Author Note - Thanks for all the follows, faves and reviews. Sorry about the long wait and enjoy!

Tuli was working behind the bar in the Dal a couple of days later enjoying the atmosphere. The spirits of all the customers always had a laid-back, comforted feel to them. The Dal just had that effect on people. And as a result, Tuli was feeling laid-back and comfortable. Today she was a warm fire on a winter's night, the calmer side of her nature.

They were a little busy so Tuli didn't have much time to chat, especially since she was showing the new girl the differences between some of the more similar drinks as well as serving at the bar.

However, she was not unaware of the meeting taking place between Bo and Dyson on the other side of the room. Especially after the new girl flirted with Dyson invitingly as she dropped off his drink. She saw that Bo had noticed Tuli noticing the flirting and the succubus gave her a smirk.

Deciding to ignore the odd look Tuli watched the new girl for a moment as she walked over to where a customer was flagging her down. Her attention was drawn back the other way though when she heard Dyson speak.

'And there is one other thing I can do for you.'

Tuli looked up in time to see the shifter pull Bo slightly out of sight and kiss her. She could sense the transfer of spirit but never the less could feel a small spark of jealousy start inside her. Resolutely focusing on her work Tuli turned away but couldn't help listening in.

'Well, you do not suck at that,' she heard Bo say with an obvious smile. 'However, I would rather not make a little birdy jealous.'

Knowing that Dyson was likely to look her way, Tuli turned in the opposite direction.

'I doubt that would happen. Besides, if you're going out solo the least I could do is give you a boost since I set up the cover.'

'I will call you tonight, to check in.' Tuli heard Bo start to walk away from Dyson.

'Before eight please,' Dyson called after the succubus. 'I have a life.'

Tuli poured a shot of whiskey for a lepracaun and turned round to find Bo stood at the bar watching her. 'One for the road?' Bo lifted an eyebrow at her. 'A drink.'

'No, thanks.' Bo glanced over to where Dyson was going off with Trick. 'I was planning on coming over here to ask if you wouldn't mind giving me another...nugget. But then...'

'I wouldn't have, if a nugget gets stuck once it'll happen every time.' Tuli smiled though. 'I would have given you a boost though. But that seems unneeded now.'

'You should ask him out,' Bo said bluntly. 'Unless the guy at the club - '

Tuli laughed and shook her head. 'Phoenixes rarely date, we mate for life, it's only then we become monogamous.'

Bo frowned in confusion. 'So the guy at the bar, he's a hook up?'

'Yeah, just sex with him.' Tuli smirked as she recalled the other night. 'Great sex, but just sex. I'm not saying that I've never had a romantic attachment before, because I have. The Ash and I were together a good long while however we were both aware it would not be a permanent relationship.'

'I think I get it,' Bo replied with a nod. 'Anyway, I need to go, so I'll catch up with you later?'

'Sure, see you around.'

Kenzi ignored the unconsious security guard as she ran off after wolfie Dyson - so awesome! - trying not to lose track of him again. Maybe now he knew what the second scent was he could track Bo better.

Eventually they found the entrance to the caves and Dyson came to a halt, swiftly changing back into a man. After realising this Kenzi closed her eyes and held out his jeans.

'Er...you dropped these.'

'Thanks.' He took the jeans and she heard them being pulled on. 'Come on, let's go.'

Kenzi opened her eyes again to follow Dyson into the cave. 'Can we keep the fact that I saw...well everything from a certain fiery friend? I don't think she'd be too happy.'

Dyson didn't stop as he replied. 'Why do you and Bo both think Tuli would be jealous?'

'Because you guys have total chemistry,' Kenzi told him with a duh tone to her voice. 'It's a basic connection that you should really look into.'

A scream from further ahead stopped the conversation and Dyson took off ahead. Kenzi ran after him and got into a large cave with a pool in time to see a freaky looking thing get a lucky hit on Dyson and send him flying into a wall.

