•••

“Fuck!”

Xander, Oz and Gunn jumped out of their chairs and ran towards the computer room. It wasn’t the screamed invective that caught their attention, but rather the loud crash and thump that followed it. When they got there, they found Wesley and Cordelia standing around the smoking remains of a CPU, glaring and cursing at each other.

“I told you not to try to fix it yourself; that’s what Oz is for!” Cordelia spat, growling.

“Changing out a modem does not require the services of one of our resident computer experts,” Wesley defended. “It just isn’t that difficult.”

“Then how to explain that?” Cordelia replied, pointing at the charred computer. “Huh? Did you think that maybe all that information would be more useful if it got flambéed?”

Wesley’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “No, Cordelia, I didn’t think that. What I thought was that changing a modem was simple and Oz looked tired so I wasn’t going to bother him!”

Xander saw that this argument wasn’t going to peter out any time soon. With a quick glance to Gunn and Oz, he stepped forward. “Guys,” He began, only to get fulminating glares from both of his friends. “This isn’t going to solve anything.”

“Shut up, Xander,” Cordelia hissed. By now Wil had shown up, drawn by the screaming voices just above his head. He stared in awe as the werewolf seer flipped off Xander and returned to chewing out Wesley. The blonde vampire couldn’t help but grin at the shocked expression on Xander’s face. The boy had gotten used to being respected and treated well over the past few years, and where once he simply would’ve acquiesced; now he just got mad.

“Excuse me?” Xander said slowly. “Did you just tell me to shut up?”

Cordelia missed the dangerous tone in Xander’s voice. “Yeah, Speedie, I did. Butt out; this isn’t your fight.”

“I think it is,” Xander replied evenly. “You’re hot-headed and wound up and not helping anyone. And,” He continued. “I’m not going to put up with you telling me to shut my mouth.”

“Are you not?” Cordelia said haughtily, temporarily distracted from stripping off Wesley’s hide. “And what exactly are you going to do about it?”

Xander took a step forward. Before he got to Cordelia, Gunn intervened, moving to block the two from each other. “Time out, guys. Xander,” Gunn said, “Stand over by Oz. Cordelia, back off both Xander and Wesley.”

Wil watched the three combatants reluctantly step away. Although on the surface this seemed like a sudden thing—a fight between friends—the blonde vampire suspected that it was a long time coming. Their work against Wolfram & Hart was getting difficult and slow; working against the law firm’s financial holdings wasn’t as easy as uncovering crooked politicians. Perhaps it was time for a break from the monotony of saving the world… “Right. Oz, go clean out the car. Xander, help him.” Oz quirked an eyebrow but made for the door. After a hard glare from Wil, Xander followed, obviously confused.

“Not that I don’t appreciate you getting rid of Xander, but—“ Cordelia started, only to be cut off by Wil.

“You, call in to work and take tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday off. Then, figure out what we need to eat for three days—all of us—and pack it in the coolers,” Wil ordered. “Now, Cordelia.”

“Not until you tell me what’s going on,” She replied hotly.

“We’re getting out of here for a few days before someone gets killed,” He replied. “Wesley, call the library. You’re sick, dead, have to go to a funeral—I don’t care. Then help me get the other stuff ready. Cordelia, if we need other food, call Fred at work and have her pick stuff out. While you’re on the phone with her, make her take tomorrow and Sunday off. She’s already off on Saturday.”

“What are you going to do?” Wesley asked. He knew better than to actually question Wil’s plans when the vampire was in this kind of mood.

“Call Angel and then get ready,” Wil replied.

“Where are we going?” Cordelia questioned. “Is this a heels-and-skirts thing, or…”

“Jeans. Sneakers. Outdoorsy stuff,” Wil shouted back as he left the room. “We’re going camping.” It was a good thing he wasn’t looking at Cordelia when he said that; the grin that split his face at her shout of outrage would’ve gotten him staked.

•••

“We don’t have a tent,” Xander stated when Wil told him they were camping. “And no tent means no shade for the undead… if a tent would even provide enough shelter.”

“Don’t need one,” Wil replied. “I booked a cabin.”

