Jo walked around, looking at different bikes. She sighed, realizing she didn't have nearly enough to get anything decent.

"What's wrong?"

"Guess I'll be using public transit for a while."

"Why?"

"Need some time to save up."

"How much do you need?"

"Blair, I still owe you for the hospital bill."

"You never owed me anything."

"You are NOT buying me a motorcycle."

"Why? You need it, I can afford it. I don't see a problem."

"It's a problem. C'mon, we'll come back in a couple months."

Blair followed Jo to the car. They got in, but Blair didn't start the engine. "I don't understand why you won't let me do this for you."

"Are you going to let me pay rent?"

"No."

"Buy groceries?"

"No."

"Pay the utilities?"

"Of course not."

"So you're all ready supporting me. That's enough. More than enough."

"Did Catherine support you?"

"That was different," Jo growled.

"How was it different?"

"She was my boss."

"Who's your boss now?"

"Don't have one. They were gonna send somebody to Sunnydale, but I left."

"So call them and tell them to send someone here."

"No."

"Why not?"

"It doesn't work like that. If they know I'm here, they'll make me leave."

"How can they make you do anything?"

"They can hurt you again. They can hurt my mother, or my aunts and uncles, or my cousins. Hell, they can hurt me. Physically. A lot, because they know I'll recover."

"What did they do to you, Jo? You never used to be afraid."

"I never knew how much I could lose."

Blair reached over and took Jo's hand. "I'm not going anywhere, and you aren't leaving again."

"Blair," Jo began.

"No, Jo. You're mine, and I'm going to take care of you."

"Look, I know you have money, and I know seven grand is nothing to you, but it's a lot to me."

"You go out every night and do what you can to make it safer for people you don't even know. You don't get paid to do this. No one helps you. I want to help you, Jo. You won't let me go out with you, so all I can do is make a home for you, and make sure you have whatever tools you need."

"Fine," Jo huffed. "You win."

"Thank you," Blair smiled and opened her door. "Make sure the seat's big enough for both of us," she said before stepping out of the car.

Jo followed Blair back to Wellesley, wondering how, exactly, Blair convinced her to get the biggest machine she could handle, the one with everything on it. At least it was black, and after it got some dirt on it, might not stand out so much.

She pulled into the garage behind Blair and put the bike in the space next to Blair's Mercedes convertible. Blair popped the trunk before getting out and locking her car. "Will you take me for a ride tomorrow?"

"Don't you have school?"

"Tomorrow's Saturday." Blair handed Jo a bag and closed the trunk. Jo followed her to the elevator. They stopped in the lobby, so Blair could make sure there would be no problem with Jo's motorcycle, then went up to the apartment. She went to the living room and picked up the phone, pressed one of the speed dial buttons while Jo stood, holding the bag.

When Blair finished the call, she directed Jo to put the bag in the bedroom. It took Jo longer than Blair thought it would, and she wasn't surprised when Jo was in what she was beginning to think of as her work clothes when she returned.

For the first time, Blair looked at them objectively. Everything showed signs of wear, and the leather jacket and pants needed to be cleaned. The boots would last a little while, but the shirt was showing its age. She nodded a little, making a mental list.

"Don't even think it, Blair."

"Sit down. The pizza takes a while." Blair smiled.

Jo shrugged the jacket off and carefully folded it over the arm of the sofa. She sat next to Blair.

"Will you take me on a ride tomorrow?"

"Sure. Where you wanna go?"

"It's the journey, not the destination."

Jo laughed. "Thought you didn't get philosophy."

"I get some of it. It's a lot easier than chemistry."

When Jo started to get a dark look on her face, Blair moved closer and put her arm around Jo. "Don't. You didn't want to go, remember?"

"Yeah." Jo turned her head. Blair was right there, so Jo kissed her.

Again, it was the phone that interrupted them. Jo growled, and Blair smiled at her. When she finished the call, she stood up and held out her hand. "C'mon."

When they finished eating, Jo left. It was quiet. By midnight, she hadn't encountered anything, and turned back toward the apartment.

Blair was at her desk, and turned in her chair to look at Jo with concern. "Are you all right?"

"I'm great. It's dead out there, excuse the pun."

"That's good, right?"

"I hope so."

Blair stood and stretched. "I was thinking about heading to bed."

"Don't let me stop you." Jo removed her jacket. "As soon as I change, I'll be outta your way," she said, and walked to the bedroom.

Blair was right behind her. "You're not in my way."