He was conscious but clearly disorientated, Bo was unconscious and it was the girl across the room that was screaming. Kenzi took this in, in less than a second as her attention was drawn by the creature now making it way towards her.

'Oh, so not good.' Kenzie muttered. 'Dyson!' The cop was still trying to focus and Kenzi couldn't help but wish Tuli was there to help. Then Kenzi had an eureka moment. 'Tuli! Tuli!'

Tuli wandered over to the table Dyson had vacated about an hour ago. There were a bunch of Trick's books on it and Trick had asked her to put them back for him.

Looking at the pages the books had been left open on, Tuli saw that Dyson had been reading about water based fae, and the topmost book had an entry about Kappas.

'Huh, that must be what Bo was looking into.' Tuli shrugged and began closing the books only to drop them when she felt a call.

Turning Tuli ran to the bar where Trick was. 'Back in a moment, I'm getting a call from someone.' And then she was gone. Only to reappear beside a frightened looking Kenzi. 'Kenzi, what's wrong?'

Kenzi pointed behind her. 'That!'

Tuli whirled round to find a kappa approaching them, Bo unconscious and Dyson stunned. 'Oh great.' She strode forward and reached out a hand to the kappa who had recognised what she was and was snarling at her. Tuli put a hand on his throat and began trying to dry him out faster than he could dowse her.

This of course was spiritually, not physically. Their energies were not compatable, at least not for her. And while too much heat would boil water to nothing, a little would only make it more dangerous. This kappa was old enough, and powerful enough, to not 'boil away' immediately.

Tuli felt the kappa raise a hand to her throat and the battle began in earnest. Tuli began forcing her energy towards him as fast as possible but she could feel the drain.

'Dyson, come on, she needs help!'

Forcing away the distraction of Kenzi, Tuli saw that small parts of the kappa's skin were looking dry, a sure sign that she was beginning to win. However she could also feel her skin becoming damp.

This kappa was too well fed to go without a fight, but just then the top of the kappa's head was removed and he was killed.

Tuli fell backwards in exhaustion and just lay there in the dirt.

Kenzi's face appeared over her. 'I am so glad that calling for you worked.'

'It only worked because I like you,' Tuli said quietly. 'If I didn't you could have said my name for a month and I wouldn't have heard you.'

Dyson came into view with a now concious Bo. 'What made you think of doing that Kenzi?'

'Harry Potter.' Kenzi said with a shrug. 'Figured since there seems to be something to a lot of fairy tales it was worth a shot. I was just hoping she liked us enough.'

Tuli lost focus as she suddenly shivered. 'Oh, that's not good...'

'Shit,' Dyson pushed Bo towards Kenzi for support and knelt beside Tuli. 'Do you have enough energy to leave?'

'...no...' Tuli shook her head as she shivered again.

Dyson scooped her up in his arms. 'Kenzi take care of Bo, bring her back to the Dal.'

'What's wrong with Tuli?' Kenzi asked worriedly.

'She used to much energy too quickly, and she probably hasn't been near a fire since this morning.' Dyson pulled his jacket and shirt from Kenzi's grasp and wrapped them around Tuli. 'If I don't get her back to the fire at the Dal quickly enough it'll be weeks before she's up and around again. I'll run ahead, be careful.'

Tuli felt Dyson begin to run and instinctively snuggled closer to his bare chest, desperately seeking the warmth she needed.

Dyson ran as fast as possible through the forest and back to the campus and his car. Tuli's shivering had become continuous in the chill of the evening and it was worrying him. Once at his car he quickly put Tuli in the passenger seat and wrapped a blanket from the trunk tightly around her.

As he started the car he cranked the heater up full blast and aimed the vents as close to her as possible. It would help stave of the coldness but until Tuli was in front of a proper fire that's all the heat would do.

'Hang on, Tuli, five minutes tops.' Dyson glanced at her as he ignored the speed limits to get back to the Dal as soon as possible.