Cordelia scowled. There went their last protest, their last out. “We’re not getting out of this, are we?”

“No,” Wil stated. “Hop in. Fred and Angel are waiting at Vince’s.” The ride to the movie store was going to be tight with six people and all that gear, but he wasn’t taking any chances. They needed to get to the cabin and settled in before sunrise, and they only had a few hours.

When they reached Angel’s place of work, Vince was standing outside with the vampire and Fred. The proprietor’s eyes goggled when he saw just how many people were going with Angel on whatever excursion his lover had planned. The dark vampire had told him that Wil needed some time away from Knoxville, but he hadn’t mentioned the others. “You…ah…into group stuff?” Vince asked Angel.

“No,” Angel growled. “But they are.” With that, he moved to help Wil and Oz rearrange their gear. Soon the two cars were off, driven by Wil and Angel. Wil had put Cordelia with Angel so that he too could enjoy the sound of her constant protestations. The blonde knew he’d pay for it later, but he really didn’t care.

•••

“This is it?” Xander asked as they piled out of the car. It was nearing daybreak, so no one really stood around to gawk as they hurried everything inside. The cabin was tiny—just three rooms and no electricity. It was buried deep in the mountains, with no civilization anywhere nearby.

“Shut up and unpack,” Cordelia snapped. “As much as I dislike Wil right now, I don’t want him bursting into flames because you had your thumb up your ass.” Xander snapped to attention and began to carry food inside. Between the eight of them, unloading the cars was quickly finished.

Once everything was inside, seven tired souls turned on Wil. “Ok, start talking,” Xander said, staring at the blonde. Wil had only given them the tiniest amount of information, both about where they were going and why.

Wil sighed. “Look, we’re all pulling our hair out over Wolfram & Hart. Cordelia was ready to rip Wesley to shreds over what was probably a broken modem,” He began. “We needed a break.”

“In the middle of no-damned-where?” Cordelia asked.

“Yes,” Wil replied. “In the middle of calm, peaceful nowhere with no pressing work to be done. We’ve a cell phone and a computer if one of you has a vision. But for the next few days, I figure we can spend time away from the hell that is our job. Do…werewolfy things.”

Oz perked up. “Pack things?”

“Only if they do it to,” Cordelia said, pointing at Wil and Angel. “Cause I already know that Wesley and Xander will play along. They even like it. But those two always find a way to stay at home and screw while we’re outside getting some exercise.”

“Daylight?” Angel reminded them. “Regardless of want—and neither of us ever said we didn’t want—we’re still vampires.”

“Then we’ll go at night,” Gunn reasoned. “Besides, this place may look like the boonies, but it’s just off the Parkway. There will be way too many people out during the day for us to do the wolf thing.”

“And it’s more fun at night anyway,” Fred added. “Besides that, we could all use a day’s sleep. Work was a bear.”

“Then it’s agreed,” Wil stated firmly. “Tonight we’ll play wolf games.” After making that statement, Wil gathered up his and Angel’s belongings and took them into one of the bedrooms. It was the only one with window coverings, which he’d already fortified with fabric from home. They piled together on one of the bunk beds there, leaving the larger double bed for Wesley and Fred. The faun was going to offer the bed to the two larger men, but Wil declined, explaining that it didn’t bother either vampire to have a body on top of them all day—something that none of the others could say.

•••

“What’s the plan, fearless leader?” Xander asked Oz as he polished off his third ham sandwich. It was nearing sundown and the last stragglers—Cordelia and Gunn—were up and ready to go. A long day’s sleep had done a great deal in terms of mood, and no one was snapping or snarling… yet.

Oz thought for a moment. They could do the usual—the pack running as a group, with or without Wesley and Xander acting as prey. Of course, they did that all the time. Maybe a bit of shaking up was in order. “Got any paper?”

Wil quirked an eyebrow but nodded and fished out a pad of paper from a bag. He handed it and a pen over, and then returned to his mug of blood. Oz jotted down some numbers and tore them into squares. “Draw one,” He said, cupping his hands. Everyone reached for a slip of paper, curious as to what Oz was planning.

“Er… what now? We’re not playing scrabble, are we?” Fred asked, holding her paper. The number three meant nothing to her.

