Chapter 4- Homecoming

Two weeks had passed since the ordeal with the monsters. Faith and Willow had been taking turns keeping watch over Angel, as Cordy was busy running for queen. They had decided not to tell Joyce and the guys of Angel's arrival just yet, or him of Buffy's death. Willow had convinced him that everything would be explained once he was better. "So are you going to vote for Cordy?" Willow asked Oz as the two came back from having their pictures taken.

"Nobody else I'm friends with is running," he said in his monotone voice.

"I think we've got some kind of military operation here in Sunnydale," Xander said with a gleam in his eyes, as he stepped up to his best friend and the now boyfriend he didn't trust so much. "I saw these two guys not far from the park last night, in a van and it looked like they had some heavy duty equipment."

"Who cares," Cordy said, as she strutted up to the gang. She briefly scaned the room for Faith but didn't see her. "Faith not coming to school again?"

"I think she'd best get here," Wesley snapped. His new charge had all but avoided him since his arrival in town and he had done everything but report her to the council to try to cajole her into having daily meetings.

"Delia," Xander frowned. "This holier than thou attitude you've got going on really sucks."

"Xander I'm running for a coveted high school title!" Cordy snapped angrily with a frown on her face. "I'm not the one making buddies with some strange new girl, that would be you moron!"

"I wouldn't have to talk to other people if you paid me more attention," Xander snapped back.

"Don't you dare blame this on me!" Cordelia huffed angrily, took Xander's ring off and threw it at him then stomped off down the hall.

"It looks like you screwed yourself again X-man," Faith chuckled, as she walked up to the open-mouthed group.

As the school day bustled onward with homecoming campaigns in full swing, Faith was distracted for most of the day. She too had noticed Xander becoming friendly with some new girl and hoped he wasn't planning to cheat on Cordelia but that didn't matter anymore, as the couple hadn't spoke since earlier that morning. That was the least of her worries however. She wasn't certain how the gang would handle Angel coming to Homecoming with her. The two had discussed him showing himself and decided why not at the dance.

- - - - - - -

Later that night, a vampire called Mr. Trick, gathered a band of slayer hunters at his mansion. He was calling his big event Slayerfest '98. Among those present were: Frawley, a human hunter with a rifle and a set of bear traps; Lyle and Candy Gorch, who were married vampires; Frederick and Hans Gruenshtahler, German brothers who had been tracking Faith's every move for the last three days; and Kulak, a yellow-skinned demon with jagged blades inside his forearms. Mr. Trick hoped this Slayerfest would be the end of Faith and the rumored other possible slayer who may be in hiding.

Meanwhile, at Angel's mansion, Willow and Faith had decided the time was right to tell Angel the truth. Both women feared what would happen once he found out but Faith was prepared with weapons should she need them and had made Willow fully aware of the fact that she would stake him if necessary.

Willow was glad to see that Angel seemed better then the first time she saw him and was regaining his strength as well as his sensibility. She did wonder how much longer this would last. "Angel," Willow said softly, as Faith gave him some blood they got from the butcher shop.

"Just get right to it," Angel said cringing on the inside but managed to hold up a brave front outwardly.

Willow gently placed her arm around the broody vampire and looked to the outspoken slayer to do the deed. "Fang, B couldn't handle what she did to you and she took her own life with the sword then dove in the dimension after you."

Angel stared blankly at the two girls with uncertain but compassionate looks on their faces. He burst into fits of laughter as he looked at them. "Nice try, Buffy would never do such a thing! That's a great joke Willow." Angel said but knew, by the looks on their faces, this was no joke. He sunk to his knees and placed his chin in his hands. "Why, what happened, how could she," he began to tremble as Willow tried to comfort him.

"Angel we don't know really," Willow said sadly. "It was hard on all of us and we all had to go to therapy and," she looked to Faith for help but the slayer just stood there placidly.

Angel was losing control fast having to fight off his game face that briefly appeared twice as he cried. "Get out now!" he shrieked at the teens. "Both of you just go!"

"Red," Faith looked at Willow as if to say give him some time and Willow followed the slayer out of the mansion.

- - - - - - - -

"I so don't believe this, it is improper for the homecoming queen to not have a date to the dance! Can you believe Xander Harris; he ran right out and got a date with that new girl!" Cordy huffed as she, Faith, Willow and Oz entered the school on the day of the big dance.

"Well Faith here is dateless," Oz said quietly. He didn't know about Angel but indeed Faith knew she was dateless as the brooding vampire surely would not be ready for his coming out party.

Cordy and Willow looked at the young man with sarcasm on their faces. "Oz this is important," Willow said. "It's not the time for you to speak more words at once then ever before."

"It'd be a statement for sure," Faith laughed and winked at Cordy who seemed rather uncomfortable. She had grown close to the slayer in the last couple of weeks, more so then she ever was with Buffy. She contemplated briefly as to why that was and shook her head.

"You know what," Cordy lifted her head high as she normally carried herself in that fashion. "Let's do it, it will go down as a more memorable queen crowning for certain. Actually probably thee most memorable in the history of the school!"

