"Oh, don't mind me," Miyoko smirked at the lip-locked couple standing at the foot of her bed. She was starting to feel more than slightly light-headed. The painkiller drip wasn't labelled but it was probably something not generally available even on prescription. "It's not that I can just up and leave."

"You're ok," Faith breathed and attacked Rowan's mouth again. "You're really ok," she repeated once oxygen started becoming an issue.

"Better, but getting there, Sunray," Rowan assured and touched Faith's brow with his lips. A full-dimpled smile seemed to be permanently pasted on the Slayer's face.

"Before you decide to jump into this bed, may I remind you that it's already occupied," Miyoko heard herself announce somewhat louder than was really necessary. That got their attention and they turned to face her, still holding hands. Miyoko felt her pulse quicken. They were a truly beautiful pair. She got another shock as Rowan bowed deeply to her.

"It shames me I wasn't able to protect you better, Ms Nagisa."

"There's no shame," Miyoko answered immediately, inclining her head as much as she was able. "I owe you a life-debt, Yōkai-san."

"No debts between us, Kunoichi-san. Any debt would be on me anyway. You have given shelter and love to the one I've given my heart. To me that's more precious than anything else."

Faith had been watching the exchange with her mouth open. After having gaped a few times like a fish, she punched Rowan in the face.

"You, you...," she practically spluttered, with her hands balled into fists, her emotions in a roller-coast ride.

"You're so beautiful when you're a bit flustered," Rowan winked at her, rubbing his cheek. "You should embrace this side of yourself more, Sunray."

"Embrace?" Faith's voice rose an octave. "Why don't you embrace my fucking..."

"Oh, I will. But maybe, for now, I should just pull your hair and run away. Isn't punching and hair-pulling how human children usually signify they are interested in someone of the opposite sex?"

"Are you saying, I'm... don't try to change the fucking subject!"

"Why not? It's obviously working, isn't it?"

"In your fucking dreams!"

"Alright, fair enough," Rowan nodded with a straight face. "What was the original subject again?"

Faith stuck her tongue out at Rowan.

Now it was Miyoko's turn to gape. 'What have I gotten myself into?'


Half-an-hour later Faith and Rowan were sitting next to Miyoko on her bed. They had been going over their individual insights on the battle, with Miyoko and Rowan giving Faith an almost blow-for-blow breakdown of their sword fight. When they were done, Rowan sensed that something was bothering Faith deeply.

"What is it, Sunray?" he asked gently.

Faith bit her lower lip. Trust him to catch in on her anxiety so easily. "You were bitten by a werewolf, and it was full-moon," she answered, trying to keep her emotions in check. To her absolute surprise Rowan started laughing.

"Oh, that," he chuckled. "It's no big deal now that the physical wounds are all but healed."

"So, you won't...?" Faith hardly dared to breathe. Next to her Miyoko looked just as shell-shocked.

"Yeah, but it'll be like a four-day, full-body flu next full-moon. A single occurrence and, no, I won't become a... werewolf. That's a human curse. But the poison in their fangs is still mystical in origin so it'll affect me."

"Affect you? So, what will happen in four weeks?"

"We'll just have to see, now, won't we?" Rowan winked.

Faith gave Miyoko the evil eye when the woman coughed "insufferable" rather theatrically.

"Fine," she snapped and stood up. She turned said evil eye to Rowan. "But so that you know, Bright Eyes, you'd better start waking up to the fact that you'll be in the doghouse for the next 28 days, or so."

Rowan stood up himself and circled his arms around the scowling Slayer who stubbornly kept her arms crossed over her chest and refused to look at him.

"I was thinking along the same lines, Sunray. If I'm going to be spending any considerable time here, I'd like – at least initially – to have a room of my own." When Faith's face darkened even further and she tried to get away from his hold, Rowan in turn only held her tighter. "That doesn't mean I love you any less," he whispered in her ear. "We agreed to take this slow, remember? Having separate rooms will give us the necessary illusion of both privacy and separation." When Faith stopped struggling, he gave her a light kiss. She didn't fully return it but didn't pull away either. "Besides, think how thrillingly exciting it will be to sneak into each other's rooms if one of us suddenly feels deprived of some late-night snuggling or making out."

"Hey! What about me?" Miyoko cut in in mock annoyance. She didn't want to impose but the temptation was just too much to resist. "If there's going to be any sneaking into rooms, I want to be included."

"Faith?" Rowan asked the Slayer. Miyoko was only slightly surprised; she was slowly coming around to the realization that Rowan really didn't mind Faith and her having sex together.

"Ok, fine," Faith answered after almost a minute of thinking. She untangled her arms and circled them around Rowan's neck. "What about you?"

"I don't think Ms Nagisa and I are well-enough acquainted yet for any sneaking to take place," Rowan answered, sounding perfectly serious.

'Yet,' Miyoko repeated silently. She remembered what Faith had mentioned earlier about certain fantasies.

"So, if I'm ok with this, you're ok with this?" Faith asked, looking deep into Rowan's amber eyes.

"Yes, more than ok," Rowan nodded. "I know you love me, which means I have complete trust in you. If we all keep an open communication, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't enjoy the full benefits of being alive."

"He's got you there, Faith," Miyoko laughed.

"Why am I getting this feeling that I'm suddenly being offered the whole world on a platter?"

"Hmmm, let's see," Miyoko pursed her lips together, as if in deep thought. "Maybe because you're owed that – and then some."