Jo sat on the bed and bent over to take off her boots. Blair knelt on the floor and took over. She removed Jo's boots and set them aside. Jo stared, and her eyes remained fixed on Blair as she stood up and unbuttoned the cuffs of her shirt before moving to the strip of buttons down the front.

Jo stood up and seized Blair's wrists. "Not yet," she choked out. To soften her actions, she kissed Blair gently before releasing her. She stepped sideways, away from Blair, and left the room.

Blair stood there for nearly a minute before remembering what she was doing. She moved Jo's boots over by her bag and hung the jacket in the closet. She found Jo's sleep clothes near to the top of the bag and put them on the bed. Blair changed into a nightgown, put on a robe, and went out to the living room.

Jo paced in front of the window, but stopped when she knew Blair was there. She looked at her.

Blair stopped halfway into the room. "Come to bed, Jo."

"I will."

Blair moved closer and held out her hand. "Now," she asked.

Jo stared for a moment, looking from Blair's hand to her face, and found herself moving forward.

When she got in bed, Jo was careful to stay away from Blair, but Blair wasn't having it. She scooted over, lifted Jo's arm, and stretched along Jo's side. Jo put her arm around her while Blair snuggled into her. "Sweet dreams."

"'Night, Princess."

In the morning, Blair was all over her. Jo moved her arms around Blair and buried her face in Blair's hair. It was the first night since Catherine's death that Jo slept without dreams of blood and screaming. Blair did that, Jo knew, just like she knew Blair was the one for her. Jo wasn't in as much of a hurry to settle into domesticity as Blair was, though.

Blair moved, raised her head. "Hi."

"Hi." Jo smiled.

"Time's it?"

"Early."

"Mmmm." Blair returned her head to Jo's chest. "You ready to get up?"

"Not if you're comfortable."

Blair chuckled. "We'll be here forever." She slid her hand under Jo's sleeve and gripped her upper arm. "Last night," she began tentatively, relieved when Jo didn't immediately stop her. "Why did you stop me?"

"Too much too soon."

"Hmmm."

"It hasn't even been a week."

"I understand."

"Do you?"

Blair raised her head. "Yes. I've been waiting for you, but you didn't know that."

"Yeah."

"I can wait a little longer."

"Thank you," Jo said, relief evident in her tone.

"So I guess we should get up. It's going to be a nice day."

"Decided where you want to go?"

"Mystic," Blair said.

"What's that?"

"It's a town in Connecticut. They have some great museums."

"Sounds fun," Jo said unenthusiastically.

"You'll like it." Blair got out of bed and put her robe on. "And it's not too far, less than two hours."

"All right." Jo sat on the edge of the bed.

"Get dressed," Blair instructed, "and I'll make coffee."

It was a nice ride. It was bright and clear, and the foliage was still colorful. Blair directed Jo to the Mystic Seaport Museum. She held Jo's hand while they walked through the exhibits, smiling at Jo's enthusiasm and curiosity about the old ships. They had lunch at the Seaman's Inne, and continued exploring until dusk.

When Jo noticed the time, she apologized to Blair. "We gotta go."

"I know."

"We can come back, right?"

"Certainly," Blair smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"I'd like almost anything if you were there."

"I may have to test that theory."

"I said almost," Jo cautioned.

They stopped for dinner on the way back, and Jo went upstairs with Blair, who followed her to the bedroom and watched Jo gear up for patrol.

"I still can't believe you use a piece of wood more than anything else."

Jo shrugged. "Simple creatures, simple tool."

"You'll be careful?"

"Always."

Jo tried to leave, but Blair stopped her. She kissed Jo thoroughly before turning her toward the door with a smack on the butt.

Jo went first to the coffee shop. It wasn't busy, and Amy leaned on the counter so they could talk quietly. "How was dinner?"

"My mom's a lousy cook, but the company's good. Did you find them?"

"Yeah. There any more I need to worry about?"

Amy shook her head. "Just stragglers until the next bunch migrates out here."

Jo nodded.

"You should get a priest to bless your girlfriend's place, just to be safe."

"Yeah, I'm gonna go to mass tomorrow morning. I'll talk to Father afterward."

"Talk to Father Mike," the vampire suggested, and described him. "He'll be a little more receptive to your uh, status."

"How's that?"

"Vampire killed his sister."

"Gotcha. How do you know where I'm staying?"

"Please," Amy said condescendingly. "This is a small town. Big fish like Blair Warner just stops doing everything but going to class because some hot leather chick showed up is big news."

"So, what, everybody knows my business?"

"Not all of it. But you are the topic of discussion in several circles. The sooner she goes back to what she was doing, the sooner it will stop."

"Great," Jo sighed.

"Let her show you off a little."

