Author's note: A bit longer this time, lets see what this puppy can do

Chapter 12: Mile High

Buffy stared out at the passing clouds as the jet cut through the night sky and as she caught her own reflection in the glass the blonde beauty noticed that she was getting paler again. Reaching into her jacket she pulled out a small vial of dark amber liquid. She studied it for a few moments before pulling the cork out of it and draining it in one gulp. Throwing her head back she let out a content sigh before settling back to her study of the clouds outside.

"You know when I was a little girl I thought you could walk on the clouds," Willow whispered causing the blonde girl to jump from her seat and bang her head against the window.

"How do you sneak up on me like that? Sneak up! On me!" she asked rather loudly while rubbing her forehead and sounding a bit miffed and frustrated at her girlfriend's ability to avoid her senses. Still in the end she quickly forgave her red-headed pixie as the sorceress snuggled up against her.

"Magic," said pixie explained and slender fingers capable of weaving magic of great destruction brushed over the now empty vial. "How many today?" she asked in a low and concerned voice.

"Three," was the dejected answer from the blonde Undying and Willow gave a sigh and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend tightly and gave her a squeeze.

"You shouldn't need that much. Everything me and Giles have read says that the Amber Nectar has worked as a blood substitute for almost six hundred years," she stated and stroked Buffy's cool cheek with her warm fingertips causing the smaller girl to lean her cheek against the palm of the witch´s hand.

"Well how many Slayers have been embraced in that time?" she asked turning her sad icy-blue eyes towards the sparkling emeralds that were Willow's soulful orbs.

"None, but I'll start working on something stronger," Willow promised firmly and pulled out her old resolve face to drive the point home. "Look I figured out how to live with a centuries old spell that was messing with my powers and our love live. I can figure this out easy," she added with a cheerful smile on her face that doused Buffy's sadness like water being poured on the embers of a dying fire.

"What would I do without you Wills?" she asked and going in for a sneaky kiss as the red-head giggled and pressed her lips against her girlfriend's.

"Probably end up tied to Luna's bed and I'm sure Faith would..." Willow started joking and was rewarded with a playful smack on the shoulder followed by another kiss.

"Speaking of Faith? I haven't seen her since we got on board," Buffy asked craning her head to look over the back of her seat and then leaning forward to look into the front of the plane. Meanwhile Willow's fingers where casually if a bit sneakily unbuttoning the top buttons of the Slayer's blouse.

"She took Xander to the bed in the back to in her words; Beat or sex a smile back onto his face," Willow deadpanned, breaking into a brief smile before just sighing heavily which made Buffy's temper rise.

"I'll go have a word with Daniel once we get back and I should never have let Xander..." she started ranting before Willow put a calming hand on her arm.

"No remember what Giles' told you last year. We're our own people and you can't protect us all the time. I mean you're good, but you're not a god Buffy," she said and pecked the Slayer mischievously on the cheek and then nibbled on her pointy ear. "Let's celebrate life together?" she whispered into it while pushing her hand under the now open blouse and that led to the blonde getting the hint as she easily pulled the Sorceress onto her lap.

"How about I make you call out for your goddess uh?" she teasingly asked as her lips found the pale skin of Willow's neck and her hand wormed it's way up under the red-head´s flowing green dress.

"Oh my goddess," was the moan that escaped Willow's lips as her girlfriend wasted no time and she could feel her stomach tensing up as her face flushed red when she heard Buffy's slightly evil chuckle. Then she felt her girlfriend's lips capture her own and teasingly she ran her tongue over pearly fangs making Buffy groan and grind her hands between the red-head's legs.

In the back of the plane Faith let out a disgusted groan as she could pick up the faint sounds of her honorary big sister joining the Mile High Club with her girlfriend. She was sitting on the small bed at the back of the Learjet with Xander's head in her lap and gently stroking his hair. His lanky frame was sprawled on the bed and their boots were scattered over the floor.

"It's not fair you know," she whispered at her sleeping not-quite-official boyfriend. "I'm supposed to be the messed up one and you're supposed to be my white knight," she went on gently running her fingers down his cheek.

"What did you see X-man?" she wondered out loud as she softly touched his bandaged hands. The Undying Queen Bitch otherwise known as Luna Largo had patched him up under the watchful eye of Willow. The red-head's magic had failed to heal him because of something to do with the dark magic in the ground or some such mumbo jumbo. She hadn't been really listening.

"Something not of this world is my guess," was her unwanted answer from the doorway and Faith glared at the owner of the voice. The petite and lithe Undying named Luna with her raven black hair falling loosely down onto her shoulders glided into the small room.

"Nobody asked you," Faith whispered harshly and put as much of her body between Xander and the dark eyed woman. Stripped of her jacket and wearing only a white blouse and slacks she would look angelic to some, but Faith knew much better.

Crossing her arms across her chest the Undying just shrugged and seemed to study Faith and Xander for a few moments before speaking.

"We're dealing with something malevolent and ancient, there is a good chance it's one of the Undying whose went too deep into the darkness or..." she stopped speaking and let out a rare sigh as she slumped into an empty chair.

"Hey LL? You alright?" Faith asked gently easing Xander's head onto a pillow and turning her attention to the deflated woman.

"LL, that's a new one," Luna replied with a thin smile on her lips as she gave a small chuckle. "You know I never thought I would end up like this," she stated much to the young woman's confusion.

"What do you mean? End up like this?" she asked while unconsciously holding onto Xander's hand as she regarded the strange woman.

"Before I met Elisabeth and later Willow, I was quite content living out my life in the shadows. Behind the scenes as you will, but these days I find myself more and more drawn into the light," she explained with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Yeah they have a habit of dragging you kicking and screaming into the light," Faith quipped and this time a peal of laughter burst from Luna's lips.

"How do you put up with it?" Luna asked with mirth dancing in her voice as she leaned back in the chair her hands behind her head as she looked up at the lights above her.

"It has its benefits. Nobody tries to make you do something you don't want to," she said her face briefly growing dark. "And you meet some pretty awesome people," she then added glancing at Xander's sleeping face. "Hey! Don't you have a Hot Witchy Girlfriend back home?" she asked teasingly and was rewarded with a cold glare. "Touchy subject uh?" she probed sensing some as Cordelia would call it juicy gossip.

"There are certain... problems in regards to my relationship with Emily," Luna explained abruptly as she closed her eyes almost if her Wiccan lover was yet another headache caused by her association with these mortals. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence as Faith knew relationship advice wasn't really her strongest topic to give advice on given her own messed up track record.

"Well does she make you happy?" Xander asked sleepily making both women look at him with surprise painted all over their faces. The young warrior's eyes were closed but there was a knowing smirk on his lips.

"How long you been..." Faith's question trailed off into silence as she felt her cheeks warming up at the thought of him having heard her being all gushy and girly.

"Not long, but LL," he said teasingly adopting Luna's new Faith given nickname. "You didn't answer my question. Does she make you happy?" he asked again half opening his eyes to regard the Undying woman.

"Yes... yes she does," she finally answered with a rare full blown smile gracing her lips as Xander just grinned.

"Then that's all that matters," he said squeezing Faith's hand that was still holding onto his own. "Then that´s all that matters," he repeated his statement almost like he was re-affirming it to himself.

Faith could only smile and squeeze his hand back as she felt the jet start to descend from the clouds. Their destination was a desolate airstrip in the shadow of a lonely mountain rising almost impossibly up out of an empty valley.

To be continued...