The wood under Buffy's fist shuddered as she banged on the door to Faith's bedroom. Exhaustion and mounting apprehension knotted her stomach, making her cranky. "Faith? Come on, Faith, wake up," she grumbled, looking down at her pink ducky sleep shorts, slip-on sandals, and the oversized powder blue sweatshirt she'd had the presence of mind to throw on before making her way over to the castle. Willow had awoken her in a whirlwind of red hair and rushed explanations.

She was about to knock again when the door flung wide, a very annoyed and disheveled Faith scowled back at her wearing only an oversized t-shirt and a pair of underwear.

"What the hell, B, what part of 'night off' did you miss?"

Buffy's shoulders dropped slightly, suddenly wishing she hadn't volunteered for this. "You need to get dressed. Giles and Willow are meeting us in the library."

Faith's expression cleared. "What happened?"

"Get some pants on and—"

"What happened?" Faith repeated ice in her tone.

Buffy shifted on the spot, still hovering outside Faith's door, and took a breath. "Willow got a call from Spike— Callum's been hurt."

"Can you say that again?" Faith asked numbly.

"Look, I don't have a ton of information. I know Callum got hurt and—"

"And the fact your boy called the resident witch instead of the hospital or one of us tells me what exactly? Is he—" she stopped, unable to voice the question, and abruptly switched to an easier one. "Where are they now?" she demanded, fingers flexing on the edge of the door frame.

Buffy shifted her stance, rubbing her shoulder. "They're on their way back now, Will only talked to Spike— I guess Callum's driving, so you know, can't be hurt too bad, I guess, and Willow is already on it so—"

"On what!? What is she working on?"

Buffy clenched her jaw. She'd hoped she could avoid being the one to tell her. Guess not— "The guys were attacked by a werewolf. Callum got bit."

Faith froze, blinking at Buffy as though her brain simply couldn't comprehend the news and Buffy was pretty sure she was listening to the proverbial 'other shoe' dropping down a whole flight of stairs.

Th-Thunk!

Th-Thunk!

Th-Thunk!

Thunk!

Buffy stepped over the threshold to lay a hand on Faith's upper arm, squeezing gently. "Faith? Are— are you alright?"

She blinked several more times, the look on her face morphing instantly from shock to pure determination. Faith stepped back, forcing Buffy to release her arm. She pulled a pair of sweatpants from the bottom of the bed and started tugging them on in a rush. "What's the plan?" she asked coolly as she slipped on her favorite canvas shoes.

"Last I heard the plan was still in the 'wake people up and make a few calls' stage of things," Buffy shrugged. "That was probably fifteen minutes ago and Willow was already making the first call when she left, so I—"

Faith grabbed her cell phone, ripped it from the charger, and pushed past Buffy. "You said the library, right?"

Buffy turned to follow her. "Yeah but—" she paused when she realized Faith was already well ahead of her and ran to catch up. "Are you okay?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out right?"

Buffy nodded and waved a hand in an unnecessary 'after you' gesture.

(*)

Giles removed his glasses, rubbing grit from his eye with a knuckle before placing them back on the bridge of his nose. He blinked tiredly as he searched one of the high shelves for a particular book on werewolves. The likelihood of it containing anything explicitly informative wasn't high, and he suspected (or hoped) that Willow would fare better.

The witch in question was pacing up and down the length of the library, cell phone clutched between ear and shoulder with a notebook in one hand and a pen in the other as she took down notes. Ruby sat in her usual chair, her chin resting on one knee drawn into her chest, her eyes following her girlfriend like a cat with a string. Her face remained neutral when Willow veered off course to open a small cabinet set within the center of the shelves at the end of the room. Willow rattled off a few herbs in confirmation that she had them in stock.

"Wait, how many do I need?" Willow asked into the phone, "—Yeah, I have— seven here— oh, alright—" she hesitated, turning toward the door as Buffy and Faith strode into the room, and bounced in agitation when she saw them. "And you're sure this works on newly infected wolves too?" A long pause. "Ah huh, okay— oh yeah that makes more sense— Alright so walk me through this one more time—"

Giles lifted his gaze and watched Willow as she chewed her bottom lip while listening to the person on the other end of the call, checking and double-checking her understanding of each step of the process.

"What do we know?" Faith asked Giles in a low tone.

He nodded toward Willow handing Faith the book. "Not much yet, I'm afraid—" he glanced pointedly to the book he'd just handed her, "—I don't imagine that will be much help in this situation but it might be worth a look."