"Do you know her or something?"

"I've seen her once or twice, but mostly it's what I hear."

"Great," Jo sighed again.

"Back to work," Amy said cheerfully.

"Easy for you to say," Jo muttered, and stalked out of the coffee shop.

She walked back to the apartment building and went down to the garage. She followed the signs into Boston, and soon found the part of town she was looking for. She parked her bike behind a diner and started walking the streets.

Jo thought again how alike vampires and rats were as she stalked her prey through the shadows. There were again dozens of them lying in wait, and she went through them without much thought.

After the bars closed, it got quieter on the main strip, and Jo decided to call it a night. She stopped in the diner and ate a huge breakfast, then went back to get her bike, happy that it was where she left it and appeared untouched.

Without traffic, the ride back took only 20 minutes. She went upstairs, took a shower, and got into bed. She woke at sunrise and slipped out of bed. She dressed in her last set of clean clothes, thinking that her mother would have a fit if she saw her going to mass looking like she did.

While Jo waited for the coffee to brew, she thought about calling her mother. If she and Blair stayed together, there would be no way she could stay invisible. They would be in New York, and photographers were unavoidable. She'd seen Blair in the Times several times, mostly at holidays and during the summer when she went with one parent or the other to a charitable function.

There were other things to consider, too. Once her mother knew she was back, she would insist that Jo see the rest of her family. She would have to explain where she was and what she did. Not to mention facing the disappointment of all of them, who expected her to be the first one on either side of the family to go to college.

Jo fixed her coffee and went into the living room. She stood at the window, thinking for the first time about all of the implications of her decision to return to Blair. After half an hour, her coffee was cold and she was sick of thinking. Things would play out however they would, and she could do nothing but deal with events as they occurred. She put the coffee in the sink, grabbed her jacket from the sofa and left.

Jo was the youngest person at early mass. She recognized Father Mike leading the service, and after he dismissed them, she approached him.

"Father."

"How can I help you?"

"I'm Jo, Jo Polniaczek. I'm new here, and a friend suggested I ask you to bless my apartment."

"I'll be happy to, Jo."

"I need you to be real thorough. My, uh, my roommate doesn't really understand what's out there."

"Out there?"

"After dark."

"Ah, it's you."

"Excuse me?"

"I was told you'd be coming."

"So you know who I am?"

"I do. It's a small world, Jo." Father Mike smiled, remembering the series of phone calls he received about her. The first was almost a year ago, from a seminary classmate assigned to a small town in California; the most recent a few nights ago from the sister he still missed. "I can come by this afternoon."

"Thank you, Father." She gave him the address.

"I'll be there around two."

"Thanks again."

Blair was gone when Jo returned, but a note waited on the refrigerator. "Jo, I went to church. I'll be back before noon. Love, Blair."

Blair carried a bag of food when she came back. While they ate, Jo told her that she'd asked a priest to bless the apartment.

"Great minds," Blair smiled.

"Oh?"

"I asked my minister to do the same thing. He'll be here around four."

"Father Mike's coming at two."

"Good."

"I need to do some laundry."

"Um, I usually just take everything to the cleaner."

"I don't have anything else to wear."

"Guess we'll have to correct that, won't we?"

"No, WE won't. I'll get some stuff tomorrow."

"You're going to need more than used clothes."

"Don't be such a snob."

"I'm not. Well, I guess I am, but there are some things coming up that need more than jeans."

"Like what? And when were you going to tell me?"

"Parties. Dinners. Dinner parties. It's quiet now, but as the holidays get closer, there'll be several." Blair smiled at Jo. "I'd love you to be my escort. Will you go with me, Jo?"

Jo let her sweat for nearly a minute. "Yes," she said finally.

"Thank you. So we can go clothes shopping this week?"

"Only if you don't go overboard."

"I like going overboard. Especially for you."

"I noticed."

"You like it, too," Blair smiled.

"Not really."

"So you don't like the motorcycle?"

"I like it fine."

"I rest my case." Blair stood up and took their plates from the table to the sink. When she turned back to get the glasses and cutlery, Jo was right behind her with them in her hands. She reached around Blair and put them in the sink. When she tried to move away, Blair stopped her.

Jo allowed a few kisses before she forced herself away and moved to the doorway. "So, uh, is the laundry in the basement or what?"

"I don't really know. Call the lobby and ask."

"No laundry," Jo reported a few minutes later when Blair joined her on the couch. "Closest place is a block away." She checked the time. "Guess I'll have to go tonight."

"I have all morning classes tomorrow, so we can go find you some clothes tomorrow afternoon."