“Pair up by numbers,” Oz replied quietly. “We’ll have four teams; the point is twofold—don’t get caught and catch everyone you can.”

“What’s the marker?” Wesley inquired.

Oz frowned briefly. “There isn’t one. When you catch someone, you have to haul them around with you. Their partner can try to get them free, or another person can try to capture them.”

“What’s base?” Gunn inquired.

“Here, but it’s not safe,” Oz replied. “The first person—or pair—to get one member of every other group wins. You know the call?” Everyone nodded. Even Wil and Angel knew which howl Oz was referring to. The non-werewolves in the group had long since learned the basics of werewolf communication. It was a necessity when half their number was lycanthropes.

“What about sunrise?” Angel asked. This game could easily run over into Saturday.

“Angel and Wil can come back to the cabin if there’s no good shelter nearby,” Oz said. “It’s a safe place for them—during the day only. Twenty minute rule starts at sundown Saturday.” Everyone nodded in understanding. With the number of caves in the area, it was unlikely that either vampire would show up to seek shelter at the cabin. “And every group takes a phone.”

“So who’s with whom?” Cordelia asked. “I’m two.”

“As am I,” Angel replied. He stepped towards the seer.

“Three?” Wil asked. Fred nodded and stepped forward.

“One,” Wesley stated. Oz joined the faun.

“You and me, kid,” Xander quipped, joining Gunn. “And lookie at that, no wolf-only pairs. How convenient.”

“Chance,” Oz murmured. “Ok, let’s go. Twenty minutes start time, no hunting. Any form. Stay off roads and away from houses.”

As soon as he finished, the werewolves began to strip down. Wesley removed his shoes, knowing that they’d just get in the way. Once the wolves were changed, the pairs fled out either the front or back door.

“Where to?” Angel asked the wolf-Cordelia. She sniffed and looked from side to side. After a moment, she took off due north. He followed, easily keeping up.

Meanwhile, Wil and Fred circled around the house and took an easterly path, moving much more slowly than the others. Once they were clear of the house, Fred changed back and sat down. “I figure we should find water.”

“Can’t track us?” Wil surmised. “What then?”

Fred considered the pairings. “Xander and Gunn first. Angel and Oz are really experienced.” Wil nodded, knowing that Xander and Gunn would be the first pairing the others went after as well. “Give them maybe fifteen, and then start tracking?” The only rule was not to attack for twenty minutes… but they could be poised and ready until just that moment.

Xander led Gunn to the southwest, skirting the Parkway. He wanted to get them across the road and down the mountainside as quickly as possible. After about ten minutes, Gunn stopped him with a growl. The Raphe halted and waited for Gunn to change enough to speak. “Where are you going?” Gunn asked quietly.

“Down the mountain,” Xander replied. “Watch for water, if you can.”

“Why?” Gunn inquired.

“We’re the weak team,” Xander said. “Both young—and neither of us with as much experience as Angel, Wil, or Oz. We’re sitting ducks. The best we can do is put serious distance between them and us and wait for sunrise. That’ll knock out Angel and Wil.”

“Ah,” Gunn murmured. “Let’s get to it then.”

Oz led Wesley to the northwest, following an old cattle path he’d spotted. They weren’t moving quickly because he was keeping an ear on Cordelia and Angel’s progress. The seer hadn’t mastered silence very well, so even though Angel was the epitome of stealth, he could track them with no problem. Wesley just followed along, knowing that Oz was better suited to pick their path. Actually, he figured his role in their pairing would be to act as bait, to lure in others. When Oz stopped to change, he stated that idea. “Oz, why don’t I lure in the others?” Wesley inquired.

Oz nodded. “They underestimate you,” He said softly. “You’re faster than Cordelia and Angel.”

“So that’s who we’re tracking?” Wesley asked.

“Mm hmm,” Oz replied. “They’re about a mile away, across that field,” He continued, pointing.

“Thank you,” Wesley murmured. The faun’s speed and agility was best suited to smooth, open spaces. He didn’t have the speed or agility that Xander did, but he could move quickly if he needed to. Climbing was more difficult, so the field was perfect.