"Ah huh— Who's she talking to anyway?" Faith asked, inclining her head toward Willow.

"The only werewolf we know who's ever learned to control it— Oz," Buffy replied, taking a seat next to Ruby.

"I believe she's speaking to his wife at the moment," Giles interjected.

"Damn," Faith breathed letting her shoulders relax microscopically. "Bet that's an awkward conversation."

"For about three seconds. Will's been laser-focused on the spell stuff," Ruby shrugged.

Faith tossed the book to Ruby, who caught it with a satisfying slap on the leather-bound volume. Faith proceeded to move over to the closest of the three large study tables and pulled out a chair, sitting on it backward with a dejected huff. "There's no way I can even think about focusing right now," she murmured in explanation, gazing at the cell phone in her hand. "You're sure Callum's driving?" she inquired, looking up at Buffy.

"Pretty sure," Buffy shrugged, watching Faith for some kind of reaction. Her face was expressionless, blank eyes examining the ring on her left ring finger.

Buffy was about to say something to break the tension when Faith stood. "I'm gonna take a walk," she blurted, exiting the room quickly.

Buffy shifted in her seat wondering if she should follow or let her just have a moment to herself. There wasn't much for either of them to do at the moment but at the same time, Buffy didn't like the idea of Faith being alone in her state.

She chewed absently on a thumbnail as Ruby turned her attention to skimming the substantial volume in her hands, her attention periodically flicking to Willow as she frantically scribbled down notes. Giles continued to pull odd books in hopes that one of them might prove useful, if for nothing else then perhaps as cross reference for whatever information Willow received. The process seemed to drag on forever and Buffy was certain he was just trying to keep himself busy.

The air in the library seemed to thicken with each tick of the carriage clock sitting on the top shelf. The minutes passed like hours until Buffy just couldn't take any more. Standing, she announced, "I'm gonna check on Faith, see how she's holding up."

Willow nodded in response, pointing to the phone as she mouthed, "I think we're almost done."

Buffy nodded her understanding, leaving the room without another word. Her search didn't last long.

The sound of enraged grunting and yelling caught Buffy's attention as she neared the smaller of the two training rooms. She poked her head in, unsurprised to find Faith on the verge of tearing apart a sparring dummy. "Don't forget, we have to pay for those things," Buffy quipped, announcing her presence.

Faith snapped her head towards her, startled, and turned back to the sad-looking dummy, drooping limply on its partially bent stand. "Oh, ah— yeah… guess I got a bit carried away on it I'm just—" she cut herself off with an aggravated huff.

"Kinda figured," Buffy grimaced, striding into the room with her arms crossed over her stomach. She pinched her lips looking up at Faith. "You wanna talk?"

Faith let her shoulders drop, still in a half-hearted fighting stance, and made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "Why are our lives like this? Why is it always one more shit thing right after another?" she asked weakly.

Buffy shrugged, chuckling bitterly. "Because apparently, that's what we're here for."

"So what do you think happens? Do you think some cosmic power sits up there floating around in space looking down at us saying— 'Gee how can we screw with them now?'— just for their own damn entertainment?"

Buffy leaned against the wall, an ache building behind her eyes. "I'd like to think there's more to it than that," she said, tilting her head back with her eyes closed.

"Like what?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. I'm pretty sure no one does," Buffy replied, kicking herself off the wall to stand. "I think Willow is wrapping up her call, why don't we go see what she found out?"

Faith nodded, deflating as she consented to follow Buffy back into the library.

Moments after they returned, Willow finally ended her call and turned to the group. Giles and Ruby looked up from their respective books while Buffy resumed her seat, keeping a wary side-eye on Faith who sat across from her bouncing her leg.

"I have good news, well maybe— potentially goodish news— if this works," Willow announced timidly.

"What is it?"

"Is there a cure?"

"What do we do?"

"Whatcha got?"

The barrage of questions came at her so quickly she couldn't even process them properly.

Willow held her hands in an effort to stop the deluge, still clutching the notebook in one hand. "Everyone just listen, alright?" she sighed tiredly. "Oz and his wife have been trying to help me figure out if there's anything we can do for Callum. I know Buffy and Giles already know this— they live in a small mountain community of werewolves in Tibet where they help others control their wolves. The people they help have already gone through the transformation at least once so they haven't exactly had a chance to test out anything resembling an actual cure—"

"But they have a theory?" Faith asked hopefully.

"Sorta," Willow squeaked.

