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Part Two - Chapter One

Sunnydale General was bustling with activity. Although the incidence of injuries with barbecue forks had dropped off sharply since Fall of 1997, the holidays always brought in a host of interesting calamities. Ahead of Faith in the waiting room were a woman who'd shocked herself putting up holiday lights, a pair of men who'd been into a fistfight in a toy store, and an entire group of people who were periodically vomiting into bags dispensed by a nurse. When at last it was Faith's turn to be seen, Buffy, Oz, and Cordelia pressed themselves against the wall of Faith's triage cube and let the nurse get to work. The slayer was diagnosed with a fractured radius, which upon her very gruff insistence was splinted and wrapped instead of placed in a cast, and two cracked ribs. She lay uncomfortably on the narrow triage cot, Oz's button down shirt covering her after her own was regrettably cut away by hospital staff.

Faith huffed for the third time in as many minutes. "How much longer are we gonna be stuck here?"

Buffy settled into the only seat in the room and leaned toward her, gently touching the immobilized fingers of her right hand. "I'm sure they'll be back soon to let you go."

Faith's response was an irritated eye roll. She looked around the room in agitation before turning back to Buffy and asking quietly, "Do you think Giles is okay? I didn't see him anywhere in the house…"

Buffy looked down and Cordelia and Oz exchanged nervous glances.

"What?" Faith asked, alarmed.

"Uh, guys," Buffy glanced at the other Scoobies, "Can you give us a minute?"

"Sure," Oz said and grabbed Cordelia's arm as she was starting to protest. "We'll be out in the waiting room."

"What's going on, B?" Faith asked once the other two teens had left.

Buffy grimaced, unsure how to begin.

"Just spit it out."

"Okay," Buffy agreed. "We, umm, we know what made you lose your powers."

"What was it?"

"It was Giles." Buffy squeezed the other girl's fingers. "Cordelia was in the library when you came in this morning. She said he put you in a trance with the crystal and then he injected you with something. And she saw another guy there, who was from the council."

Faith carefully pulled her splinted arm back, letting Buffy's fingers drop. "Why?" She asked, her jaw clenched angrily.

"I don't know." Buffy watched the other slayer's face with concern, clasping her own hands together in her lap. "I was worried when I didn't see you after school, and Cordelia came to my house to tell me what happened. We drove around looking for you until we saw Giles's car at the boarding house."

Faith's eyes glittered angrily. "He said we were going to meet someone from the council who could help." She looked up to meet Buffy's eyes. "He said you had to go home for dinner and that's why you weren't coming with us."

The blonde shook her head gently. "I was looking for you the whole time."

Faith started to reply, but the curtained entrance to the room was pulled open abruptly. Giles stood there, his hair disheveled and a dark bruise forming on his forehead. "Faith!" He gasped, rushing toward the bed. "You're alright!"

Both slayers stared up at him, their expressions hostile.

Swallowing hard, the watcher looked back at the dark slayer. "I woke up in the woods behind the house. I-I must have crawled out after you came in."

"Why?" Faith asked emotionlessly.

"What?"

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what? I don't understand. Faith--"

"I know!" She growled, sitting forward suddenly. "What you did. Just tell me why."

Giles looked confusedly to Buffy. Her face was hard. "Cordelia saw you injecting something into Faith. And she saw someone from the council here."

"Well, Cordelia must be mistaken. And of course someone from the council was here. Faith, I told you he was here." His brown eyes blinked earnestly back at the two girls.

"Stop!" Buffy demanded. "Just stop. Cordelia saw you. She saw you, Giles." Her voice broke and she looked away. "I can't believe you're lying right to my face." Her stomach felt twisted, and she swallowed hard, worried she might throw up. Giles. Giles, her watcher, had done this to Faith.

Giles sighed brokenly and pulled his glasses from his face to rub his tired eyes. "It's called the cruciamentum. It is a test performed on every slayer on her eighteenth birthday—should she make it that far."

"Why?" Faith demanded, while Buffy merely stared at Giles in horror.

"The council believes a slayer should not rely merely on her physical strength. She should be cunning and resourceful. So they weaken her and they set a vampire on her." Giles hung his head. "I am truly sorry, Faith. It was not my decision."

"But you knew." Buffy's eyes glittered as she finally spoke. "You knew and you helped them! Giles, you poisoned her."

"Buffy," He said softly, swallowing a lump. "Please try to understand. I have no real say in matters determined by the council. I-"

"So you'd do it to me then."

He faltered, gazing at her sadly. "I… No, of course I couldn't."

Faith snorted loudly and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, of course not. I'm the expendable one."

"That's not what I think." Giles insisted.

The dark slayer shook her head. Finally she looked away, staring past him to the wall. "You should leave."

The librarian deflated. "Faith, please-" He stepped closer and reached to place a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't." She growled.

He turned his eyes to Buffy, imploringly.

"Get out." She whispered, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

The blonde slayer turned her back to the curtain as her watcher slid regretfully from the room. She felt Faith's fingers intertwine with hers again and swallowed hard. Blinking away her tears, she forced a watery smile. The corners of Faith's mouth tilted upward in response.

The two sat in heavy silence until the curtain was yanked open once more and a tired looking nurse entered. "Well," She announced. "I think we're all set here."

"I can go?" Faith asked, brightening slightly.

"You're free." The nurse affirmed. "Here's your paperwork. Just stop at the desk on your way out to discuss payment, okay?"

"Sure." The brunette agreed, accepting the papers the nurse held out to her. She struggled out of bed, shrugging off Buffy's hands when the smaller slayer tried to help her up. "I got it, B."

Buffy followed her quietly out of the room. When they reached the waiting room, Oz and Cordelia met them and the four filed out. "Faith, weren't you supposed to talk to someone before you left?" Buffy asked, as they were emerging from the hospital doors.

Faith shrugged. "Didn't give ‘em my real name anyway. Let's go."

Relinquishing the front seat, Buffy climbed into the back of Oz's van with Faith. "You wanna stay at my place?" She whispered to the other girl.

"I should probably go home." Faith responded, looking over to Buffy.

"Oh." The blonde said. "Okay."

The older slayer heard the obvious disappointment in the other girl's voice, but she turned to stare out the window. After the day she'd had, she really wanted to be alone. It wasn't exactly like the council's involvement in her losing her power was really a surprise. Her basic outlook on life was to trust no one. But somehow it still hurt. The council. The fucking council. If there was anyone in the world who should be on her side, it was Giles and the rest of them. She was the slayer. Out there every night risking her neck and what did that earn her? They'd tried to kill her! The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Buffy's hand was soft on her forearm and Faith realized that the van had come to a stop in front of her motel. Oz glanced over his shoulder and the dark slayer gave him a tilt of her chin. "Thanks." She muttered, clamoring out of the side door. Buffy's fingers fell away from her skin and Faith made the mistake of looking back at her face before closing the door.

The blonde's eyes were large and concerned. "Faith," She started.

The brunette stared back, her throat starting to burn uncomfortably. She shifted under Buffy's anxious gaze.

"Happy Birthday." The other slayer said quietly, managing a tremulous smile.

Faith swallowed hard and nodded. She slid the door closed and fished her key out of her pocket. Once she was inside, she locked the flimsy hardware and leaned her back into the wood, listening to the hum of Oz's engine moving farther and farther away.

 


 

"So let me get this straight. Giles was stealing Faith's powers. And Cordelia helped you find this out."

Buffy nodded patiently at the slack-jawed Xander.

"I can't believe it." The teen repeated for perhaps the fifth time. "Are we in an alternate dimension? Would we know if we were?"

"I wish we were." Willow interjected morosely. "I can't believe Giles would do something like this. It's so un-Gilesy."

"I know." Buffy agreed sadly. The trio of friends was seated on a bench in front of the school. Buffy hadn't wanted to go to the library.

Xander waved his hand dismissively. "Giles? Okay. But Cordelia? Helping others?"

"She's not all bad." The slayer protested weakly.

Cocking a skeptical eyebrow, Xander shook his head. "Yeah, on a scale from one to eating puppies, she's about a seven."

"And on a scale from one to loser, you're just a loser." Cordelia interrupted nastily, while passing the group in the courtyard of Sunnydale High.

Xander grimaced, but Buffy sent a tolerant smile after the cheerleader. "Morning, Cordy."

"‘Cordy?'" Xander mouthed incredulously to Willow, who gave him a helpless shrug in return.

The tall girl paused a few steps away, glanced dismissively over Willow and Xander and focused on the slayer. "How's Faith?"

Buffy frowned. "I haven't talked to her."

Cordelia rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "I know you don't understand normal social practices, since you're like the head freak in the freak squad and all, but usually when someone almost dies, you call later."

"Your observation of human customs is starting to pay off." The slayer replied dryly.

Smiling slyly, the brunette turned to go. "I'm just saying, you guys are such close friends, you should probably check on her."

Buffy paled visibly but before she could respond, Willow laughed. "Are we talking about the same Faith?"

Cordelia merely shrugged, eyes twinkling amusedly at Buffy, before turning and disappearing down the hall.

"That was weird." The redhead glanced at Buffy.

Buffy flashed a strained smile, "Well, that's Cordelia. Not exactly in touch with reality girl."

"It's hard to be in touch with the little people when you're so far above everyone else." Xander added distastefully.

Suddenly, Buffy was climbing to her feet. "Xander, walk me to my locker."

"Huh?"

She grabbed his arm. "I need your help. Somewhere that is else. Now."

Confused, he glanced in the direction Buffy was looking and then snapped to attention. "Oh, yeah. We have to do that thing. With the locker." Catching Buffy's wide eyes, he fumbled. "And the… Corn Flakes."

The blonde sighed in defeat, grabbing his arm and pulling him after her.

Willow took in her departing friends with a furrowed brow. "Uh, I'll see you guys later then!" She called.

"Hey," Came a soft voice from behind her.

She turned to find Oz approaching on her left. "Oz. Hey." She bit her lip anxiously.

"Can I sit?"

"Sure, yeah. Sit." Willow shoved her backpack from the bench next to her.

"I thought we could talk."

"Talk? Uh-huh. Talking's good." She looked at Oz nervously.

"Yeah." He agreed, seating himself next to her.

"Oz, before you say anything, can I just tell you again how sorry I—oomf."

His callused fingers covered her mouth gently. "You don't have to say anything, Will." He looked down, letting his hand fall away from her face. "I just… I miss you."

"I miss you too!"

"I know." Oz said quietly, looking back up to meet her concerned eyes. "You say you wanna be with me and I want to believe you.... but… seeing you with Xander was…"

Willow watched with stricken eyes as her former boyfriend trailed off, unable to put the feeling into words. Cautiously, she reached for his hand. "Oz, nothing I say can change what happened. But please, please believe me, you're what I want."

They stared at one another for a moment. Finally, Oz nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?" Willow asked hopefully.

"Yeah. I think we can try again."

"Really?" Willow practically leapt into his arms, squeezing him hard.

"Really." He said, threading his fingers into her hair. Oz closed his eyes as his face pressed into her neck. The final bell rang, and he pulled back, letting his arms linger around her waist. "We should get to class."

Willow nodded and climbed to her feet. Hesitantly, she held out her hand. Oz took it and they walked toward the school together.

 


 

The sun shone brilliantly over the lawns of Sunnydale High as Wesley Wyndham-Price moved up the front walk with a spring in his step. He could already tell he was going to like California. It was sunny all the time, and even in December the weather was temperate and mild. He'd been informed last night that the girl had passed the test. Thrilled, he'd spent the morning searching out a small apartment to start himself out. Now that he knew he was to stay in Sunnydale, the council would provide him a small stipend he could use to furnish his space and tide himself over until he established more permanent employment. Reaching the front doors, he grinned widely and stepped into the empty front hallway. Glancing around, he decided to head left, hoping that way would lead to the library where he was to meet Rupert Giles.

When Wesley had been informed he was assigned to be the watcher to an active slayer, he couldn't believe his luck. He was newly graduated from the Watcher Academy. An assignment like this was a boon usually given to an older, more experienced watcher who had put in time with at least one potential slayer. Still, he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He was here now and he was determined to live up to the faith bestowed in him with this assignment.

Finding the library with little trouble, Wesley slid nervously through the swinging doors. He was greeted by the vaguely musty odor of hundreds of books housed together on the battered library shelves. He took a solid breath, feeling comforted by the familiarity of that smell. "Hello?" He called out. "Mr. Giles?"

The older man's bespectacled face poked out of an office to the right. "Mr. Pryce?" He asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yes, hello there." Wesley stepped forward, smiling and extending his hand. "Lovely to see you again, Mr. Giles."

"Rupert, please." Giles remarked absently, taking Wesley's hand in a cool palm.

"Rupert." The younger man agreed, beaming. Releasing Giles's palm he clasped his hands together in anticipation. "Well, I expect the slayers will be here soon? I was told classes let out around 3PM."

The librarian's brow furrowed. "Well, yes…"

"Excellent! I was able to read some of your reports, of course, and I'm anxious to meet Faith and get started with some proper training."

Giles pursed his lips.

Catching the other man's look, Wesley blushed faintly. "No offense intended. I understand Faith has only recently arrived and any failings in her training rest with Diana Dormer."

"The council found her methods lacking?"

"Her training reports were… adequate. But from your reports to the council, it seems as though the girl is reckless and in desperate need of more structured training and self discipline."

Giles stifled a smile. "Yes, well, best of luck to you accomplishing that."

The younger man looked up, surprised. "You think she'll be uncooperative?"

Removing his glasses, the librarian began to polish them with the handkerchief he found in his pocket. "I think managing Faith requires a lot of patience. She does not take orders easily and it's difficult to earn her trust." He reseated his glasses on his nose and looked to Wesley with a critical eye. "The cruciamentum may well have ruined whatever ground you may have had to start with."

Shrugging lightly, Wesley glanced around the library. "Have you received any boxes for me?"

Giles gestured to where several boxes were stacked behind the counter.

"Thank you." Wesley moved to open each box and verify the contents had arrived in adequate condition. "Surely the girl understands that the slayer is responsible to the council and must follow our orders."

Smirking at the new watcher, Giles shook his head. "I think you'll find it won't be that easy with her."

"And your slayer? How is she?" He retrieved a book from one of the boxes and flipped through it. "I wasn't privy to your field reports on Buffy, of course."

