"This tavern rocks!" Brittany shouted at Willow over the pounding drums and flutes. She wriggled her butt side to side in her chair, her eyes shining. Willow was having trouble enjoying herself. She'd barely even finished one drink.

Dawn smiled, pleased that Brittany liked the music. To her, she hated it, although she'd never tell them that. Brittany was all about having fun, which was definitely not her thing at the moment.

She'd rather be searching for her sister and Xander then listening to Roman chants and music.

"Come on girls," Brittany said, standing up. "Let's dance."

Willow shook her head. "That's okay," she said. "You can dance."

"Dawn?" Brittany asked, tugging at her dress. "Come on!"

Dawn liked, always enjoyed dancing. She was good at it, and it made her feel good every time she did it. However she was sure her style was not with the times. She hesitated, glancing at Willow, who raised her light eyebrows, challenging her. Willow's look told her that if she went with Brittany, she would think less of her.

Dawn shook her head. "Nah, I'm okay," she said.

Brittany grabbed Dawn's hand and pushed her way into the center of the tavern with Dawn stumbling after her. Then Brittany began to dance, her arms raised high over her head, kicking her feet out in front of her and shaking her body. She definitely knew how to dance.

Dawn nodded her head up and down and waggled her knees to the beat, making sure she didn't seem too strange.

Brittany reached out and clasped Dawn's hips, rocking them back and forth and around, mimicking what her hips were doing. Dawn laughed and Brittany smiled and they both closed their eyes, getting down to the music. Dawn let Brittany be in control, letting her body follow hers. It really didn't matter to Dawn that she was dancing with a fool or that she was the only one in the tavern wearing a dress. She was having fun, and that was the only thing that mattered.

Alone at the bar, Willow finished her drink and then Dawn's. Then she got up and went to sit down next to a man, looking late in his fifties.

"You look wonderful," the man remarked when she approached him. He was mesmerized by her red hair and cute smile.

"Thanks," Willow said, smiling back at him. "I haven't been told that lately."

"Well you should be told that every day," he said. He held his hand out. "I'm Cato. What's your name?"

"Willow," she told him. She wondered if he was only being nice to her because she was pretty.

"What brings you here, Willow?" Cato said. He took his cup and drank down the last drops of rum.

"Just came here to have fun," she said.

"Well," Cato said. "I see you brought two other ladies with you. How come you're not dancing with them?"

"I'm not in the mood. My friends are missing and I am pretty upset that I haven't found any trace of them."

Cato squeezed a few limes into his drink. He pushed it toward her. "Try this," he said. "It'll make you feel better."

Willow picked up the glass and tasted it. It tasted sweet and bitter at the same time, and she couldn't taste any alcohol in it. It was good.

"Why are you here, Cato?" Willow said.

"Kiss me," Cato said, with an absolutely sober face.

Willow put her drink down and leaned to the side. Her friends can dance their butts off for all she cared.

She eased herself into the kiss slowly, drawing out the delicious taste of rum on his lips, wanting it to last. At the point of his tongue entering her mouth, she felt herself resist, just a little, as anyone would, because he was old, some odd element of him striking her.

They were well beyond losing oxygen, as their mouths did all the communicating they needed. Cato continued to kiss her, his eyes closed, caught up in the pleasure he was experiencing while resisting the urge to run his hands down her back.

There was no way of knowing how long the kiss was, but for Willow, the separation from the man brought her a tremendous sense of comfort and happiness.

Cato looked over Willow, who was blushing. "That was nice."

Willow was absolutely delighted. She could see at the center of the tavern that Dawn and Brittany were still involved with dancing, oblivious to what she had just done. Her mind was racing. What should she do now?

Anxiously, Willow bent her head to the side and enveloped her mouth with Cato's, pressing her tongue against his teeth with such force that he let out a little gasp. Cato opened his mouth and let Willow thrust her tongue deep into his throat. Willow had kissed guys before, but not like this. 'Is this what I should be doing?' she wondered, suddenly feeling regretful of what she was doing. She reached up and pushed against Cato's chest, pulling her head away from him, desperate for air.

"I shouldn't have done that," Willow mumbled.

Cato watched Willow bit her nails nervously.

"I enjoyed that," he said. "But I don't think it's something you should regret."

"Willow!" Dawn said. Her voice sounded very small and urgent from far away. "Let's go searching for Buffy and Xander. I'm tired of dancing."

"Right now?" Willow said. She looked up. Both Dawn and Brittany were walking toward her, a worried frown on each of their faces.

"Did you girls just say Buffy and Xander?" Cato said, letting his head fall back on his chair. He felt completely numb. "They once stayed over my house."

