A/N: Well here it is, the first chapter for the reboot of my story Finding Peace. I'll post a link over there to let people know where this is now that it's up. I'll admit that updates may not be fast in coming but so far things are flowing a little easier. I used google translate to get the title and it means 'Closer Than Blood' which is a reference to the ensemble cast becoming a surrogate family vibe that I'm hoping to correctly project in this fic. Also each of the other Glee girls has a supernatural-related secret but I don't want to reveal it in the blurb at the beginning of this chapter so that what exactly they are might be a surprise when it finally comes up. I hope you all enjoy this as much as you seemed to the original! :)

A/N2: Tara never actually died in this verse, but it was close enough that Willow thought she had so it doesn't change any of the Dark!Willow events. Only that there's no Willow/Kennedy relationship in this because she and Tara are quite happy together.

Santana Lopez - 17, high school cheerleader, member of school glee club
Brittany Pierce - 18, high school cheerleader, member of school glee club
Quinn Fabray - 18, newly-called Slayer, recently pregnant and gave the child up for adoption, ex-cheerleader and glee club member
Rachel Berry - 17, captain of school glee club, member of several other clubs, future Broadway star
Faith Lehane - 27, Slayer, last of the original line before Willow Called all the Potentials.
Spike - 200?/appears to be in his late 20s, vampire with a soul, Faith's unofficial big brother figure and closest friend.
Dawn Summers - 24, watcher, mystical key, witch of more power than skill, has Masters degrees in World Mythology and Ancient Languages.

Ages estimated on the assumption that this is taking place in the year 2012.

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To whom it may concern,
This letter has been sent to inform the necessary parties of the death of Frederick Jameson Lehane. Upon the reading of his Final Will and Testament all of his assets were left to his niece, Faith Brigid Lehane. Ms. Lehane has one year's time from the sending of this letter to claim her inheritance or it will be liquidated by the state of Ohio. Call the number below to arrange a meeting with myself, Mr. Lehane's lawyer, in order to continue the proceedings.
Sincerely,
Hiram Berry, attorney at law

Faith stared at the letter after rereading it for the fourth or fifth time, trying to process what it said. Her Uncle Jamie, someone she hadn't heard from since he left Boston when she was nine, was dead. He had probably been the only family member to treat her well and his moving awake had crushed her. But she hadn't thought of him in years and learning that she was the sole benefactor of his will was a huge shock. She had a tidy inheritance from the Mayor as well, but she'd put every bit of it into helping build the new Council as she hadn't wanted to live off his money. Despite what he'd meant to her personally.

Sighing she dropped the letter on the coffee table of the small apartment she shared with Spike. The others had been a bit surprised when the two of them chose to room together after Giles bought this apartment complex with money from the old Council's many hidden accounts to house the core Scoobies and even the new Slayers until they got a better idea of what they were doing. Which turned out to be building an exclusive private school that was notoriously picky about its' students. Most of whom were female.
The Joyce Summers Academy of Excellence had caused a bit of a buzz in Cleveland when they first opened up, just outside the direct range of the local Hellmouth's mischief. But the excitement had died down once the city's elite realized they couldn't buy their little darlings a spot on the roster. Now hardly anybody even noticed the school, though that may have had something to do with Willow's excellent protection and illusion wards. Satellite imaging never showed the young women practicing various forms of combat on the lawns, or the occasional demon incursion that happened when some wannabe Big Bad got cocky. Instead it only showed people studying in the grass or normal PE classes, a rather intricate bit of spell-work that the redhead was quite proud of.

At that moment the door opened, admitting not Faith's undead roommate but the redheaded witch in question. None of the Scoobies seemed to get the concept of privacy, despite all taking different apartments. In fact she, Tara, and Spike seemed to be the only ones who remembered a little thing called knocking.
"You know, most people fucking knock Red." Faith commented dryly, raising an eyebrow at the Wiccan and leaning back in her chair. Willow just smiled, seemingly completely unphased by the dark slayer's look and tone.

"Tara wanted me to make sure you and Spike are gonna be coming to dinner tonight. You skipped last week and Buffy was kinda ticked about it." The witch said, green eyes latching curiously onto the legal-looking letter sitting in front of Faith. In typical Scooby fashion she picked it up and started to read without pausing to consider that maybe it was private.

"You have an uncle?" She asked incredulously and Faith sighed, slumping a little more deeply into the couch.

"Had. Only member of my family who was ever worth a shit." She mumbled in reply, scowling ineffectively at the redhead. The redhead who had that look on her face which made Faith's feet itch to run before she got roped into something she never asked for.

"You know, Lima's one of those hotspots we've been tracking. One of the key points between Cleveland, New Orleans, Sunnydale, Spokane, and Fort Albany. We could use a team there." Faith looked at her like she was crazy. She'd only just started to process the fact that she had an inheritance from someone decidedly not-evil and Willow was already seeing how it could be used for the Council. Which yeah, the Council was important and all but still.

Thankfully Spike picked that moment to come home from wherever he'd been. Ever since Willow had figured out how to create a spell that would protect him and Angel from sunlight he'd taken to spending his days outside, despite the fact that he still couldn't get a tan. Now he sauntered into the apartment and then paused as he took in the tense scene in the living room.

"Somthin' wrong Fai?" He asked, blue eyes flicking between the two women in concern as he moved to stand slightly between the slayer and witch. Willow frowned slightly at the vampire, not liking the way he was acting as though she were a threat, and handed the letter to him. Resigned to the fact that nothing in her life was private Faith got up and grabbed three beers from the fridge, handing one each to Willow and Spike when she returned.

One thing that could be said about spending time with the members of the New Slayer's Council was that it had rather improved her taste in alcohol. No more cheap bottom shelf beer or whiskey that burned more than it intoxicated. Her drink of choice these days was Becks beer, a lot smoother than the American brands she used to drink. Spike nodded and took a sip while Willow gave the Slayer a small smile of thanks.

"M'sorry about your uncle, love. I know you wanted to track him down again, see how he was doing." Spike said to Faith, offering her a sympathetic look but not pressing her in any way. It was what she loved the most about the vampire; he never pushed her to reveal what she was thinking or feeling. He was just there if she needed him, and that was enough. Tara was much the same, meaning that she and Spike were the Scoobies Faith was closest to.

"I didn't know you wanted to reconnect with any of your family Faith. I could have helped with that." Willow commented, looking slightly wounded in that way she did whenever it seemed to her that a member of the gang hadn't trusted her with something. But where one of the others would have hurried to reassure her; Faith just shrugged and took a swig of her beer, showing her lack of interest in sharing her deep thoughts or feelings.

"Well you should call this lawyer, at least find out what he left you before you make any decisions about it. We really could use a team in Lima, so even if you don't want to use the property the Council would be happy to buy or rent it from you. Whatever works." She added, offering the brunette a friendly smile before finishing her beer and setting the bottle down on the coffee table.

"Okay, we're expecting you two at 6:30 tonight. Don't be late. You skipped last week's dinner, so you have to come to this one." The witch said brightly before leaving their apartment to return to her own. Faith sighed and sat down again, rubbing at her face with one hand as Spike settled in beside her.

"Red's right y'know. You should at least call the bloke, see what's up." His voice was conversational, and he even picked up the remote to see what was on tv. It helped, the lack of expectation in his voice and actions. Like whatever she chose was no skin off his back and she could do what she wanted without having to worry about the repercussions. At least from him.

"I'll think about it." She muttered, finishing her beer and stealing the remote from him to mild protests that pulled the corners of her lips up in an amused smile.