Harmony tries to figure out her relationship with Paul and his friends. Claire tries to figure out where things are going with Spike. And Deb and Dev get past their rough patch. Until another bad dream throws yet another Slayer-related spanner in the works.
Harmony woke up alone on Saturday. The only thing worse than feeling dirty was feeling dirty and abandoned. Also, there was the splitting headache. Then Sidney entered, wearing a black negligee and carrying a tray with a piping hot glass of blood on top. "Morning sleepy head. Or, afternoon." As the smiling Sidney placed the tray on the bed and sat next to Harmony, her fuzzy memories became terrifyingly clear. She throws off the sheets, tossing the blood onto Sidney's lap, and races for the door. Paul stops her.
"Harm, what's wrong?"
"What's wrong? What's wrong? You freaks drugged me and had your way with me," she accuses, grabbing her aching head, the result of a drug hangover. "You spiked my blood! And here I was, thinking you were my friends."
"Friends with massive benefits," Sid says, walking out of the bedroom, blood dripping down her thighs. "Someone's gonna have to lick this up." Paul and Luiz smile. "Someone with a woman's touch." Harmony backs away in fear.
"Stay away from me."
"That's not what you were saying last night. Or, screaming."
"That wasn't me. That was the rufies talking."
"Oh, please," Sid responds, rolling her eyes. "GHB is so human. Do you know how much liquid ex a vampire would have to drink for it to work? Well, I do. And, trust me, it's enough to make you hurl. We use something far better."
"Just what kinda mickey did you slip me?"
"A mix of stuff that kills humans but works great on vamps."
"It's been around for like a decade," Paul adds.
"Devlin got some college boys to mix up a batch for us, even though he's not a user," Luiz reports.
"Dev's really anti-drug. But then he drinks a lot," Sidney notes. "Don't you find that hypocritical?"
"You raped me," Harmony yells, miffed by their pointless small talk. Sid's too shocked to respond. Paul and Luiz also need some time to mull it over.
"Is that possible," Paul asks. "Can a girl do that to another girl? Cause you definitely said yes to me."
"And me," Luiz adds.
"And me," Sid says with a smile. Harm slaps her. The boys think they are about to witness a cat fight. Instead, Harmony opens the door and tries to leave, but is repelled by the blazing sun.
"There are worse things than being trapped for the day with the three of us," Sidney argues. Harmony moves away from her and ends up in a corner. "And last night wasn't one of those things." She finally backs away in frustration. "You're scared, Harm. But not of me. Of yourself. You're scared to have fun. You still have all those human hang-ups about rules and boundaries and what good girls aren't supposed to do."
"No I don't. I'm bad. Badder than any of you."
"That why you work nine to five," Luiz asks scornfully.
"Why do you date humans? At least I have a life that's not about helping them and waiting around to do their bidding. You're Slayer lackeys. And there's nothing worse than being a Slayer lackey."
"Enough of the name calling," Sidney says, trying to make peace. "We're all friends here."
"Not anymore."
"Don't say that, Harm," Paul pleads.
"You're scared people will find out," Sidney guesses. "You're scared of being embarrassed. Embarrassed of what? Of being so hot that vampires of both sexes are willing to go to great lengths to get close to you? When other vamps find out, they'll be jealous, girl. They'll wish they were you."
"You're telling?"
"It's a hypothetical, Harm." Harmony looks confused. "No. No. We're not telling. You think we want our human hubbies to find out about last night?"
"That's right. You cheated!" The three vampires laugh.
"Monogamy is a human concept connected to reproduction," Luiz argues. "Since we can't reproduce, we have no need for it." Clearly this is a canned line someone taught him. Since Sidney glances at him and smiles, chances are it's hers.
"Guilt and modesty are human emotions," she adds. "We have about as much use for them as we do for bread and salad." Harmony doesn't realize she's being indoctrinated into a cult because the cult is so benign in its beliefs and practices.