"Buffy is an excellent slayer. Extremely resourceful, determined. Fiercely loyal with a dedication to her calling that is truly remarkable." His faint smile faded. "I'm afraid this cruciamentum business will affect her relationship with the council as well."

"Well," Said Wesley breezily. "I'm sure they can both be made to understand that the test wasn't personal. It is simply the way things are done."

"You think Faith shouldn't take it personally that I drugged her and lured her to face a vampire in the council's employ?"

"Not at all. After all, watchers these days are facing vampires ourselves as part of our Academy training." He dusted off his clothes, rising to his feet. "There's much more field testing than in your day."

Giles cocked an eyebrow but didn't reply. Wesley closed the box he'd removed his journal from and moved to seat himself at the table. Checking his watch, he read the time as 2:55PM. Smiling, he flipped open his journal and jotted down the date in his careful cursive script. His slayer would be arriving any moment and he was anxious to get down to business.

 


 

For the first time in a long, long time, Buffy arrived home from school before her mother was even finished working. She shrugged off her coat, draping it gently over a bench in the hallway. Kicking off her shoes, she headed into the kitchen to get a snack. She'd debated on going to the library after school, but in the end she wasn't ready to face Giles yet. It was so hard to believe that this person who she'd spent the last two years getting to know, trusting, allowing into her life and into her heart, was capable of doing this kind of thing. And regardless of what he'd said, Buffy knew if he could do this to Faith, he could do it to her.

The fridge was stocked. Joyce had obviously already done the shopping for Christmas dinner. Buffy selected some sandwich ingredients and closed the door with her foot. Robotically, she began assembling her snack. She got as far as adding the cheese before she began to fall apart. Dropping the slice of cheddar hastily, she covered her mouth with her hands. A reluctant sob bubbled from her throat. It wasn't just what Giles did. It was that she couldn't see any way of moving beyond it. His actions hurt her. And they hurt Faith. Of everyone Buffy knew and loved, Faith was probably the person she was least close to. But… Faith was a slayer. The two of them fought the same battles night after night. Faith was the only person who would ever be able to understand the pressure and the helplessness she felt when she wasn't quick enough or strong enough to save someone. Her friends wouldn't be able to understand the rush she felt when she was slaying. They wouldn't understand feeling scared by how good it felt to kill things. It was the same power running through both the slayers, drawing them to hunt, but also drawing them to each other.

Consciously, Buffy hadn't gotten very close to the other slayer. On the surface they were complete opposites. But there was something that existed between them, almost on a cellular level. A primal recognition that they were both cut from the same cloth. She knew it in the way her spine tingled whenever Faith was close by. And the way her gut ached when she saw the other girl crushed by the loss of her slayer abilities. They dreamed together, for God's sake. Every slayer before her had been forced to fight and die alone. And Buffy had too. But that all changed, because now Faith was here. And she was new. She hardly meant anything to Buffy yet. She might not be worth losing a relationship with Giles over. But at the same time, Faith was everything. So Buffy could not forgive Giles. Not for betraying them both. Not for leaving Faith's life up to chance. And not for almost taking Faith from her.

She leaned against the counter precariously, angrily wiping hot tears from her face. Abandoning her sandwich, she walked upstairs to the bathroom, sniffling. She would jump in the shower and then go over to the motel and see how Faith was doing. Maybe her powers would have recovered completely and they could go patrolling.

 


 

After she'd gotten back to the motel the night before, Faith had yanked off her clothes and climbed beneath the covers with most of a handle of vodka. By the time she felt like crying, she was too drunk to move and instead she fell asleep. She woke up just as the sun was going down the next day, surprised to find she'd been knocked out for so long. The dark slayer kicked the covers off, still radiating anger at what the council had done to her. As she climbed to her feet, she grinned sharply in relief. Her legs felt strong. Reaching down, she gripped the bed frame and lifted it easily from the floor. She let it drop with a decrepit creak. Her power was back! A few impulsive back flips later, she accidentally slayed a table lamp and decided it was time to get a shower.

Standing under the lukewarm water, Faith contemplated her next move. Sunnydale had never really oozed with charm but now the thought of staying here made her skin crawl. She couldn't trust Giles and the council. And Buffy… well, whatever was going on between them, B was never going to pick her over Giles. And why should she? She was the good slayer, the trustworthy one. They wouldn't have jabbed her full of junk and thrown her to a vampire. Buffy would probably be better off too, once Faith was gone. She'd made it this long on her own after all.

Plopping some generic motel issue shampoo into her palm, she massaged it through her tangled hair gently. Her soapy fingers slid down, cupping the sides of her neck. The bruises left by the vampire's fingers had already faded, but her breath tightened in her chest when she thought of his strong hands gripping her. The brunette dropped her hands and forced herself to take deep breaths. Her anger at the council was like a snake coiling in her stomach. She could feel it winding tighter and tighter. She wrapped her arms around her middle, feeling like she could come apart at any moment. Since her calling, she'd never viewed being a slayer as a burden, the way it sometimes seemed like Buffy did. For Faith, it was empowering and freeing. But if she had to look over her shoulder all the time and even the watchers were out to get her, maybe sacred duty wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Faith flipped the water off and drew open the curtain to step out. The mirror had barely begun to fog, given the temperature the shower ran at, and she looked at her reflection seriously. Dripping, unkempt dark hair in need of a trim and some good conditioner. Smooth, unlined skin and the same bone structure that had made her mother beautiful before she'd gotten knocked up and aged well beyond her years. She smiled tentatively, her even teeth glinting dangerously even when she was going for benign. No doubt about it. She was young, hot, and strong as fuck. There was no sense in sticking around this sorry excuse for a town and taking orders from a bunch of pricks who'd tried to kill her.

While toweling her hair off distractedly, she started formulating a plan. She could pack up what little she had and be gone the next day. She only had until Friday before that beady eyed little manager was going to be knocking at her door looking for his next payment anyway. She'd hitch, head for LA. After that, she'd get by. Living in Boston had taught her well how to get by on her looks and her quick fingers. Nudging open the bathroom door with her hip, Faith strode naked into her meager home, momentarily grateful that the heat had reached sauna temperatures. She unearthed some chocolate pants that had only been worn once and slid them up her legs, jumping up and down a few times to pull the tight material over her thighs. She pulled a white tank over her bare breasts before spying a flimsy satin bra she'd acquired on impulse while exercising her five finger discount at April Fools the week before. It wasn't really her style. It was delicate and sexy in a way that reminded her of the old time movie stars she watched on late night TV when she couldn't sleep. Tugging the tank top back over her head, she clipped the bra clasp closed and slid the thin straps over her toned arms. She rubbed her fingers across the silky fabric, looking at herself in the mirror. It looked like something Buffy would wear, all soft and white and virginal. Shrugging irritatedly, she tossed the tank top back on. There, that was a little more Faith. Now all she needed was some makeup and she'd be all set. If she was leaving Sunnydale, she might as well go out for one last hurrah.

Once her eyes were rimmed with kohl and her lips painted deep red, she snagged a denim jacket from the chair by the door, looking around the room apathetically. She was getting out of Sunnydale. And if she had any regrets about it, they didn't show on her face as she threw open her motel room and stepped out into the night.

 


 

Buffy was aggravated by the time she made it to Faith's motel. She'd been waylaid by some vampires who were out looking for prey as soon as the sun dropped below the horizon. Her carefully constructed updo had been ruined and her blonde hair was falling in messy waves over her shoulders. She also suspected she smelled less like warm vanilla sugar than she had upon leaving the house. Still, she was here now and hopefully Faith was home. She rounded the corner that put her in the parking lot and paused, confused. Faith was standing outside the door to her room, arms crossed in front of her. A man stood in front of her wearing a suit and glasses. The other slayer didn't look pleased. Breaking into a jog, Buffy cleared the distance to the duo and planted herself firmly at Faith's side.

The man looked surprised momentarily and then his face cleared. "Buffy, I presume?" He asked genially, extending his hand to her.

The blonde cocked an eyebrow at the other girl. Who was this guy?

"New watcher." Faith responded tonelessly to the unasked question.

Immediately, Buffy's face hardened.

"Uh yes," The man said, allowing his unshaken hand to drop. "Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. Pleased to meet you both."

"Can't say the feeling's mutual." Buffy muttered.

If the young watcher was taken aback, he didn't allow it to show. "I was surprised when you didn't stop by the library this afternoon." He said to Faith. "I had thought that was your usual method of reporting in."

"I don't really… report." Faith gritted out. Buffy smiled to herself. That was an understatement.

His brow rose. "Mr. Giles didn't require you to report your patrol activities to him?" He pulled a small notepad from his suit jacket pocket and jotted something down. "That is most unusual."

The two slayers exchanged incredulous glances but neither responded.

"Well, obviously how Mr. Giles chooses to manage you, Buffy, is his business. But Faith, as I've been assigned to be your watcher, I think it best if we set up a regular schedule for you to report in. We'll also need to schedule dedicated training sessions."

The throaty laugh that emerged from Faith's mouth was anything but kind. Wesley stepped back involuntarily, but Buffy placed a firm hand on the other girl's forearm and Faith didn't move closer to him. Instead she shook her head. "You people try to kill me and then you have the balls to show up here and think I'm going to work for you?"

"I understand your feelings about the--"

"Do you?"

"Well, I believe I can empathize with--"

"Do you spend every night going out and fighting vampires and saving the world just so a bunch of stick in the ass British assholes can stab you in the back and poison you?" The dark slayer practically growled.

Wesley's wide eyed look to Buffy was met with silent agreement. "I'm afraid I can't say I do." He smiled in what he hoped was a sympathetic manner. "But Faith, the council was not trying to kill you, as you say. The Cruciamentum is a tradition performed on every slayer's eighteenth birthday. It was not personal."

In spite of Buffy's hand remaining on her arm, Faith stepped forward, making Wesley cower back another step. "Not personal?" She shook her head disgustedly. "I could have died!"

"But you didn't! You passed the test, although the circumstances were less than ideal." He glanced pointedly at the blonde slayer. "And the council is thrilled. Now, if you will need another day to recover from the effects of the Cruciamentum, that will be acceptable. We can start training on Wednesday."

"You're not hearing me, English. I'm saying I'm done. I don't work for the council anymore and I ain't taking orders from you or anyone else."

Buffy glanced sharply at Faith's stoic face. Faith was quitting the council? Was that even possible?

"I'm afraid I don't understand." The councilman was baffled. "You are the slayer. You can't quit."

Faith's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Try and stop me." When the watcher seemed at a loss for words, she exhaled roughly and shook off Buffy's restraining hand on her arm. "Let's get out of here."

Buffy nodded wordlessly and turned to walk away at Faith's side. Once they were at the edge of the lot, she glanced at her counterpart. "You're quitting?"

Faith shrugged, her agitation with the meeting clear. Ignoring the question, she gave Buffy a careless smile. "So what were you on your way to see me for, B?"

"Oh." Buffy had to mentally regroup. "I wanted to see if you were up for some Bronzing."

"Yeah, sounds good."

"You wanna patrol first?" It was clear that Faith was worked up by the council guy's visit. Patrolling would be a good way to work off some excess energy before heading to the Bronze.

"Yeah," Faith agreed. "Let's do it."

 


 

"Hey," Buffy said later, as they started for the Bronze. She bumped her shoulder gently against Faith's. "It's good to see you back at full strength." Their patrol had been fast and furious. The two slayers had taken out 9 vamps between them, their senses honed together beautifully, their movements synchronized. By the end, Buffy was grinning from ear to ear. It was so good to see the other girl back in action, flying through the cemetery and staking vampires without breaking a sweat. Every movement was flawlessly executed. Watching her slay was like watching a professional dancer. It was beautiful.

"Good to be back." Faith agreed, pushing back harder.

Buffy had to step to the side to maintain her footing. "Hey!" She grumbled. "Just because you got your powers back doesn't mean you have to beat me up."

Faith cocked a threatening eyebrow in the blonde's direction. "Oh, you think that was beating you up?"

Buffy smiled and shrugged.

"That was nothing."

"How about this?" Buffy asked, and hip checked the dark slayer hard. Faith landed on her butt on a neighboring lawn.

The dark slayer jumped easily to her feet. "You wanna go?" Her lips twitched, trying to hold down a smile.

"If you think you can catch me!" Buffy called, already running before she finished the sentence.

"Cheater!" Faith laughed and raced behind her, trying to close the distance between them.

The two girls tore through the darkened Sunnydale streets. At times Buffy slowed and Faith would come almost close enough to touch her, but then the blonde would plow ahead harder, fists pumping beside her, feet hardly seeming to touch the ground. By the time they neared the Bronze, her lungs were burning. Gratefully, she slowed as they entered the alley beside the club, laughing as Faith's arms enveloped her from behind.

"Got ya." The brunette's breath was hot in her ear as she maneuvered Buffy against the rough brick side of the Bronze, pressing into her from behind.

"I let you." The smaller slayer insisted, turning so that she was facing the other girl.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I coulda caught you any time I wanted."

"Then why didn't you?" Buffy challenged.

Faith looked down into her eyes and rubbed soft circles into Buffy's hips, where her hands were resting. "Was waiting til you wanted me to."

"I want you to now?" Buffy's hands slid up the other girl's forearms, resting on the rough fabric of her shoulders.

"Don't you?"

"Yeah," The blonde agreed, grasping Faith's neck and pulling her closer. "I guess I do." Their lips met and Buffy exhaled roughly when the brunette's arms pulled her in closer. Faith's lipstick was mostly worn away from numerous hits to the face during patrol, but Buffy detected a faint taste of almonds when the other girl's lips parted and their tongues met.

"Mmm," Faith growled into her mouth and Buffy giggled.

"You laughing at me?" The taller girl whispered, in between short kisses she was dropping on Buffy's mouth.

"Mhmm." Buffy breathed back, letting her hands wind into Faith's windblown hair. She drew the other girl's mouth back against hers, sucking Faith's bottom lip gently into her mouth.

The tingle that Faith usually felt in the base of her neck whenever Buffy was nearby liquefied and ran down her spine, pooling in her lower back and expanding. The blonde's nails scraped against her scalp as Buffy tried to pull her even closer. Faith obliged, pressing the other slayer's back into the wall and crushing their hips together. The smaller girl's mouth was completely pliable, her lips soft and open to Faith's eager exploration.

