Disclaimer: I own nothing! If I did, I'd have Dyson hand-washing my dishes right now. Naked.

Something was off. Call it her "Kenzi Sense" or whatever but something just wasn't right here. The whole situation with Hale, it all just felt... wrong.

"Kenzi and Hale. Take sixty-seven." Hale muttered, before closing his eyes and puckering his lips for Kenzi.

There it was again, Kenzi thought. That awful feeling in my chest.

She had a bad feeling that she knew what it was, too. Staring at Hale, lips puckered waiting on her, Kenzi admitted it to herself. She didn't want to kiss Hale. She didn't want to do anything with Hale. The passion just wasn't there.

She cared about Hale so much. And sometimes she had thought to herself that it could be more. Sometimes she was even attracted to him, though it had felt a little more forced than she was comfortable with. She knew she needed a minute to think. A minute to herself before she made any decisions she would regret later.

"You know what," she exclaimed, patting him on the leg before jumping up off of the bed. "I'm going to go freshen up the Kenz."

Without looking back, she walked briskly to the stairs and descended them as quickly as she could and didn't slow her pace until she reached the safety of the bathroom.

"Crap, crap, crap." She muttered to herself, closing the door and locking it behind her. She rested her back against it and let her head thump back. Now what? She thought.

With a deep breath, Kenzi walked to the mirror above the sink. She stared at her reflection as she organized her thoughts. She had known that she was confused even when she and Hale had kissed after the opera singer fae, Ianka, had died. She had told Bo as much when she had admitted to kissing Dyson. All of her thoughts and emotions were just all jumbled up. Guilt for kissing Dyson behind Hale's back, something he still wasn't aware of. And then remembering Bo, and dealing with the guilt of kissing Dyson behind her back, though she couldn't have known she was hurting her then.

And all of those emotions she had felt for Dyson during that time, that raw...hunger she had felt for him. Like she would starve without another taste of his lips... It all confused her feelings for Hale. There was no question of whether she had wanted Dyson in that alternate time. Understandable, even. They were after all, best buds. He had all of this misguided faith in her and he always trusted her and reminded her that she was so much more than the weak, little human she felt like. And Goddess Above that man was sex walking.

But then, Hale had opened up to her about his feelings for her, and she had been torn in so many different directions. Later, all of the adrenaline and emotions of surviving Ianka, and Hale being okay, she had just been so relieved, kissing him back was the only thing she could think to do.

But later...

She had tried talking to Bo about what she was feeling, she really had. But then with D-Wolf getting captured by the Una Mens and sentenced to an execution, all of her troubles had gone on the back burner.

Dyson needed her. She was the only one who could infiltrate the Una Mens lair and get him back. Of course, on par for her course, she had managed to screw that up too. Though she did manage to get the inside scoop on a little piece of Dyson's past, which meant a lot to Kenzi. Dyson didn't open up about his past much, so when he did, it was special.

And he had given the shoe to Angel. Which according to Bo had been Kenzi in his subconscious. She didn't like to dwell too much on the giddy feeling in her chest that thought gave her.

Bringing her thoughts back to Hale sitting on her bed waiting for her, Kenzi's chest tightened again. She was confused, she didn't want to hurt Hale, but at the same time, the thought of going back up to her room and finishing what they had stated made her squirm. And not in the good way.

Not to say the kissing hadn't been nice. It had been. But Kenzi didn't want nice. She wanted passion and heat. She wanted...

A flash of Dyson's hands cradling her face softly as they kissed passed through her mind. The same hands running down her back and pulling her body tightly against his. His low growl that she felt against her chest as the passion ignited. The instant heat and throbbing that shot to her core when she felt him harden against her. The gasp she drew from him when her nails scraped his shoulder blades as he gripped her butt and pulled her against his hardness. His hips twisting against her perfectly, just before he broke off the kiss.

"Shit," Kenzi echoed, looking at her flushed cheeks in the mirror. She shut her eyes to block out the wanton expression on her face. She concentrated on slowing her heart rate, on taming the throbbing that had begun in her core. Her body was ready for a hard body, when only minutes ago it was not.

