Chapter Twenty-Two

"Hello, darling, I was just about to call you." Kathryn met Buffy in the middle of her ready room after admitting entrance to the younger woman. "Are you all right?"

Buffy looked like she had back in Sunnydale when the others had started questioning her leadership after the confrontation with Caleb that had gotten several of the Potentials killed. It had taken some fast and serious talking on Kathryn's part to calm everyone down, knowing what the outcome would have been if she'd failed. The look frightened her now because the last time she'd seen it, she'd made the decision to go back to the vineyard alone, to find whatever it was that was calling out to her without putting her friends' and the Potentials in the line of fire again. It had taken Kathryn all day to convince her that she, herself, was going with her and there was nothing the senior Slayer could do to stop her.

"What's happened?" Kathryn demanded, cupping Buffy's face with her hands. "What's wrong?"

'I took Faith and Willow as mates that day in the cave.' Kathryn was shocked, and glad that the door was closed, when Buffy fell to her knees and buried her face in her abdomen, wrapping thin, deceptively strong arms around her and holding her tightly as she wept. 'I'm sorry, N'mina. I'm sorry.'

Kathryn could hear the fear and guilt in her mental voice, and could feel the trembling in the body wrapped around her. Carefully, knowing that she could cause irreparable damage if she didn't handle this right the first time, she urged Buffy to her feet and over to the couch. "Tell me what happened."

Instead of telling her, Buffy sent her the images that were cycling through her mind over and over since she'd awakened. Kathryn's eyes closed as she absorbed what she was seeing. Buffy in all her savage glory as Prime. Now she knew what Buffy had meant when she had suggested that she talk to Faith and Willow about challenging her. Even seeing it from a third person perspective had her body throbbing in lust as Kathryn watched Buffy dominate her subordinates who had dared try to place controls on her actions, erratic or otherwise.

"Kahless, Liz, that was intense." Kathryn finally said, her body swaying with unfulfilled lust. With effort, she forced her body under control. "Have you talked to them yet?"

"No." Buffy sniffled and shook her head. "I came straight to you after I woke up."

"This is going to be all right. Well, that explains why they've been so jumpy around you for the last few days." Kathryn realized. Since the last senior staff meeting two days ago, they had been focused on getting as much of the bridge crew familiarized with the new systems configurations as possible. During that time, Kathryn had spent a lot of her off duty time with the three leaders of the S'Terrans, and she had noticed when Faith would jump or Willow's eyes would glaze over whenever Buffy's brushed against them, which she had seemed to be doing more and more without conscious thought. "I know that you've always been attracted to them, so I don't really see what the problem is."

Buffy looked at her mate as if she'd suddenly grown a new head. "I mated them without their permission. That's like forcing them into marriage."

The Captain asked softly. "Can you still feel the connection?"

Buffy closed her eyes and concentrated on the part of her senses that could detect potential mates. She felt the faint threads to the Borg and the Klingon, but her eyes snapped open as she finally detected the new threads, more steady and throbbing more strongly than the others, that led directly to Faith and Willow. Following the thread, she found that she could track them to the holodeck where they were taking advantage of their free time and spending it in their usual ways, but she could feel the unfulfilled desire in them that had nothing to do with the sexual activities that they were engaged in right now. It was calling out to her, making her own body throb and her mouth water.

'We need you.' She distinctly heard a part of them cry out for her. With a start, she realized that she had been feeling it for the last few days, but had not known what it was as she had been solely concentrated on her own mate. Something deep within her responded the instant she became aware of it.

"BUFFY! Snap out of it!" Buffy's eyes snapped open as she was shaken roughly. They were deep and golden, and glowing. Feeling their need, added to the delicious scent of arousal of the mate sitting next to her, sent her instincts into overdrive, and without thinking, she grabbed Kathryn by the hair and kissed her fiercely, pushing with her body until her mate was laid out beneath her. Without letting up on the kiss, she used her free hand to lift Kathryn's leg up to her waist so that she could press her thigh to her mate's sex. Kathryn groaned into the kiss, her body moving of its own accord.

Not alone, she thought, bringing her leg up to press against Buffy. Together they moved, undulating against one another until they were finally forced to break the kiss. Kathryn's lifted leg pressed back into the cushions as Buffy nipped down the pale column of her throat. Reaching under the loose shirt, Kathryn dug her nails into Buffy's back, causing the Prime to growl in pain and pleasure. Their climaxes hit them at the same time, catching them both by surprise. Buffy growl turned sub-vocal, and the sound vibrated through Kathryn's body, sending the redhead into fresh spasms.

"Oh, goddess." Buffy gasped, resting her head on Kathryn's shoulder. She wanted to rip her mate's clothes from her body and feast on her for hours. She struggled for control, sensing Kathryn coming down from the endorphin rush. "You are so beautiful."