Buffy's hand snaked out of the dark locks and cupped Faith's neck again. The dark slayer hissed when the blonde's small palm unexpectedly slid down her arm, grazing her right breast, before gripping her waist to hold her close. Her fingers slipped under the hem of Buffy's top, stroking her lower back languidly. The blonde arched in her arms and Faith stifled the moan in her throat as Buffy's small breasts pressed into hers. With a last little nip of the blonde's lip, Faith pulled away and the two stared at one another.

Smiling shyly, Buffy reached for her fingers. "I guess we should go in."

Faith started to reply, but became aware of someone approaching. Someone whose heels were clacking loudly on the concrete. Cordelia drew near to the two girls, and Faith backed from Buffy's space.

"I see you're feeling better." Cordelia smirked.

"Yeah," Faith smiled back lazily. "Guess I am." Beside her, Buffy looked nervously at Cordelia, who had obviously seen the spectacle the two slayers had been making.

"You coming in or are you going to make out in the alley all night?" Cordelia shook her head at Buffy. "It's a little déclassé, even for you."

The blonde finally regained some composure. "Next time we'll be sure to look for a broom closet."

The cheerleader leveled an approving smirk at her. "See you in there then." She tossed a sincere smile to the dark slayer. "Glad you're okay."

"Thanks." Faith managed, surprised. Once Cordelia was out of sight, she raised her eyebrows at her sister slayer.

"I have no idea." Buffy replied. "Cordelia is beyond human comprehension." Together they started for the door. Buffy stepped in first, quickly scanning the room for the Scooby gang. She smiled, looking back at Faith.

Faith's eyes too found the table where Willow, Xander, and Oz were seated. The three were wearing party hats and a chocolate cupcake sat on the table before them, complete with a candle Xander was hurriedly lighting. The surprised slayer glanced over at the grinning blonde. "What's up, B?"

"It's your birthday!" Buffy chirped, grabbing Faith's arm and hustling her toward the table. "It's a big deal."

"Not really." Faith protested, but she was smiling now.

"Yes, really." Buffy insisted as they arrived in front of the group.

"Happy Birthday!" The Scoobies chorused.

"Thanks, guys." The dark slayer responded, but her eyes remained on Buffy.

"You're welcome." The blonde said, cheeks flushed. "Now make a wish!"

Her biggest wish had already started coming true. But a little luck never hurt anyone. So Faith leaned down to blow out her candle and concentrated on her wish. Buffy. Just Buffy.

 


 

Giles had just poured himself a hearty three finger serving of a delicious single malt scotch when the knock sounded on his apartment door. Rolling his eyes, he reluctantly set down his drink and smoothed his palms down his rumpled dress shirt. Wesley stood on the other side of the door. "May I come in?" He asked.

Giles stepped aside with a sigh. "Let me guess, it didn't go well?"

The younger man was tugging his scarf free from his coat with great frustration. "She told me she quit! She refuses to work for the council!"

Wincing, Giles gestured for Wesley to seat himself, then took a neighboring chair. "I did warn you, Faith is difficult to deal with under the most ideal circumstances."

"This was beyond my expectations! The girl shows no regard for the council whatsoever."

"She may come around in time." Giles offered, although he didn't sincerely believe that.

"Well, I certainly hope she'll come around soon." Wesley removed his glasses and cleaned them enthusiastically with a handkerchief he unearthed from his pocket. "Quinton Travers himself told me what the next step will be if I am unable to convince her to work under us."

"And what might that be?" Giles asked uninterestedly, already wondering how quickly could he get this fool out of his apartment. He hardly cared what difficulties Wesley was experiencing with Faith when he had no idea how to go about repairing his own relationship with Buffy.

"I thought you were aware…" Wesley responded, startled. "Of course it's hardly ever been employed because slayers usually do not become aware of the Cruciamentum. But there have been cases--"

"Of what?"

The young councilman smiled grimly. "If the slayer doesn't fall in line, she will be eliminated. The council cannot afford to have rogue slayers running about."

 


 

Part Two - Chapter Two

The girl ran until her legs felt numb and then she ran some more. Her tangled red hair flew behind her and her face was marred by a series of shallow cuts she'd obtained while running through the whipping tree branches. Ahead there was a break in the trees and she forced herself to run faster, cutting through it and practically diving into the forest cover on the other side. Throwing herself behind the nearest tree, she crouched down. The dress shoes she'd been wearing had been lost somewhere during the chase and her bloody feet left small prints in the moist earth. A dry leaf cracked somewhere close by and she almost screamed, clapping her hands desperately against her mouth to keep from emitting any noise. Her glittering eyes darted frantically around, trying to catch a glimpse of her pursuer. Another cracking sound, closer this time. Terrified, she leapt to her feet and tore through the forest, the sounds of pursuit growing closer and closer.

 


 

Faith sat comfortably atop a tombstone, her booted feet kicking out a tuneless rhythm against the rough stone. Four days had passed and against her better judgment she was still in Sunnydale. She'd planned to leave, really she had. But the problem was a certain slayer who kept showing up at her motel night and night, a smile on her face and a stake in her hand. Buffy's eyes were tired and sometimes red-rimmed but she never brought it up and neither did Faith. The brunette knew what the problem was though: Giles. Buffy hadn't spoken to him since the night of Faith's birthday.

Some little ugly part of her was pleased about that. She hadn't expected the blonde slayer to cut her watcher off so completely. But Buffy has surprised her there. Every night since, the two had been out together, kicking ass on their terms. No watchers needed. It was everything Faith had been hoping for when she came to Sunnydale two months earlier. Stilling her bouncing feet, Faith frowned into the rapidly darkening cemetery. They'd agreed to meet at sunset in Cyprus Wood cemetery to start patrol. Well sunset had come and gone and she was still biding her time sitting on a grave marker. Irritated, she resumed kicking the tombstone. She'd give Buffy five more minutes and then—abruptly, she froze. Something was running toward her. Fast. Without jumping down, Faith tensed her muscles, ready to pounce.

Ahead to her right, a figure was sprinting from the forest, barefoot and clearly running out of steam. She spotted Faith when she was 50 yards off and froze, glancing behind her desperately. Buffy soared from the trees, the moonlight glinting off her loose blonde hair. Her pace was restrained. It was obvious to Faith she hadn't really been trying to catch the still figure standing between the two slayers. Realizing her quarry had stopped, the blonde slayer slowed to a halt as well. "Sorry I'm late!" She called cheerfully.

The brunette chuckled and jumped lazily from the tombstone, moving toward the two of them. "Aww," She replied with a predatory smile. "You brought me a present?"

"Kind of a belated birthday gift." Buffy confirmed, her eyes dancing mischievously.

"Thanks," The taller girl grinned back, watching as the redhead trapped between them inched skittishly back and forth, trying to find an escape route.

Suddenly, the small girl darted to the right, attempting to run between them and get back to the tree line. Faith was in front of her almost instantly, blocking her escape.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" Buffy remarked as she and Faith fell into a tight circle, moving around the girl. "Vampires have no manners."

The little redhead let out a shrill growl, her face transforming into her demonic visage. She charged directly at Faith, intent on bowling her over. The brunette sidestepped and threw a rigid arm out, clothes lining the fleeing vamp.

She flipped over Faith's arm and landed hard. She recovered swiftly, rolling to the side to avoid the boot sailing toward her head. The vampire jumped to her feet, her teeth bared. The slayer waited, muscles coiled, reflexes poised for action. Her inner dialogue was rapidly devolving as her instincts took over. Come on, bitch, let's go. Hit me. Take a shot. ComeoncomeoncomeonCOMEon. HIT ME.

The vamp's punch was wild but connected. Hard. Yeah. Faith smiled in satisfaction as heat exploded from the point of impact on her stomach. The slayer let the momentum of the punch redistribute her weight. She counted 1, 2, and then her side kick was crunching into the vampire's face. The redhead cried out and staggered backward.

Faith straightened up, plowed forward, smashed her right elbow into the vamp's nose. The creature howled and lashed out with an open palm toward Faith's face.

The slayer caught her hand and shoved backward. Her body thrilled from the action, heart racing joyously in her chest.

The vampire stumbled, regained her footing, darted forward to tackle the slayer. Faith anticipated the move and jumped upward, kicking off the vampire's thigh. Her knee drove into the demon's neck. The vamp went down hard, hands clutching her crushed throat.

Buffy rewarded this move with enthusiastic applause. As always, the older slayer in action was a sight to behold. Her dark hair flew around her, shining in the moonlight. Her body contorted in almost inhuman ways as she ducked and wove around her opponent. Every move was an extension of the last, like a magnificently violent ballet. Faith allowed herself a little grandstanding and curtsied sloppily at Buffy. Still grinning, she began to circle the fallen vampire, waiting for her to climb back to her feet. The redhead did so, glaring at Faith warily.

"C'mon." Faith made a come hither motion with her defensively positioned hand and perked an eyebrow. "That all you got?" The dark slayer tilted her head to the left, calling back to her counter part. "Think this present's a dud, B."

Taking advantage of her opponent's distraction, the vamp raced forward, lashing out with a flurry of punches that hit Faith's raised forearms and face.

Pain. Searing. Hot. Throbbing in her arms. She pivoted out of the vamp's range. The next punch hit her shoulder and then she was behind the vamp. Bitch hits hard.

Gritting her throbbing teeth, she rammed her elbow down on the center of the vampire's back. The girl folded backward, her shoulders rotating toward the source of the pain. Faith smiled while driving her forearm into the girl's prone neck.

The demon crumpled and Faith leapt on her, smashing a fist into her exposed face. Left, slam, right, crunch, breathe. Her pulse throbbed. Breath quickened. Clit twitched. Faith's fingers knotted in the vamp's hair and she yanked upward. She drove the vamp's head down into the earth.

The vampire groaned and the slayer reached for her stake.

The redhead veered up, slamming her skull into Faith's chin. The slayer fell backward, dropping her stake. Both opponents scrambled up, looking for openings in each other's defenses. Buffy moved a few paces backward and settled cross legged on the ground, leaning back on a tombstone to take in the show.

Around and around Faith and the vampire circled. The slayer spit a thin trail of blood and glared in irritation. Tired of waiting, she executed a sharp crescent kick, skewing the vampire sideways.

Without hesitation, Faith kicked the vampire's legs from under her.

A crunch sounded as the vamp landed on her arm. Enraged, she grabbed Faith's ankle and flipped upward, knocking the slayer on her ass.

The vamp climbed astride Faith, her small hands latching onto the slayer's throat. Faith brought the heel of her hand up, snapping the vampire's chin back.

The redhead fell backward and Faith threw her right leg over the vampire, her boot connecting with the side of the vamp's head. The dazed vamp rolled and got to her feet, trying again to make a run for it.

Buffy climbed to her feet in alarm and stepped closer, but Faith was standing up instantly. She kicked the fleeing vampire in the back.

The small demon fell forward almost into Buffy, her arms outstretched in front of her. Buffy easily caught one arm and flung her back around toward Faith.

Faith rolled onto her back and tucked her feet up so they met the demon's abdomen. The redhead sailed over Faith's body. The vampire was stunned and hesitated a moment too long before trying to roll to her feet. Buffy's stake met the vampire's unbeating heart and the redhead exploded.

Dusting off her top, Buffy pocketed her stake and extended a hand to help her fellow slayer up. "Dud?" She asked as she hauled Faith to her feet.

"Eh," The dark slayer shrugged. "She wasn't that bad." She shook some leaves from her hair. "Hey."

"Hey." Buffy said. The blonde's smile was strained. The two fell into silence as they started patrolling the cemetery.

"So, what's up?" Faith asked, after a while.

The blonde shrugged, eyes scanning their surroundings. "Not much. What's up with you?"

Hopping easily over a large fallen tree branch, the dark slayer shrugged and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Nada." She glanced at the other girl uneasily. "You okay, B?"

"Five by five."

Faith glanced over to see Buffy's sly smile. "Sounds kinda weird when you say it."

"Sounds weird when you say it too." The blonde said dryly.

"You talk to Giles?" Faith asked abruptly.

Buffy stilled momentarily but then continued walking along. "No."

"He called you?"

"No."

"You called him?"

"No. Why would I?"

Faith paused and Buffy was forced to stop too. "He's your watcher, B. You don't gotta stop talking to him on my account."

Buffy considered this for a moment, looking out into the shadows of the cemetery. "I know I don't." She replied.

"So," Faith asked with forced casualness. "You gonna talk to him? Bet the council's freaking out about their #1 going all Lone Ranger."

"I'm not going Lone Ranger. I've got you."

"Yeah." Faith agreed then paused. "Wait, you're saying I'm Tonto?"

"What's wrong with Tonto?"

Faith started to reply but Buffy raised a warning palm and jerked her head to the right. The brunette spotted the vampire walking at a leisurely pace toward two oblivious teenagers out for a stroll. Faith smiled and nodded. As one, they turned and darted toward their new prey.

 


 

"Walk you home?" Faith offered, after they'd made a good patrol of the town.

"Sure." Buffy agreed. Sunnydale was oddly devoid of things going bump in the night and they were finished pretty early. Christmas lights twinkled merrily from the homes they passed and Buffy reached out for the other slayer's hand.

Faith let her take it and gave the blonde's hand a hesitant squeeze. "So, B, look. About Giles--"

"Faith." Buffy interrupted. "We don't need to talk about this, okay?"

"Yeah." The brunette rolled her eyes. "Okay."

The blonde frowned. "I just mean… I'm not ready yet… To think about talking to him."

"I'm pissed too. But B, you don't gotta stop talking to him. He did it to me. Not you."

"I know." Buffy drifted closer so their inner arms pressed together. "I'm not saying I don't ever wanna talk to Giles. I just can't even process this right now." She glanced at Faith. "Anyway, even though it wasn't me the council decided to test, don't you think I care that they did that to you?"

Faith shrugged uncomfortably.

Confused, the blonde frowned. "Well, I do. We're friends. Of course I care."

"Friends." Faith nodded and pursed her lips.

Buffy stopped walking, forcing Faith to stop. Was friends the wrong thing to say? Did Faith think of them as a couple? Sure, they'd been making out all over Sunnydale… but sometimes they hung out and they didn't even kiss. So really, if they were more then friends who randomly kissed sometimes, how was she supposed to know? Faith needs to stop being cryptic girl and let me know what's going on. Deciding to play it cautious and let Faith spell it out if the brunette was thinking of them in terms of coupliness, Buffy looked at the other slayer. "Yeah, friends. What's with you? You're being so weird."