"Owed? What do you mean 'owed'?" Faith asked with a frown.

"Oh, let's see...," Miyoko drawled. "Slayer? Champion? The bravest person I know? Take a pick."

Before Faith could answer, Silvia floated into the room. "Oh, you're still here. Shoo, shoo," she prompted Faith and Rowan. "I need to run some tests and then Ms Nagisa needs to rest."

"One more thing before I need to go and talk to Dr Mahuta about the logistics," Rowan interjected. He took Faith's hands into his and smiled at the baffled look on her face. "Will you go on a date with me?"

Faith found herself totally speechless. Rowan had mentioned something along those lines during the spirit walk, but...

"I'll see you later, Sunray," Rowan winked and quickly pecked her cheek. "Nurse, Ms Nagisa," he nodded at the other two in the room. Then he was out before Faith could pick up her jaw from the floor.


After leaving Miyoko's room, Rowan went downstairs and out of the patio doors to the cool evening air. A sudden feeling of nausea forced him to take support from the banister, and he had to sit down on the steps. Groaning, he rested his elbows on his knees and brought his fingertips to his temples. This was the second dizzy spell he had had after waking up in Faith's bed. The first one had attacked him right after getting up and dressing himself in his current attire of a t-shirt and sweatpants – both black, naturally. Someone had undressed him after the fight and left him just in boxers and the t-shirt in question. He could only hope it was Faith. His new leather pants had been neatly folded on a chair. A quick check of the front pocket confirmed that his Council-issued credit card was still safe and undamaged. Of the silken shirt there had been no sight. It was probably ruined beyond repairs anyway.

After he felt somewhat steady, he held out his left-hand, palm up and tried to concentrate on Fire. A small water fountain erupted from the palm and cascaded off to the ground. He let out a shocked breath and tried again. This time sand started pouring to the ground from a heap on his palm. He groaned again and buried his face in his hands. 'Fucking laws of Elemental Magic! You really screwed up royally this time, A'Rowane Than'Shea. Well, what's done is done. Now I just need to find a way to re-align my Elemental compass. Just like that, right? Hah, I'm damn lucky I didn't disintegrate myself. Obviously dimensional travel doesn't agree with me. First, I almost lost my chance with the Seals. Next, I rushed into a confrontation with The Hegemon, and now I crossed a line that I'd been explicitly told not to cross. Heh, Aurora would have flayed me verbally ten ways till Sunday by now for my obvious brain-deadness.'

His self-flagellation was suddenly interrupted by quiet and hesitant steps from behind him.

"Um, hi?" a timid voice asked.

He took a few deep and controlled breaths and lifted his head from his hands. A young woman he had not met before fidgeted in place on the patio.

"Hey," he tried to smile, but it was still forced. "You're Patricia Tildeman, right?"

"Yes," the Witch answered before Rowan had even finished the question. "And you're Faith's boyfriend. Rowan, right?"

"Yes, it's nice to meet you, Patricia. Forgive me for not standing up; I'm still somewhat shaken from everything that's happened lately."

"Oh, no, no," Patricia hurried to stop him. "That's ok. I just, ummm... wanted to ask you something."

"Please."

"You were ummm... in Scotland and got teleported here, right? Was Althenea there? And the whole Coven? Did they form a Grand Circle to send you here? I can't even imagine what it would take to send someone to such a specific location on the other side of the globe."

"No," Rowan shook his head, very carefully. "The High Priestess sent me by herself. There was a stone seat and a ring of fire."

"The who?" Patricia asked, blinking like an owl.

"Morgaine of Cornwall," Rowan answered matter-of-factly. "She used a massively powerful spell – half-Celtic and half-Latin – and I guess the sacred location somehow increased her powers. She said it would still deplete almost all her reserves."

Before he could continue, Patricia's eyes rolled over in her head and she collapsed.

"Girls keep on fainting on me," Rowan muttered. "Is it me?" He noticed another person standing in the doorway. "Ah, Dr Mahuta, I presume?"


Morgaine was enjoying a quiet afternoon tea in the garden of her Welsh residence in Snowdonia when she received another unsolicited visit from one of the banes of her existence.

"I should have you unmade right now," an oily, lisping voice spoke from behind her.

"And why is that, Brochwel?" Morgaine asked without turning around. The First knew quite well that this particular manifestation tended to irritate her more than any other. "The Council is in disarray, loyalties are being questioned and the Lehaïr is out of the way. I would call that 'mission accomplished'."

She finally turned around to face her visitor and had to suppress a visible show of schadenfreude in her features. The First's form didn't look healthy at all – its outlines were somewhat hazy and out of focus. It didn't currently have an anchor in this reality, so re-appearing so soon outside a Reflection after its last visit must be extremely taxing.

"Yes," The First nodded. "Full marks for ingenuity, zero for following orders. I'm starting to worry about your loyalties as well, Lythalla. I wonder if the Lehaïr hasn't affected your judgement and made you have second thoughts."

"My thoughts are my own, Brochwel," Morgaine snapped. "The way I execute my part in your grand schemes has always been mine to decide."

"For now," The First drawled unpleasantly.

"You are looking decidedly unwell," Morgaine commented scathingly. "Maybe you should consider a long vacation, say four to five centuries, in one of the more distant skerries of your vast realm."

"There will be a time, in the not-too-distant future, when your usefulness to me comes to an end," The First growled, already fading. "You better pray to your useless Goddess that she has taken you to her before that time is upon us, Lythalla."