All of the three girls glanced at Cato. They couldn't believe what they heard. "This is some joke, right?" Dawn asked, giving Cato a disgusted look.

Cato stared at her, his eyes wide and trusting. "I wouldn't lie to you..." he said, and then he blushed. "I mean, are you girls friends with them or what?"

Brittany frowned. She fished in her purse for a picture of them, and then pulled out a photo of Buffy and Xander. "Well, do these people ring a bell?" she asked.

Cato's eyes lit up. "Yes! Oh thank the gods!"

Brittany raised her eyebrows playfully. "How do we know you're not lying just to get our company?"

Cato's mouth was open, the corners of it quavering up and then down. He couldn't believe that he had stumbled across friends of the two.

The only thing Cato could imagine that would gain their trust was what he knew from their actions.

"They acted strange and weird, like they weren't from this time period," Cato said.

The corners of Brittany's mouth spread wide and she smiled, knowing for sure the man was not faking.

"You're telling the truth," Willow said. She took a deep breath and let her head fall back against her chair.

Cato stood up, motioning to the exit. "Come," he said. "I will tell you all what happened between Buffy and Xander."

As they sped past the people in the tavern, none of the girls couldn't stop smiling. They had finally gotten lucky.

Unnumbered minutes later, when the note was finally completed, Xander decided he had time to go outside the house. He wrapped the piece of paper Silanus had written his infidelity on and was placing it in his pouch when a storm of cotton grass seeds blew past his face. "Beauty of this earth," Xander whispered, mocking Cimberius' words earlier that day.

He saw several birds on the branches of the apple tree outside Silanus' home. They were twisting and turning and pointing their beaks toward the clouds as they plotted their destination and made their courses north.

Within seconds, Xander noticed the sun. It was inches below the horizon. Shading his eyes, he watched it disappear completely. The sky turned pitch black, the clouds turned gray, and twilight was upon Gerasa. The sun had set. He feared that Septimius Severus' legion had left the city but he had kept an eye on the main street since he brought Silanus home to write the note to Duratius. They would have to pass by Silanus' home if they were to leave the city.

"You hurt my feelings," a voice said from behind.

Xander winced at the voice and turned around to see Antonia. She stood with her arms hanging down on her sides, waiting for Xander to say something.

He studied her with his light brown eyes. He held the note now in one hand and slapped it into the palm of the other. "You better not keep Silanus waiting," he said and then added, "He might get angry."

"You don't have a good memory do you? I told you I don't care about him."

"Yeah? You don't care about people you fuck?" He walked underneath the apple tree into the pitch black darkness. "Antonia, I don't want to deal with you right now."

"I don't know why you hate me so much."

"I don't hate you, Antonia. I really wonder, though, Antonia. You said you didn't care about Silanus... Do you say the same thing to Silanus about me? You see, I figure you play to each guy's wishes. It makes sense to see how Duratius was surprised that you were cheating on him. That's just what I'm thinking."

Antonia glared at him. "I said I don't care about him."

He rested his hand against the side of the tree. "I can't think of why I should believe you. Actually, no, I don't believe you. The only question in my mind is... How do I get this girl away from me?"

Antonia thought fast, then acted just as fast. She lifted her right knee as if to hit him in the groin where she knew it would hurt him bad. He lowered his arm and stepped back, to protect himself. In that one second while he was off balance, Antonia ran back to the house. As soon as she reached the house, she opened the door and rushed in.

Xander sighed, leaning his head against the tree. "Phew."

He moved softly away from the tree through the dark shadows.

From inside Silanus' home, Antonia watched Xander head down the street. Her heart swelled with pain. "I hate you, Xander," she said softly, rubbing the tears out from her eyes.

Silanus came down the stairs and saw Antonia staring sadly out of a window. "Everything okay, Antonia?"

"Yes," she said. She refused to say anything else and was soon drowsy.

Silanus stood next to Antonia, resting his chin on her shoulder. "It's all right, Antonia," he said. "Now we don't have to deal with him any more. Why don't you join me to bed?"

Antonia would have said no, but after Xander had said those mean words to her, she nodded, and with her hands moved Silanus' mouth in for a kiss. The kiss put both of them at rest.

"You want me to invite Melantha and June over?" Silanus asked Antonia between kisses.

"Yes, but I'm not done with you yet," she said.

"Well let's go up to my room, and you can tell me when you're ready."

Antonia grinned. "I will. This is going to be so much fun, isn't it?"

Silanus broke the kiss and smiled. "Yes it will be."