'Mmm...' Tuli said with a slight nod. 'Th-thanks...'

'I shouldn't have let the damn thing get the drop on me,' Dyson said angrily, cursing the fact that he hadn't noticed the loose rock on the ground. It had been kicking that rock that had alerted the kappa to his presence, thus loosing his advantage.

'N-not...y-your...fault...' Tuli trailed off again and Dyson saw her eyes fall closed.

'Tuli?' Dyson asked urgently but only got a small sound in reply. 'Tuli?'

When he didn't get anything the second time Dyson sped up even more and it was a very tense three minutes before he came to a quick stop outside the Dal. Rushing around his car he gathered Tuli up, blanket and all, and rushed into the Dal.

'Trick!' Dysonran over to the bar where Trick was. 'She needs a fire, now.'

Trick ran out from behind the bar and led the way downstairs. 'What happened?' The barman demanded as he began building the smouldering fire.

'A kappa,' Dyson replied as he settled Tuli into the nest of blankets she had made in front of the fire. 'It got a lucky hit on both me and Bo, Kenzi called for her. It was well fed though and she'd used a lot of energy before I could recover and kill it.' He made to move back from her to wrap her in more blankets but she refused to let go of him. 'Trick, a little help.'

Trick looked over as he added another log to the fire. 'She's latched on?' Dyson nodded. 'She won't let go now until she's back to normal. It's similar to a baby chick imprinting on the first thing it sees. But Phoenixes do it when they're injured,' he stoked the fire and turned round. 'They latch onto someone they feel will protect them while they're vulnerable.'

Dyson looked down at the woman in his arms. 'What do I do?'

'Lay down with her and don't try to leave,' Trick said as he picked up some spare blankets. 'If you do she'll panic and set fire to everything in here. Which I would prefer didn't happen.'

After a barely noticable hesitation Dyson lay down on the nest of blankets with Tuli. The small phoenix immediately wrapped herself tightly around him.

Trick was quick to drape blankets over the pair of them. 'I'll get some tea and be right back.'

'I told Bo and Kenzi to meet us here. Bo might need her head looked at.' Dyson saw Trick pause before nodding.

As the old man disappeared Dyson looked down at Tuli who hadn't shifted at all since he'd laid down. The heat of the fire was stifling as it washed over them but seeing Tuli slowly stop shivering made it bareble.

'Has she stopped shivering yet?'

Dyson looked up quickly as Trick unexpectedly spoke. 'Yes, she hasn't said anything yet though.'

Trick came over and knelt beside them with a tea tray. Dyson recognised the scent of the tea Tuli had given before. 'That's her special blend, isn't it?'

'You've probably seen her drink it before,' Trick said as he poured a cup.

'Yeah, she gave me a cup the day I introduced Bo to you.'

Trick looked up suddenly, surprise written across his face. 'She gave you a cup? Of this tea? Her special blend?'

'If that's the tea with cherry, cinnamon, vanilla and a secret ingredient, then yes. Why?'

Trick finished adding the tea blend to the hot water and looked up. 'The secret ingredient is Phoenix Tears, more specifically her tears.'

Dyson had no idea what that meant, but from Trick's expression it clearly meant something. 'I haven't heard any stories about Phoenix Tears, except that if they cry over a wound it is healed.'

'You wouldn't have. Besides Phoenixes no one knows,' Trick as he settled himself on a nearby chair. 'The only reason I know...well...' Dyson nodded to show he knew what Trick was avoiding saying. 'And only then because I've known Tuli so long.'

'Perhaps you shouldn't tell me then,' Dyson said, not wanting to betray any confidences.

'Hmm...perhaps.' Trick said after a moment. 'She'll tell you eventually, if you don't figure it out before then.'

Dyson looked at Trick. 'Why me?'

Trick shook his head. 'Well, let's put it this way,' he told Dyson as he stood. 'Phoenixes are drawn to those with strong spirits, the stronger your spirit the more likely...' he trailed off with a smile and left the room.