"Nothing."

"Faith, come on."

The dark slayer sighed and tugged on Buffy's hand so she'd start walking again. "Just don't want you cutting off G for me. I'm not worth it."

Surprised, Buffy glanced over. "You are to me."

Faith didn't reply but a few seconds later, she squeezed the other slayer's fingers and shot her a small smile. "Guess this is goodnight."

They were standing in front of her house now, and Buffy turned so the two girls were facing each other. "So hey," She said. "Christmas is next week and… I was thinking you could spend it here. If you want to."

Taken aback, Faith blinked. "I dunno, B. That's a family thing, ain't it?"

"Well, yeah, but we want you to come."

"I dunno…"

"Come on." Buffy cajoled.

"Okay," The brunette exhaled. "Sure."

"Really?" Buffy squeaked. "Great! We can make cookies and you can help us decorate the tree, oh and every year Xander does the Snoopy dance from Charlie Brown's Christmas and--"

"You're really into Christmas, huh?"

Blushing, Buffy laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."

"It's cute." Faith murmured, sidling a little closer to the other slayer. "You're cute when you get all excited like that."

"You know it's not wise to make fun of someone who can kick your ass." The smaller slayer warned, but she was smiling.

"Can think of things I'd rather do to your ass than kick it." The brunette's mouth was inches from Buffy's.

"You have such a dirty mind."

"It's a gift."

"The gift that keeps on giving." Buffy said dryly.

Smirking, Faith leaned close enough that their lips were almost touching. "Night, B." She whispered, and then turned to go.

"Night, Faith." Buffy stuttered. She watched for a few moments until Faith disappeared up the block, then walked into her darkened house.

 


 

Faith sighed noisily as she traversed the path back home. Home. She thought, chortling to herself. A rat trap motel with a nineteen inch television. Literally on top of the mouth of hell. The only reason she was still in this craphole was that she couldn't seem to bring herself to tell Buffy she was going to leave. She could imagine already the disappointment on the other girl's face. The cute little line between her eyebrows, the way her lips would part slightly as if begging to be kissed. Buffy would probably try to talk her out of going too. And if she was being honest with herself, which she rarely was, Faith knew she didn't really want to leave as long as the blonde slayer still wanted her here.

And, shocking though it was, it seemed like the other girl did. The dark slayer stepped up her pace as she thought back over the last few nights. Buffy against the wall of the Bronze, her fingers twisting into Faith's hair roughly. Her little hand in Faith's as they walked home at night after patrol. The way the blonde's face flushed when Faith had caught her checking her out. Buffy's cotton candy lip gloss lingering on her lips for hours. The way her eyes fluttered shut as Faith leaned in to kiss her. The little quirk of her lips after they broke apart. Fuck. She was starting to get wet just thinking about it. She was usually hungry and horny after some slaying, but it was getting to the point that solo action just wasn't cutting it anymore.

Shaking her head, Faith decided to jog the rest of the way home. Maybe she'd burn off some of the tension flowing through her body. But even the increased pace couldn't distract her from the only thing she ever seemed to think about. What had Buffy meant when she'd called them friends? Was she trying to let Faith know that she only considered them friends? B was affectionate, but she didn't make out with her other friends, as far as Faith knew, so this was definitely not friendly behavior. Then again, Buffy vacillated between nervousness and confidence with touching or kissing her fellow slayer. So what did that mean?

Faith reached her block and slowed to a normal walk. She sighed. It was anybody's guess what was going on with the two of them. The cracked concrete lot of the Motor Inn loomed nearly empty in front of her and she cut across the expanse, heading toward her room. A newer model red Chrysler sat parked nearby, looking out of place among the peeling dusty gray exterior of the Motor Inn. Faith's eyes narrowed as she stepped closer to the wall, skirting the lot carefully. The car was so glaringly out of place that she was immediately on guard. It was only when she got close enough to read the license plate that she relaxed. Walking up beside the car, she tapped none too gently on the driver's side window. The occupant jumped, splashing some amber liquid from the bottle she was clutching. Opening the door, she stepped out.

"‘Queen C?'" Faith deadpanned, as the two stood staring at one another.

Cordelia shrugged belligerently and clutched the bottle of liquor tighter in her hand. "Not anymore." She muttered.

"Huh?"

"Look, can I come in?" The taller girl asked abruptly.

"Uh, yeah." Faith goggled at her as though they'd never met. "I'm over here." She offered, and led the way to her room.

"You gonna tell me what you're doing here, Cordelia?" Faith asked at length, after they'd entered the room and been seated for a few minutes.

The cheerleader looked around at the general state of disarray Faith was living in and wrinkled her nose. Taking a long swig from the bottle of Southern Comfort, she held it out to Faith. The slayer accepted it and took a long pull, watching the other girl. Finally, Cordelia sighed. "The IRS is investigating my father." She laughed acidly. "For tax evasion. We're going to lose everything."

Faith frowned. "So what, you wanted to see how the other half lives before you gotta do it?"

"No." Cordy glared. After a moment she lowered her eyes and sucked her lips into a thin line. "I didn't have anywhere to go."

Faith said nothing, understanding exactly how it felt to have no one to turn to. She took another long drink of the bottle and handed it back to Cordelia. "You wanna watch TV?"

"…Yeah."

"Cool."

 


 

Buffy's room looked like it had been made into a nest by a Nordstrom demon. Clothing was strewn across the bed, piled on the floor, falling from open dresser drawers, and even thrown haphazardly over the bedside lamp. Currently Buffy was seated on the floor in front of her closet, pulling on pair after pair of shoes. She liked dressing up for the holidays and this year was no exception. With Faith and the gang arriving any minute for Christmas Eve festivities, Buffy had precious few moments left to choose the perfect shoes to complete her outfit. She'd already curled her hair and arranged it carefully behind her head. She'd chosen dark jeans and a red silk tank top so she wouldn't look like she was trying too hard. Simple silver studs nestled in her ear lobes and her neck was bare. She hadn't consciously chosen to stop wearing Angel's cross, but somehow it had lain forgotten in the bottom of her jewelry box for the last few weeks.

"Buffy!" Her mother's voice echoed up the stairs. "Faith is here!"

Shit. The slayer grabbed a pair of bright red pumps and jammed her feet carelessly into them, scrambling upright. Looking around her room in dismay, she started scooping clothing up and dumping it into the closet, in drawers, and kicking it under the bed.

"Buffy?" Joyce called again.

"Coming, Mom!" She shouted back, giving the room one more hasty glance. It would have to do. Buffy bounced down the steps to where her mother and Faith were standing awkwardly in the foyer. "Hey!" Buffy greeted with a festive grin. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, B." Faith replied dutifully before having the wind knocked out of her as Buffy captured her in a bone crushing hug. Wrapping her arms loosely around the clingy slayer, Faith perked an eyebrow at Mrs. Summers.

"She's always like this at the holidays." Joyce whispered conspiratorially. "I'm going to go finish getting these snacks ready. You girls relax."

"Thanks, Mom." The blonde slayer said, and then turned back to Faith. "Take your coat?"

The brunette shrugged off her light jacket, revealing a conservative button down blouse. Of course, it was paired with a tight black mini skirt and black stockings tucked into her usual heavy boots, so even the lack of cleavage didn't detract from Faith's signature style.

"You look good." The blonde's eyes twinkled as she looked the other slayer up and down.

Faith grinned and slid her hand up and down the blonde's bare arm. "You too."

Flushing, Buffy captured Faith's hand and stepped away. She tugged the brunette, walking backwards, into the living room. Purposely, she stopped in the middle of the room and pulled Faith the rest of the way toward her, until they were standing toe to toe.

"Looks like you got a little mistletoe hanging there, B." Faith raised her eyes above them. "Xander gonna be getting lucky tonight?"

"Very funny." Buffy growled, licking her lips. "I won't be kissing Xander."

"Willow?" Faith asked in mock shock.

"Faith? Shut up." Buffy muttered, and tilted her lips up to Faith's before the other girl could say anything else.

The brunette forgot whatever she was going to say and sank into Buffy's embrace. Her hands trailed over the blonde's slight hips and stroked softly when they reached her bare upper back. In her arms, the blonde shuddered, letting her own hands slide under the sides of Faith's shirt so she was touching warm, soft skin.

Faith's lips parted over hers and Buffy felt her heartbeat speeding in her chest. Every nerve ending in her body felt alive all at once. She quietly moaned her disappointment when the brunette pulled her mouth away. But rather than move away, Faith's fingers slid down her spine and her warm mouth flitted across Buffy's collar bone. Thrilled, the blonde grasped the back of her counterpart's neck and turned her head to give Faith better access.

Buffy always smelled good. Faith's sense of smell was pretty keen and she could pick up every new perfume or change in shampoo the other slayer used. But now, with her nose ghosting across the other girl's shoulder, the blonde smelled heavenly. She never wanted to stop touching Buffy. Never wanted to stop laying slow, hot, open mouthed kisses against the girl's exposed neck. Her left hand ran up and down the soft silk of Buffy's blouse, feeling the muscles in the blonde's deceptively slim back moving with her fingers. Taking a chance, Faith let her hand leave the blouse and slide down to cup Buffy's hot little ass. A sharp intake of breath was her reward.

"Faith." The blonde murmured throatily into her ear.

The brunette seized Buffy around the waist with her free hand, squeezing her close, and crushed her mouth back to the other girl's. The smaller girl's arms wound around her shoulders, pulling against her equally as hard. Faith's tongue swept against Buffy's lips the other slayer opened her mouth agreeably.

Buffy felt herself bent back slightly. In the back of her mind she knew her mother could walk back in at any moment and they really needed to wrap this up, but oh, God. All she could concentrate were Faith's strong hand squeezing her ass, and Faith's arm around her, Faith's fingers just barely caressing the side of her breast. The scarcely restrained strength of the other girl's mouth plundering hers. The sound of glass breaking. Wait. What?

Faith's arms released her slowly and they both turned to the doorway to the living room. Xander's and Willow's jaws were hanging open, while Oz stood beside them, his face typically blank.

"Uh," Xander managed. "I'm guessing we're early."

Buffy's cheek flushed bright red. "Guys, uh, I can explain."

Willow still appeared horrified. Oz gave her a supportive upraised corner of his mouth, while Xander's eyes still goggled.

Buffy looked to Faith searchingly before blurting out, "Faith and I, we're together."

"Together." Xander repeated and Buffy focused her attention on him, missing the surprised look on Faith's face.

"Yeah," Buffy began, but stopped abruptly when Willow turned and fled back into the foyer. "Will!" She called, immediately charging after her.

"Oh, hey, kids, I—Buffy, what--" Joyce sputtered out as her daughter rushed past were and she was left in the doorway to the living room with three red faced teens and a tray full of snacks. "What was that about?"

 


 

"Will! Willow, please stop." Buffy slid her arms into her jacket as she rushed down the front walk after her friend.

Reaching the end of the walkway, Willow turned abruptly. Tears streamed down her pale face. "What?"

"Will," Buffy repeated, reaching for the other girl.

"Don't!" Willow sobbed. "I guess now I know why you've been spending all your time with Faith."

"It's not like that." The slayer let her hands fall to her sides.

"Were you even going to tell me, Buffy?"

"Of course I--"

"I know I'm not as," She hiccupped, "As cool as Faith. I'm not part of this new slayer club you two have formed. But I'm your best friend, Buffy! Or at least I thought I was."

"You are, Will." Reaching out, she rested her hand on Willow's forearm. She was encouraged when the other girl didn't try to shake her off. "I was going to tell you. I just didn't know how."

"Why?" The redhead sniffled, wiping her nose indelicately on her sleeve. "Why did you think you couldn't? I tell you everything."

"I know, Will." Buffy smiled apologetically. "Things only started becoming, uh, different between us last week. I guess I just wanted to know what it was before I told you."

Wiping tears from her face, Willow blinked wearily at her friend. "And what is it?"

"It's…" Buffy smiled gently. "It's good, Will."

"Are you sure about this, Buffy?"

Buffy nodded.

"Okay." Willow sniffled one final time.

The slayer drew a little closer to her friend, grasping Willow's other arm too. "What's really going on, Will? I don't think you're this upset just because I'm dating Faith."

"Well, it is Faith." Off Buffy's exasperated face, Willow dropped her eyes to her shoes. "I'm sorry. I just miss the way it used to be. Before she came. Us and Xander, we used to do everything together."

Squeezing her friend's arms gently, Buffy pulled her into a tight hug. "I know. I'm sorry I've been kind of distracted lately. I miss you too."

"Really?" The redhead asked hopefully.

"Really." The slayer smiled. "Of course I do."

"Okay." Willow released the other girl from their hug.

"We okay?" The blonde asked.

"Yeah." Willow still didn't look like her usual self.

"You sure? You have frowny face."

"I don't have frowny face."

"You do. It's like Frownville, population: Willow."

Smiling in spite of herself, Willow nodded. "Before we came over, something kind of weird happened with Oz."

"What happened?"

"Uh," The witch flushed. "I kind of tried to… seduce him."

"What!" Buffy shrieked.

"It was unsuccessful." Willow confessed in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Well, what did he say?"

"He said he wasn't ready."

Buffy was confused. "Well, Will, if he's not ready, you can't make him."

"I know. It's not that… It's just that, well, Oz isn't a virgin. So if he's not ready, he's just not ready to do it with me."

"Willow," Buffy began sternly. "I know I don't know Oz as well as you do, but I've seen the way he looks at you. He loves you. He probably just wants it to be special between you."

"I hope so."

"I'm sure that's it."

"Thanks, Buffy." Willow smiled her first real smile since they'd begun their conversation.

"Ahem, am I interrupting?"

"Uh, no." Replied Willow nervously, as she and Buffy both turned to find Giles standing nearby. "I'll be inside." The redhead said quietly, leaving the slayer and her watcher standing awkwardly on the sidewalk.

"What are you doing here, Giles?" Buffy pushed her hands deep in her pockets.

"You haven't been by the library." Giles responded. His words hung in the air between them for several long seconds before he continued speaking. "I was hoping we could talk."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Buffy," The watcher faltered for a moment. "I'd just like you to know how truly, incredibly sorry I am for the ordeal that the council and I were responsible for."

The slayer nodded. "Okay."

Giles drifted a little closer to her, extending his hand as if to touch her. "Might you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

Pulling her arms tighter to her body to ward off Giles's gesture, Buffy took a deep breath. "I want to... I'm just not sure how to yet."

