She looked around the small round table where Aimee, Justina and Katherine were hanging out and exchanging bad date stories.

Not exactly Tory's favorite way to waste her life. "Guys," she said, smiling at them. "No offense, but I'm getting stir crazy. Can we please go downstairs and hang in the bar or do anything that keeps me from sitting here bored out of my mind while the three of you watch me grow eyebrow hair? I mean really, I am fine. I'm not going to spontaneously combust or do anything else freaky. Promise."

Aimee laughed. "Yeah, but if I go down there and the guys see me, they'll put me to work."

Tory grinned. "Put me to work, I beg you!" Anything was better than growing inert.

Aimee cocked her head suspiciously. "Do you know how to wait tables?"

"Absolutely. My family owns three delis and two restaurants in New York. I'm slave labor anytime I go near them."

Justina held her hands up and grimaced. "I don't do tables, dishes, windows or anything else that involves other people's germs or saliva."

The three of them looked at her curiously at the unsolicited confession that really was more information about her than any of them needed to know.

"Okay, sex and kissing notwithstanding. That's completely different. Eating food is another matter. People are gross."

Tory laughed.

"I'll help out too," Katherine said. "Tina can follow Tory around and make sure no one grabs her while we're goofing off-that should keep Tina safe from saliva germs and Tory safe from boredom."

Aimee scoffed at Katherine. "Ladies, have you not seen the muscle we have downstairs? Anyone or anything comes in here with a nasty intent and my family will mop the floor, ceiling and walls with them. Why do you think Ash brought Tory here in the first place?"

Katherine smiled. "Okay, we're sold. Plus I have my priestesses dispersed in the crowd so that we can watch too. We should be pretty well covered."

"Cool beans." Tory followed Aimee downstairs so that she could get her a Sanctuary T-shirt and a white half apron to wear around her jeans. Tucking the journal into the apron pocket, Tory set about waiting tables while Justina tried to follow her around and remain inconspicuous.

Yeah…

It was hard to miss the tall brunette with an FO attitude so thick it could wall in an ancient city, who eyed everyone like they were the next victim. But that was okay. Tory loved the woman, attitude and all.

Smiling at her friend, she went over to a table where an extremely good-looking man sat alone, wearing a pair of sunglasses that reminded her of Ash's. Dressed all in black, he also had the same FU attitude that she'd noted on Ash the night they met. His brown hair was brushed back from his face which bore the same double bow and arrow mark that Dev had on his arm. Ash had told her those were used by Artemis to mark her Dark-Hunters, but it was still daylight outside so maybe he was like Dev and wore it because he thought it was cool.

As she drew closer, Tory assumed he was another Were-Animal. "Hey sweetie," she said in greeting. "What can I get for you?"

She couldn't tell he was looking at her for the sunglasses, but she could feel the weight of his gaze like a tangible touch. Before she could blink, he was on his feet, standing behind her with one hand across her waist. He leaned his head down to her hair and took a deep breath.

"You stink of Acheron." His voice was deep and laced with a thick Cajun accent.

Tory put her hand on the journal, ready to fight to the death over it. "You might want to take your hand off me and step back."

"Or what?"

"Or I'm going to ruin your day."

He laughed bitterly in her ear. "You think so?"

As quick as she could, she moved her hand from the journal to his crotch. Grinding her teeth, she took hold of him with a grip made strong from her years of archaeology and twisted until he was doubled over in pain. She let go as his face turned bright red and he cursed her.

"There's no thinking to it, buddy. Given the fact that I'm six foot one, you had to know I wasn't a wimpy female."

Justina moved in behind her.

He started for her, but before he could make contact, Dev was there, pushing him back. "Nick, you know better."

Nick shoved Dev away from him. When Dev started for him again, Nick held his hand up and with an unseen force, he slammed Dev against the wall. "I'm not your bitch, Dev. Don't ever put your hands on me again." Straightening his jacket with a tug at the lapels, Nick sauntered over to her. He lifted one piece of her hair off her shoulder. "Give Ash my best and make sure you tell him that you met Nick Gautier." He tossed her hair away from him as if she disgusted him before he walked out.

Dev went slamming to the floor.

Tory ran to him to make sure he was all right as he cursed at being defeated. "What was that about?" she asked him.

Sighing, he pushed himself to his feet. "Nick has issues. Unfortunately, Ash seems to be his biggest one."

"How so?"

"They used to be best friends and now they're mortal enemies. I didn't know Nick would be able to tell you were with Ash or I wouldn't have let him in here. Sorry."

Tory waved his apology away. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just stunned by the animosity." She thought Ash only elicited that kind of anger from her. "What happened to make them enemies?"

"I honestly don't know. But given how close they were a few years ago, it must have been one hell of a fight."

Tory shook her head at the disclosure. Poor Ash. Couldn't he depend on anyone to keep faith with him? No wonder he was so skittish of everyone. It seemed he collected enemies the way some people collected trading cards.

It made her want to protect him all the more.

Ash stopped right before he entered Liza's store. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling about Tory. Unable to explain it, he flashed himself back to Sanctuary where he found her standing behind the bar, making beers.

Relief the likes of which he'd never known filled him. Without thinking, he dodged behind the bar and pulled her back against him so that he could feel her there, safe and whole.

She reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I just…" He snorted at his own stupidity. "Never mind."

Aimee paused beside them. "If you were about to say that you had a bad feeling, you weren't being ridiculous. Nick was here a few minutes ago."

His stomach hit the floor as fear filled his entire being. "What happened?"

Tory turned to face him. "He told me to give you his regards."

Ash cursed at the veiled threat. "I can't believe that sack of shit. If he so much as breathes on you, I swear I'll rip his throat out."

Dev laughed as he leaned against the bar from the other side. "No fear there. Tory took him out on her own."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'd be really nice to her if I were you, Ash. She dropped his ass like a trained combat SEAL with one well planted squeeze in a highly sensitive area. It was entertaining as hell for those of us not on the receiving end of it. Nick, however, will probably be a limping falsetto for at least a week." He shuddered. "I for one plan to keep at least three feet between me and her arm's reach for the rest of my lifetime."

Tory's face turned bright pink. "I don't like being manhandled by strangers."

He didn't like her to be manhandled either and it snapped his fury to the forefront. "Nick really didn't hurt you?"

"Not a bit. But I hate that I had to hurt him. Poor guy."

Ash closed his eyes behind his sunglasses as those words touched him. That was why she meant so much to him. She could see the best in even the worst of creatures-well, except for him when they first met. But even that he was beginning to find charming. "Why are you down here and not upstairs resting?"