"Maybe you're right. But I have a headache."
"That's heavy, man," Luiz says to Paul, thinking that Harmony's making a clever metaphor about the lingering effects of last night.
"It usually happens your first time," Paul responds, taking her complaint more literally. "Next time you'll come down fine."
"Next time? I don't know about you, but I don't need drugs to have fun."
"So next time we do it au naturale."
"Stop it. Get away from me. I trusted you."
"So things got a little out of control. Isn't that what life's all about?"
"I'm not like that. I'm not like you. Maybe that makes me boring - "
"And bourgeoise," Sidney adds, further confusing Harmony.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not Orgy Girl'."
"Who is," Sid asks with a giggle. "Sometimes you need to become someone else. What's life without a few out of body experiences?"
"Out of body experience? Get over yourself, Sid," Harmony responds witheringly.
"Can we be alone," Paul asks his friends, who shuffle off to the kitchen.
"So am I the first girl you drugged?"
"Yes. Actually, no. Wait a second. I didn't drug you."
"What do you call it when you give me drugs?"
"So, then, buying you a beer is drugging you?"
"No. Because I know I'm drinking a beer. You didn't even tell me you were spiking the blood."
"Spiking. That's a good word for it."
"You're lucky I'm not kicking your ass and throwing you out that window to a burning, painful death."
"It's because of Spike."
"What? This was his idea?"
"Not exactly. You dated Spike. He's a legend. I didn't know how I would measure up."
"Trust me, you measure up fine."
"That's not what I meant. But, thank you, by the way. I didn't want you to be disappointed. I was afraid I wouldn't be enough for you."
"So I'm some freak that can't be with just one guy?"
"No. You're a goddess to me." Though still pissed, Harmony manages a smile. "I thought you should be treated like one. And worshipped. Admit it – last night was fun."
"I don't think fun's the right word."
"Spectacular."
"Icky's more like it."
"Wonderful."
"Scary."
"Okay, let's stop debating the past and arguing over terminology. I'm sorry you feel tricked. Maybe things got a little out of hand. How bout I make it up to you."
"You betrayed me. You can't just make up something like that."
"We're both stuck here for the day. Let's say we spend it together. Just the two of us."
"I love your smile. No. No. You're trying to trick me again. I'm strong. I don't need you and your orgy buddies."
"You look great."
"No I don't. My hair's all frizzy, and I need a shower."
"Me too." Once again, Harmony weakens for a moment.
"No! You're not gonna smile and charm your way out of this."
"How about groveling and begging?" Paul falls to his knees.
"Stop it. I'm serious." Paul bounds to his feet.
"As you wish, my lady. That's what today's about. Your wish is my command." Harmony thinks about this.
"Really?"
"Whatever you want? You want someone killed?"
"Yeah! Wait. You can't kill. And, anyway, they don't live around here anymore." Harmony hopes Devlin can take care of a few of her old Sunnydale enemies.
"I was joking. But, otherwise, I'm at your complete disposal."
"Can we ditch the friends?"
"They kinda live here."
"What happened to my wish is your command?"
"I promise, you won't even know they're here."
"I'd really like to, just, go home, and be alone. Last night gave me a lot to think about. Maybe too much."
"That doesn't like fun. Come on, Harm. Certain boredom, or possible bliss. The choice is yours."
Spike plunges a stake into a woman's heart. From the blood that gushes out, and the fact that she doesn't disintegrate, he realizes she's human. He looks at the bloody stake, then looks back to see her face. But before he can glimpse it, he wakes up.