Disappointed, he nodded. "I understand."

"I don't understand how you could do this to Faith."

The librarian hesitated for a long moment before he began speaking. "You have to understand, Buffy, that being a watcher is a calling, similar to yours. My continued employment by the council demands that I remain loyal to them and I uphold their decisions. I tried my utmost to sway them from their decision to put Faith through the cruciamentum, but they were quite firm and it was my duty to carry out the task."

"But we're talking about Faith's life!" She practically shouted.

"I know that, Buffy."

"Do you? Because we're supposed to be the good guys. And being willing to sacrifice someone's life, especially for some stupid test some watchers made up a thousand years ago? Giles, that's insane."

"It's completely barbaric. I agree with you. But my hands were tied."

The slayer gazed up at him sadly. "Well, now mine are. I don't know how I can trust you again after this."

Nodding, Giles, turned away in defeat. "I understand."

"Can you tell me one thing? Honestly?" Buffy asked and her voice was suddenly choked.

"Of course. What is it?" The watcher turned to face her again.

"I need to know… If my birthday was before Faith's, would you have done the same thing?"

He exhaled slowly. "The only reason I care about maintaining a position with the council is so that I can remain in Sunnydale as your watcher… If your cruciamentum had come up first, I wouldn't have allowed it to happen. You're my slayer and as long as I am able, I will do everything in my power to protect you."

Buffy sniffled slightly and looked away. "The council makes you swear to protect the slayer?"

"No," Giles murmured gently, looking at her with tenderness plain in his expression. "They don't."

"Oh." The slayer's eyes were shining with unshed tears. In spite of herself, she felt her anger start to subside.

"I truly am sorry, Buffy."

"I know." She said. "But I'm not the one who needs to hear this."

Giles nodded agreeably. "I intend to speak with Faith."

"Good."

They looked at one another for a moment before Giles awkwardly shuffled his hands, reaching in his pocket for a small box. He held it out uncertainly to her. "Merry Christmas, Buffy."

The slayer gingerly accepted the box. "What is it?"

Smiling faintly, the librarian gestured for her to open it. Buffy peeled the paper back to reveal the box. Sliding it open, she unearthed a pair of antique sterling hair combs, created in intricate patterns of entwining knots, wrapped around tiny pearls.

Giles pulled his glasses off and began to clean them with a handkerchief he took from his inside jacket pocket. "I know they're rather old-fashioned. I just thought with the holidays… you might have use for them."

"They're beautiful." Buffy breathed, pulling them gently from the box and tucking them in her upswept hair. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Giles beamed. "They belonged to my grandmother. My father didn't have any daughters so he passed them on to me to give to mine someday."

"Don't you want to keep them in case you have kids?"

"No," He assured her. "I can't think of anyone more fitting to give them to."

"Thank you." Buffy repeated, quietly taken aback.

"Of course." Giles said, placing his glasses back and tucking his handkerchief away. "I should be going. I don't want to keep you from your friends."

The slayer nodded sadly. "Yeah."

"Will you stop by the library?" Giles asked cautiously. "Perhaps next week?"

"Sure." She agreed.

"Alright. Goodnight, Buffy."

"Goodnight, Giles. Merry Christmas."

Buffy stood at the end of the walk for a moment, watching as Giles walked to his car which was parked a few yards away. Her heart feeling a little lighter, she hurried back toward the warmth inside.

 


 

"Goodnight, Xander." Buffy said into her friend's shoulder as she hugged him goodbye. She, Joyce, and Faith crowded in the front door, pulling close together to ward off the cold as they bid their visitors a goodnight.

"Alright, girls." Joyce informed the two young women. "Off to bed. Santa needs to get these presents under the tree so she can get to sleep."

Buffy laughed. "Okay. Goodnight, Mom."

"Night, Buffy." Joyce replied, rubbing her daughter's back affectionately. "Goodnight, Faith."

"Night, Mrs. S."

 


 

Tucked inside Buffy's bedroom, the two slayers sat down on the bed. "You want your present now?" Buffy asked, still feeling the Christmas cheer.

"Sure." Faith agreed.

"Yay!" Buffy bounced over to her closet and pulled out a carefully wrapped silver and red box. She handed it to Faith and accepted the gift the other slayer handed her.

"It's pretty crappy." The brunette warned, watching as Buffy ripped open the box with abandon.

Looking inside, the blonde slayer laughed out loud. "Oh, Faith, I love him!" She lifted up the gift, turning it around to study it. In essence it was an inexpensive white teddy bear of medium size. The bear had been upgraded so that it was wearing a ripped t-shirt. Two jagged fangs cut from sheet metal protruded from the corners of its upturned generic grin. Felt eyeballs were glued over the teddy's normal eyes, complete with "X"'s that indicated the toy was deceased. The method of death was easily attributable to the tiny wooden stake protruding from its chest. A tag was looped around its furry ankle, proclaiming simply, "B was here."

"Well, I was kinda broke so…"

Buffy grinned. "So you made me the most awesome gift ever."

"I guess so." Faith said, cracking a small smile.

"I shall call him… Fangworth." Buffy shifted around the magazines cluttering her nightstand to give Fangworth a place of honor next to her alarm clock. "Thank you." Gingerly, she pulled the hairpins from her hair and released it so it fell against her shoulders. She smiled, turning back to her counterpart. "Now open yours!"

"Sure." Faith picked up the box and shook it. "Where'd you get those?" She asked casually, tilting her chin toward the pins Buffy was placing in her jewelry box.

The blonde's smile faded. "Giles gave them to me. He stopped by earlier when I was outside with Will."

"Huh."

"Yeah," Buffy fumbled, feeling guilty for some reason. "He seems really sorry."

"He's really sorry?" Faith laughed mirthlessly.

"I think so." The blonde replied defensively.

"Well, that's just great." Putting down the unopened gift, Faith climbed to her feet and started to pace the small space. "The fucking council tries to kill me and they apologize to you."

"I'm sure Giles--"

"Doesn't matter what I do. All anyone cares about is you."

"Faith," Buffy said, taken aback. "That's not true."

"Like hell it ain't, B." Faith was getting angry now, yanking her fingers through her hair roughly and stomping as she paced. "Don't even know why I'm still in this shithole town."

"What? You wanna leave?"

"Why would I stay here? This is your town. Long as I'm here I'm always gonna be the second rate slayer."

"That's not true. We're a team."

"Yeah, and I'm the half the council experiments on." Her glittering brown eyes focused on Buffy's. "You tell me, B, if we're a team how come I'm the one your pal Giles drugged while you were walking around with your powers still fine?"

Hurt and getting angry, Buffy jumped to her feet. "Because you're older than me! God, I'm sorry we didn't both get drugged so we'd be dead now, Faith."

Huffing, Faith rolled her eyes. "Didn't say I wished they did it to you, B. You gonna make this about you too?"

"No!" Buffy cried. "You're trying to make it about me." She crossed her arms defensively across her chest. "What they did to you was awful. And I'm sorry it happened. But none of this is my fault."

"It's not your fault. And nobody tried to kill you so it doesn't matter, is that right? You're just gonna kiss and make up with G."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Buffy grabbed the other girl's arm roughly. "You told me I should talk to Giles! And it matters to me, you know it does."

"And why is that?" Faith ripped her arm from the blonde's grasp. "Ever since I got here you didn't give a crap about me and now you're bringing me home for Christmas?"

"Look," The blonde took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "I had my own stuff going on and I'm sorry it sucked when you came, but I thought we were past that now."

"You thought we were ‘past that?'"

"Well, we've been, you know…"

"Together?" Faith asked, echoing Buffy's announcement to the Scooby gang earlier.

"Yeah."

"Nice of you to ask me about that before you told the superfriends." Ignoring the surprise and hurt plainly displayed on Buffy's face, Faith continued. "You really only think about yourself, you know that?" She shook her head, chuckling.

"Oh, I'm sorry that I thought the frequent sleepovers and all the kissing meant something. I guess I forgot who I was dealing with." Buffy shot back, blinking at the tears blurring her vision.

"I guess you did." Faith replied calmly and slammed open Buffy's bedroom door. "Merry Christmas, Buffy." She tossed back bitterly and then disappeared down the hall.

Staring unhappily at the open doorway, Buffy sighed. She moved Faith's unopened present onto the floor and lay back on her bed. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them tightly. She blinked hard, determined not to cry over this. If Faith didn't want her, fine. She wasn't about to stick around and be the other slayer's punching bag. None of this was Buffy's fault. And hadn't she saved Faith's ass when she was stubbornly going out slaying even though she couldn't defend herself? Hadn't she searched all over Sunnydale, desperate to find the other slayer? Hadn't she run right into that old hotel to save her?

Gentle movement outside her bedroom window caught her attention and the slayer uncurled her limbs. Incredulously, she pulled the window open and plunged her hand outside. Tiny snowflakes landed in her palm, melting against the heat of her skin. Buffy stood in the open window for several moments, watching as the snow fell and began to coat the yard with a white dusting. Across the street, her neighbors spilled from their front door, turning their faces into the falling snow and laughing. Abruptly, she pulled her arms inside and closed the window. She carelessly pulled off the outfit she'd chosen so painstakingly a few hours before. Leaving it discarded on the floor, she climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her head.

 


 

Giles adjusted his sweater vest just as the doorbell sounded. Forcing a smile, he opened the door. "Ah, Wesley. Come in."

"Thank you." The younger councilman stepped inside, handing Giles a bottle of brandy with a little ribbon tied around its neck. "A little Christmas gift."

"That's very thoughtful of you." Giles said, accepting the bottle. Turning, he walked into the kitchen. "Can I pour you a glass?"

"Please." Wesley seated himself on one of the bar stools, peering across the kitchen countertop as Giles carefully poured them each a drink. "Oh," He said. "I almost forgot; I've brought your book back."

"Already?" Giles asked, surprised. "I just leant it to you on Wednesday."

"Well, I must say it was fascinating." Wesley accepted the snifter gratefully. "To think that as recently as 10 years ago it was believed that the Thesulac demon was extinct."

Giles shook his head, taking a full sip of his brandy. "This is very good." He jiggled his glass with a ghost of a smile. "Well, it's difficult to prove the existence of something that's incorporeal."

"Quite true."

"It's rumored that a Thesulac is residing in Los Angles actually. A hotel there has had an unusual amount of murder/suicides over recent decades."

"I shudder to think what an unusual amount in that city would be." Wesley remarked, taking a long sip of his beverage.

In spite of himself, Giles chuckled. "Quite right. But spend enough time in California and… no, you'll just long for home all the more."

"I already am. Does it ever rain in this god forsaken place?"

Coming around the hall, Giles motioned for the younger man to join him in the living room. "Hardly ever. But you'll get used to the dry."

"Well, I may not have to if Faith doesn't come around."

Giles pursed his lips and placed his drink carefully on the coffee table, seating himself on the couch. "Actually, now that you mention it, I must admit I had ulterior motives when I invited you round for Christmas Eve."

Wesley raised his eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I am concerned that we may be acting a bit," He groped for the right word, "Hastily, in regard to the Faith situation."

"Rupert," The younger man leaned forward to place his glass down and crossed his legs with forced casualness. "You know as well as I do that this isn't my policy. It's the council's. And you and I have both pledged our allegiance to them."

"Of course." Giles agreed. "I'm merely suggesting that we give the girl a little more time."

Wesley looked uncomfortable. "I'm not sure we can, Rupert. The council will be expecting a full report on my activities here by New Year at the latest."

Giles considered him for a moment. "I have something I'd like you to see." He said, standing and moving to his desk. Pulling his key ring from his pocket, he unlocked his top drawer and peered inside. The watcher hesitated for a moment and then pulled out a slim green folder before closing the drawer. Retaking his seat, he handed the folder to his companion.

"What's this?" Wesley asked, starting to flip it open.

"That," Giles replied quietly, "Is all the information I was able to collect about Faith Lehane."

"I've seen the council's dossier." Wesley informed him with a skeptical note in his voice.

"I think you'll find mine is a little more detailed." The older man picked up his snifter and finished his brandy with a deep swallow.

Wesley closed the folder and smoothed his palm over its face. "Why are you showing this to me?"

"I just think you ought to understand who she is before you make any decisions."

"All I need to know is that she's obstinate and she refuses to maintain her position within the council."

"Please," Giles insisted. "Just read it over before you speak with the council."

"Alright." The young watcher agreed. "I will."

"Thank you." Giles exhaled and clasped his hands together. "More brandy?"

 


 

Part Two - Chapter Three

Her bare feet remained clean despite the dusty beach she was standing on. The night was alive around her with the sounds of battle. Men fought furiously in hand to hand combat, wearing body armor and carrying spears and clubs. Buffy didn't have much time to be alarmed because almost immediately, a pair of dueling men fell through her. The feeling was curious, like a crawling under her skin; then the two were rolling away, beating one another's faces furiously. She sighed and looked up at stars shining more brilliantly in the dark sky than she'd ever seen in her life. A girl ran by, her face pale and covered in a sheen of sweat. Buffy's eyes tracked her. This had all the marks of a slayer dream and there went a slayer.

Following the girl was easy enough, given that none of the falling, swinging, frenetic bodies could touch her. She was at once part of the scene and outside of it. She matched the girl's pace and followed her to the shoreline where the she paused, doubling over in pain. Still, she held a torch aloft in her hand. The dark skinned girl wiped her arm across her clammy brow and dragged herself upright. Plunging into the water, she began swimming toward several huge ships anchored off-shore.

"Seriously?" Buffy asked aloud, looking upward toward the sky. "I didn't even bring a bathing suit!"

"It comes for Thessily now." A voice intoned close to her ear and the slayer stepped back, startled.

Turning toward the voice, her eyes widened. "Kendra?"

The former slayer smiled benevolently and tilted her head toward Buffy in acknowledgement.

"Kendra." The blonde repeated sadly, remembering the last time she'd seen the other slayer. The girl had been dead on the library floor, her throat cut by Drusilla.

"Buffy." The former slayer greeted, her accent as thick as it had been in life.

"Where are we?" Buffy asked, watching as the swimming girl reached the closest ship and began to haul herself up a rope she'd located.

"We are in the place between times."

"Right." Buffy frowned. "Silly me."

Kendra's thick braid bobbed as she stepped closer and urgently looked into Buffy's eyes. "He lives outside. But you can catch him, if you're clever."

