Part 4

Sometime that morning, the cold rain from the night before turned from ice cold bits of wetness, to real ice. The ground had been covered in a thin sheen of ice, along with most cars in the neighborhood.

Bourne felt something off as he walked back to his apartment. He had gone for his usual morning run and the park, but cut it short once he noticed the ice on the ground. Because of his time in Europe, the ice and cold hadn't really bothered him that much. Well, that wasn't actually true; it bothered him, but it was still just another thing to either get used to or ignore. All part of the missions.

His mind had been on the night before. Going over and over what he had said, and what Faith had said. It had been a mistake. He'd gone to the club to get a feel of the city. Nothing else.

But when he'd ended up beside Faith at the bar, he had to go with the flow. And he had gone a lot farther than his training had prepared him for. He had dropped his guard with Faith - something he was not prepared for. Usually, he would take days to study his subjects 'til he knew them backwards and forwards, then make contact. But this time his going with the flow had just been so nice.

He'd had fun, more than he had in quite a while. It was almost like a date, but not really like one. He'd listened to Faith talk about herself, about her son and her failed marriage. And it was nice. He found himself just enjoying the time, not looking for weaknesses.

But he had to keep in his mind at all times, was this was the enemy? Maybe. How had he ended up in Treadstone? Had these people sold him out? Had he been taken? Compromised - that still stuck in his mind. They were to kill him if he had been compromised. Would getting his memories back compromise him? Or did they mean something else? The work he had done was full of double meaning for everything from talking to killing someone.

But still, with all that on his mind, he'd still had fun. And then the memory of that beautiful creature that was Faith sitting on him, slowly squeezing the life out of him while she just smiled, had popped into his head.

It was all very confusing. Could he have been an agent for them? No, he would have been too young. Hell, she would have been too young. It didn't make any since. Well, now that he was here, he would find out, now that he had an in.

As he approached his building, he noted that something was off. Just as he crossed the parking lot of his building and opened the door to the back, it clicked.

The SUV.

It was parked on the street, but there was no ice on it. And someone was sitting in it. They had scrunched down as he walked toward the building.

The SUV didn't fit the neighborhood. The neighborhood had some high end cars but not that many SUVs. The people just didn't make enough to keep the gas tank filled, much less cover the insurance that it would take.

He was blown. He had done or said something last night and the COWs had found him out. As he was turning to leave, a voice brought him up short.

"Hello, Mikky," Faith said as she moved into the light, to stand just outside the door. She had been just inside the doorway, just out of sight. As she spoke, three other Slayers moved up behind him. And the SUV pulled into the parking lot.

"Why, Faith," Bourne said, pulling the Russian accent out once again and putting on an innocent face. "You forget something?"

Faith looked him over, all her senses screaming both that his guy was dangerous and, the same time, that he should be trusted.

Last night there was no sense of danger. She'd felt protected with him, then, but now danger was just under the surface. Now she felt like she was talking to a master vampire.

"Bourne, drop the act. We know who you are. And you're coming with us."

"Sorry, Faith, can't do that," Bourne replied to the Dark Slayer.

"Then we do this the hard way," Faith said cracking her knuckles. "Just one question before I beat you down. Why play me?"

"Faith, everything I said last night I meant. I did not knowingly lie to you about anything," Bourne said, his mind already working overtime on escape plans.

Most revolved around killing these girls - something he didn't want to do. He had a nine millimeter pistol in a holster under his sweats but that was a weapon of last resort. These girls were just kids. Sure, they were in the Business, but still, they were kids. And he knew about their training. And that the fight with ones in LA he had been lucky; if he had to do that again, he would lose. Those girls didn't know how to deal with him. These girls were treating him as if he was dangerous.

And like he told Faith, he wouldn't go in. He'd had enough of people controlling him, locking him up, hurting him. And if they believed that he was this Xander and that he had been compromised – After reading the files on Harris and on the rest of this group, he knew their reaction. They killed anyone compromised.

"Right," Faith said. She wanted to believe him. She really did. And it shocked her how much she wanted to believe it. But this was the guy that was hunting Xander, and if he had found out about Alex –

"This is going to hurt you. You gotta choice: walking or not." Trying to give him one more chance.

"Won't go in, Faith." All pretence of an accent gone. He even seemed to grow a inch while she was watching.

The other girls behind him also drew up, expecting something.

Then, as one, the Slayers moved. Faith reached for Bourne's front while the others grabbed his back. But as Faith reached out, Bourne also moved.