"Would you just say it already?!" Faith snapped, standing abruptly and nearly toppling the chair in the process.

"Gee, testy— but point taken. Alright, so since it's a community they get the occasional baby— and whether it's the mom or the dad or both parents who's wolfy it doesn't seem to matter, they're always born infected. Which you know, kinda hard to imagine a baby turning into a wolf, but it happens and when they get a little older like toddlerish, they become completely uncontrollable."

"Not feeling the comfort, Wills," Buffy interjected, straightening herself in her seat.

"I'm getting there," she soothed. "Bayarmaa says they've developed a sort of ceremonial-ritual thing that calms the wolf, but it only works if it's done before the first transformation."

"So let's do it, what are we waiting for?" Faith demanded.

Willow waved the notebook. "Well, we're sorta missing a few majorly key ingredients, like a soon-to-be werewolf for starters."

Faith's shoulders dropped and she resumed her seat dejectedly, repositioning her chair.

"May I see that?" Giles asked, holding out his hand for the notebook.

Willow nodded, handing it over. "We have most of it. I just restocked the herbs and I have the five small moonstones, but we still need a bloodstone and wolfsbane."

Giles furrowed his brow. "Wolfsbane? Are you sure we don't have any in stock? I'm quite certain I just saw a jar of it."

Willow frowned. "It's not in the library stash and I know better than to keep it in the kitchen, that stuff isn't called 'bane' for nothing."

"I'll check the cabinet in my room. How much do you need?" Giles asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Enough to cover the wound. From Spike's description, three or four flowers should do it once I have it mixed with the other herbs," Willow answered.

"I'll check my cabinet. Did they say when we have to do this?"

"The sooner, the better. Preferably before sunrise but definitely before sundown on the next full moon and since tonight is the first night of the full moon..." Willow trailed off letting the seriousness of the statement hang in the air. "I'd like to have everything set up when they get here," she glanced at the clock. "Which will hopefully be in about an hour, maybe a little longer— and I still need to track down a bloodstone."

"I'll get the stone," Faith cut in, pulling out her cell phone.

"Who are you calling?" Buffy asked.

"Cal's mom. If anyone can get us this thing to help him, it's her."

(*)

Moths flickered around the street lamp outside Mrs. Ross's shop. Buffy watched them absently, leaning against the brick wall near the door while Faith paced in front of the shop window, breaking her stride only when she saw headlights coming towards them.

Mrs. Ross climbed out of the small pale-yellow car, her black hair in a messy bun atop her head and a cardigan pulled on over a soft green shirt with matching plaid sleep pants.

Buffy stood up straight as Faith made a beeline toward her. Mrs. Ross extended her hands, reaching for Faith's arm.

"I feel shitty making you come out like this," Faith said in way of greeting.

"Nonsense, you said this has something to do with Callum, so I'm here. Where is he?" she asked, looking around as though her son might appear.

Faith gave a distracted nod, swallowing a lump in her throat before answering. "He's still on his way back from the scrap yard with Spike, they should be back soon."

The corners of Mrs. Ross's eyes crinkled with concern. "What's happened to my son?"

Faith took a deep breath, willing away the sudden sting of tears, before explaining the situation to her. "…I should have been there. I thought he'd be fine with Spike. I should have—" Faith began to apologize.

Mrs. Ross furrowed her brow. "You are his fiancée, not his keeper," she interrupted sternly. "Unless you're telling me you knew there would be a werewolf, then this most certainly isn't your fault."

Faith scrutinized her for a moment, searching for a trace of blame or resentment, any crack in the older woman's calm veneer that wasn't concern for her youngest son. But there wasn't any. The woman was exactly what she appeared to be. A worried mother— And a businesswoman, as Faith was reminded a moment later.

"Do you girls have a supply list for me?" Mrs. Ross asked briskly, patting Faith's arm in solidarity before stepping past her toward Buffy and the shop door, pulling her keys out as she did.

(*)

Spike checked the time on the dashboard clock as they pulled onto the lane leading to the castle. It had taken them nearly three hours to get home. He was curious to find out what, if anything Willow was able to dig up in that short amount of time.

Shifting back into his seat, Spike glanced over to Callum. About halfway through their drive, he had become a fountain of questions. Spike had attempted to answer until he finally admitted that despite the number of werewolves he'd encountered over the years, he really didn't know much about them outside common folklore thus putting an end to the conversation. He honestly wasn't sure if there was more considering they were only on the spooky side of the street three days out of the month.

