The room wasn't white yet it still smelled like a hospital, a mix of bleach, fabric softener, and pain. A monitor beeped nearby, and Cat wasn't surprised to see an IV tube taped to her right arm.

"Hey, welcome back." Willow materialized next to the Cat's bed. "I thought you were going to turn into Sleeping Beauty."

Willow? What was she doing here? Hadn't Faith said she was overseas? Where was Faith? And Tara? Pushing upright in the narrow bed, Cat scanned the room. "How long have I been out? Where are..."

Willow interrupted. "Where are Faith and Tara? You're nothing if not consistent. You've asked that question every time you've woken up for the last twenty-four hours. Give or take a couple of hours. You haven't been here a whole day yet."

Cat vowed to ask about Faith and Tara again if Willow didn't get to the point. She raised an eyebrow and waited. Impatiently.

She obviously lacked a Dominant's skill at that maneuver. Willow's grin grew infectiously wider until her tongue peeked between her teeth. "Ooh, things are going to be interesting with you around." She either didn't recognize the danger Cat posed or she didn't care. "Poor Tara. I thought Faith was enough of a challenge. Now she's got you, too. If she survives, she'll be a legend."

"Where. Are. They?" Cat demanded between clenched teeth. If Willow didn't answer this time, Cat was getting up and hunting for Faith and Tara on her own.

Dropping into a well-cushioned recliner near the foot of the bed, Willow said, "You already know where they are. Stop thinking and start feeling."

It was like a rerun of Cat's childhood conversations with Faith. Only Cat hadn't wanted to kill Faith. Willow was a different story.

"You have to relax, Cat," Willow murmured. "You'll never be able to feel them if you don't relax. I know you're probably confused and irritated with me. I seem to have that affect on people. But your heart rate's gone up. Did you know the normal resting heart rate for the average woman is between sixty and eighty beats per minute? Yours is way above that now. Way above. I don't want to have Tara in here breathing fire at me. She'd probably call Janna and then things would really get crazy. Just calm down, OK?"

If relaxing had been difficult before, it was even harder now as Willow's voice rose and got faster. To Hell with playing Willow's game. Reaching for the tape holding the IV needle and tube into her arm, Cat ripped it out. The flash of pain was expected but far from debilitating. However, its removal caused the monitors in the room to beep frantically. Cat ignored the commotion as well as Willow as she babbled something about staying put and tried to push Cat back onto the bed. Cat needed to find Faith and Tara.

Footsteps pounded in the hallway as Cat managed to avoid Willow's questing hands and stand up. Only slightly unstable, she walked toward the door, thankful that whatever hospital she was in had given her a pair of soft pajama pants and t-shirt.

"Get back in bed, Cat. Now." Tara's voice came out of nowhere, and Cat stopped in confusion.

Before she could figure things out, the door wrenched open and two scrub-clad women ran into the room. "The monitor..." one of them announced.

Tara's mental order was firm. "Tell them you're sorry and that you are getting back into bed."

Under normal circumstances, Cat would have immediately followed that command. Today was not a normal day. Tara's voice was in her head. That wasn't supposed to be possible. Afraid to hope, Cat whispered, "Tara, what's happening? How can... I mean... I can hear you." A bubble of joy tried to burst in her chest at the same time a lead weight dragged at her stomach. She couldn't go through this again. Couldn't have and then lose a bond. Did she really even have a bond? What had been in that IV?

"Cat."

"Tiger."

The twin warning jump started Cat into action. "I'm sorry," she apologized to the bewildered hospital staff. She could hear Willow giggling madly behind her. "I'm…going back to bed now." A rush of satisfaction and approval from Faith and Tara salved Cat's bruised pride and soothed her embarrassment at being sent to bed like a child. Climbing back into bed, she carefully rearranged the blankets so they covered her bare (and now chilled) feet.

"I told you," Willow said as she resumed her seat in the recliner.

Cat was too busy bouncing around inside her own head, peering at the link. Reaching out to Faith and Tara. They were on their way here. And…oh, they were both so tired. "Did you get any sleep at all?" she asked.

Of course, neither would admit to that. Arrogant Dominants.

"Time to sleep once we get the rest of those Legion bastards and dust Phillip's vamps." Faith brimmed with a lethal anger, and Cat was glad the emotion wasn't directed at her.

She shivered and pulled the blanket all the way up. "I'm fine, Faith." Something brushed the edges of her awareness. Something Faith and Tara were masking. "What's wrong?" It had been a long time since she'd worked through a bond – and never a double conduit. Cat didn't let that stop her. She scanned the link carefully, probing and prodding.

Guilt. Overwhelming guilt and more than a hint of self-loathing.

The emotions froze Cat in place. She'd never considered what the new bond would do to Faith and Tara. They'd been together a long time. Just the two of them.

"Really, Cat? You manage to wiggle through the barrier I put up, and that's what you come up with? Faith and I don't want you?" Tara leaned against the doorjamb with arms crossed over her chest.