Kenzi took a deep breath. She needed Bo. She needed her bestie so that she could talk. Try, in some way, to explain the confusion going on in her mind. Hopefully without bringing her sudden obsession with Dyson into the talk.

Standing up straight and steeling herself for what was about to go down, Kenzi wiped her fingers around her lips, fixing her lip-gloss. She smoothed her hair along her shoulders, adjusted her bangs and unlocked the door.

"Bo? Bobo?!" Kenzi yelled, walking through the first floor of the crack shack. She had been walking around calling Bo's name for a few minutes with no sight of her succu-bestie. In fact, she didn't see any of the scooby gang.

"Where the hell is everyone?" She shouted in frustration as she stomped back up the stairs.

"Bobo, are you in here?" She called as she swung open Bo's bedroom door, only to find Dyson propped up against the headboard, half asleep on Bo's bed. She smiled ruefully at the wolf and shook her head. "Hey D-Man."

Dyson lifted his head smiled "Kenzi! What are you doing in here?"

She walked over to the other side of the bed and stretched out on top of the covers, avoiding the box sitting at the foot of the bed and the question. "Doesn't matter." She rolled onto her side and rested her head on her best hand. "Where is everyone? Bobo, Lauren, Trick, Vex?"

Dyson laughed heartily, dropping his head back onto the stack of pillows between him and the headboard. "In surgery."

"Surgery?!" She yelled, sitting up. "Who's hurt?" The blood drained out of her face as her heart missed a beat. "Bo?" She gasped. "Is that why I haven't seen her? Why didn't anyone find me?!" Kenzi gasped as she swung her legs off the bed, her eyes beginning to burn. "Where is she?"

Dyson frowned and sat up, the fog clearing from his mind. "No, no, Kenz." He grabbed her arm and pulled her back down to sit. "Lauren's re-attaching Vex's hand." He explained, rubbing up and down her arms to calm her. "I'm sure Bo's fine. She's around here somewhere."

A gush of breath left Kenzi that she didn't realize she was holding. She crossed her legs and sat cross-legged in front of Dyson, letting him soothe her. "Thank god." She breathed.

Kenzi slowed her breathing and waited for her nerves to settle. She looked around the room noticing the half a dozen beer bottles and the shot glasses, an almost empty bottle of her favorite vodka lying on the bedside table and found herself smiling.

"Getting your drink on without me, Wolfy?"

She reached for the remaining vodka and poured it into the closest shot glass before tossing it back with one big gulp. "Ahh," she smiled.

Dyson felt that tightening in his chest again, the same one he had felt as he watched her go up the stairs with Hale a little while ago. "I would have asked you to join me but I think you were a little busy." He raised his eyebrow suggestively.

Kenzi blushed. "Right."

Dyson reached to the side of the bed and grabbed a lukewarm, half full beer. "Why are you looking for Bo, by the way? Shouldn't you be with Hale right now?" He tried to sound casual. "Finished already?" He teased.

"No!" She laughed, reaching over and swatting his arm. "I just was just freshening up." She said daintily.

"You look plenty fresh to me." He took a deep breath, a mixture of light floral of Kenzi, the spicy incense Bo liked to light, stale beer, liquor and... Dyson felt his pants tighten and his eyes grow heavier even as his stomach turned. She had been aroused, very recently. And considering whom she had just been with, he couldn't help but imagine flashes of Kenzi and Hale, twisted together, his hands on her body, his mouth... Dyson blinked, hard, trying to shake that jealous feeling in his chest.

"Smell pretty fresh too." He said suggestively.

Kenzi's eyes widened in embarrassment, even as her jaw dropped in shock. "Bad dog!" She yelled, punching him in the shoulder, and once more just for good measure. "That's just gross! Keep that nose away from me!"

Dyson couldn't help but laugh at Kenzi's feeble attempts at hurting him. She was just so... cute. Though he would never live to see another day if he admitted that to her. He put his hands up in surrender.

"My apologies, I'll try not to breathe from my nose from now on." He teased.

"And they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks," she said lightly.

She looked down at her hands in her lap, fiddling with her nail beds as the silence grew uncomfortable.