Kathryn panted and smiled up at her mate. "You know that you won't be able to do that once we're back under way, don't you? These little interludes can't happen when I'm on duty."

"I know." Buffy murmured, tracing delicate features with gentle fingers. "What am I going to do about Faith and Willow?"

"You're going to go and talk to them." Kathryn answered. "I can feel the need in you. It's different from what you feel for me, but easily as strong."

"But you are my mate." The blonde said. "I love you."

The Captain replied softly. "I know you do, but you love them too. You always have. Dawn said that you were capable of multiple mates as you grew stronger, and there isn't anyone stronger than you. It will be all right."

The Prime caught and held her mate's eyes with her own. "Are you sure?"

Kathryn's smile only widened, showing her mate what she needed to see. "Yes, lovely one, I'm sure."

- - - BtVS - - ST: Voyager - - -

Buffy stood outside the holodeck and took a deep breath. She could still the need crawling hotly through her veins as she faintly heard Willow's cries of pleasure through the doors. The doors slid open and she stepped inside. "Voyager, seal the rooms, please. Only let Kathryn in."

"Acknowledged."

Tracking their scents, she found them in frolicking in a waterfall, Willow's arms and legs wrapped around her mate. Crouching on the shore, she watched them with narrowed eyes, her teeth bared in lust. Willow's hands were clutched in Faith's hair and their mouths were fused together. Buffy saw Faith's right arm move to wrap around Willow's narrow waist and her other hand moved back and lower, and Willow's head snapped back in a cry as Faith apparently used those talented fingers to great effect.

"Faith!" Willow screamed when Faith dipped her head and closed her lips around a hard nipple.

Buffy couldn't stand it. Ripping off her clothes, shredding the shirt completely in two, she slipped soundlessly into the water and moved in close to press herself against Faith's back. Before either of them could respond to her sudden presence, Buffy reach down with one hand and buried three fingers into Faith's suddenly spasming sex. With her other, she followed the silky wet skin of the brunette's arm to join their fingers together as they pushed into the panting redhead. Bending her knees slightly, the blonde tilted backwards to support their weight as Faith suddenly surged to her tiptoes at the sudden invasion. At the same time, Willow screamed through the orgasm that had her head snapping back and hard shudders flowing through her body. The back of Faith's head slammed back onto Buffy's shoulder as her own orgasm crashed through her, overwhelmed by the things Buffy was doing to her body and helping her do to Willow.

And through it all, Buffy held as steady as she could, even as her own pleasure was magnified by the feedback from her companions enough to cause her the first climax of this encounter. Which is why they all ended up falling over into the water. Breaking loose of each other to struggle back to the water's surface, they all surfaced at roughly the same time, staring at each other, worry and lust vying in each of them almost equally.

Before the others could say anything, Buffy broke the silence. "I'm sorry for what I've done to you. I never wanted to hurt either of you."

Faith shook her head adamantly "I told you before, B, you didn't hurt us. We didn't expect it to get that serious, but it wasn't a bad thing."

Willow swam to Buffy, wrapping her arms around her neck and dipping her head to meet her eyes. "We enjoyed the things you did to us. The fact you wanted us badly enough to take what we were willing to give. It's why I enjoy playing the games I do with Faith."

When Buffy looked away, Willow grasped Buffy's chin and gently turned her back to face her. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. I knew what I was doing when I hit you with that blast. I knew how you would react, but it was the only way. Besides, I loved every moment of it. Now, none of us expected that you had the kind of power that could exert your will over ours, but if we didn't want it, we would have fought you, and you would have stopped."

"How can you be so sure?" Buffy asked. "I practically raped you. I mated you without asking."

"C'mon, you two." Faith said. "Let's go sit down." They swam towards the shore until the water was shallow enough to sit comfortably in. Willow on one side of Buffy and Faith on the other. "Now, I want you to listen to me, B. I know what it feels like to be forced into something that I don't want. I wouldn't never let that happen to me again without a hell of a fight, and I for damn sure would never let that happen to Red. We know you would have stopped because that's the kind of person you are. I can't say the same thing for me. Hell, I can't even say that same thing for Red. We've both abused the power we had, and it's possible that we'll do it again, but you didn't, even when it would have been easier for you."

"As for the mating bites," Willow added. "because you did do it without permission, we could have rejected them at any time. We could have broken the connection, but we didn't. We want this, Buffy. We want to be your mates. We 'felt' the potential before, and accepted it, but you were too focused on Kathryn. When you had us that day, you were running on instinct, so it's not so surprising that you mated us."