Trying to follow along, Buffy nodded. "I'm clever. Kind of. How can I catch him?"

"Watch." Kendra said with sudden intensity. The slayer was leaping gracefully from the ship's side. Her feet disappeared under the waves just as flames began to lick the sides of the boat. Screaming men dove from all sides of the deck. Fire raced across the water's surface, which was slick with oil. Buffy watched anxiously until the girl finally dragged herself from the waves. She was running again instantly. Buffy moved to follow her, but Kendra's cool hand on her arm stopped her. Without any effort on their part, the two 20th century slayers followed in the girl's wake. Finally, the slayer arrived at a modest house and stumbled through the doorway. A man sitting at the table jumped to his feet. "Thessily!" He cried, as she collapsed in his arms.

"Oh, no. No, no, no," He muttered fervently and although his language was foreign to her, Buffy found she understood him all the same. "Please." He sank to the ground, holding her to his chest.

"Thaos?" Her whispered word was almost drowned by the sounds of the man crying.

"Why are we watching this?" Buffy asked quietly.

Kendra held up a warning palm and the world seemed to freeze. All sound ceased and the weeping man on the ground was unmoving. The girl too was frozen, her blue lips unmoving.

"What did you do?" The blonde asked in alarm. As she spoke the scene began to change rapidly. The stars shifted in their positions. The house fell away, being replaced by an uphill winding path. The girl floated free of the man's grasp and her body changed rapidly. The lines in her face melted away and her form became thicker and stronger. Her hair grew longer until it fell down her back in tangled locks. She was younger now and she wasn't alone, as more bodies appeared near her. Abruptly, the world began to move again and suddenly the girl was fighting, futilely trying to fend off the nine vampires crowded around her. The fight was short lived and ended when one of the vampires got a lucky hold around the slayer's torso. With a snort of pleasure, he sunk his teeth into her throat and ripped. The slayer collapsed as her life's blood pounded from her torn throat.

Buffy watched in horror as the rest of the vampires leapt on the fallen girl, sinking their teeth into any part of her they could reach. She turned her back on the scene, feeling sick to her stomach.

"Do you see?" Kendra asked, stepping into her line of sight.

"See them ripping her apart? Yeah, I got it." The blonde was disgusted.

Kendra shook her head, her face curiously blank. "It comes and you are blind to it. It will destroy them all." Her gaze sharpened on Buffy's. "Until it comes for you."

"You know," The blonde pointed out, "When Faith invites herself into my dreams, at least she sometimes makes sense."

The ghost of the smile that crossed Kendra's face squeezed Buffy's heart. She reached forward, cupping Buffy's face in her cool palms. The Jamaican girl took a deep breath as though about to impart some important information, when they were interrupted by a third party.

"Don't mean to interrupt what looks like it'll be a really interesting make out session," Faith growled rudely as she appeared at Buffy's side. "But what the hell's going on?"

Kendra dropped her hands from Buffy, regaining her stoic expression. "It is finished here."

"Kind of looks like it's still going on." Faith grimaced as she watched the rabid vampires feasting on the now deceased slayer.

"He is gone." Kendra replied. "She is the first. But she will not be the last." She narrowed her gaze to just Buffy. "Their books cannot help you."

"What will help me then?" The blonde asked.

Suddenly Buffy opened her eyes to early morning sunlight. She was awake, she realized with a start. She looked around wildly for a moment, not remembering quite where she was. Spotting the person slumbering next to her, she relaxed back against her pillow. It was cold, and she drew the covers up further to cover his shoulders. Xander mumbled incoherently, burrowing his face into his pillow.

Buffy wondered what Faith was thinking of the dream they'd just shared. She had no idea what the hell Kendra had been talking about. Seeing an ancient slayer die was awful, but it wasn't exactly newsworthy here in the present. Maybe Faith had some ideas… Catching herself, Buffy paused. She had to stop thinking about Faith. She'd wasted enough time pursuing what she thought was the start of something with the other slayer. Only to have it thrown back in her face on Christmas Eve. No, she was not going to think about Faith.

Beside her, Xander slowly drifted into consciousness. "Hey," He whispered when he saw that she was awake.

"Morning." Buffy murmured back.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." She looked down. "Just a slayer dream."

"This is just a wild guess, but I'm thinking it didn't include a bunch of slayers eating ice cream and getting pedicures."

"And you would be correct." The blonde affirmed. "It was more of the vampires feasting on her dead body variety."

"Well," Xander frowned. "At least now I've lost the urge to eat breakfast."

"Sorry." She smiled slightly. "Next time I'll dream of pancakes."

"Please do." The boy agreed.

"Pancakes?" Willow's rumpled red hair appeared over Buffy's shoulder. "Are there pancakes?"

"Metaphorical cakes, Will." Xander replied.

"Oh." The witch pouted.

Buffy sat up, pulling her arms around herself for warmth. "Let's go find some pancakes. It's freezing in this tent."

"It was your idea to camp out." Willow pointed out.

"That's because I didn't want to patrol."

Understanding, Xander nodded. "So, uh, was Faith in the dream?"

Buffy nodded. "And Kendra."

"Weird." The redhead interjected, poking her feet from under the blanket and fumbling to put her sneakers on. "Do you know what it meant?"

The slayer shrugged helplessly.

"So I guess we're library bound?"

"Yeah." Buffy sighed. It looked like she was going to be meeting with Giles sooner than expected.

 


 

"Is anyone else disturbed by the fact that Giles was already at school, during Christmas vacation, before we called him?" Xander looked around at the others seated in the library. "Just me?"

"I received some new books last week and I thought I'd make good use of this time to catalogue them." Giles informed them. "There are some rather interesting texts on the Old Ones, pure demons, in particular I…" He trailed off, taking in the three blank faces before him. "Umm, yes, what was it you needed to speak to me about?"

"Slayer dream." Buffy replied, filling him in quickly on the gist of the dream.

"You say Kendra was there?" Giles asked, already scanning the shelf under the counter for the tome he wanted.

"Uh-huh. I got the feeling she wanted to tell me something else, but Faith showed up and then I woke up."

"Well perhaps Faith can shed some further insight into the rest of the dream." Giles's cheeks flushed guiltily. "Ah, it would probably be best if you brought it up to her."

The slayer shook her head. "I'm persona au gratin right now, too."

"Persona non grata." Willow correctly gently as Giles looked pained.

"Whatever. The point is we're not exactly making with the speaking these days."

"Possibly because you've been camping in my backyard to make sure she can't find you." Xander chimed in.

Buffy's responding look was murderous.

"Here we are." Giles muttered. He was holding a cracked leather book. "Thessily of Thessilonikki was a Greek slayer, called in 507 B.C. She was the slayer for seven years and by her watcher's accounts she showed tremendous potential. Unfortunately she was attacked and killed by a mob of vampires."

"Thaos was her watcher?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand." The slayer shook her head. "I saw her running through this huge battle. She set those ships on fire."

"It sounds like you're describing the Battle of Marathon. But Thessily couldn't have been there." Giles frowned. "She'd been dead for ten years."

"Why would I see her there?" Buffy asked.

"I've no idea." The librarian admitted.

"Maybe it's an alternate universe thing?" Willow suggested. "Like in a different universe she was there."

"It's possible." Giles agreed, having no better suggestions. "I'll do a little research. In the meanwhile, Buffy, if you do speak to Faith, see if she has any more to add to your account."

"Okay." She agreed. Standing up, she looked at her friends. "Let's get out of here before Giles realizes we're bailing on the research."

Her watcher smiled patiently at the trio as they pulled their coats on. "Enjoy your break."

 


 

When the knock sounded at her door, Faith was sprawled miserably across her bed channel surfing. It had been four days since she'd stormed out of Buffy's room, and the blonde girl had pretty much been avoiding her ever since. Not that Faith had really gone looking for her. The older slayer had gone out patrolling every night and she suspected Buffy had done the same. She hadn't seen the blonde, but a few of the cemeteries were emptier than they usually were, which led her to believe someone else had gotten there before her. Faith had tried each of the graveyards she knew Buffy was most likely to hit, and she'd even gone through the Bronze in hopes of running into the other girl accidentally. But she'd been unsuccessful.

She knew she could just go over to Buffy's house and catch her there, but she hadn't really figured out what to say yet. After spending Christmas day in her motel room eating ding dongs and watching a repeating loop of "A Christmas Story," Faith could admit she hadn't exactly meant what she'd said to the other slayer. Hopping up from bed, she brushed off her pants. That was probably Buffy at the door now. Or the manager to kick her out for nonpayment. Either way, she had to face the music sometime.

She fixed a neutral look on her face and swung open the door. To her great displeasure, the newest Watcher's Council stiff was standing on the other side. Wesley gave her a tentative smile and wiggled the pizza he was carrying enticingly. Faith frowned, weighing the cost of listening to the guy prattle on against her love of pizza and the fact that she hadn't eaten anything substantial in the last day. She spotted the motel manager making his way across the lot and made up her mind hastily. Grabbing Wesley's arm, she yanked him into the room. He let out a gasp of surprise upon finding himself dragged into her room.

"Hey! Lehane!" The manager's shout reached her just before the door could close and Faith sighed irritably.

"Look, I told you I'll be paid up by the end of the week." She growled as he reached her door.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, panting and gripping his paunch. "You're paid through the end of the month. I came to tell you I had a plumber by to look at the pipes. So you can quit complaining about the water pressure in your room."

"Gee," Faith chirped, trying to mask her ignorance of where the rent payment had come from. "It only took you two months."

The man rubbed his palm over his balding head. "Well, whatever. It's done now."

"Thanks a bunch." She flashed a fake smile and stepped inside, closing the door hard in his face. Turning, she found Wesley awkwardly holding the pizza and looking around the room. "I'll take that." Faith relieved the watcher of his package and set it on the table, immediately pulling it open and helping herself to a slice. She settled in the only chair, leaving Wesley to seat himself awkwardly on the edge of her unmade bed.

"Faith," he began uncertainly. "I was hoping we could talk."

She eyed him indifferently while polishing off her first slice of pizza. "So talk."

"Alright." Wesley agreed, folding his hands in his lap. "I've come to give you another opportunity to work with the council."

Faith paused in her pursuit of a second slice. "You're kidding, right?"

"Kidding? No, I'm afraid not."

"Well, in that case, I already told you. I'm done with the council."

"You are the slayer." Wesley reminded her indignantly. "You don't have the option of being ‘done with' your calling. The world needs the slayer."

"Maybe." The brunette shrugged. "But I haven't noticed any of you council guys fighting next to me in the cemetery. So not really clear on why the slayer needs the council."

The young watcher blinked back at her in disbelief. "Because every slayer since the very first has worked under the council."

Faith paused in her voracious chewing to bark out a laugh. "Except the ones you murdered, I guess."

Wesley grimaced. "No one was trying to murder you. The cruciamentum is a merely a test to--"

"Look," Faith interrupted, leaning forward in her seat so Wesley cowered backward. "I'm gonna tell you this one more time. I'm a free agent. I slay when I wanna slay. I go where I wanna go. And I don't take orders from you or anyone else."

"But--"

The savage glare the slayer shot him was enough to halt Wesley's sentence. Faith climbed to her feet and yanked open the door hard enough that it creaked on its hinges. "We're done talking. And next time I see someone from the council, I might have a couple ‘tests' of my own. You got that?"

"Yes." The watcher informed her, climbing to his feet. He stepped through the door onto the pavement outside. "You know how to contact me should you come to your senses."

Faith's eyes nearly rolled out of her head. "Thanks for the pizza." She smirked, before she slammed the door in his face.

 


 

"Are you sure you feel up to going out tonight?" Willow asked in concern for perhaps the fifth time since she'd arrived at Buffy's house.

The slayer momentarily paused where she stood at the dresser, applying mascara liberally to her lashes. "Will, I told you, I'm good."

"Okay… it's just that you've been kinda hiding out in your house since Christmas, so…"

"I was not hiding!" Buffy huffed. "Okay, so maybe I was a little Daria-esque. But I'm fine now, okay?"

Her best friend looked back earnestly.

"I mean it." The blonde insisted. She finished with her mascara and reached for some pink gloss. "I misread the situation with Faith. That's all. I'm over it now."

"Okay." The other girl murmured. "Well, I'm glad you wanted to come. The Dingoes are playing and I wanted to go and be supportive girl."

"Supporting is good." Buffy agreed, beginning to rummage through her closet for something suitable to wear.

Willow flipped absently through a magazine while the slayer got dressed. She looked up as she heard Buffy clearing her throat. "Oh," She sputtered, taking in the blonde's skintight jeans and skimpy top. "You look nice." She looked down at her fuzzy blue sweater in dismay. "Are we going for fancy? I didn't know we were doing fancy."

Buffy gazed into the mirror innocently. "I don't know what you mean, Will." In truth, she was not going to risk running into Faith without looking hot. Let the other slayer see what she was throwing away. Downstairs, the doorbell rang. Buffy took one last approving look in the mirror, mentally congratulating herself on her newest push-up bra, then held out a hand to drag Willow up from the bed. "That must be Xander. You ready?"

 


 

Faith sat in the darkest corner of the Bronze, watching as Cordelia danced with a couple of guys she didn't recognize. She'd come here hoping to run into Buffy, although she still wasn't sure what she was going to say when she saw the other slayer. If B would even listen, that was. Well, that was one reason. Cordelia showing up at the motel and complaining until Faith had agreed to come with her was the other. Faith liked Cordelia, she was interesting and gave as good as she got when verbally sparring, but listening to the cheerleader bitch and moan could really wear a person down. Her only options had been to accompany the other girl or to bodily throw her out of the room. Option #2 hadn't seemed like an entirely bad idea, but unfortunately with the rest of the Scoobies definitely on Team Buffy, she wasn't winning any popularity contests.

So, she found herself seated alone on a couch that had been worn threadbare by thousands of asses, nursing a Jack and coke she'd procured. She was contemplating slipping out while Cordy was occupied when a blonde entering the Bronze caught her attention. Buffy's hair was pulled back loosely, leaving her toned shoulders bare to Faith's gaze. She looked good. Really good, Faith decided. Her usual entourage flanked her, and the trio quickly found a table near the stage, where the Dingoes were just starting to set up. Buffy didn't glance over to see her, but Faith knew the other slayer could tell she was here. The minute the blonde had entered the club, her spine tingled. There were no surprise entrances with the slayer connection thrumming between them.