He kissed Antonia one more time and carried her up to the stairs. Antonia half-awake, tried to protest but gave up instead to giggling with glee. The two were going to have sex again. She wanted to have it, just to have pleasure, and to let Silanus know how much she cared about him.

During his walk through the streets, Xander came to understand why Antonia would try to hurt him. At first he thought she was doing it out of sheer spite for him not returning her love, but as he walked, he knew he probably had offended her too much. He regretted what he had said for a second. But he figured, when she went back in Silanus' home, she would be with Silanus. Have sex with him. The more he thought about it, the more it made him angry. Sometimes it struck him, more often than he would have liked, how people could be so unfaithful and two-faced.

He didn't feel it was just the Roman people that were two-faced. If he ever returned to Sunnydale, it would be the same thing. 'People don't change. Even over centuries and millennia,' Xander thought, stepping over some rocks on the road.

Xander walked past the marketplace, the church, graveyard. He would not stop until he reached Gerasa's military camp. There he would join up with Septimius Severus' legion towards Rome. 'That is, if I'm still in the legion,' Xander thought worriedly. His punctuality had to be questioned by Severus.

He scratched his head. 'What's a good excuse?' Xander glanced down at his note in one hand. He shook his head. 'Nope.'

Pulcher was arguing with one of his guards when Tullia came into the room. Pulcher grinned at his friend. "Man, am I glad to see you! Every guard I've spoken to wants me to kill Arpineius, and I can't take it much longer!"

They both sat down on two chairs opposite each other, grinning. Pulcher looked his usual mean, uptight self. That meant everything was going well.

"Some of the men came by to see me a while ago. They wanted to tell me to free the prisoners."

"That's what I heard," Pulcher said. "Do you think I should?"

"I don't know. One of them said he saw Considius laughing with one of our men and couldn't believe that Considius had chains on him. He mostly came to me to rub it in about the assault here though. We did lose five good men."

Only hours ago Pulcher had led his fourteen men into the Praetorian Guard camp, killing most of the guards ordered to ambush them. The two worked together the best during the ambush, they were two of a kind, and they both knew it.

Pulcher grinned at Tullia. "How many of Arpineius' men did we kill?"

"His men?" Tullia asked, trying to think. "I recall about twenty-five."

"Well you can tell the man who complained that we being outnumbered by twice our men and only getting five killed is an enormous victory." He thought for a minute. "A very enormous victory."

"I know," Tullia said with a grin. He'd always respected Pulcher but now, for the first time, he felt like he was an equal. And all because Pulcher was talking militarily with him.

Pulcher looked out a window. "Uh..." he sounded very casual. "How's Arpineius?"

"I just left his cell," Tullia said, and Pulcher could tell Tullia was debating whether or not he should tell him the truth or not. "He's doing well. I don't know if it's the best we can give him but-"

Pulcher's jaw line went white as he swore between clenched teeth.

"Tullia, what happened?"

"Uh... well... I caught and stopped him from killing himself. He was using one of the splinters of wood in his cell to cut his throat."

"Is anyone watching him?"

"Yes, I have two men making sure he doesn't harm himself."

"We gotta keep him alive no matter what the costs," Pulcher said. His voice was hard. "We gotta make sure the Emperor is comfortable. For our sake."

Pulcher leaned back against the chair, staring up at the ceiling.

Tullia stood and left, knowing better than to talk to Pulcher when he was in one of his bad moods.

"Aware Tarquin, Diodotus, and Antistius of our victory," Pulcher ordered impatiently. He didn't need to hear a response from Tullia to know he would do as he said. He trusted Tullia and he knew Tullia trusted him.

Cimberius was standing outside the front gate to Gerasa's military camp, looking so angry that Xander almost turned and went back to Silanus' home again. Cimberius was leaning against the gate with his hands crammed underneath his armor. His jaw was firm, and his eyes held that dark, menacing look that he had when he had slashed Acacia in the stomach.

To Xander's surprise, his greeting was a question.

"Where the fuck have you been?"

"I showed Silanus how I felt about him," Xander said. "And I got a written apology by him to Duratius about his affair with his wife."

Cimberius' eyes fell to the paper in Xander's hand. "You wasted all that time for that? A note?"

"Well, it's important. If I don't have any proof to give Duratius, I could get seriously hurt. I just don't want to be looking over my shoulder every time I'm with Severus' army." Xander resented the frustration in his friend's voice. "I would have told you if I saw you, but it would have taken more time."

"You're lucky you weren't the only person late for departure."

"Then what are you angry about? How could you expect me to be on time with all this bullshit that's going on in my life?"

