, and not another night alone
‛Til it's time for a windfall, and not a single minute too soon
I've been too long overdue, now I'm gonna shoot the moon

I'd bet it all on a good run of bad luck
Seven come eleven, and she could be mine
Luck be a lady, and I'm gonna find love comin' on the bottom line

-Clint Black, A Good Run of Bad Luck

It was nighttime in Las Vegas, Nevada – or as some people liked to call it, "Sin City".

"Place your bets."

"Ooh, cool! I won! Not bad for a first time like mine."

Cheers, as well as awes, were heard by the many people in the room in the casino, which was brightly lit up.

Many assortments of women in sparkling dresses of all colors and men in black tuxes walked around the green carpet room that held thousands of people who were foolish enough to bet all their money away.

"Soon they'd have to sell the clothes on their backs to put food on the table, even if it's just for a night," a man in the room said as everyone in the room began to laugh.

One blonde, her green eyes shining, was walking around the tables, checking things out. Her name was Buffy Summers. She was wearing a green dress that brought out the color of her eyes.

Then she looked up and her eyes shone as bright as the sun upon spotting him.

His yellow sunglasses hiding a crafty expression that was currently on a face many women would call handsome, Chow, wearing a black tuxedo with a red bow tie, was watching a couple of guys at the crap table as they rolled the dice, and sometimes got the number they wanted. Usually it was a seven, but sometimes it was a nine or a six, or even a five.

He smirked. These guys sure were foolish enough to try to bet some of their savings just to get some sucker to bet all of his money.

Chow was a master when it came to the craps table. Whenever he rolled the dice, the number he wanted was usually the right one. The other guys would watch in awe and surprise as whenever some guy lost to him, he would reach over and pull the loser's money over to himself, and then pick it up and put it into his pocket, intending to count it later.

Then, all of a sudden, he looked up – and his eyes met with Buffy's. They looked at each other in surprise for a moment.

"Chow?"

"Buffy," Chow nodded.

It was then that Buffy made the first move. She gathered up her courage and walked over to him. Stopping next to him, she then gave him a smile. Not a smirk, but a true smile. The one he remembered very well.

Then, he gave her a wink – a sultry one. One that made her shiver. Before she knew it, he had offered her his arm, and she had taken it. Then, they were heading upstairs to a private room...

Hours later, as they lay panting in each other's arms, Chow could not shake off the feeling of intimate familiarity he felt when they were together like this. It was odd. No, it was more than odd; it was downright intriguing. Even in during their coupling he had felt it, that strange feeling that he was not exploring an unknown conquest but rediscovering a what was already deeply entrenched in his subconscious. They were not new to each other.

He knew how to please her, and that was the most puzzling bit of all. He knew exactly how to angle his hips as he thrust deep into her, how to hold her so that their bodies fitted just right, and more importantly, when to still himself, and when to abandon himself to the impulse. He knew just how to kiss her and stroke her as she climaxed, even though he himself was spent, and even when she would...