“We’ll circle a bit more, come around to the side over there,” Oz said, gesturing. “Start across the pasture. Cordy’ll go at you from the front, with Angel to the left. I’ll go for Angel, if you think you can get away from her.”

Wesley nodded quickly. “If nothing else, I’ll kick her and head back east. Meet up at the boulders we passed?” Oz nodded his agreement and wolfed out again. They continued on the cattle path for a few more yards before starting in on the field. Wesley made a point of making a bit of noise—nothing too obvious—while Oz crept around to the side.

As they’d predicted, Wesley caught the other team’s attention and Cordelia began to approach. Now that they were nearer to each other, Wesley could hear the seer very well. She was quite loud. He heard rather than saw the rush of attack and veered sharply right, narrowly avoiding the wolf’s snapping jaws. They were aimed low, to grab at his still-covered legs, where they would do no real damage. He felt her recover and leap behind him, so he jumped up and thrust his legs back, falling forward onto his hands. He sprung back up, knowing that he’d hit her directly in the chest. The werewolf chuffed and gasped and fell back. He didn’t look at her, simply taking off to meet up with Oz. The blow wasn’t strong enough to have done any damage at all.

Oz found capturing Angel a bit too easy. The vampire was slowly stalking Wesley when Oz crept up behind him and grabbed his arms, forcing them back and down. Angel just stopped and fell to his knees. “Get back up,” Oz ordered in a whisper. He frog-marched Angel out of the field and towards the rendezvous point, wary and watchful. This was a bit too easy.

•••

“He crossed the Parkway, didn’t he?” Fred asked Wil as they stood on the side of the road. “And went down there.”

Wil nodded. “He knows to get away.”

“So now we…”

“They’re going straight down,” Wil murmured, looking at the mountainside. “Looking for water, same as us.”

“What do you think?” Fred pressed. “We can’t stay on the Parkway.”

“No,” Wil agreed. “I’d say go right; the slope’s easier to navigate, and they’re more likely to find water over that way.” Fred nodded and wolfed again, streaking across the road. Her first instinct was to pick up their trail and take off, but she resisted. Wil knew what he was talking about.

Sure enough, they found a shallow creek a few minutes later. It barreled down the mountainside, fed by recent rains. Fred didn’t hesitate to jump in, relishing the cold water. Wil soon followed her as the creek bed became the most navigable land available. He was so intent on following her that he almost missed it when she drew to a halt. “What?” He hissed.

She shifted back slightly. “Listen.” He did… and heard a growl that didn’t belong to one of their group… although the whine that followed it did. “Bear?” He asked quietly. “And Gunn!” They looked at each other briefly before shooting towards the sound. Game or no, they had to help the others.

Xander stared down at the bear, terrified for Gunn. The animal had been sleeping in a tree when the two had passed it. Apparently they woke it up and Gunn in wolf form attracted its attention. The pair of cubs up in the tree probably didn’t help. “Gunn, I’d do something along the lines of moving your ass out of here right now!” Xander murmured to his friend. Gunn whined and backed up slowly.

The bear, about to attack, was distracted when Wil and Fred appeared out of the darkness. The pause in her attack was enough for Gunn to slip away, even as the vampire and Fred swept around the bear, running for Gunn and Fred. The foursome streaked by in different directions, confusing the bear enough for them all to get safely away.

“Thanks,” Gunn said, even as he ran away from Wil and Fred. “See ya later!”

Wil nodded to Fred and took off after Gunn. Xander was frightened enough by the bear to have started back up the mountain, this time nearer to the creek. That gave Fred an advantage, since it was the way she’d come down.

Gunn ran across the mountainside, slowly working his way back up. He knew that someone was after him, and hoped it was Fred. Wil was far too experienced for him to handle. Unfortunately for Gunn, Wil was the one pursuing him, as he found out when the blonde vampire appeared directly in front of him. The werewolf had no time to prepare as the vampire dropped and spun, flipping him onto his back. Wil was up in an instant, pulling Gunn by a forearm until the werewolf was prone, stretched over his hind legs, unable to move. “Change,” Wil ordered. Gunn reluctantly changed and stood, knowing that for at least the time being, he was caught.