Callum leaned forward peering through the dark beyond his headlights, to the front of the castle. "What the bloody hell is my mum's car doin' here?" he asked incredulously.

"My guess? They probably needed some magical whatnot from her shop," Spike replied dryly.

Callum didn't respond, merely turned his attention from Spike back to his mother's car and parked next to it. The two of them got out of the car, Spike walked around the back inspecting the little golf cart. Satisfied that it had made the trip fully intact, the two of them headed toward the front door of the castle.

Callum stopped a few feet from the door, drawing Spike's attention.

"What is it?" Spike asked, brow raised.

Callum shifted, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. "Faith… She's— I mean, what if— what if she doesn't—" he stopped himself from finishing the sentence, his shoulders sagging.

A muscle twitched in Spike's jaw. "Suppose we're about to find out just how much of a dog person she is, mate."

"Not an effing dog," Callum huffed under his breath.

Spike smirked as he led the way into the foyer, Callum followed along dutifully and Spike had to bite back the 'good dog' comment already forming in his mouth.

The door had scarcely closed behind them when Ruby appeared on the stairs. "'Bout time you two got here, Willow's been waiting for you."

"She found something then?" Spike asked, catching Callum's eye.

Ruby rolled a shoulder, shifting her weight from one foot to the other on the stairs. "We're calling it a clinical trial, but it's gotta be done nowish if there's any chance of it working at all."

Callum passed Spike, making his way up the stairs toward Ruby. "Is Faith up there?"

"She's with Buffy, helping the others get things set up."

"And my mum?"

"Doing the typical nervous mum thing. Making tea."

As though on cue, Mrs. Ross came out from the hall leading to the kitchen pushing an old-fashioned tea cart heavily laden with two teapots and enough cups, saucers, and tea biscuits for everyone. Tension seemed to melt from her shoulders when she saw him and straightened. "Ah, there's my wayward son! Let's see it then, how badly did this beastie get you?"

Callum lifted his still bloody arm; now free of his jacket having left it in the car. His mother grimaced. "Well I suppose we'd better get you cleaned up, sweetheart," she said, making a shooing motion toward the stairs then gripping the handle of the tea cart she proceeded to push it to the elevator. "I'll see you after your bath, dear."

"Bath?" Callum asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

His mother winked at him as she slid the birdcage-style door closed.

Callum spun around to face Ruby. "What's she talking about?"

Ruby suppressed a laugh, turning to head back upstairs. "It's a pre-ritual thing. Willow will explain it."

Upstairs, Faith was leaning against the wall outside the library playing with a small pocket knife which dropped to the floor with a clunk when she saw them. Faith charged toward them, hard eyes focused on Spike. "Where the hell were you?!" she seethed, punching Spike in the nose with a satisfying crunch.

"Bloody hell, woman, what was that for?!" Spike exclaimed thickly through a freshly broken nose.

"You were supposed to have his back!"

She drew a fist back preparing for another punch when Callum grabbed her forearm.

"Easy, Lass, easy! It wasn't his fault!"

Faith's muscles relaxed slightly as she turned her face up to look at him, eyes shining with fury and unshed tears. "How is this not his fault?"

"Because he told me to get back in the damn car and I didn't listen, I stayed to fight," Callum replied, softening his voice.

She turned to him, the anger draining out of her as she burrowed her face into his chest, hands clinging to his shoulders and he pulled her closer with his good arm. "I'm alright, we'll get it sorted…" he murmured in her ear, shooting Spike an apologetic expression.

Spike wiped blood from his nose with a huff as though he were about to make a scathing remark but he was interrupted when Willow came out of the library with a cup of tea in one hand and a small paper bag in the other.

"Ready to see if we can tame the wolf before it has the chance to get all growly tomorrow night?" she asked, taking a sip from her cup and setting it on the hall table.

Faith broke away from Callum, taking a step back. "Oh right, I almost forgot about the bath thing."

"Mum and Ruby mentioned that already."

"Pretty straightforward ritual cleansing," Willow nodded, reaching into the paper bag and handing him what looked like a massive teabag.

He took it eyeing her wearily.

"The herb sachet goes in first, you'll need to fill the tub with the hottest water you can stand and submerge yourself completely." She reached back into the bag, handing him a bar of black, tar-like soap.

Callum frowned at the bar, not recognizing it as something from his mother's shop.