As the brunette observed, Buffy smiled playfully at her friends, pulling them toward the packed dance floor. Willow and Xander followed her and the three began to dance in a loose group. Even if she hadn't known B was a slayer, she'd still have known there was something special lurking under the other girl's tiny exterior. Buffy's hips moved in perfect rhythm, her body perfectly at home with any kind of dancing the beat required. She exuded a confidence and a sensuality that most of the other dancers lacked. Which was why it was only moments before a guy muscled his way between her and Xander, giving the boy a dismissive smile. Xander took the hint, moving closer to Willow (although not too close). Buffy smiled dazzlingly up at the tall dark haired man who was now wrapping his hands around her hips.

Faith had been bored a few minutes ago but now she sat up straighter in her seat. Buffy was writhing slowly in the other dancer's hold, letting her pelvis bump his and allowing him to run his hands over her body. Anger flared deep in the older slayer's stomach, beginning a slow smolder that forced her to clench her hand tighter around her glass. As she kept watch on the dance floor, her frustration only increased, until she felt ready to storm out there and rip the asshole's arms from his body. The flood of adrenaline pumping in her veins was exactly the same as when she was slaying. She had to move.

Heading for Cordelia, she saw an average looking guy who would suit her purposes, and grabbed his collar, dragging him along after her. "Hey!" He protested. Faith ignored him, pulling until she reached her friend's side. Once there, she released his shirt, dancing close to him. "What the hell?" He asked, irritated.

"Look," Faith growled, licking her lips. "Shut up and dance." A little extra swing in her movements ground her hips into his. The guy quit protesting and grabbed her waist.

Cordelia observed Faith's entrance onto the floor with a knowing smirk. "I see Buffy's here."

"What's your point?" The slayer muttered, wrapping her palm around her partner's neck and pulling his face down so he was breathing right on her neck.

Cordy shrugged, continuing to dance. "Just that it's obvious what you're doing. Just like it's obvious what she's doing."

"Yeah? Well, I'm gonna do it better."

And she certainly gave it her best shot. The man she'd drawn into the game with her had no complaints as the slayer basically used him as a pole. While Buffy's dancing was sensual, Faith's style was a little more overt. She moved around her delighted partner, shoving her breasts into his chest, turning around and backing her butt into his crotch, raising her leg around his hip so she could feel his semi-erect cock poking against her. She kept a slight smile on her face, acting like she was enjoying the way the man's hands ran up her sides, brushing against her breasts. Her real purpose was both to keep her eye on the other slayer and to make sure Buffy saw what she was doing.

"What's your name?" Her dancing partner asked casually, while basically dry humping her in full view of the entire club.

"Faith."

The guy waited a moment then frowned. "Mine's James." He offered.

"Great." She muttered back, obviously unconcerned. Buffy's new friend, who looked disconcertingly like Angel, was whispering something to her. The blonde was laughing and smacking his bicep coquettishly, as if she couldn't break him in two with one hand. Faith narrowed her eyes, eager to know what the hell was so funny. Now the blonde was throwing her head back, letting the guy support her weight while she swayed in his arms. The older slayer couldn't help imagining trailing her mouth down Buffy's soft white neck. Sliding her fingertips over that exposed patch of abdomen showing when the other girl's tank top rode up. Why was Buffy even bothering with this creep? Probably just tryin' to get me jealous. Faith told herself. Well two can play this game, B. "Want to go somewhere?" She asked a startled James.

"Uh, sure." This chick was a little weird, even for a Sunnydale girl, but James wasn't about to pass up free pussy, no matter how strange she was.

"Great." Faith spat, taking his hand and yanking him after her.

"Uh, Faith?" Cordelia called to her friend's back.

The slayer ignored her, shoving her way through the crowd so that she dragged James right by Buffy and the Scoobs. As she passed the smaller girl, she glared down at her heatedly. Buffy narrowed her hazel eyes back for a moment and then turned her attention back to dancing.

Fuming now, Faith headed for the exit, with James struggling to keep pace with her. "Whoa," He said as they reached the door. "Slow down, baby."

The slayer charged through the door and dropped his sweaty palm as soon as they were clear. Before she could tell him to get lost, the door burst open behind her, and Cordy spilled out. "What are you doing?" She demanded.

"What's it look like?" James butted in, rudely.

Cordelia spared him a withering glance. "It looks like my friend is about to catch Chlamydia. Get the hell out of here."

James's face darkened and he stepped closer to the tall girl. "Watch it, bitch."

"Why don't you watch your fuckin' mouth." Faith hissed back at him, taking a step away.

He reached out to grab the slayer's arm. "Let's just get out of here."

"Get your hands off her!" The taller girl barked.

"Cordy, I got this." Faith cut in. With little effort she removed her arm from his grasping hand. "Changed my mind." She informed him with little interest.

"Excuse me?" He laughed incredulously. "Is this some kind of game with you two? You lure some guy in and get him all hot and bothered and then tell him to fuck off?"

"That's exactly the kind of game she likes." A new voice remarked, and Faith looked up to find Buffy standing nearby with her arms folded across her chest. Xander was standing next to her, looking awkwardly at the trio they'd stumbled upon.

"Must be a slayer thing." The brunette slayer shot back.

Looking back and forth between the two angry girls, Cordelia sighed. "I can't believe these words are about to come out of my mouth, but Xander! Let's go talk. Inside." She pushed past him, taking his arm and pulling him behind her.

As their friends disappeared back inside, Faith shot an irritated look at her former dancing partner. "What are you still doing here?"

Turning on his heel, James disappeared down the alley.

"Ending your date so soon?" Buffy asked, as he walked away.

"Wasn't really my type. Not like your guy in there."

"What about him?"

"Just looks an awful lot like your ex, that's all."

The blonde paled, eyes narrowing dangerously. "What's your point?"

"Nothing." Faith raised her palms in surrender. "This one's alive right? At least you're making progress."

"Screw you." Buffy muttered. "At least I didn't look like I was trying out for a porn in the middle of the Bronze."

"No, you looked like you were letting some guy put his hands all over you to make me jealous."

"Why would you care? You made it crystal clear we're not together." When Faith didn't reply, Buffy shrugged with forced nonchalance. "So I guess it doesn't matter what I do."

Faith turned so her face was in shadow. "Guess it don't."

"Great." Buffy turned back toward the club, intent on getting Xander.

"Ask you something?" Faith muttered, stuffing her hands in her back pockets.

"What?" The other girl stopped, but didn't turn back around.

"What'd you come out here for?"

"We were ready to leave."

"Beefstick wasn't doing it for you?"

"What do you care, Faith?"

The brunette fidgeted for a moment. Brought her fingertips to her mouth as if to chew her nail. Dropped them again, smoothed her hand over her hip. "Thought maybe you came out after me." She mumbled honestly.

Buffy turned to face her. She took a deep breath, searching for something to say. She seemed to come up empty.

"I'm sorry, B." Faith's admission was blurted.

"For what?"

Faith groaned inwardly. She should have known Buffy wasn't going to let her off the hook easily. "Tonight. The Angel comments."

"Oh," Buffy said, obviously still upset. "I thought you were apologizing for flipping out on me and ditching me on Christmas Eve."

"Uh," The brunette muttered. "Yeah, that too."

The smaller girl wrapped her arms around herself. "What happened, Faith?"

Shrugging, the older slayer studied the concrete under her feet. "Just pissed about this shit with the council, I guess."

"So you took it out on me."

"Yeah." Faith stepped closer. "Look, B, I know it ain't your fault. Shouldn't have said all that crap."

"Yeah." Buffy softened slightly. "I'm sorry too."

"For what?"

"Only thinking about myself." She said, echoing Faith's accusation to her.

"I didn't really mean that." The brunette mumbled.

"Yeah, you did. But you were right."

Faith let that sink in for a few minutes before tentatively looking over at the other girl. "So…we're okay?"

"Yeah," Buffy replied. A few laughing teens left the Bronze, walking between them and down the alley. The blonde watched their retreating forms quietly. Faith stepped closer, as if to touch her and Buffy looked back up to her, finishing her thought quietly. "We're friends."

"Good." Faith said with a forced smile. She dropped her hand as if she hadn't been intending to touch the other slayer. Friends?

 


 

Part Two - Interlude 1: December 29th

As a rule, Faith was not cool with people waking her up. It didn't much matter who was doing the waking or what time of day or night it happened to be. If she was asleep, there was no good reason for disrupting that. So when a particularly loud knock sounded on her door and roused her, the slayer kicked her covers off indignantly and tried to decide between punching the visitor in the face and smashing their head into the doorjamb. She didn't bother putting anything over her skimpy underwear before stomping to the door and yanking it open.

Cordelia stood on the other side, holding two insulated cups in her gloved hands. "I brought caffeinated goodness." She said cheerfully, waving one cup under Faith's nose.

Glaring, Faith snatched the proffered cup and stepped into her room.

"Would you like to come in, Cordelia?" Cordelia mimicked a deep voice that was presumably supposed to be Faith. "Why yes, I would! Thank you for offering." She responded to herself in her normal voice.

The slayer flopped backward on her rickety bed, managing to keep all the liquid in her cup, before taking a sip and raising an aggravated eyebrow. "There a reason you woke me up, Princess?"

The other girl shoved one of Faith's bare legs aside indelicately, and seated herself. She took a slow sip from her cup. "Well, I know you've been hit in the head a lot, so I'm guessing you just forgot that we went to the Bronze together last night."

Faith stared back in confusion.

"After I willingly spoke to Xander Harris for you, you just took off and I had no idea where you went!"

"Oh."

"Yeah, ‘oh.' I don't know what it's like where you come from, but in civilized society, we usually let our friends know if we're bagging on an outing half way through."

"Sorry, Mom. Next time I'll be sure to ask your permission." Faith dragged her cover back over herself, closing her eyes and laying down with her coffee.

Cordelia sighed loudly.

"You wanna know what happened after you went inside." The slayer said knowingly.

"Yes, please." The cheerleader turned to face the supine slayer.

"You're such a fucking chick."

"So are you." The taller girl reminded her. "You may be confused because you spend your time killing things and trying to get in Buffy's pants…"

Faith opened one eye to glare. "Fuck off."

"Somebody's grouchy." Cordy sing-songed.

Sighing, the slayer propped herself up on one elbow and sipped her drink. "You're not leaving anytime soon, are you?"

"Nope."

"Fine." Faith stared at her cup, running her nail over the lip of the lid. "We fought; I told her I was sorry; she said okay. We're friends. The end."

"You're friends?"

"Yeah." Faith replied and batted her eyelashes in what she thought was a feminine way. "Tomorrow I'm gonna go over there and paint her toenails."

Cordy snickered. "What the hell is wrong with you two?"

"What?" Faith asked defensively.

"You know what. You're fighting. Then you're making out in alleys. Then you're fighting. Then you're friends."

The slayer shrugged indifferently.

Cordelia decided to go with a very direct approach. "Why don't you try just talking to her? Tell her how you feel."

Tell Buffy how she felt? That sounded about as awesome as stuffing bamboo shoots under her fingernails. Besides, what the hell did Cordelia know about it? Faith didn't even know how she felt about the other slayer. Faith's eyes narrowed. "I feel like I wanna get some and Buffy's hot."

Unimpressed, the cheerleader shook her head. "Please. We both know that's not all it is."

"It really is. Just looking for a little action." Leering now, she leaned toward the other girl. "Maybe you could save me some hassle here."

"Ew." Cordelia sniffed indignantly. "I prefer my dates to be a little more… hygienic."

"Didn't say anything about a date."

"Well in that case, I prefer them to have penises." The cheerleader rolled her eyes and smacked Faith's leg through the blanket. "Now, get up and put on some pants."

Grumbling, Faith did as instructed.

"So what are you going to do?" Cordy asked as the slayer was hunting down a clean shirt to change into.

"About what?"

"About Buffy." The girl's glance was withering. "Try to keep up."

"Nothing."

"Is it like in the slayer handbook that all slayers must be morons?"

"Cordy…" Faith growled warningly.

"No, I'm just wondering because she's all ‘Dances with Nerds' and you're pretending not to be in love with like the only person who can stand you, so… I'm just saying, it seems to be a trend."

"Nobody said nothing about love." Faith hissed, getting close enough to Cordelia that the other girl leaned away. "I told you what this is. Can you just try to keep your trap shut for once?"

"Fine." The other girl huffed. "If you wanna spend your nights braiding her hair and watching her date vampires with souls or whatever, that's your problem."

"Great." The slayer gritted out. "Can we get out of here now? I'm starving."

 


 

Buffy frowned slightly at her fellow slayer, who was eating her third cheeseburger from the Happy Burger bag she was carrying. "Hungry much?" She asked, scanning the street for any signs of the supernatural.

Faith paused mid-chew. "You want one?" She asked around a mouthful of burger.

"You have more?" The blonde replied incredulously.

Behind the two slayers trailed their friends. Cordelia rolled her eyes while Xander and Willow exchanged long-suffering looks. Oz strolled along at his girlfriend's side, indifferent to the goings on ahead of them.

"They were having a special." The brunette slayer told her defensively.

"Buy ten burgers and the heart attack's free?" Buffy guessed.

"Doubt a heart attack's gonna have time to get me." Faith shrugged.

"No, it'll probably be a vampire because we can't hear anything over you inhaling those burgers."

"What's your problem, B?"

"Nothing. What's your problem, F?"

"I don't have a problem."

"Good." Buffy raised her voice.

"Great!"

"Uh, guys?" Willow piped up.

"What!" They both shouted, looking behind them.

The redhead stared at them for a moment, then pointed ahead to the left where a shifty looking form was darting through the gates at the Sunnydale Cemetery.

"Shit." Faith swore, and quickly downed the rest of her burger. Buffy was already darting toward the graveyard, her footfall practically silent. "Hold this for me." The brunette shoved her bag into a surprised Xander's chest and then took off after the other slayer. She ran hard but Buffy was faster and Faith passed through the gates several strides behind her. She saw the vampire running from the side. He was going to intercept Buffy. Before she could shout a warning, the vamp stepped in front of the blonde slayer. In his hand he held a long piece of pipe.

Faith saw the way it would play out with sickening certainty. But she was powerless to stop it. Buffy was running too fast; she couldn't pull back in time.

The blonde slayer plowed straight into the pipe the vampire extended. It clipped her in the chest and she somersaulted in the air before landing hard on her back. She lay unmoving on the ground.

