Although I don't have the time or energy to work on the real storylines I have planned for this series, I wanted to post a little something for those that have been enjoying this world/series. This is just a few snapshot scenes of the characters. There is no plotline. This follows "How to Save a Life Buffy Style."

Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS or any of the Marvel characters. Joss Whedon and Stan Lee would get the credit for that!

Snapshot Encounters

*****Sunnydale*****

Faith ducked as the Fyarl demon swung his deadly arm at her.

"Hit the floor, Faith!" Steve called out. She did that without hesitation.

The Captain threw his shield with tremendous force, beheading the demon. Faith groaned in disgust as she felt demon blood hit the back of her jacket. "You're paying for my dry cleaning! Leather cleaning is expensive."

"You're welcome," Steve said, holding out his hand to pull her to her feet.

"Man, do I hate Fyarls," Faith said. Steve had only been back in town a day. He'd been gone an entire month dealing with his buddy.

Steve pulled a bit too hard, and Faith fell against his body—his rock-hard body.

Faith looked up at him and smirked. "Damn, Captain!" she exclaimed, copping a feel of his chest. "You do impress!"

Steve blushed and stepped back. "Sorry," he said.

Faith laughed. "Relax, Cap. I'm not really hitting on you, you know? You're the first guy friend I've every really made besides Angel," she said. They'd worked together enough months that she felt comfortable admitting that to him.

"What about Bruce?" Steve asked, curious.

Faith was caught off guard by his question and looked away. When she didn't answer, Steve bent down to pick up his shield. "You know, I almost forgot how insane this town is," he said.

"Yea. Sunny D is in a class all by itself," Faith said. "Are you going to stay in town long?" She'd miss having someone that could keep up with her. Xander might be slightly improved, but he was no Captain America. Plus, he usually patrolled with Dave. They had divided the town into four sections.

"At least a week," Steve said. "Natasha is testifying before the Senate this week. Fury and I agree that one of the Avengers should keep an eye on this town."

"So what's going to happen with SHIELD?" Faith asked.

"Well, the world thinks Fury's dead. He's going to slowly bring back SHIELD. Put someone he trusts in charge until he feels it's safe to take the mantle again," Steve explained.

"You?" she wondered.

Steve shook his head. "I have no patience for politics and games," he said. "I like a good fight." Two vamps jumped out of the nearby crypt. Steve took one and Faith the other.

It took them very little time to dust the vamps. "Man, the vampires in this town get lamer and lamer," Faith said in disgust.

"Are you sure it's not you, getting better and better?" Steve asked with a grin.

Faith gave him a light tap on the arm as she snickered. "That must be it," she said.

They walked along in companionable silence for several minutes. Faith wondered if she should've seriously tried hitting on Steve. Like she told Buffy, he was a hottie. Hard to ignore that perfect specimen of man flesh. But he looked at her as an equal for who she was. Did she really want to mess that up by bringing sex into their relationship? That's if he even saw her that way. An image of Bruce and his shy smile flashed in her mind. Why did she keep thinking of the scientist? No guy that smart would ever want to be with her.

Finally, Faith said, "I don't think Bruce is my friend." Why did she mention that? Probably because it was bothering her. She'd slept with the Hulk and flirted shamelessly with Bruce every time she saw him, but he seemed scare of her or something.

"Why do you say that?" Steve asked.

"I don't think he likes me," she said quietly.

Steve stopped walking and looked at her. "Not like you? How could he not like you?" Steve asked, perplexed. He knew Bruce of all people would never judge Faith for her past mistakes. Bruce has spent years running from his own.

"He hardly talks to me and can barely look at me," Faith said, frowning. "I think sleeping with the Hulk upset him. But I don't get it. The Hulk is a part of him. One he just ignores. I basically slept with him on super ju-ju. But he doesn't see it like that."

Steve was silent a minute as he thought of how he could answer her. Then he said, "Well, the Hulk really isn't him. He is like a primal part of him—one that doesn't have his intelligence or ability to reason."

"Hulk isn't an animal. He's a person," Faith said. "He's like his protector. But he's not possessed. The Hulk isn't completely separate from him. He's lying to himself when he thinks that."

"I don't think that Bruce ever thought of the Hulk the way you do. Or ever contemplated that the Hulk could be with a woman that way—at least not without destroying the woman," Steve said. "You know Bruce was in love once with a woman before and after he first became the Hulk. She didn't handle his transformation well. She couldn't accept that part of him."