"It'll be one for the ages," Oz said quietly and laughed. He had noticed Faith and Willow seeming to bond a bit and could tell the dark-haired beauty would swing either way so wanted that notion as far away from Willow as possible. Sure, he had a reason for what he was doing but at least Cordy would have a date.

"Xander is going to love this," Cordy said sarcastically, as she looked Faith over. "Do you have something formal to wear?"

- - - - - - -

Mr. Trick was seated in his mansion watching Faith on his monitor and reporting to the German brothers on where to go. He hadn't been able to locate another slayer and assumed that maybe she was dead. He had sent Lyle and Candy to the school to run interference should the slayer make it there at some point during the dance. Frawley was to drive the limo that was to escort Cordy and Faith to the dance. Kulak was on stand by in the woods and the German brothers moved into a more neutral position where they could get to the school or the woods in a speedier time. Mr. Trick was proud of himself for having planned such a mission and was certain nothing could go wrong. "Faith will be history soon and my boss, Kakistos, will be avenged!"

A call came in from the limo, "this is Frawley. There is a petit short blonde with the slayer. I think we've got two slayers boss!"

There was a mix up and Cordy ended up in the limo with Anya, rather than Faith who was waiting at the school. The German brothers had put a bug in what was supposed to be Faith's corsage but she had graciously given it to Anya earlier in the day as Xander clumsily had forgotten to get her one. Mr. Trick noticed the corsage must have been switched from Faith to the blonde as he watched his monitor. He assumed she had switched dates at the last minute and now Cordy would be going with the other slayer.

"This so does not look like the school," Cordy snapped after being in a silent limo ride with Anya.

Anya walked over to a table that was set up with a VCR and TV and pushed the play button. "Welcome to Slayerfest '98 ladies!" Mr. Trick's voice boomed as the equipment exploded.

"We are so much in trouble," Cordy gasped, as Frawley leapt out and grabbed hold of her.

"Make a move slayer and the queen dies!" He shouted with laughter.

Cordy stuck him hard between the legs with the heel of her shoe. The two promptly hit the ground as Cordy's heel broke off her shoe. "I'm no slayer you fool!" Anya hissed not wanting to blow her demon cover. She saw no other choice because Kulak had jumped out of the shadows prepared to slice her with his blades.

Meanwhile, Mr. Trick saw things were going wrong. He placed a call and told the vampires to hunt down the slayer who should be inside the school. Also, the Gruenshtahler brothers would be there quickly to assist them. His demeanor was none to happy at these events and as he watched the struggle in the woods, he knew he indeed did not have another slayer. "Damn it!" Mr. Trick howled angrily, as he prepared to go into hiding to create another plan should these idiots fail him.

- - - - - - -

Everyone at the school was looking for Cordy and Anya as the two vampires entered. Nobody was aware that Anya and Cordy managed to get away from the bladed demon and knock Frawley into one of his bear traps. The two were in a sprint for the school with Kulak hot on their trail but a figure from behind quickly disposed of the demon by beheading him then proceeded to follow the two girls towards the school.

"I'm gonna call the limo company," Faith suggested wondering how on earth Anya ended up in the limo that never picked her up.

"It would serve you right you twit," Wesley chided Xander. "Women hopping never gets one anywhere."

"I wasn't women hopping," Xander tried to defend himself, as the two men heard what sounded like a struggle near the library.

Candy had jumped out of the library and grabbed Faith from behind, as she was about to make the call. Faith quickly flipped Candy off her back and sent her flying into the opposite wall. As the two young men rounded the corner, Faith was completing a series of kicks to the vampire then quickly dusted her to find that Lyle was raging mad with his sights set on her.

As Cordy and Anya burst into the school and ran down the hall screaming for Faith, Willow staked Lyle before he could get to Faith. "We've been tracked!" Cordy shouted as the onlookers observed her state of dirtiness and crumpled clothing.

Faith looked at the women for a minute. "Gimme those," she quickly grabbed the corsages and ran down the hall as the German brothers entered the school. Their tracking devices lead them to a room as Faith bunched up the two corsages in toilet paper, which caused the brothers to miss their target and they turned then shot each other rather than her.

- - - - - - - - -

Cordelia Chase was soon announced homecoming queen of 1998 but didn't look all to thrilled. She was not in the state of dress of a queen, makeup was coming off, and mud splotched all over her, not to mention her shoes were heel free now. "Hey Queen C," Faith smiled at the somber young lady. "You won, get that chin up and let's dance."

"Look at me Faith," Cordy said with questioning eyes.

"Yeah I see ya C," Faith again smiled, as she lead Cordy to the dance floor to a thunderous round of applause.

As the others joined in on the final dances, Cordy looked into the chocolate brown eyes of the slayer. She was quickly realizing why she didn't mind going to the dance with Faith and it shocked her. "You know Faith; I think I learned a very good lesson tonight." Cordy said as she relaxed in Faith's embrace.

"What's that C?" Faith questioned wanting nothing more then to plant a kiss on Ms. Chase right then and there.

"Material things aren't so important; life is thee single most important thing there is. Maybe I'm growing up." Cordy said with a genuine smile on her face.

"Yeah maybe so," Faith returned the smile then gently kissed the homecoming queen with no resistance from the beautiful brunette.

"Angel!" Xander hissed, as he turned his head away from the two women who were kissing.