Misreading his expression, Willow gestured to it. "It's soap, you have to wash yourself with it. Hair and everything, especially the bite— Oh, speaking of, I need to take a look," she burbled.

Once again Callum raised his arm, letting her examine the numerous punctures the werewolf's teeth had left in the flesh of his forearm. Willow scrunched her face at the angry-looking bite. "Ouch… Yeah, make sure you clean that out really well, but I'll have to do the bandaging… Does it hurt?"

"Sure doesn't tickle. Stings something fierce. If it'll save time, I can handle slapping on a little salve and a bandage," Callum answered.

"Nope," Willow shook her head. "My salve might be good but it's nowhere close to a werewolf cure— not that this is either, but yeah… you're gonna need some serious extra oomph, mister."

(*)

Faith watched in silence as Callum pulled on a pair of plaid pajama pants, forgoing a shirt per Willow's instructions after his bath. She let her eyes roam over his heavily tattooed torso as he toweled his hair.

"Guess you'll have to talk to Gemma about getting something wolfy now," Faith mused.

Callum straightened himself, giving her a tight grin, and tossed the towel onto the bottom of the bed next to her. "Do we even know what exactly this spell is supposed to do? If I'm doomed to transform then what's the point?"

"The point is that this thing should A) make the transition easier— less painful. And way more importantly, B) make it so you're still in possession of your faculties when you get all furry, instead of turning into a mindless beast and go around attacking everything in sight."

An image of the beast that attacked them came to the forefront of his mind. The amber eyes, snarling drooling mouth. The memory, now paired with the knowledge of what he was about to turn into made him sick to his stomach.

He'd known what it was to lose control. To be so enraged that all sense, all thought, and reason simply didn't exist anymore.

The last time he'd crossed that line he had ended up in prison for nearly killing a man. Fortunately for him, he had friends who'd pulled him off and he had been able to regain his senses and walk away.

As a wolf, there would be no pulling back. No walking away. He dared a glance at Faith, letting the worst thought of all slam into him: He could end up hurting her or worse still— force her into having no choice but to kill him. He couldn't do that to her.

Callum extended the hand of his un-injured arm toward her. She took it, allowing him to pull her up and the two of them made their way back to the library.

Buffy was just setting up the last of the candles while Ruby used black sand to draw a large circle on the floor. Mrs. Ross stood from her seat when they came in, awkwardly handing a small black box over to Faith.

Faith flicked open the box revealing a donut-shaped bloodstone strung onto a thick braided leather cord. Faith murmured a word of thanks, extracting it from the box to hold the stone in her hand.

Callum nudged her in the arm. "That for me?"

She nodded. "Willow says it'll help calm the wolf's bloodlust, especially during a full moon, and acts as a catalyst for the spell."

Callum looked at his mother. "Suppose this is your contribution then?" he asked.

"It's been explained to me that the spell they are using is typically intended for infants who are then bonded to their mother to help control the wolf within," she shrugged. "It only seemed appropriate I should help in any way I can. However, I figure that as an adult, you probably don't want to be bonded to your mother," she smirked.

Callum chuckled. "So this is a bit of a passing of the torch is it?"

Mrs. Ross smiled weakly at his joke. "Cheeky— Well go on, no time to waste, sunrise can't be too far off."

"It's not," Spike and Ruby chimed in unison.

Willow stepped forward with a mortar and pestle, taking Callum's arm she scooped out an almost gelatinous glob of pulverized herbs and oil smearing it liberally over the wound. She then picked up a roll of sterile gauze and wrapped it around his arm. Callum gave a sigh of relief.

"Is that too tight?" Willow asked.

He shook his head. "Nah, feels pretty good actually—" he paused a beat, "—yeah, alright, stinging a bit now," he grimaced, gritting his teeth.

"Just means it's working," she replied, accepting the necklace from Faith, and took up her place in the center of the circle laid out on the floor surrounded by a second ring of candles.

A small cauldron sat on the table in front of her with a candle inside, she lit the candle and burned a few herbs then placed the necklace in her hand, swinging the stone around the candle like a pendulum. As she began to chant, the necklace glowed with a soft golden light. She let go of it, letting it hover in midair. A moment later the light dissipated and the necklace landed with a gentle clunk inside of the cauldron, the leather braid circling the candle. Willow stood up and exited the inner ring but stayed within the outer circle of candles and moonstones.

"Callum and Faith, in the middle—" Willow requested curtly. They stepped in together, being careful not to disturb either of the barriers. Willow turned to Faith. "You'll need to put the stone on him but not yet. I'll signal you when it's time alright?"