Her attacker hefted the pipe over his head, intent on bringing it down on the prone girl. Faith pushed herself harder, tackling the gleeful vampire before he had time to bring his weapon down.

The vamp hit the ground hard and lay momentarily dazed. The slayer scrambled away from him on her hands and knees, stopping next to Buffy. "B!" She shouted urgently. Her hands felt the blonde's head, looking for any injuries. An ugly welt was already forming across her chest. Finding nothing bleeding or swelling under Buffy's hair, Faith gently probed the area around her bruise, feeling for anything broken.

Buffy groaned.

"B, you okay?" The brunette's fingers cupped her neck. "Can you hear me, Buffy?"

The blonde groaned again.

"Damn," Hissed a voice behind her. "I thought I'd killed the bitch."

Faith was on her feet again, eyes narrowed dangerously. "Lucky for you, she's not that easy to kill." She attacked, fists and feet flying at him. The vampire was fast and really strong. She couldn't seem to get the upper hand. Not that she was really giving him her entire focus. While trading blows and evading kicks, her eyes sought out the fallen slayer. Buffy still lay on the ground unmoving. "B!" Faith screamed over at her while hopping over the foot meant to trip her. "C'mon, Buffy, say something!"

The vampire caught her with a vicious punch to the solar plexus. Faith stumbled backward, feeling like a hole had been knocked through her chest. "Mmm," Said the vampire now standing over her. "It's been fun."

"Yeah," Faith rasped. "Well, it ain't over yet."

The vamp shrugged. "Almost over." He leaned closer to her, licking his lips. "And when I'm done with you. I'm gonna eat your little friend."

From the corner of her eye, Faith saw the Scoobies, finally jogging into the cemetery. They took stock of the situation and started running faster toward the two slayers. "Like hell you are." Faith gritted out, dragging herself to her feet. The vampire smiled and then dove at her, knocking her back to the ground. The two began rolling around, each trying to land on top and bash the other's skull into the dirt.

Xander reached Buffy first. He slid next to her on his knees, immediately grasping her arm. "Buffy?"

"Is she okay?" Willow arrived next to them, her voice beginning to have a touch of hysteria.

"I can't tell!" Xander grasped the blonde's shoulders, shaking her lightly. "C'mon, Buff."

Buffy managed a low moan, slowly blinking her eyes open. "Xander?"

"Oh, God!" Willow moaned. "She's not sure! She has amnesia!"

Xander made an impatient shushing gesture with his hand. "Yeah," He smiled gently at Buffy. "It's me."

The slayer tried to sit up, clutching her arms across her chest as she did so.

Cordelia was kneeling in the grass now too, and helped push her up into a sitting position. "What happened?"

"He… hit me… with… a pipe." Buffy grimaced, her chest hurting with every expansion of her lungs. She looked around quickly. "Did Faith get him?"

"Sounds like she's still getting him." Oz remarked, as the sounds of flesh pounding into flesh and muffled grunts of pain reached them. A nearby cluster of trees blocked their view of the fighting duo.

"Gotta help her." The blonde slayer muttered, reaching for Xander's shoulder to push herself up.

"Let Faith handle it!" Willow ordered, pushing back gently on Buffy's shoulders. "You need to sit down for a minute."

"I'm fine." Buffy insisted disagreeably, but pain flickered across her face when she moved.

Suddenly, the vampire came sailing out from behind the trees. He landed on his back, several yards away from them. Faith barreled out after him, leaping in the air to land on his fallen form, feet first. She grasped her stake from inside her jacket and lofted it above her head. Her eyes happened to fall on the group of friends and when she saw Buffy sitting up and alert, the relief in her face was obvious.

She focused on the task at hand and brought the stake down toward the vampire's chest. Before it could make contact, the slayer was tackled from the side by a new vampire and the first one had time to scramble away. The newcomer was female and extremely angry from the looks of things.

Faith was on her feet quickly, facing the two vampires warily. They smiled at one another and charged at their enemy together.

The slayer moved to the side, trying to move out of proximity from at least one of them. She struck the male in the gut.

The vampire curled forward, covering his stomach protectively. Faith saw a lucky shot and she took it, swinging her stake down and into his back.

He exploded into dust and his ashes swirled over the face of his shocked companion. The remaining vamp looked up with hatred in her eyes. "You're going to pay for that, bitch."

Faith shrugged indifferently. "Doubt it." She remarked, as she easily dodged the first blow the vampire attempted.

The furious vamp came again, this time executing a scissor kick that caught the slayer's temple. Faith lurched sideways, her arm coming up to cover her face protectively.

Taking advantage of her unguarded torso, the vamp punched hard. Her first connected with the side of Faith's ribcage and a sickening crack sounded.

Faith was propelled to her knees, almost crashing into the tree they were now beside. The vamp stepped closer and delivered a tremendous blow the slayer's temple.

Pain splintered through the brunette's head and she dropped to her side in the grass. The vampire stood over her, smirking down. "Told ya you'd pay."

Buffy had been watching the fight in concern and now she climbed unsteadily to her feet. She shook off the restraining hands of Willow and Xander and ignored their pleas for her to sit back down. The vamp was clearly getting ready to go for a final blow. Faith lay on the ground clutching her side where several ribs were obviously fractured. The blow to the head had left her disoriented and she had not yet looked up to see the danger looming above her. Maybe Faith would recover her sensibilities and dodge the blow. Maybe she wouldn't. Buffy wasn't going to take that chance.

The blonde slayer's chest burned in agony as she began to run. Buffy clenched her teeth against the pain, forcing herself to move faster and faster. The vampire looked up in annoyance as Buffy got closer. Her fists shot up in front of her defensively. She was expecting the slayer to tackle her. But the blonde leapt gracefully in the air just as she reached the vampire and the injured slayer. Her palms landed perfectly across the lowest tree branch and she grasped it tightly.

Buffy's thighs were wrapped around the vampire's neck before the creature even realized what was happening. Instinctively, she gripped the slayer's legs, trying to pry them from her throat.

Using the vamp's shoulders for support, the blonde released the branch. Buffy's body contorted backward until her outstretched palms met the grass. Pushing off the ground, the blonde curled her body inward, bringing her legs forward and flipping the vamp over her body. The stunned vampire landed on her back, with Buffy astride her, still trapping the vamp's neck in her legs.

"Who's paying now?" She asked cruelly and rolled to the side. The strength in Buffy's legs twisted the vamp's head until it popped right off her neck. The creature had time to make a face of angry surprise before disintegrating into dust.

"Damn, B." Faith whistled from her slumped position in the grass.

Buffy smiled tiredly, their earlier sniping completely forgotten. She flexed her limbs experimentally; her body had really not appreciated those heroics.

The brunette dragged her battered body over to flop beside the other slayer. "Thanks." She mumbled sincerely.

"No problem." Buffy wheezed. "Thanks for not letting her boyfriend eat me."

Faith's chuckle made her wince in pain and clutch her side.

"You okay?"

"I've had worse. You?"

"Well, I did die that one time."

The Scoobies made their way over and extended hands down to pick the two up from the ground. "Wow," Xander remarked as he picked some bits of leaf from Buffy's disheveled hair. "You just dusted her with your legs."

"Yeah," Willow agreed enthusiastically. "Wouldn't want to get stuck in there!"

Xander's snort quickly developed into full on giggling and the rest of the Scoobs goggled at Willow.

Leaning close to Faith's ear, Cordelia whispered, "At least you know you don't have to worry about her trying to steal your girl."

Faith shot her friend a dark look, but if Buffy's enhanced hearing picked up the remark, she ignored it. Instead she was focused on the babbling redhead.

"I didn't—" Willow sputtered. "I meant uh—I wouldn't want to—with the decapitation… and the… uh…"

"It's okay, Will." Buffy patted her arm.

Flushed a horrible red, the young witch tried to turn her statement around. "I just meant because of the death! Not that I wouldn't want to be there otherwise, I mean who wouldn't?" Her eyes widened and she turned to her very surprised best friend. "No! Wait! That's not what I meant."

"Willow," Cordelia cut in helpfully. "Stop talking."

"Right." Agreed Willow, allowing a bemused Oz to take her hand and tug her forward.

Xander was still giggling as he extended his arm toward Buffy. "Help you home, m'lady?"

The blonde looked to Faith, but the brunette had retrieved her Happy Burger bag and was fishing inside for a warm sandwich. Buffy forced a smile and stepped into Xander's wingspan. He wrapped his arm gently around her waist, letting her lean some of her body weight on him. "Thanks, Xander."

"Sure." He replied and grinned. "Now, raise your hand if you wanna hear Will talk more about being trapped between Buffy's legs."

Buffy was injured, but not badly enough that she couldn't elbow him sharply.

"Noted." He winced. "My hands are down."

Faith watched as the duo walked several paces ahead. Xander's hand rested on Buffy's side, closer to her left breast than Faith thought was necessary. Jealousy burned at the back of her throat as she watched the pair with narrowed eyes. She'd forgotten Cordelia was next to her until the tall girl spoke. "What's with you?"

"Nothing." Faith began walking, carefully not shifting her upper body.

"Really." Cordy said doubtfully.

"Really." The slayer insisted. "Now are you gonna watch me in pain here or help me find my burger?"

The cheerleader accepted the greasy bag from Faith's outstretched fingers. "Since you asked so nicely." She retrieved a still warm burger and handed it over to Faith, who casually wolfed it down as if there'd been no interruption in her dining. "You realize you could go relieve Xander of his nursemaid duties and walk with Buffy?"

"Yup."

"But you're not going to."

"Nope."

"Okay, then." Cordelia drawled and she and Faith set off after the other Scoobs.

 


 

Shortly after midnight, Wesley slipped off his lights and retired to his bedroom. The room at the moment consisted of a new mattress and box spring propped on the floor. The whole apartment, in fact, remained sparsely furnished even after nearly three weeks in Sunnydale. There was no reason to unpack, he thought, removing his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes. The slayer, Faith, was completely opposed to working with the council in any way. She'd all but laughed in his face when he'd asked her to reconsider. Frankly, Wesley wasn't sure what more he could do here. There was no reasoning with the girl. In a few days, one of the council's specialized teams would arrive to handle the problem. And Wesley would be back to merry old England.

It was a shame. The girl was so young. And, sloppy or not, both her previous watchers' reports indicated she had a passion for slaying. He'd thought perhaps with a little work… Well, it didn't matter. If Faith wasn't amenable to working with council then the matter was closed. As he pulled his t-shirt over his head, the phone began to ring. He frowned, wondering who could be calling at such a late hour. He let the shirt fall on his bed and padded down the hall to retrieve his kitchen phone. "Hello?"

"Wesley. It's your father."

The watcher paled. If there was one person he absolutely did not want to hear from at this particular moment, it was his father. "Hi, Dad." He managed to greet cheerfully. "How are you?"

Clearly not in the mood for pleasantries, Roger Wyndam-Price got straight to the point. "How are things progressing with the slayer?"

"Well," Wesley informed him nervously. "She seems quite resigned to her decision. I'm afraid I haven't been able to sway her."

The ensuing silence was extremely uncomfortable. "I see."

"I've tried speaking with her… This last time she actually threatened to kill me."

His father paused, and then sighed loudly. "We're talking about a child here, Wesley. The girl is still a teenager. She's been a slayer less than a year. And you're telling me you can't rein her in?"

"I've tried. I--"

"You've tried." His father repeated dully.

"Yes." The young watcher quietly agreed.

"Well, fine." Roger's voice was laced with scorn. "You've tried. You've tried your very best and you've failed."

Wesley said nothing.

"We'll be sending a team out by the end of the week."

"Perhaps I can try one more time." Wesley offered.

"Don't bother. We will handle the girl."

"Alright."

"Obviously you're not cut out to be in the field."

The younger man bristled at the insult. "Dad, if you'd met the girl…"

"The slayer has nothing to do with this. It was a mistake to send you over there."

"But-"

"Really, I didn't expect her to make it through the cruciamentum. She's certainly no Samantha Kane." Roger snorted. "If I'd have thought the slayer would survive, I certainly wouldn't have suggested sending you."

Wesley felt his face flush. "I-I know I still have a lot to learn, but I did finish third in the academy."

"Being a watcher isn't all about passing courses, Wesley." The older man harrumphed. "A watcher assigned to an active slayer has to be able to keep her under the council's control. The fate of the world often hangs in the balance. And the watcher is the hand that guides the tool. Face it. You just don't have what it takes."

Angry now, Wesley felt his courage grow. For years he'd ignored the denigration and humiliation his father heaped upon him. This was the final straw. "Like you had what it took, Dad?"

"Pardon me?"

"You've never been assigned an active slayer."

"I preferred to work at headquarters. So I could be near my family. And if I had been assigned an active slayer, you can be sure that I wouldn't have screwed up my assignment the way you have." Roger continued before Wesley could interrupt. "I'll be there in three days. To clean up your mess."

The dial tone echoed in his ear. The young watcher slowly pulled the phone from his face. His hands were nearly shaking in anger and embarrassment. His father had always been a hard man. But to know that he'd only assigned Wesley to Sunnydale with the expectation that the slayer would die… He slumped hard against the counter. He reminded himself firmly that he was a twenty-six year old man and grown men did not cry. Fumbling in a box on the counter, Wesley unearthed some whiskey. He didn't bother with a glass, but took a burning gulp. He exhaled roughly, steeling his nerves.

He was going to convince that girl, somehow. His father was not right about him. His eyes fell across the green folder Giles had pressed upon him on Christmas Eve. He'd yet to open it. But if he stood a chance to win Faith over, it wouldn't do to ignore any additional information to be had. Capping the bottle once more, he picked the folder up and flipped it open. Clipped to the inside cover were two pictures. One was obviously recent. The two slayers stood side by side wearing matching strained smiles. The other photo was older. A thin faced young Faith stood next to an overweight woman. The woman's arm pulled the child against her side. The little girl smiled, displaying two missing teeth. Her hands were tucked in the pockets of her too short jeans, and her shirt hung loosely on her skinny frame. But what Wesley immediately took notice of was the look in the child's eyes. There was a defiance in her young eyes that he'd seen just recently when reviewing the video of the cruciamentum. Faith at eight or nine was already displaying the world weary exterior Faith the slayer would show him ten years later when he showed up on her doorstep. Interested now, Wesley began to read.

 


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