Spike shoots up out of bed. He tastes blood in his mouth, and reaches his left hand up to his face, feeling blood on his lips and chin. It wasn't his blood. He looks to his right, and is relieved to see Claire sleeping peacefully and unharmed. Then whose blood was it? Spike rushes into the bathroom and washes off the blood. He rinses his mouth, but can still taste human blood in his throat, as if he regurgitated something he didn't even ingest. This was strange. A dream about biting someone might make sense as a flashback or a manifestation of fears about going evil. Was he subconsciously fearful of mistakenly killing a human while out trying to save lives? Then there was the question of the mystery blood. He walks back to the bed and checks Claire's neck once again, just to be sure. It's a fetching neck. The sort he once would have delighted in biting. She knew so little about him. She had no idea what he was capable of.
"I can't believe it," Xander says Sunday morning.
"I don't know how this could happen," Buffy adds.
"Out of all the girls . . . they were the last I thought would be in danger," Giles offers.
"I'm going," Buffy declares.
"To Cleveland," Xander asks.
"No you're not," Giles insists.
"Something just took down two of our most powerful Slayers," an outraged Buffy snaps back. "Who else is strong enough to take care of this?"
"It will be just like Vienna. And Budapest. And Prague. And Krakow."
"That's a European thing. I'm fine in the states."
"The vampires won't fight you, Buffy. They're too afraid."
"The downside of being a legend," Xander quips.
"So I turn up, the demons flee, and the Hellmouth's safe. Isn't that what we want?"
"Sooner or later, you'll have to leave, and they'll return."
"So we send in a few Slayers to take my place."
"From where?"
"We have more girls getting trained all the time."
"Send newcomers? Are you mad?"
"Yes. But not like you mean it. We have to put a stop to this."
"They were four blocks from the house," Wood tells Gretchen, who's standing in the hall outside the room where the others are meeting. "I should have been there. I could have saved them."
"You had no way of knowing. This came completely out of the blue."
"I should have been more careful."
"You were kicking butt. The demons had left. The vampires were in hiding."
"It was a plan. They were suckering us into complacency."
"I hate to say this, but if you were there, chances are you'd also be dead. You know that, Rob."
"Maybe it would be fairer that way."
"To who? To the Slayers who'd never get your guidance? To the vampires you wouldn't kill? We have to go on. It's what they'd want."
"They'd want to still be alive."
"Four blocks. That's what you said, right? Four blocks. How long do you think it would have taken them to cover that distance?"
"They could have been surrounded."
"Then why only one bite mark?"
"I don't know." This did seem to contradict Robin's conjecture that they were outnumbered and overwhelmed.
"They came across two vampires they thought they could take, and they got unlucky."
"Both?"
"Really unlucky."
"Then I could have made a difference."
"So next time you keep the Slayers on a shorter leash. We can't go back."
"I know," he says ruefully. "Rupert must be disappointed in me."
"That's the last thing on his mind. Anyway, he knows better."
"It's hard to believe they're really gone."
"These things happen. I hate to be insensitive, but just because Slayers don't have to die doesn't mean they won't die."
"But these two - "
"Were better than the others. But they were still mortal. Superpowers don't change that."
"We can't lose the Hellmouth," Buffy declares.
"What do you mean lose," Giles asks. "How do you define it? Is losing having a few demons living in the area without fear, or is it the end of the world? There's a huge difference."
"You're willing to tolerate innocent deaths?"
"Innocent people die all the time. The goal is to have far fewer dying than before we entered the town."
"The demons have to know they're not in charge. We need to bring in as many Slayers as it takes."
"From where?"
"Detroit. Saint Louis. Chicago."
"And lose what we've gained there?"
"What do you mean lose," Xander asks. "The vampires they've dusted in those cities aren't coming back."
"Let's assume more demons enter Cleveland now that they think it's an open city, and we send six Slayers to retake the town. The demons will just flee – to Chicago, Saint Louis, Detroit. In other words, they'll go to the exact same places the Slayers abandoned."
"Then we leave two or three at the Hellmouth and send the rest back where they came from."