Grabbing Faith's arms in a wristlock, he pulled her. The ice that had formed on the top step where she was standing added to her momentum, and the next thing she knew, she was slamming into the girls behind Bourne.

As soon as Faith left Bourne's arms, he was moving into the building, slamming the door behind him. Cursing furiously, the girls pulled themselves apart and off the frozen ground, just in time to see the door closing. And then with a loud click, it locked.

The girls moved, wet slush sliding into their clothes as they moved, and this only drove their tempers that much more into kill mode.

Inside the apartment building, Bourne tore off down the hallway. As he reached the end of the hallway, he could hear the door being smashed open. And then it slammed on the floor from a very powerful hit.

Then he was out front. Hitting the sidewalk, he slowed a little to take a fast look around. The street was almost empty, a icy slush was on the ground.

If I can make it to the end of the street, I'm home free, he thought as he started down the steps in front of the building. He had parked a backup car there. But as soon as he was outside, he heard a powerful motor. The SUV was on the move, and it came out of the parking lot only 20 feet from where he stood.

No time to get his getaway car; he had to move on foot. Bourne cut across the street and down a small alleyway, that was too small for the SUV, but from the sounds behind him, not for the girls. He could make out at least three sets of footfalls behind him and they were gaining.

He knew if he kept it up, they would be on him soon. But on the next street he caught a break. At a red light, A man on a motorcycle was waiting at the traffic light.

Not pausing for a second, Bourne hit the guy with a forearm blow across the side of the neck, knocking him from the cycle. Then, before it could fall as well, he was on it and cutting through the red light.

Faith and the Slayers just cleared the alley way to the sounds of car horns and that of a motorcycle speeding off. She could make out Bourne's figure on a high performance bike as he cut off through the morning traffic.

"Mother fucking shit!" Faith screamed at the retreating form. "I'll get you! You COCKSUCKER!" To say she was pissed about him getting away was an understatement.

Just then the Council's SUV pulled in front of her.

A evil grin formed on her face. The cocksucker hadn't got away yet, not yet.

With a whoop, she took off, pushing Marc who was driving, over from behind the wheel. Gunning the motor, she floored it. The Slayers with her almost didn't get in before the SUV cut through the traffic after the motorcycle.

Bourne had eased off the gas on the bike. He was cold, he only had on his sweats that he had on from his run this morning. The cold wet air whipped through his hair, and he was without a helmet or eye protection. It was difficult to keep up with any speed without either. Glancing into the mirror on the sports bike, he saw the SUV gaining on him, Faith behind the wheel with a feral grin on her face.

After seeing that grin, Bourne pulled himself tight against the bike and poured on the gas. The bike seemed to jump as it accelerated down the street. Faith just smiled more and floored the SUV. The Hunt - it was her favorite part. The kill at the end was fun too, but the hunt was needed. It let her become someone else and lose herself. And this fucker was just what she needed.

Giles left his office to do his morning walk around the school, to meet the new students and talk to the teachers. All of the teachers at the school knew about the underworld and the darkness that the girls here fought. Giles had recruited them from schools that had been close to supernatural events, and from the families of the girls. The male students were brothers to the Slayers or from the surviving Watchers families. And so far, only Alex was a son of an Active Slayer. There were a few boys here that were the sons of a Slayer, but those were born before their mother was called. Before that day.

Walking thought the teachers lounge, he saw that there was another car chase on the telly. This was the third one this week. Most had been over before it made the news but this one seemed to be going on for a while. At his entrance, the teachers looked at him and slowly made their way out of the room. As the last one left, Giles noticed that the chase involved an SUV much like the one used for stakeouts by the Slayers. And it was chasing a man on a motorcycle, while three city police cars chased it, and two highway patrol cars were behind them, followed up by a state trooper car.

It was then a close up shot of the SUV came on the screen. Faith - she was driving the SUV.

The world just stopped for Giles for a moment and he just stared at the screen of the TV. He didn't move a muscle.

Outside the lounge, the teachers had moved across the hall.

"It's quiet in there," Marge said as she watched the room.

"Yeah. But do you want to go in there right now?" John said. Both had been at the school since it opened, and knew Giles was not a violent man.

But this was big. And no way did he want to be a ground zero.

Just then a very calm Giles left the room. He looked at the teachers. Then with a small smile, he turned an walked toward his offices.

As he left the group, he could be heard muttering to himself.