"I thought maybe you'd think this was important." The fury seemed suddenly to go out of him. "Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been angry. I was just worried you wouldn't be on time."

"So we were delayed not just because of me?" Xander asked gently.

"Yes, there were a few other men that decided to sleep late. One of them being Septimius Severus."

"Wow." Xander paused, trying to think what to say next. "Do you want to go someplace to eat before we go? I'm hungry."

"No thanks." Cimberius looked up at the sky. "We are about to go, anyway."

"Where's Severus' men?" Xander asked curiously.

"They're inside."

"You want to go in?"

Xander didn't wait for him to answer, and went into the camp. When Xander turned back, Cimberius was still standing in the same position. His arms were clasped tightly around his chest.

Xander wondered what could be making his friend wait behind. "Cimberius?"

"You'd better get a good excuse ready," Cimberius said gruffly. "Severus wants to see you."

"You're kidding," Xander said, his heart starting to pound.

Cimberius followed Xander past the gate and pulled the gate shut. They stood still without speaking while both of their eyes became adjusted to the dark. Gradually the camp began to grow lighter, and Xander realized there was a moon slicing through the edge of a cloud.

"You better get going, my friend," Cimberius said, echoing his friend's thoughts.

Xander panicked. "I don't know where to find him."

"The tent at the far back corner. Hurry."

Xander began to walk in that direction, and Cimberius fell in step beside him. The path along the camp was so familiar that Xander's feet knew every inch by heart. It was Cimberius who stumbled and Xander took his arm to steady him.

"Too many rocks," Cimberius grumbled.

"I know." He let Cimberius go when he gained his balance. "So you'll be outside the tent when I'm done?"

Cimberius nodded. "Yes. Now go!" he insisted.

Xander was so startled that he left Cimberius and raced towards the tent. The moonlight came up from behind him, and for a second he thought he was racing against the moon. 'Luckily I have a good excuse to save my own skin,' Xander thought calmly, trying to keep his heart beat down.

Cornelius took in his friend Cato and three young women into his home. He couldn't help grabbing Cato's hand and whispering in his ear, "How much did you pay them?"

"They came here on their own accord," Cato admitted confidently, and proceeded to lead the three ladies toward the living room with his arms draped over their shoulders.

Cornelius could not believe his weird friend would get three women to join him for the evening; he had too many screws loose in his head for that to work. He looked at the three women, all of them staring up at him and Cato, and wondered what could drive them to be around with such an old man.

Cornelius closed the door, shaking his head. He had never seen Cato bring home one girl, not even when he and his friend spent countless nights at bars, he knew there had to be an explanation.

"I see you brought home three beautiful guests, Cato! Introduce me, will you?" Cornelius said, almost too forcefully.

Cato pointed imperviously at the couch so the three women could sit.

They sat, but grudgingly, and with a little flounce on their dresses.

Cornelius paced around the room, arms folded, waiting for his friend. "Well?"

Cato swallowed, squirmed a little, waited for his butterflies to leave his stomach or at least subside. There would be no way to fully convince his friend Cornelius that he hadn't paid the women to come.

Cato pointed at the black-haired woman. "Cornelius, this is Brittany." To the younger brown-haired one. "Dawn." Then to the red-headed woman he had made out with at the tavern. "And Willow."

Cornelius shook his head in disbelief. Whether Cato met these women on a different planet or they had made up their names to him, he didn't know. He started to speak, but was cut off by Dawn.

"Cornelius huh? That's probably the most common name we've heard here in Rome," she said, smiling at her two friends at her sides. They both gave her a questionable glance.

"Right," Cornelius said simply. He glared at Cato. "Can I talk to you for a moment in private?"

Cato nodded reluctantly. He followed Cornelius into the kitchen.

The three women watched them in amusement and then back at each other.

"What's wrong? Was it something I said?" Dawn asked them.

Willow shook her head. "I think it's something else."

The kitchen door closed. "What are you doing, Cato?" Cornelius asked. "You think my home is some sort of brothel now?"

"No," Cato said quickly. He knew why the women were there but it couldn't be so easily described to Cornelius. "These girls know my former friends."

"And you expect me to be stupid enough to believe you?" Cornelius had made it to the kitchen counter, and he studied his friend's eyes.

"I hope so," Cato said, glancing nervously towards the door.

Cornelius sighed and settled back, his hands resting on the counter. "I would never call you a liar, Cato," he said. "But the truth is, there is no way I can believe you bring home three women without paying them for pleasure. So be a man and tell me."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Cato said, his usually straight shoulders stooping a little. He met Cornelius' gaze steadily. "They know Buffy and Xander too."