"It's like punching sand. You can't crush the vampires; you just make them spread out. The only way to defeat them is be patient and wait for our numbers to increase. Victory isn't going to come in a set-piece battle. This isn't Sunnydale," Giles adds with mild condescension, irritating Buffy. "Victory will be slow, and will require the gradual garrisoning of more and more towns as our numbers increase."
"So now you're siding with Gretchen against me," she asks angrily. Gretchen has been the big proponent of taking it slow. Just then, Gretchen enters, making everyone nervous.
"Did I just hear my name," she asks innocently.
"How are things with Wood," Buffy says nervously.
"He's cursed. I told him not to blame himself."
"It's gotta bring back some bad memories for him," Xander notes.
"And the best way to stop a downward guilt spiral is to keep him busy and get him some new Slayers," Gretchen proposes. "Olivia and Susan are ready to go."
"But they have no experience," Buffy counters.
"Then get them a Slayer each from the other midwestern cities."
"That leaves the other Slayers alone," Buffy observes. "I don't think we want that right now."
"So pull both girls from Detroit and Saint Louis. Leave Chicago protected."
"We understand this is only for the short term," Giles interjects. "We can't start abandoning places we've pacified."
"We'll reshuffle as more girls come down the pike. Bonnie and Diana should be done with their tour of the British Isles in a month. We're adding a Slayer a week. Before long, we'll be everywhere." Buffy is happy she got her way, but concerned that Gretchen and Giles seem to be monopolizing the decision-making process. First the Slayer trainees trust Gretch more than Buffy. Now Rupert. All she's got left on her side are her friends and the Sunnydale veterans.
Paul dips a strawberry in blood and feeds it to Harmony as they lie on his bed. They take wine glasses, link arms, giggle and drink some more blood. Then they laugh and kiss and exchange blood. "I could get used to this," Paul confesses.
"What about your girlfriend?"
"Melanie? She's great. But not like you. I've never met a vampire like you." Harmony sighs and kisses him. No one's ever told her that.
"It's dark. Wanna go out?"
"I'd rather stay in. Wouldn't you?" He kisses her neck and runs his left hand up her right leg.
"Oh Paul. You don't quit."
"What can I say? You inspire me."
"These boys are major disappointments," Elektra says early Sunday morning as she smokes a cigarette and looks at the three male vampire naked and conked out in her hotel room.
"Maybe I could help," the female vampire tentatively suggests.
"Kat! I had no idea."
"I'm not – it's not my thing. But you did kill a Slayer. I mean, I owe you."
"That's sweet." Leks walks over and caresses her face. "You're a pretty girl. Too back Dev didn't stay. He coulda used you." Elektra's experience fending off Slayers has led her to view all other vampires as either fodder or slaves. She understands the power killing a Slayer has bestowed on her, and is eager to exploit it.
"What's his problem?"
"Where do I start? Dev's never been right in the head. You think he's cute?" Leks has always enjoyed finding her hapless brother prospective girlfriends.
"Not really. Maybe a little. He sure is brave."
"Dev takes after his father."
Claire wakes up a little after nine and is surprised to see Spike awake and dressed. "When did I become the nocturnal one?"
"I couldn't sleep," he responds, flipping through the channels.
"Another bad dream?"
"Actually, yes."
"Fuck 'em. You're a good guy. A great guy. Fuck your subconscious."
"I'm a killer. You know that."
"You kill bad things."
"Demons. People. It doesn't make much of a difference. There's a fine line."
"That's bullshit."
"What if I started killing bad humans? Where do you draw the line?"
"You need to get out more, Spike. You spend all your time here, or in that fucked up office, or alone in alleys. Other than me, how many people do you know in LA?"
"Fred. Wesley. Charles."
"Normal people."
"I'd hardly call you normal, Claire." She smiles and sits down next to him on the couch.
"How bout today you hang out at my house?"
"In the guest room?"
"With my family."
"Wut? Don't they hate me?"
"They barely know you."
"Maybe we should keep it that way."
