I pretend no ownership. Whedon's IP, not mine.

Chapter 9: Training Day


Four piles of dust gently floated to the ground to join the six that were already there. Xander released a breath he didn't know he had been holding and lowered his crossbow. His fingers ached slightly from the reloading, but it was a pain he was used to. It was comforting and reminded him that he was alive.

He watched Buffy and Faith collect themselves, some fifteen feet ahead of him. They brushed dust out of their hair and clothes and shared a glance. Buffy was beaming and even Faith was letting loose with a small smile. Xander wasn't surprised that they were happy. They had a right to be.

The two Slayers had worked in beautiful harmony, never getting in each other's way, always watching the other's back. Faith's up-close infighting style kept the vampires off-balance, allowing for Buffy to cut loose with her more acrobatic tendencies. Xander had managed to shoot down two vampires before his breath just got taken away from the sheer spectacle of it all.

At one time, Faith had her foot hooked behind a vampire's ankle and she gave it a violent shove, sending it flying into the air. Buffy came soaring out of nowhere and jumped on top of the hapless vampire, planting both feet on its chest and using its airborne body as a springboard for her next jump. The vampire had crashed into the ground, stunned, and Buffy turned her jump into a perfect somersault. She landed nimbly behind two vampires and staked them both from behind without even looking at them.

In the meantime, Faith had another vampire in a headlock and had thrown her stake through another's heart. She was disarmed, momentarily, but it didn't mean that she was in anyway unarmed. A vampire charged at her, trying to take advantage. Faith stepped forward, driving her shoulder into the charging vampire's midsection, causing it to double over. The vampire Faith was holding onto was still trying to break free when Buffy flipped over its back, using its head for leverage. She staked him while she was upside down and in mid-air, and tossed her second stake in the air, just in front of Faith. The brunette had her arm wrapped around the charging vampire's chest and her now-free arm snaked up and behind the vampire's back, Buffy's stake somehow in her hand. The vampire had no idea what happened to it.

"Jesus Christ, girls," Xander was simply awed. "That was poetry in motion,"

Buffy looked at Faith again. "That was pretty good,"

To the blonde's delight, Faith's smile grew just a bit wider and she nodded in agreement.

"Pretty good? Pretty good? Kobe Bryant is pretty good at basketball! That was like watching a ballet! That was Hong Kong action level of choreography!" Xander protested.

"Harris, I may be good, but I sure ain't Chow Yun Fatt," Faith said, sounding amused. She didn't, however, sound modest. Xander thought she sounded a lot more like she was surprised.

"I don't know, Faith. That felt pretty good. Instinctual, familiar," Buffy said.

"Might be a Slayer thing,"

Buffy was silent for a moment and then she nodded. "Definitely a Slayer thing,"

Faith seemed satisfied with that answer.


The dull green numbers on the bedside clock flashed 1:13 in front of her blurred vision. She shifted slightly, attempting to untangle the sheets from between her legs and try to get them back in order so she could go back to hiding under them.

But then the thing that woke her up continued waking her up.

That goddamn knocking on the door. It was one in the afternoon for crying out loud – who the hell was coming to visit her at this time of the day?

I swear to God if it's some friggin' Jehovah's Witness askin' if I found Jesus, I'm gonna make him search for the Lord in his colon.

Faith snarled as she swept of the bed and stomped towards the hotel room door. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized that the knocking was gentle and polite, hesitant even. She heard the shuffling of feet and rustle of paper bags.

No Bible thumping?

She threw open the door and blinked when she saw a thoroughly red-faced Rupert Giles standing in front of her. "G?"

"Uhh, good afternoon, Faith," he said while fiercely studying the ceiling.

"Jesus H., Giles, I never expected to see you come knockin',"

"Well, yes, eh…" the British man trailed off, sounding more British than ever. He shuffled his feet, looked at her face for an instant, then decided to inspect the door jamb.

"Uh," Faith grunted noncommittally, walking away from the door. She left it open and gave him a strange 'come on in' type wave.

He remained standing resolutely at the door, eyes screwed shut. "Uh, Faith…" he began.

She turned, yawning and stretching, feeling her spine pop. "Sup?"

Giles coughed loudly into his fist and resisted the urge to slap himself with it. "Uh, would you mind putting on some clothes?"


"Sorry 'bout the eyeful, G," Faith said later, as they strolled out of the small hotel. "I live outta a suitcase, y'know how it gets,"

"Have you never had any visitors before?" he asked, truly curious.

Faith shrugged in that particular way of someone who's too embarrassed to talk. "I've not been much for the social interaction these past couple years," she admitted.