They sat quietly for a while, but they could still feel the low throbbing in their guts, the need for each other. Buffy glanced over as Willow moved further up to the shore, leaned back and closed her eyes, stretching out to soak up the warm sunshine. Her heart began to pound as she took in the sight of the pale, glistening flesh laid out before her. Unable to stop herself, she inched her way closer, her mouth watering as memories of how that flesh tasted against her tongue. She didn't notice when Faith turned to look at her with flared nostrils as the scent of her arousal filled the air between them. Reaching out with a slightly trembling finger, she traced the contours of Willow's breasts, eyes narrowing at the sudden, sharp intake of breath, and flicked the hard nipple with her fingernail.

Willow hummed and arched her back into the caress. She could feel Buffy's intense gaze on her skin, and it made her sex throb in anticipation. She knew, as well as Faith did, that none of them would be leaving until the mating ritual was completed. The mere thought made her insides shiver, but instead of stretching out to give Buffy more access, she tangled her fingers with her friend's and tugged until Buffy was straddling her body.

"Oh, no, Buffy." She whispered against the Prime's parted lips. "It's our turn now."

Before Buffy could respond, Faith draped her wet form across her back and reached around to pinch her hard nipples. The only thing that came out of Buffy's mouth was a long groan as her eyes closed and her head fell forward. Willow held onto her hips as her body started rocking, she could feel Buffy's arousal dripping onto her own thighs. "Ohh, Buffy, you are beautiful like this."

Buffy's arms collapsed as a small mini-orgasm rippled up her spine, dropping her body onto Willow's. Faith pulled her hands from between their bodies and raked her nails down Buffy's back, making the blonde cry out in pleasure. Willow's hands had migrated from her hips to her inner thighs, skipping over the sensitive flesh teasingly.

"Do you want us, Buffy?" Willow whispered up at her. "Do you want us as mates?"

"Yes." Buffy choked.

"But what about Kathryn?" Willow asked, suspecting the answer, but wanting to be sure.

"S-S-She sent me to you." Buffy gasped. She had managed to push herself back up, but her arms were trembling with the effort to remain passive as they played with her body. She hissed in pleasure as Faith squeezed the globes of her ass.

"You ever let KJ play back here, B?" Faith asked, brushing her thumb over the dark opening between her butt cheeks. Her eyes narrowed as Buffy's back bowed, throwing her head back even as she pushed back into the ghostly caress. "Ohh, I bet you have."

Buffy shuddered at the timber of Faith's smoky voice. Only Faith and Kathryn had even managed to arouse the blonde with speech alone, but Faith had nothing on Kathryn. That woman's voice could make Buffy climaxed by sound alone. Faith, however, did a damn fine job coming in second. "Has anybody but KJ been here, B?"

Buffy shook her head. Her whole body was shaking as Faith's caresses became just a tad bit firmer, and Willow's fingers began tracing her slick folds. "Can you feel the difference between us? My fingers are a bit shorter and thicker than her slim digits, ain't they? Her smooth skin and my calluses? Can you imagine how those calluses would feel pushing inside you?"

Buffy shuddered through another small orgasm. "Ohhh, yes, pleaaase."

Both Faith and Willow pushed in at the same time. With her free hand, Faith gathered Buffy's hair and pulled it over her shoulder so that she could see her face, and smiled ferally as she watched Buffy's mouth moving in silent 'ohgodohgodohgodohgod'.

Willow's pale green eyes glowed up at her, and she just knew that her own were glowing back. They could feel the pulsing need coiling in Buffy just as they could feel their own bodies preparing for the claiming. The need had been flaring in them for days now, and it had become so intense, despite their efforts to relieve it themselves, that Buffy didn't even need to touch them to bring to them the edge of release. Supporting herself on one hand, Willow lifted herself up to run her tongue from Buffy's open lips down to the sensitive spot between her breasts. Although her teeth weren't as sharp as theirs, they were sharp enough, and she used them to scrape a path over plump flesh to a tease a hardened nipple. Faith did the same at her neck, biting down on a visible tendon at her throat opposite the still visible bite marks, just hard to hint at true pain but not enough to break skin.

"Fuck me!" Buffy moaned. "Please Faith, Willow, do it!"

Reaching over Buffy's shoulder, Faith grabbed a handful of red hair and pulled her mate into a steaming kiss before they focused solely on the blonde between them. Thrusting in concert, one pushing in as the other pulled out, they pushed the Prime higher and higher until she was cursing them and begging them and crying out her need, the upcoming claiming forcing her to restrain her climax. "Please!"

Before the word was fully out of her mouth, both women sunk their teeth in their respective claiming spots. Willow bit into the spot between her breasts, the spot that always made her body throb, as Faith sunk her sharper teeth into the flesh covered muscles of the back of Buffy's right shoulder. Buffy's scream reverberated through the simulated mountains. Willow's and Faith's cries soon followed. In her ready room, Kathryn grabbed hold of the edge of her desk as Buffy's mind reached out and latched onto hers instinctively to share in her pleasure.