"Why? I want them to see what a great guy you are. They have this vision of your with capes and velvet and fangs, and none of it's true. Except for the fangs. Which you don't even use."
"And how should I get over there? You're way up north."
"You can take the subway. And the tunnels. Or, use your blanket."
"That'll make a good picture. Hey mum, meet my smoldering boyfriend."
"Smolderingly hot." She puts her right hand on his left thigh and kisses the right side of his neck.
"Okay. Okay! You win, Claire. I'll give the family a shot."
"Thanks." She kisses him on the lips. "I think I'm starting the fall in love with you." Claire stands up and walks over to the door to put on her coat while Spike sits frozen, with his mouth open, feeling all sorts of dread.
Late Saturday night, Harmony is awakened by the smell of blood. She sees Paul lying next to her with a glass. "How'd you know," she jokes, taking the glass and drinking. "Nutmeg?"
"And crushed cloves. Gives the blood an extra kick."
"And makes my mouth feel all hot."
"As if it wasn't already." He leans in and kisses her. Then Harmony notices Sidney and Luiz in the room.
"What's going on? Are they gonna watch?"
"Hardly," Sid says with a smirk.
"Oh no. Not again. I can't believe you thought I'd - " Harmony stammers as she gets up and walks to the door, which Sidney blocks.
"We just wanna give you a little going away present."
"A big screaming, Thank you, you're the best'," Luiz adds, putting his arms around her from behind and kissing her neck.
"You're, you're welcome. Stop it Lou. That tickles."
"Just close your eyes and think of Heaven," Paul suggests, turning Harmony's head to the left and kissing her on the lips.
"Your hands. There's four of them."
"Well, six."
"Six? Sid? Where is she?" Harmony moans and falls to the ground, smiling.
"But how do you get the onion into that shape," David asks Spike.
"You soak it in ice water. That's the key."
"I still don't buy it."
"Let me show you." Spike gets up and opens the fridge.
"I don't understand why a bar would go to all that trouble for an appetizer," George adds.
"You sure this wasn't a gay bar," David jokes.
"Trust me. The Bronze was anything but."
"The Bronze what," Ruth asks. "I don't get the name." David's older brother Nate looks on.
"Isn't this great," his kid sister Claire asks.
"Aside from why the fuck a vampire is in our house on a Sunday morning, why the fuck would that vampire know how to cook?"
"Spike's a humanist vampire." Claire remembers something she wanted to show to Spike, and runs off to her room in the guest house. Ruth joins her son Nate in the living room.
"What can Claire possibly see in him," she whispers.
"I think we know the answer." They both cringe slightly. "The real question is what does she still see in him? She's acting like he's her boyfriend."
"It's scary. Usually I don't get involved in this part of her life. She's an adult. She can make her own decisions. But this is just beyond the pale."
"Emphasis on pale."
"It's downright unnatural. Now, I know that certain ignorant and bigoted people say that about what David does, but that's completely different."
"Entirely different. Not even close."
"Where does she think this is leading? Where could it possibly lead?" Claire opens the door and runs past them into the kitchen, carrying a poster.
"Here it is!" Spike turns around and is pleasantly astonished.
"So I guess getting my body covered in paper mache was worth it." David looks mildly disgusted.
"Half his body." Claire's taken a picture of Spike's chest and head, cut it up and pasted the pieces on a mold of his body, making Spike look like a puzzle. "I think it represents his disintegration and resurrection. Depending on how you look at it, he's either falling apart or coming back together."
"It's beautiful, Claire."
"It wasn't that hard to make you look beautiful," she whispers.
"I should be getting home," David says, nervously walking to the back door.
"What about the flower," Spike asks.
"I'll try it at home. See if Keith likes it," he mutters before closing the door.
"It's cloudy," Spike notes. "I should probably take advantage and get back to my flat. Get some rest."
"I'll drive you," Claire suggests. It's on my way to Anita's."
"No it's not," her mother points out.