"No, I didn't know that," she said.

"I think that a part of him is just shocked to meet a woman who not only isn't afraid of the Big Guy but finds that side of him appealing," Steve said.

"Well, I am not necessarily known for my wise choices," she admitted.

Steve put his arm around her shoulder. "I think you're too hard on yourself," he said. "Trust your instincts. You wouldn't have embraced the Hulk if he was a monster like Bruce fears. I think we can learn a lot from that."

Faith appreciated Steve's support and wanted to give him the same. "What about you? How's your friend?" she asked.

Steve removed him arm and kicked a rock. "He's okay. They did a MRI of his brain and figured out he's got some type of tech in his head," Steve said. "It's what was controlling him. It's still there. They're afraid to remove it."

"But he's going to be okay?" Faith asked.

"I hope so," Steve said. It was good to have Bucky back, but he was altered permanently. Sometimes Steve saw his old friend. Other times, Bucky was a stranger. Hopefully, Bucky would find a way to blend his new abilities with the man he used to be.

******Stark Tower******

Warren Mears life had changed significantly in the past few months since his chance encounter with Tony Stark had altered the course of his life. He had a dream job and a decent apartment just a few blocks from work. Now the CEO of the company wanted to see him. He preened a bit in the elevator as he caught his reflection on the metal wall. The door opened to the floor that led to Pepper Potts office. Although she was known to be the girlfriend of Tony Stark, everyone knew that she was not a regular skirt. From what Warren had heard, she was running Tony's life well before they began dating and her role was official.

"Warren Mears to see Ms. Potts," he told the secretary.

"Ms. Potts will be right with you," the woman said. "Have a seat."

Warren sat down to wait a few minutes. The few minutes turned into ten, then twenty. Finally, after waiting for thirty minutes, the secretary said, "Ms. Potts can see you now."

Annoyed, he got up and followed her to the door. The attractive thirty-something didn't stand when he entered the room. He forced a smile on his face.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked.

"Have a seat, Mr. Mears," she said, indicating the chair in front of him.

He did and saw her looking a folder and paper on his desk. For some reason, he knew it was his file. "Is everything okay? Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

She looked up and gave him a congenial smile. "No, not at all. Your supervisor speaks well of you," she said. "How do you like working in our robotics division?"

"It's been great," Warren said with enthusiasm. Tony Stark had technology that even Warren had only dreamed about.

"The reason I've called you here is because I want to make something clear," she said.

"Yes?" he said expectantly.

"I read your file. I know your history," she informed him. Her eyes surprised him. They were cold, lacking all warmth—the warmth she was known for. "I want to know one thing. Do we have your loyalty?"

"Excuse me?" he asked, surprised.

"You are the kind of guy that resents people smarter and more successful than you. You have little to no respect for women, and I think if offered enough money, you will betray this company. You will betray Tony to the highest bidder," she informed him. "Tony believes I'm wrong. He thinks you have gifts he wants to nurture. So is he right? Can we trust you with our technology? Our company's secrets?"

"Of course," Warren assured her, more than a little freaked out at her blunt questioning.

Pepper pushed a button under her desk and a side door to the office opened. Warren's eyes widened in surprise as he recognized Natasha Romanoff—the Black Widow. The woman was both gorgeous and deadly.

She stopped next to Warren and peered down at him, her face expressionless.

"I hope you're telling me the truth," Pepper said. "Because if you ever even think of betraying this company, betraying Tony, my friend Natasha here will be more than happy to show you why she's the only female Avenger."

The Black Widow smirked at him and put a hand on his shoulder, leaning close to him. He worked hard at managing his instinct that told him to pull away from her.

"Do you enjoy pain, Warren?" she asked in a sultry tone. Then she licked her lips. "Pain can be so fun."

Warren was both terrified and turned on at her words and presence. Finally, he stood, moving away from her. "I won't be a problem. No need for threats!" he exclaimed.

Pepper smiled and stood. "That's good to hear, Warren," she said. "I hate seeing Tony upset. So we should probably not mention to him we had this little talk, okay?"

Warren was too smart to miss the veiled threat and nodded vigorously. "Of course!" he said.

"You may go," Pepper said, dismissing him.

It was all he could to leave the room at a normal pace.

As soon as the door shut, Natasha turned to Pepper and laughed. "That was a lot of fun!" she said.