Jo rolled her eyes. "I don't suppose we can just go someplace around here."

"I'd rather go to New York."

"Tell you what," Jo suggested. "Let me get everyday stuff tomorrow, and we'll go to New York when you finish classes Friday. I mean, your mom still has a place in the city, right?"

Blair lit up. "That's a great idea! Mother's in Europe somewhere, so we'll have it to ourselves. I'll let the staff know we're coming."

Jo made a face at the mention of staff. "And I'll go down and see Ma Sunday morning."

Blair became serious. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"I think I do," Jo replied after a few seconds' thought.

The phone rang, and Jo answered it since she was closer. When she hung up, she told Blair, "Father Mike's early."

Jo let him into the apartment when he knocked on the door, and made introductions. They let him perform his duties. Jo noted that he made certain to mark both sides of all the doorways and didn't forget the windows. When he finished, Jo left Blair to make conversation while she got coffee for all of them. He didn't stay long, and Jo walked him to the elevator.

While they waited for it, he told Jo, "I marked your door before going in."

"Thank you."

"She's a keeper, Jo."

"Uh, she," Jo fumbled.

"I know what doctrine says. I also know that love is the most sacred of the commandments." The elevator arrived, and he entered the car. "See you Sunday."

"We'll be away."

"The week after, then."

"Definitely. Thank you again, Father."

"Stay safe."

Jo nodded as the doors closed. She went back to the apartment. "I'm gonna go take care of the laundry now."

"I'll come with you."

Jo nodded and went to the bedroom. She took everything but her clothes out of the duffel. Blair waited by the door, their jackets over her arm, when she returned.

It didn't take long for Jo's clothes to wash and dry, and she folded them neatly and repacked them in the clean bag. They were back at the apartment in an hour and a half, and split the Sunday paper between them while they waited for Blair's minister.

He was more uptight than Father Mike, performed a cursory blessing and excused himself.

Once he was gone, Jo returned to the paper. She paid special attention to the crime news, but found nothing remarkable.

Jo woke at mid-morning. She dressed, gathered some cash, and left the apartment. She grabbed a cup of coffee and walked toward the first vampire lair. She was pleased that it was still empty, and took her time going through the place. It held a lot of junk, but she found more cash and some nice jewelry. She eyed the computers, but had no idea what she was looking at, and left them.

At the second house, she found and staked two sleeping vampires. She searched the place, taking cash and jewelry and leaving the other items. There was a telephone directory in the kitchen, and she used it to locate pawnshops. Two were close to the Goodwill store, so Jo began the walk.

She sold a few items in each shop, then went to the Goodwill. She found three pair of jeans, one of them black, and several shirts. The checkout clerk gave her directions to the nearest department store, and Jo went there next to get socks and underwear. From there, she returned to the Laundromat to wash all her purchases. It was nearly dark when she got back to the apartment.

Blair wasn't there, which worried Jo a little. She put her clothes away in the drawer Blair emptied for her use, and hung her jeans in the closet. Then she went into the living room and began to pace.

Two hours later, Blair came in, her arms full of bags.

"Are you all right?" Jo went to the door and took some of them. "Where have you been?"

"I'm fine, Jo. Did you have dinner yet? I got Thai. How was your day?"

Jo settled down when she was sure Blair was unhurt. "It was fine. I got some stuff."

"Anything special?"

"Nah. What's all this?"

"Groceries." Blair put the takeout bags on the table and started unpacking the others. Jo watched her, noting where things went. When Blair finished, she pulled plates from the cabinet and looked at Jo for the first time. "No patrol tonight?"

"Later. I was waiting for you."

"Unpack the food," Blair said, and finished getting the things they would need to eat.

Jo went out late, after dinner and cleaning up and several steamy kisses. She was glad she had the ride into Boston to cool off.

"I'll be late tomorrow night," Blair told Jo over Tuesday dinner.

"How late and why?"

"Study group at the library. We usually finish around 8:30."

"I'll pick you up."

"That'll be nice."

Jo's ears rang with Amy's unsolicited advice to let Blair show her off. "Should I worry about dinner?"

"Just yours."

Jo arrived at the library at 8:15. She entered, looked around, and decided to wait in the entrance. She tried not to pace. Ten minutes later, Blair appeared, several young women with her. She smiled at Jo, took her hand, and introduced her to her friends.

Jo exchanged greetings with each of the five, and offered to walk them to their dorms. Blair squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek, and her friends laughed at Jo's blush but accepted her offer.

After Jo accompanied Blair to the apartment, she decided to walk through the campus again. It was still quiet, and shortly after midnight, she went to the coffee shop, got her regular order and waited for Amy to join her.