"It's not that far out of the way. Plus, it's better than making you run for it."
"I'm not so sure about that," Ruth responds, sounding like Giles talking to Buffy about Spike. Claire scowls, grabs Spike's coat and heads out with him.
"Goodbye," Luiz says.
"See you soon," Sidney adds with a wink.
"Maybe someday you could play hooky from work and hang out with me again," Paul suggests.
"I'd really like that. But I might get fired."
"Do it on one of those days your boss is busy saving the world or something."
"I'll think about it." Harmony leaves the grinning trio behind. It's five in the morning. She needs to drive home before sunrise, and the other vampires need to get a few hour's rest before their boyfriend and girlfriends come back from their field trip. As Harmony races up I-5, she feels ashamed of her debaucheries. She doesn't buy Sid's line that, as vampires, they're supposed to be debauched. Harm has standards. Or, at least she did before this weekend. Doors she didn't want opened had been blown away. Life was full of scary new possibilities that both disgusted and intrigued her. How was she supposed to deal with this contradiction? Maybe what she did was flat-out wrong, and Paul and his friends took advantage of innocent Harmony. Then again, perhaps it was wrong and gross to do what she did on a regular basis, but there was no harm in trying it once. Or, twice, as it was. Nothing wrong with experimentation, so long as it didn't become a habit. She thought of Paul's girlfriend and how she had no idea what he was doing behind her back. How would Harmony feel if she were Melanie? But Harmony wasn't much for empathy even as a human, so she quickly lets that thought pass unanswered. When Harmony gets home, she sits on her bed, still feeling ashamed and nervous and dirty. She had to figure out what all this meant. But first she needed a shower. However, before she could do anything, an exhausted Harmony passed out on the bed.
"Spike, I told you it would go well."
"Your mother still doesn't like me."
"I think she's still getting used to you."
"Sorry, luv. I got along better with Buffy's mum, and she attacked me with an ax."
"Granted, mom's not crazy about me dating a vampire. Maybe it's a generational thing."
"I'm about four generations older than you."
"Which is still pretty young in vampire years, right?"
"There's no such thing as vampire years."
"You know what I mean. You're like half Angel's age."
"Back when we were at my place, you said you loved me."
"I did?"
"Right before you left."
"Oh. I think I love you. I'm not sure. Is this a problem?" Right then, the sun comes back out, and Spike has to duck under the dashboard.
"Right now, I have bigger problems."
"Are you okay, Spike? Is it burning you?"
"I'm fine. Just, hurry."
Debbie came home around noon. Devlin was at her desk, typing on the computer. He quickly closes his document, leaps to his feet and spins around. "You're back."
"What happened to your face?"
"I got jumped in Mexicali. It was all a setup. The vampires wanted to kill me for turning on my kind. Barely escaped with my life. Anyway, how was your weekend?"
"Dry and dusty."
"You're beautiful."
"Please, Dev. I'm sunburned. My hair's all frizzy." He steps forward, grabs Deb and kisses her. She kisses him back.
"I missed you, Deb."
"I missed us." She pushes him onto the desk. "I want us to be like we were. The past is past, right?"
"No. The past is dead."
"The gallery was ho hum," Anita reports. "The after party was boring. You didn't miss anything. So how was Spike?"
"He was, Spike," Claire responds with a sly grin.
"What does that mean?"
"He has a bike."
"A motorcycle. I hope you mean a motorcycle."
"Yeah. He took me out to dinner and a play."
"Sounds boring."
"It was sweet. We were just like any other couple. Then I went back to his place and he fucked my brains out."
"So much for being like any other couple."
"Is coming five times normal?" Anita's jaw drops.
"In a week, maybe."
"So I really am as lucky as I feel?"
"I don't think Edie's ever had that many, and she's with girls who know their way around. God! You lucky bitch!"
"It's not just about the sex."