"Hey," he pulled her hands out of her lap and held them with one hand, forcing her to look up at him. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Kenzi bit her lip, hesitating. Dyson was Hale's best friend. She couldn't talk to him and put him in the middle of the situation. He also was a part of the problem... Then again, Bo was missing, and she did really need to figure out what she was going to do with the siren in her room.

"What is it?" He questioned. "I promise, you can tell me. I won't say a word to anyone, if you don't want me to."

Kenzi took a deep breath. "I think I might have made a mistake."

Dyson's brows furrowed deeper, "With?"

She looked back down at her hands. Dyson's clasped around hers, his thumb rubbing the back of her hands softly. She couldn't think with him this close, touching her, sitting in bed with him. She got up and began pacing, looking only at the walls.

"Okay," Dyson said, "I think this is officially the longest you ever gone without speaking." She shot him a dirty look and flipped the bird at him quickly as she continued pacing. "Kenz," Dyson growled.

"Okay, okay," she huffed. "Don't get your fur in a twist." She looked at him quickly before looking away. "I think I made a mistake getting together with Hale."

Dyson's mouth opened, before closing. He opened it again but words wouldn't come. How many drinks had he had?

"You seemed pretty happy a little while ago, when you were dragging him up to your room," he reminded her.

"I know!" she moaned pitifully. "I thought I was happy, I really did. But I've been so confused about things lately, and my mind is a mess. But I thought, 'This is the way things should be, Kenz. You and Hale, it makes sense. So what if he doesn't make you feel like a shooting star when he kisses you? That's okay. Sometimes it takes a little while.'" She rambled, pacing faster. "I even told myself that I'm just stressed out about this whole 'human hunting' thing going on." She glanced at him, hands flying as she talked.

"But Dyson," she stopped walking suddenly, looking him straight in the eyes, her hands falling to her sides. Dyson felt his chest tighten in anticipation, of what, he wasn't sure. He was still trying to process the words coming out of her mouth. He waited patiently for her to organize her thoughts.

"I just don't feel that way about him," she said finally. She took a deep breath in waiting for him to speak now. She fiddled with her hands nervously before settling them on her hips to keep from fidgeting.

For a long moment, Dyson just stared at her. Finally, he looked towards the bed next to where he was seated and patted the empty space next to him and few times before looking up to her. She glanced at the spot next to him questioningly. He simply raised his eyebrow at her expectantly and patted the space again.

She scowled at him anxiously and stomped over and sat next to him. Shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, knee to knee, they sat, sides pressed together tightly. Dyson wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze as she looked up at him. He smiled reassuringly at her and she smiled back sadly.

"It's all going to be okay, Kenz. You'll figure it out."

"He's sitting in my room up there right now." She explained, "He's waiting for me to come back so that we can make sweet lovin', and I... I just can't do that Dys."

"Okay," he said. "So you go up there and tell him you're not ready. That you need some time to think. He'll understand." He rubbed her arms reassuringly as she leaned her head against his chest. Dyson swallowed. He liked how she felt there, her head fitting perfectly beneath his chin.

"You think?" She mumbled.

He smoothed down her hair comfortingly. "I know." She looked up at him with a small smile. "And if he doesn't, I'll kick his ass for you."

"Okay," She sighed heavily. "I'll go talk to him in a minute. Can we just sit here for just a bit?" She looked up at him with her big blue eyes wide and innocent. "You give pretty good hugs Wolf-Man."

"Sure thing," he smiled at her as he breathed out a small laugh. "Come here."

He scooted back to the headboard and fixed the pillows against it. Then he leaned back against it and opened his arms. Kenzi giggled lightly as she crawled on all fours up the bed to Dyson, curling her body into his side and resting her head in the crook of his shoulder. He squeezed her tighter against him and rested his head on top of hers, inhaling her scent deeply as he closed his eyes.

Kenzi gently lifted her head off Dyson's shoulder so that she wouldn't disturb him. A few minutes ago his head rolled back gently to rest back on the pillow propped behind him. His eyes closed softly as he breathed slow and deep in slumber.

She thought that she had heard Bo calling her name before she heard footsteps going up the stairs to her room. She gently pulled Dyson's arms from around her waist before rolling to the side quietly. She placed his arm back around his own stomach and tugged the throw blanket off the end of the bed and put it around him softly.