Faith was less restrained. She strode impatiently across the room, tired and rumpled and totally sexy. "Thought you were smarter than that, little cat." Her lips covered Cat's in a heated, possessive kiss.

The same sense of possession filled Cat, shoving all her doubts away. "What...Why…" Cat couldn't pull her thoughts together when Faith finally stepped back.

"There are a lot of things we need to talk about, Cat." Tara might be slower than Faith to approach the bed, but her kiss was just as possessive. Cat was nearly too dazed to follow Tara's next comment. "Unfortunately, we're going to have to wait. Jane has the taskforce and a horde of officers ready to seize Jonathan Stewart and Allison Parker. And Faith and I are heading out with our own horde of Slayers." Her eyes were colder than the night she'd taken Cat to task for visiting the bar. "There won't be a vampire left in Boston when we're through."

Instinct had Cat shrink away from Tara's expression, and then her inner cop woke up. "What about the Legion soldiers in the lab? How many did I hit? Did they have any useful information? Is Sam alright?" The kid had taken a knife to the chest. The more Cat talked, the more questions popped into her head. She had to stop wallowing in her new and unexpected bond. There was obviously a major sting operation planned; she had to start acting like a cop. "I just remembered. Paula Benton's submissive was there. Carrie. She was part of the Legion."

"We know, Cat. She's been arrested." Tara's fingers gently caressed Cat's cheek. "And Sam will be fine. She's down the hall in another room. Willow will fill you in on all that while we're out." She kissed Cat again, softer but with no less intensity. "Faith and I have to go, sweetie. Everyone's waiting on us." She completely ignored the rest of Cat's questions.

"But what about…?" Cat protested.

Faith shook her head. "I told you she'd want to go, T," she said before Cat could finish. Although Faith's grin commiserated with Cat's frustration at being sidelined, she continued firmly. "Stay put, tiger. The doc's ain't cleared you for duty." "Not to mention me and T aren't putting you on the front lines until we have that talk." Untold reluctance at the thought of talking filled the mental comment; yet Cat sensed Faith's grim determination to sit and communicate honestly once this was over. "You got it, Cat? Don't give Red or her Domme any grief while we're gone."

For someone who'd been afraid to Dominate, Faith had made huge strides. Cat's chin dropped automatically. Showing her submission didn't mean she managed to keep the resentment out of her "Yes, Faith."

"One last thing, Cat." Tara picked up Cat's right wrist and unbuckled the red cuff.

Skin and eyes prickling, Cat held her breath. Breathing might break the moment, might end the dream. And, oh God, she wouldn't be able to handle that.

The gentleness Cat had come to expect from Tara was completely absent as she flung the cuff across the room. Her expression was fierce as she brought Cat's wrist to her lips and kissed the sensitive skin. "The next time I collar you, it will be in front of our friends and family. I will never collar you in haste or on a whim again, Cat. Until then this will have to do."

Faith moved forward, a black leather cuff in her hands. She wrapped it around Cat's wrist and held it while Tara tightened the buckles. The leather was thick and new. Stiff. Two symbols had been recently burned into the top of the cuff.

Cat didn't care about stiff or new. A single tear streaked her face and was immediately wiped away by Tara's thumb. Her hand cupped Cat's cheek. "Detective Cat McLearen, this cuff is a symbol of our bond. Our pledge to you. Wear it with pride and dignity. Let it stand as a warning to all Dominants that you are claimed and under our protection until the formal collaring can be arranged."

No words made it past the knot in Cat's throat.

Luckily, Cat didn't need to verbalize her response. Faith and Tara kissed her one last time and headed for the door. Of course, that wasn't the end.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Faith advised. Her tone softened. "Love you, tiger." And she did. Cat felt the wave of warmth envelop her.

It was closely followed by Tara's mental kiss and her wry (and Uber Dominant), "Don't do anything I wouldn't approve of, Cat. There

is a difference. We'll keep in touch through the link as we can." There was a sense that Tara would be keeping in touch regardless of what was happening to ensure Cat wasn't pushing too hard.

Cat couldn't decide how she felt about that. The fact someone cared - and would be ready to make Cat follow orders - filled a need that had been untended for so very long. It also grated against her pride.

"We love you, Cat."

The joint reassurance from Faith and Tara helped. The room was too quiet, too cold, and too lonely without her bondmates.

"Wow. That was... Well, wow." Willow's grin was electric.

"Yeah." Cat wasn't deliberately abrupt. However, her heart and mind were with Faith and Tara. Being stuck here with Willow sucked. An echo of Faith's laughter filled Cat's mind. Flushing, Cat pulled out of the link. She had a job to do, too. Although she might not be on the front lines, Cat was far from helpless. Her mind focused. First things first, though. "Do you know where my clothes are?"

An auburn eyebrow twitched. "Yes."