"So you wouldn't mind sharing him?" Claire looks upset. "Don't worry. I'm happy with Russell. Even if lately all he does is whine about how you stole his idea. Okay, I'm not that happy with Russell. Maybe I should go find a vampire to fuck my brains out."
"It's not the vampire I love. It's the man."
"Love? Whoa! You two are serious?"
"I don't know. He's got commitment issues. I know that if this Buffy girl came back - "
"You mean the girl who wasn't giving him any? She had her chance. No guy is gonna choose to be celibate when he's got other options."
"The problem is, I don't know if that's all I am to him."
"You think he's using you for sex?"
"No. He's too nice to do that. And guilty. God knows he doesn't need anything else on his conscience."
"Well there you go. He's gotta care for you. This guy, or, guy-plus, can have any woman he wants, and he picks you. Don't sell yourself short, Claire."
"Any woman he wants? You think he's that hot?"
"Don't you?"
"I'm fucking him. That doesn't exactly make me objective."
"The guy's got it going on. Even without the vampire part. I say quit worrying and count your blessings. You got real lucky, girlfriend. Enjoy it. I know I would."
Debbie lies on the bed to Devlin's right. They both stare at the ceiling. "Wow."
"Yeah."
"Is it night already." Dev turns around and glances out the window.
"Yep. You thinking of going somewhere?"
"No." She rolls on top of Dev and kisses him.
"Will you still love me when you're twice my age?"
"I thought you didn't think that far ahead? What about letting me go so I could live a normal life?"
"You're a Slayer. Normality's already tenuous. Call me selfish, but right now I'm not even considering leaving you." She smiles.
"Really? You're not just saying that cause we - ?"
"Broke through entirely new dimensions?" They both giggle. "Now that I'm this happy, I don't think I could live any other way. What's the point? It will all be downhill after you."
"I won't always be young like you. What about when I'm wrinkled and sagging?"
"Hopefully your Slayer Powers will mitigate the aging process." She punches him in the ribs. "And even if it doesn't, hell, I still think you'd be hot at forty."
"What if I don't make it? Mine is a dangerous line of work."
"I'll throw myself on your funeral pyre."
"And if I'm buried? I don't know if they do funeral pyres around here. I think it's against the Orange County fire code or something."
"If suti's not an option, I'm sure I'll find something appropriate spectacular. Like taking on all my enemies at once. Suicide by combat." Suddenly, Devlin closes his eyes and goes to sleep, his mouth still open.
"Dev? Honey?" She shakes him, but it does not good.
Dev gets up at quarter past seven the next morning, just after Debbie gets dressed. "I've never seen you sleep that long."
"Had a little too much fun, I suppose." He gets up and walks into the kitchen.
"Wait!" She rushes into the kitchen and closes the blinds. "I went out patrolling last night."
"Patrolling? And you didn't wake me?"
"I tried. Keep your pants on. I didn't find any." Devlin takes a jug of blood out of the fridge and drinks it cold, a full two quarts.
"You know, that's really disgusting."
"That's why I don't make it part of our foreplay," he quips.
"Gotta head to school. I'd kiss you, but, the blood."
"Yeah. That's kind of a turn-off for non-vampires."
"You mean it's a turn-on for you?"
"Not really."
"Maybe I should pour some of that stuff on me tonight and let you go to work." He smiles. "Kidding, sicko."
"I knew that." She walks towards the front door. "I'll decide on how I'll get my soul back today."
"Cool. Love ya."
"You too."
In the period before lunch, the history teacher turns off the lights and shows a video. Debbie tries to keep her eyes open, but soon falls asleep. She sees Devlin raising a stake, and feels it stabbing into her chest. She wakes up and screams, which alarms her classmates to say the least. She glances at the video, which is about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Dev had mentioned that event in passing to note that, unlike the other young women who died on that day, a Slayer probably could have survived the eight story plunge. "Sorry. Just a little scary, right?"