"What's new, Slayer?"

"Nothing. Anything I need to know about?"

"Apart from you and Blair being the cutest couple ever, no."

"Who told you that?"

"I have my sources," Amy grinned cheekily.

"The whole stalker vibe is a real turnoff."

"Oh, c'mon. I told you, it's a small town. I have great hearing."

Jo glared at her.

"All right, all right, my roommate saw you doing laundry."

"Great," Jo sighed.

Amy winked at her. "Gotta go. Be careful out there."

The rest of the night, and the rest of the week, was quiet. When Blair returned from class on Friday, Jo had their bags waiting, and they left without delay, and arrived before 4 p.m. The apartment was empty, Jo noted happily, and she followed Blair to her room, a bag in each hand.

"We can get started shopping now," Blair suggested.

"Can't we just, you know, take a walk or something?"

"Excuses won't save you, Jo."

"You'll be draggin' me around all day tomorrow," Jo pleaded.

"Fine," Blair relented. "We'll take a walk and get some dinner. I suppose it's too much to ask that you take a night off so we can go to the theatre or something."

"Next time."

"You know I'll hold you to that."

"Wouldn't expect anything else." Jo picked up their coats, which Blair carried up, and they left.

The streets were busy, but they didn't notice. Jo let Blair lead her through the streets. They talked and laughed, and Blair did some window-shopping. They had an early dinner, with a bottle of wine, and walked leisurely back to the apartment. Jo ignored, other than checking that they were safe, the warning tingles on the back of her neck.

Jo tried to leave Blair in the lobby, but Blair held on to her hand, and Jo rode the elevator with her. When she tried to leave, Blair told her, "I hate being here alone."

"You can't come with me."

"You could stay."

"And do what?"

Blair kissed her, holding nothing back. They were both breathing hard when they separated minutes later. "We talked about this," Jo said.

"No, I don't think we did," Blair said, gently guiding Jo deeper into the penthouse. "We talked about sex, and we agreed to wait, but you didn't say anything about kissing."

"Is that was that was?"

Blair kissed her again. After a time, she left Jo's lips, leaving a line of kisses along her jaw. "Stay," she said huskily, and continued her exploration along Jo's neck.

Jo shifted her head to allow it and slipped out of her jacket. It fell to the floor, where Blair's joined it moments later. Jo pulled Blair's blouse out of her skirt and slid her hands up her back. Blair smiled and made her way back to Jo's lips, one hand on her rear, the other massaging the back of Jo's head.

Neither knew how much time passed before they slowed and finally stopped. "Stay," Blair asked again.

Jo nodded.

They were in Bloomingdale's at 10:05 a.m. Jo deliberately dressed in the most worn jeans she had, the sneakers she should have thrown out in Georgia, and one of the shirts she bought earlier in the week. Blair recognized the tantrum and pretended she didn't notice. Everything was clean, and making Jo change would only take time and leave them both out of sorts.

Jo obediently tried on everything Blair suggested. She had to admit that Blair was choosing things that matched her tastes, and that she really enjoyed the look on Blair's face when she stepped out of the dressing room in some of the selections.

That was the start of a really long day. By the end of it, the driver had carried dozens of bags to the car, and Jo was worn out. She lost count of how many times she changed her clothes before they left the first store. She wasn't even sure what time it was, only that it was dark and she was hungry.

Jo's arms were full of bags. Blair carried a few, and the driver made two trips with the rest. Jo smelled food, dropped the bags on the couch, and detoured to the kitchen. There was no one there, so Jo checked the oven. It was full of casserole dishes. "Yes!" she said and started looking for potholders.

"In the drawer on the left," Blair said from the doorway, amused. "Though it won't be ready until the timer goes off."

Jo looked at the stove and sighed. Another 20 minutes.

"C'mon, we'll figure out what you're going to wear to see your mother."

"No," Jo said firmly. "You pick something. I'm done."

"You just have to look," Blair coaxed.

Jo sighed. "I don't wanna," she whined.

Blair laughed and held out her hand. "C'mon."

They went back to the living room and Jo frowned at the pile of bags. "Please tell me some of this is for you."

"Some of it," Blair agreed, and started going through bags. She pulled a pair of pants from one bag, a blouse from another, shoes from a third, and showed the combination to Jo.

"Perfect," Jo said. She didn't really care what she wore, but Blair obviously did. A few minutes later, Blair showed her a dress and pair of shoes. "Unh unh, I like the pants."

"This is for me."

"In that case, it's great." The timer went off and Jo jumped up.