Willow was obviously going to be a problem. Time to play Bad Cop. "You have a choice. Help me find my clothes and get out of this room or don't." Cat's smile wasn't designed to provide comfort. "If you do, fantastic. If you don't, I'll walk out the door on my own. I'll ask one of those nice nurses out there," she said, referring to the two women who come running when the monitor beeped, "to find your Dominant. Janna, wasn't it?"

Frowning, Willow tried to follow Cat's logic. "Why would you need Janna?"

"There's apparently something you haven't told her." Cat climbed out of bed and stretched.

"You don't know anything about that!" Willow said. "Unless..."

Cat had her now. "Unless Faith told me?" Faith hadn't, of course. Luckily, Willow didn't know that. "I bet if I even mentioned it, you'd be in trouble. What do you think she'd do to you? Hmmm?" She was almost ashamed of the blatant threat. Almost.

All air of friendliness was absent when Willow muttered, "Your clothes are in the closet."

"Thanks." Cat could afford to be pleasant now. She quickly changed into her jeans and blouse. Her gun and harness were absent. She'd have to track those down later. "So Sam first and then I need a computer and webcam." If she had to be on the sidelines, Cat fully intended to help track down evidence and Legion members.

Willow remained stonily silent as she led Cat three doors farther down a well-lit, scrupulously clean hallway. Unlike most hospitals, there was no funereal silence. The hospital staff and what Cat assumed were visitors hurried by in groups or couples, talking and laughing in normal voices. In fact, Sam had a group of those visitors gathered around her bed.

"Ms. Rosenberg!" The youngest of the group turned beet red and shot to her feet. "We weren't bothering Sam. Really. Doctor Hinduja said we could stay for a little while longer."

Ignoring the byplay, Cat gently shoved her way up to the bed. "Sam." The young Slayer was pale. However, she also appeared far more awake and aware than Cat would have believed possible. "How are you doing?"

That earned a smile from Sam. "I'm going to start collecting a dollar every time someone asks me that. I'll be rich in no time."

"In other words you're ready to get out of this bed," Cat said, relieved. "I just…When you went down…" There had been so much blood.

"Sam had a punctured lung, and the blade nicked a rib, too." Willow had shooed the other girls out of the room. "Lucky for her, we had a team on site only a few minutes after she was stabbed. And," she winked at Sam, "Slayers are hard to kill."

Cat didn't take that explanation at face value. "Sam?" She wanted confirmation from Sam now. She'd pester the doctors later.

Raising a hand, Sam drew an invisible "x" over her heart. "Cross my heart. But I'm not hoping to die. Willow's right. Slayers are hard to kill. For one thing, the vamp had lousy aim. He missed my heart by a mile. Add in Slayer healing speed… I won't be back on patrol tomorrow." Unfortunately, her comical grimace indicated. "Next month's a possibility."

Relief made Cat lightheaded. "Good." More than good. If anything had happened to Sam, she would never have forgiven herself.

The guilt was apparently universal. "I've already talked with Tara." Sam shifted uneasily in the bed. "I'm sorry, Cat. You were hurt, too, and I was supposed to keep you safe. You were under my protection."

"I was," Cat agreed. Then she leaned closer to Sam, hands fisted on the mattress on either side of Sam's waist. "Tara was wrong to do that." She'd deal with the consequences of that statement when Faith and Tara came back and she told them the same thing in person. "I didn't need you to protect me. I'm a cop, Sam. And an adult who's been taking care of herself for a very long time."

She could see Sam wasn't on board with her. Dominants were crazy about taking care of submissives, even Dominants this young.

"Look," she said, trying again. "On a normal night, you would have taken care of those vampires and we'd have been fine. We were set up. Tranquilizer guns? Humans who were helping the vampires? You couldn't have known; you couldn't have changed what happened. I'm fine," Cat stressed. "Besides," Cat added, "you protected me at the end. If you hadn't picked a fight with the vamps in the lab, neither one of us would have made it out alive. You nearly died protecting me, Sam; I think that counts for a lot. Tara will, too, once she's had time to calm down."

"OK." Tears glimmered for a second in Sam's eyes before she blinked them away. "But I still should have…"

Cat cut her off. "Stop. Talking."

For once, her command worked. Sam fell silent. Of course, her lips twitched and her shoulders trembled with laughter.

"I know. I suck at giving orders to Dominants." With an overly dramatic sigh, Cat pushed away from the bed. "We'll tell your friends it's safe to come back inside. I've got to get back to the case. If you need anything…"

Sam nodded. "I'll call the nearest nurse or unbonded submissive. I won't call you." She pointed to Cat's wrist. "Congratulations." Her voice grew mocking. "Tara isn't your Domme? Really? 'Cause that isn't red, and I recognize the symbols. Witch and Slayer."

Cat flushed and couldn't hold back a sappy grin. "She wasn't my Domme the first time you asked. Tara and Faith put this on me less than thirty minutes ago." She let the sound of Sam's laughter follow her out of the room before getting down to more serious business as she asked Willow, "Now, where's the best place to set up an internet connection so I can help my team?"