Cornelius closed his eyes, almost boiling with anger. His friend once mentioned that he knew Buffy and Xander and had let them in his home. Now he was telling him he met three young women who knew them. He was beginning to question his friend's sanity.

"Something wrong? You don't believe me?" Cato asked.

"You need to quit this obsession with Buffy and Xander, Cato," Cornelius said. He already knew his friend was weird, but now apparently he was weirder.

Cato was not content to let his friend make up his mind. "Why don't you ask them?"

Cornelius narrowed his eyes. "Why should I waste my time?"

Cato was out of the kitchen, holding the door open for Cornelius in a space of a heartbeat, impatient to show his friend the truth. "Come on. I insist."

Cornelius rolled his eyes. "All right."

Cornelius lifted his hands off the counter and stepped out of the kitchen into the living room. At the sight of the three women staring at him oddly, he hesitated. It made him suddenly feel uncomfortable.

Cato nudged his shoulder with his elbow. "Go on."

"Do you girls know Buffy and Xander?" Cornelius asked, half-expecting one of the girls to laugh in his face at the stupidity of the question.

"Yes!" all three of the girls cried simultaneously.

Cornelius' eyes widened as the terrible truth struck him.

"That," Cato said with affectionate resignation, "is proof. And you owe me an apology."

Cornelius' knee sagged; he nearly fainted to the ground. "I'm sorry."

Cato glanced at the women. "Now, let me tell you all about Buffy and Xander." He found a spot on the couch and sat beside them, ready to tell them all he knew.

Septimius Severus sat in a chair when Xander walked in the tent and he looked hardly sympathetic.

"You knew the time we had to leave," Severus said.

"I was longer than I thought I would be," Xander apologized.

"Perhaps my aggravated men can take their aggression out on you instead of Julianus' legions," Severus answered.

"My apologies, Severus, soon to be the rightful Emperor of Rome," Xander chastised; and he stepped in front of him and knelt with a look of regret that silenced Severus. "There was an injured man on the road. I did all that I could to save him..."

"An injured man? What happened to this man?" Severus immediately interrupted.

"He, he... got trampled by a horse. It was a sad-"

"Perhaps you should mind your tongue! Your excuse does not work for me."

"Yes, my governor," Xander said.

Severus gave Xander an odd look. Then he continued, "I have had many men's tongues cut out of their mouths for their lies."

"Oh... interesting," Xander said.

"Fool! You are a liar! A sad excuse for a soldier!"

"Sir, I'm very punctual. I was just late because of a personal matter, I swear it."

Septimius Severus paused and considered the sincerity of his words for a moment. He licked his lips and glanced over to his bodyguard. "What should his punishment be?"

"A sacrifice my lord."

Xander glanced back and forth at the bodyguard and Severus. He straightened his shoulders and stammered, "Whoa, whoa. S-s-sacrifice? I sacrifice my life for this legion."

"You do?" Severus asked.

Xander's eyes widened, and he realized that Severus had misunderstood what he had said. "No, no, no. I mean I sacrifice my life in battle for this legion. Not now."

"What use is this man for my legion?" Severus asked himself a loud. He looked at his bodyguard. "Licinius, what should I do with this... Xander Harris?"

"Not to insult you Severus," Licinius said. "But from what I heard, he is one of the best warriors in this camp."

Severus' expression was of pure incredulity. "Are you certain of this fact?"

Xander blushed with pride. 'One of the best warriors, huh?'

"He is indeed, sir," Licinius went on. "Take comfort that this boy knows now not to be late again."

Severus took in the important details immediately.

Xander's eyes darted all around, like a cornered animal. All the actions he had done that day played in his mind, and he wished he had made better choices, especially coming to the legion on time. Now the decision was on Septimius Severus.

"You may leave us," Severus said to Xander, and he pointedly turned to Licinius and added, "let's hope he doesn't mess up again."

Sighing and glancing back at Septimius Severus, Xander pulled open the tent and walked outside. Like he expected, his friend Cimberius was waiting next to the tent and when his friend caught glimpse of him, his face brightened.

"Oh, man! You didn't get punished!" Cimberius said to him happily.

Xander dropped gratefully onto his knees, his eyes squinting shut. "I won't be late again, that's for sure. Dear Jesus, oh dearest Jesus."

Cimberius raised one eyebrow slightly. "Jesus?"

Xander bit his lower lip, realizing he shouldn't have brought his true religion into the camp. "You know, I meant to say, Jupiter?"

"Oh..."

At that moment to Xander, it seemed, he didn't care which person or god he thanked. He was alive.