Pepper grinned. "Thanks. I wanted to both frighten him and remind him of how strong women could be," she said.

"Do you really think he could be a problem?" Natasha asked.

"Well, he was up to no good in Sunnydale. His two friends caused some problems for the Slayer and her people," Pepper said. "I just didn't want to take any chances. He is incredibly brilliant."

"And we know how dangerous smart guys can be," Natasha said with a knowing smirk.

"Yes, we do," Pepper agreed. She just hoped Warren didn't give in to what she believed was his nature.

"If he is brave enough to betray Tony, we'll make sure he regrets it," Natasha said.

"Yes, we will," Pepper said grimly. Tony had had enough betrayals in his life. Another one wasn't going to happen on Pepper's watch. She'd make sure of it.

******Sunnydale******

Xander was alone with Anya at the Magic Box. He watched her as she counted down the register; the smile on her face as she fondled the money amused him. Love for her mercenary soul filled him, strengthening his determination to not lose her.

"An, I've been thinking about something I want to run by you," he said.

"Okay," she said, looking up.

"There's a foreman position opening up in Cleveland. I was thinking of applying," he said.

Anya frowned. "Cleveland? In Ohio? Why would you want to go to Cleveland?" she asked then her eyes widened in alarm. "Are you breaking up with me? You want to cancel our engagement, don't you?"

Xander stood and moved to stand in front of her. "No! I'm not saying that. I'm asking you if you'd consider moving with me to Cleveland if I got the job," he said.

"Oh," she said, thinking about it. "You want me to leave my money?"

The forlorn expression on her face caused him to grin. "No, of course not. I want you to make even more money by opening up a new Magic Box in Cleveland that would be completely yours," he said. "We can find someone to run this place, maybe Clem."

Her eyes widened in excitement as she considered the possibilities. "Franchise the store? Own two businesses?" she said in awe.

"The town is supposed to have a hellmouth," Xander reminded her. "I will talk to Buffy. Maybe she can do some scouting of the area, find out how active the place is. With Faith here and the team, I don't think she'll ever come back here to slay."

"She has been replaced," Anya agreed. "I can see how a new exciting hellmouth might be just the thing to help her get her slay back."

"Do you think you'd be willing to move there?" he asked.

"What about your team here? You love fighting with the SHIELD guys and Captain America," she pointed out. She'd never seen Xander happier.

"That's true," he said. How would he make her understand? "Since Odin touched me, An, I don't feel the same. I'm not the same. It's like there's so much more in side of me. There's a restlessness building inside. Moving to a new location may help. A new challenge."

Anya didn't like to be reminded of how Odin had branded her Xander. She knew that it was only a matter of time before Odin pulled him away from her. A new adventure together would be just the thing to keep the passion strong between them. "If you want to move and leave our home behind, I will be happy to go with you and take the good people of Cleveland's money," she told him.

Xander smiled and went around the counter to pull her into his arms. "I don't care what Odin says, Anya. You're the woman I love—the one I want with me always," he assured her. Then he kissed her.

He meant the words that he said even though he felt a pull inside him to leave his home behind. It didn't matter what he felt. Xander wasn't going to leave the woman he loved. If he needed to build a home elsewhere, she would come with him.

The hyena spirit grumbled. She is not our mate.

The soldier countered. She is a fine woman who loves us.

Xander ignored the voices. He hadn't told anyone how Odin's touch hadn't changed him as much as solidified the two personas that had once resided inside him. Their one time echoes now were a loud voice. Only the presence of Odin in his mind kept him sane because amidst it all he felt Odin's blazing light somehow. Occasionally, he looked at people and saw things in them. The images were often superimposed over their faces. Was he really the One Who Sees? Sometimes, he thought he was going crazy, and other times, he thought that Odin's gift was more than any realized.

When he looked at Anya, he saw a skeleton—an image of death. Was it a warning? Was she marked to die?

Fear for her safety was driving him to find a way to alter her course. She wasn't going to be another victim of Sunnydale. He wasn't going to lose her the way he lost Jesse.

He would protect her no matter what.

*****The End*****

Obviously, this last scene happened a bit earlier in the timeline, but it's an important little bit, I think.

I have a few other scenes I want to write, so I might do another chapter like this if you're interested. I still have several storyline I want to do that have real plots, of course. Review and let me know if you enjoyed this. Thanks!

Don't forget to go to my profile page and vote for who you want to see Faith paired with.