"Got it," Faith replied, carefully plucking the stone from within the cauldron and placing it in her hand.

Willow made a circuit around the edge of the circle as Giles went around lighting candles around the outer edge, traveling in the opposite direction. Willow lit the bundle of herbs she had made earlier and continued walking within the space between the two rings, chanting. Once she had completed one circuit she nodded to Faith and Callum.

They stood pressed close together. Callum wrapped his arms around her pulling her near as Faith fastened the clasp around his neck. Willow continued two more laps around them while chanting. When she had finished, the candle flames shot up about a foot and a glowing corona of light appeared, starting within the center of the bloodstone and pulsing outward until it encompassed the couple entirely.

The next moment everything was dark.

There was a slight bumping and scraping sound before Buffy managed to turn on a lamp.

Faith and Callum stood in the center of the circle, still embracing. Callum looked around slightly bewildered and cleared his throat. "So hum, how long before we know if this thing worked?"

(*)

The sun was already peeking over the horizon by the time they got everything cleaned up, Buffy and Spike went back home presumably to sleep the day away. If the spell had the desired outcome then they'd be in for a relatively quiet night; if not— then it would be an all-hands-on-deck situation just trying to subdue what undoubtedly would be a massive werewolf, likely twice the size of Oz. No one particularly liked the thought of that, but especially not Faith and Callum.

Downstairs in the foyer, Callum hugged his mother. "Thanks for your help, Mum."

Mrs. Ross chuckled. "What are mothers for dear? I'm just glad your father isn't home wondering where on earth I've gone to. He should be coming home from your brother's tomorrow," she replied, patting her son on the shoulder and turning her attention to Faith. "Promise you'll call me once you know the outcome of the spell."

"I will, thanks again," Faith replied.

Faith and Callum made their way up to her bedroom, exhaustion and the gravity of the night hitting them both full force. Faith curled up on her side of the bed, pushing up against the pillows with a tired sigh as she closed her eyes. Callum stood silently on the other side of the bed, staring down at the spot he'd claimed for himself months earlier.

After several moments when the telltale dip of the bed and the warmth of his body didn't join her on the bed, Faith opened her eyes, watching him expectantly. "What's up?" she asked.

He sighed dejectedly, finally laying down, stretching his long legs out in front of him, making himself more comfortable by her side before answering. "I don't know, this has all just been a bit much."

She nodded pursing her lips. "Yeah, I get that…" she sighed, shifting closer to him. "Let's just get some sleep. We're probably looking at another long night."

"God, I hope not," Callum mumbled, pulling her closer as he curled around her comfortably. Within minutes sleep took them both.

(*)

Buffy knocked on the threshold of the door to the library before entering. "Hey, witchy lady," she said, greeting Willow who had been organizing books.

"Oh hey," Willow replied, looking up from her task with a smile.

"Any word on our newest wolf?"

Willow glanced up at the clock. "No, nothing yet, thought I would've seen or heard something by now."

Buffy frowned at that. "And Faith isn't answering her phone. Nobody's seen them since last night right?"

Willow shook her head. "No, not a peep. I figured they were sleeping, the sleep of the super exhausted," she paused gesturing to the window and the stars that were starting to poke out from the darkness. from their angle, they wouldn't be able to see the moon yet, but it was evident from the amount of light outside that the full moon was out, shining bright.

"I don't think I like this. I think maybe I should go check on them," Buffy answered seriously.

Willow slid the final book onto the shelf, rubbing her hands together to dust them off. "I'll come with you. In case you need some magical backup."

"Thanks, appreciate it."

The two friends made their way to Faith's room, stopping outside. Buffy went in front, listening with her ear pressed to the door for any sound coming from within. All seemed quiet, eerily so and Buffy was a little apprehensive at what she might find. She knocked, and when there wasn't an answer she pushed the door open a crack. The sight in front of her made her freeze in her tracks and she had to bite back a peel of laughter.

Seeing Buffy's odd expression, Willow eyed her curiously and Buffy stepped back silently, just far enough for Willow to take a look. There on the bed still fast asleep was Faith snuggled with her arms and legs wrapped around a sleeping werewolf nearly the size of a grizzly bear. His gigantic head lulled across the expanse of her chest while one massive paw wrapped around her waist, holding her close like a child with a doll. Willow pulled the door shut quietly turning toward Buffy. "Oh yeah, I'd say we got our answer," Willow beamed.