"She's trying to kill me. First Xander, then her, then her son. The whole family is blooming nuts."

Faith was zoned. The bastard was not going to get away. Beside her, Marc was giving a constant call of "Faith! Car! CAR!" She would always miss them but it was funny to the girls in back who were laughing and hooting with the enjoyment of the chase.

"Marc, don't be such a pussy," Faith said, not really looking at the young watcher. "You'll ruin you manly standing with the girls."

Just then the dashboard beeped at her. Looking over, she saw the hands-free cell phone interface was flashing.

"Yeah?" Faith asked.

"What are you doing?" came Giles' smooth voice over the speakers.

"Uh. Nothing much, just watching Bourne," Faith said, not really lying as she looked out the front windshield at the bike.

"You sure you don't want to tell me something?"

"No, G. What would I need to tell you about?" Faith asked, just as Marc once again started to point and yell about a car in their way.

"Oh, I don't know Faith," Giles said. "How about the police cars behind you? Or what about the news helicopter that's along flying taking pictures as we speak?"

"No shit," Faith said, "We're on TV?"

"Yes, Faith. On TV. What part of secret organization don't you understand?" Giles' voice was getting deeper and loosening its upper-class tone.

Just then, Marc let loose with an almost girlish scream about trucks. Up ahead, Bourne cut between two semi-trucks. The lanes had concrete retaining walls on either side and there was nowhere for the SUV to get through.

"Got to go, G. Catch you later," Faith said, hanging up the phone with a push of a button. Then, grabbing the wheel, she turned into the retaining wall.

Hitting the wall at an angle, it threw the vehicle up on its two left wheels. With that, Faith floored it and shot past the trucks. Once on the other side, she twisted the wheel, dropping back to four wheels.

Back at the school, Giles just sat back, watching the school's SUV hit the wall, then shoot forward on two wheels.

"Just like Dukes of Hazzard," one of the slayers sitting beside him watching the tv said to the room, where the rest of the girls were watching it.

Giles just looked at the young girl, then thought to himself, Well at least the Insurance is paid up on it, and then recalling Marc's almost screams, and I am not it with Faith.

Bourne took a fast glance behind him. This was not good. The cops and the COWs were close. He knew that he was dead if they brought him down. If not by the COWs, then the CIA or any other agency after his head. He needed to find a crowd. If he could just lose himself for a second, he could be long gone. But with the helicopter overhead, it needed to be enclosed. Then he saw it.

Glover Leaf Mall.

If he could just make that, he would be home free. Cutting between two rigs, he poured on the gas. Using the trucks to block the road, that should give him the time he needed to make the mall. The trucks did work on the cops, who had to fall back 'til the rigs pulled apart enough for them to pass, but not the COWs. They pulled a stunt right out of an action movie and shot around the trucks.

Bourne slowed down his motorcycle, the turnoff was coming up and he didn't want to miss his chance. But slowing down allowed the Cows to catch up to him. As the COWs pulled along side of him, Xander looked over into the very pissed off face of Faith. He had seen the look in her eyes before. It was the look of a hunter who was just about to get their prey. Only not this time.

Bourne smiled at Faith, then blew her a kiss. Where that came from he didn't know. Usually he was stoic but for some reason, Faith made him feel again - much like Marie did, only more so. She was a fighter and would fight 'til the last. And for some reason, he felt safe when she was around, not something he was used to. But it wasn't enough to make him give up. He might go in with her but it would be on his terms.

And after he gave her a week to cool off.

Faith's eyes went wide with shock as Bourne blew a kiss at her. Bad guys didn't do that; well, at least they didn't affect her when they did. Not like this did. They blew past an off ramp. Behind them, the cops had worked around the trucks and were closing in on them.

Bourne looked at her again, then he did it again. He slammed on his brakes, spinning the bike, almost laying it down on the icy road. Then he shot off back down the highway. He shot between the cops, causing them to slam on their brakes. But the trucks behind them were not so lucky. Hitting their brakes, the massive trucks slid into the backs of the last patrol car, knocking it into the next one, which caused a domino effect. Soon, all the patrol cars were out of commission.

Faith spun the SUV around, and headed back through the wrecked patrol cars, knocking them out of the way to make way after Bourne. The air filled with the scream of metal on metal, and the sound of laughter from the back seat as the impact had set Marc off again, this time with praying involved.

Faith smirked at the Watcher, then turned her attention to Bourne once again, just making out the bike as he was on cutting into the mall parking lot.

Got him, she thought.