"Kenz," he muttered in his sleep.

Her heart jumped as she waited for him to continue. But nothing followed. She stared at him for a few seconds before walking towards the door to find Bo. As she approached her room, she overheard Hale and her talking, and whatever it was, Bo sounded upset. She slowed her steps and walked in the room quietly overhearing everything.

"Stay calm, okay. Well the one thing we have on our side is time." Hale said

"God, Hale, why would you put yourself through this voluntarily?" Bo demanded. With his guilty shrug, she realized. "Wait... you and Kenzi?! God, that's just skeevy!" She punched him on the arm.

"Oh-okay, look," Hale said. "It's the opposite of skeevy. I had a chance to perfect my game, so to speak. I swear I was going to tell her."

"I-I think you just did." Bo said quietly, staring over his shoulder at her best friend who looked as though she was going to be sick.

Kenzi felt her stomach drop. Had her decision to not sleep with Hale already been taken from her? And how many times? She felt violated, and... skeeved out! How could he keep this from her? Why would he keep this from her? To keep getting laid? That was just... ew! She had to get out of there, pronto.

"Who's the Yule fool now, huh?" She said condescendingly, pointing to herself as she walked out of the room.

"Kenzi, wait!" Hale yelled over her shoulder.

Kenzi went back to the bathroom and washed her face but it didn't help. She felt dirty, and what she really wanted was a shower. Turning the knob for hot water, Kenzi waited for it to heat up. To make herself feel better, she settled for imagining how angry Dyson would be when he found out Hale had been taking advantage of the.. time loop, was it? To get into her pants. And did he say sixty-seven times? Gross.

She tied her hair up into a high bun and stepped into the hot spray to let the water take her pain away.

Hale found her later, lying on her bed, trying not to get too upset.

"Came to stuff my stocking with your Yule log again, stud?"

"I'm so sorry, little mama. I was stupid." He said, sitting down.

She took a deep breath before steeling herself. "So how many times did we, uh..."

"No," Hale said quickly. "Not once, I swear. I mean, we came close a couple of times but we never uh-"

"Connected," Kenzi finished with an inner sigh of relief.

"Look, I just wanted to make this night perfect. You know?" He looked at her hopefully, looking for some sort of understanding or forgiveness.

Kenzi swallowed and sat up next to him stiffly. "Hale, you and I... We're not ever going to be perfect."

She looked at him, hoping he would understand what she was trying to say.

"What do you mean?"

She looked at her fidgeting hands. "Earlier tonight, when we were..." She searched for the right word.

"About to connect?" he supplied with a smile.

"Right," she cleared her throat and began again. "When we were trying to 'connect', it wasn't working for me."

His face fell. "I kind of got that feeling the first sixty-six times."

"It shouldn't be that hard, you know?" She put her hand on his knee, turning to face him. "I think we need to take a step back from each other for a bit. Maybe put a pause on all of this for a while?"

"Is that what you want?" Hale asked.

"Yeah," she mumbled quietly. "It is."

Hale nodded for a few moments before standing up and walking towards the stairs. "I'm not giving up, little mama." He announced. "I'll give you your space, slow things down, but I am going to win your heart."

With that he left, leaving Kenzi feeling as confused as ever.

Later on, after everyone had left and Bo had just returned, Kenzi went to go check on Dyson. She smiled at him from the doorway. He was just as she left him. She reached out to close the door when the box at the end of the bed caught her attention again. She walked over and looked at it. It had Bo's name on it. Maybe it was a present from Dyson?

Kenzi picked it up and tucked it under her arm. Then, on impulse she leaned over and kissed Dyson's nose, just as she had done once before. Watching one side of his mouth curl up slightly she whispered, "when you know, you know right?"

Her heart sped up slightly. She wasn't sure what had made her do that, and she wanted get out of there before Bo came looking for them. Walking briskly to the door, a quiet whisper stopped her in her tracks.

"Kenzi."

Turning around, she watched his eyes flutter in his sleep as he rolled over onto his side reaching out to the space Kenzi had occupied earlier.

She left the room quickly, still carrying the box, before she did something stupid.

Like the crawl-into-his-arms-and-never-leave, kind of stupid.