"I would have expected someone as outgoing as you would have had some form of company or other. Perhaps a nightcap or two?"

Faith quirked an eyebrow at the former Watcher. "Wow, time was you'd have blushed yourself to death before suggesting that a young girl was having a one-nighter," she said with a grin. "Guess the California weather warms even the stiff upper lip, huh?"

Giles smiled and raised a shoulder. "I guess being away from the home country has… loosened, shall we say, certain aspects of my personality,"

Faith barked out a decidedly unladylike laugh. "Well, mattress-bouncing aside, I just never made any acquaintances. No one who'd come knocking and asking me out to lunch," she paused, brow furrowed in thought. "Hell, I usually sleep through lunch and go straight for takeout before patrol,"

"Well, perhaps that can change?" Giles offered, waving the Slayer into a classy-looking bistro.

Once upon a time the Boston native would have hesitated at the idea of walking into an upscale restaurant, but now she walked in and took a seat without batting an eyelid.

"I dunno, man. I don't plan on stayin' forever, know?"

"Be that as it may, I am have come to the belief that you will be here for quite a while, yet," Giles replied casually. "The prophecy you came to warn us about – well, the portents seem to put the exact date at about 4 months from now,"

Faith shrugged. "Hey, nip it in the bud and all that," she said, with a snipping motion of her fingers. "I never understood why you guys waited till the last minute before beatin' on the bad guy,"

"Well, as Spike would say, we were never the brightest of the bunch," said the Watcher, with a rueful smile. His smile broadened as Faith chuckled at his joke.

The waitress came to take their order and Faith busied herself with an impromptu inspection of her nails. Giles was accustomed to silence and waited till the food arrived before clearing his throat again. "Xander came by the store earlier," he said, when Faith looked up.

"Oh?"

"He told me about last night's patrol. And the way Buffy and you worked together,"

"Did he now?"

"How much of it was real and how much of it was his usual bluster?"

Faith leaned back and chewed her burger thoughtfully. "I don't know, G. It- I- I've never worked that well with people before, but last night…"

She shrugged not knowing what to say or how to say it. "Me and B, we were in sync. I knew exactly what she wanted to do, and she sure as shit knew what I was gonna do,"

Giles nodded, prompting her to go on.

"It's like great sex, y'know? Your bodies moving together, you're reacting and meshing and…"

"Buffy will be training with me today. If you would join us, I would like to observe the two of you at work," Giles said. Faith raised a shoulder.

"Sure, why not?" she replied, trying to sound casual. Inside, her heart was racing in anticipation.


"Xander, what are you doing here?"

Xander waved to Buffy as he walked into the training room. "I heard that Faith was coming over to train with you. I came here to spectate,"

"Huh. You haven't been into ogling sweaty me since you've been getting regular… company," the blonde Slayer replied as she stretched. "How's the pumpkin latte girl anyway?"

"She's nice. But we're not here to talk about my love life. We're here to watch the most violent ballet in the history of dance," Xander said. He grabbed a chair and sat down against the wall. "Anya's bringing popcorn,"

"Seriously, Xan, it's not a big deal," Buffy protested, putting her hands on her hips. "I don't like having an audience when I train. I look all sweaty and icky, its not a good sight,"

"Look Buffy, you know how I make you watch those chop-socky flicks and you tell me how unreal some of the moves are and that the wires stunts are really obvious?" Xander asked. "Yeah, well last night I was looking for wires while the two of you were fighting,"

"That good, huh?" Buffy said in a soft voice.

"That good," Xander affirmed with a nod.

"It felt good. I knew what she wanted to do and what she wanted me to do. And she always knew what I was going to do, always there to help me set it up,"

"And they way you were jumping around! You were a gold medalist in the vampire ass-kicking Olympic event! Like gymnastics with stakes!" Xander said, an excitable gleam in his eye. Buffy smiled at his enthusiasm.

"I knew I could do all that because… because I knew she was watching my back,"

After a short silence, Xander spoke up. "Does this mean we're all cool with her being back?"

"I'm cool with it, Xander. I wanted you to come along last night so you could make up your own mind," Buffy replied.

"I have been avoiding her," Xander admitted. "With good reason,"

"And she's been avoiding the rest of you," Buffy said. "With good reason. But that needs to change. If she's going to be part of this fight, she needs to be part of this group,"

"Yeah, I hear you, glorious leader. Even I have to admit that she's been the good little Slayer and that's a big change from what she was," Xander said. "But…"

"But what?"

"Is it just me, or does this change look not all good to you? Like it came with a price tag she's still paying off?" Xander asked, voice hesitant.

Buffy's sad look was all the answer Xander needed.