Bursting into the Slayer House, Faith took the stairs three at a time. She needed to burn some energy. Her muscles twitched in anticipation. A few rounds with the heavy bag…was impossible. Her rapid strides halted on the threshold of the second-floor gym. The glass shards were absent, as were the remains of the weight bench that had been smashed the night before. All of the other equipment and weapons were missing, too.
The gym was empty.
Apparently, Giles hadn't been joking when he'd threatened to get rid of the workout area if Faith and Buffy couldn't refrain from "destructive high jinks." That sucked. If she didn't find a way to unwind, Faith might explode.
Running was out. The pre-patrol briefing was only a couple of hours away. That didn't leave enough time to change, really get into a groove, and still have time for a shower and dinner. Not Tai Chi, either. Faith hated Tai Chi. Even if she (finally) managed to relax enough to get the movements right, it was way too non-aggressive to deal with her adrenaline rush.
Faith grabbed a towel from the hall closet and returned to the first floor. A few laps in the pool would have to do. Afternoon sunlight sparkled off the water as Faith stripped to bra and briefs. No more skinny-dipping after Giles' near coronary when he'd glimpsed her swimming from his office window. That shade of red on a human face had scared even Faith into submission.
Cutting easily through the water, Faith set a comfortable pace back and forth across the pool. Hmmm. This had been the perfect plan. The water enveloped Faith, blocking out all other sights and sounds.
"You know, Faith, I was serious." Opening a door at the back of his massive office, Richard waved her forward.
Faith stepped into a smaller office. It was bare except for the usual desk, chair, and filing cabinets. But it made up for the boring décor with one entire wall of windows. Wandering over, she peered at the perfectly groomed garden below. Faith would never admit it out loud. Not to anyone.
She loved flowers. She could spend hours here, simply looking out the window.
"I need someone with your talents," Richard said softly. He stood behind her, far enough away not to infringe on Faith's personal space. "This town. I love it. It's in my blood. But it's grown into a very scary place. I'm sure you've noticed the police force…"
Oh, yeah. Faith stretched out a hand and set it lightly against the window. She could stand here all day. "They suck," she said bluntly.
"Exactly. I need the people of Sunnydale to feel safe, Faith. They don't feel safe right now. That's where you come in." Richard moved to stand at her side, watching her and not the scenery. "Leave the Council. Let this other Slayer, this Buffy, put up with their outdated thinking and rules. I want you to work for me. This would be your office. You'd help train my personal bodyguards and work with the police to get us some good officers. You're an expert, Faith. We need you. I need you."
With one last kick, Faith reached for the pool deck and hauled herself out of the water. Her heart beat rapidly from the exercise. The buzz of energy was still there. In fact, despite the lingering heat of the evening, she was so wired her skin tingled and goose bumps pimpled her arms. If Balthazar didn't have an army for Faith to kill, she'd have to risk breaking more Council rules and hit a bar. Booze and a good fuck were her last resorts when the restlessness got out of hand.
Faith wrung out her hair and wrapped up in her towel.
Tara yawned and took another sip of ginger tea. It had been so freeing to finally, openly, perform magic that she'd forgotten the mind had muscles just like the body. By the time she'd lowered the warding in the Work Room, a blinding reaction headache had been waiting. Janna had been nice enough not to laugh and to find her a quiet, shaded table on the patio.
She'd have to leave soon. It was getting dark, and she'd promised Trish the chance to grill her about yesterday's trip to the club. That should be fun. Maybe Tara could simply hide here forever.
Unfortunately, her hiding place wasn't as secluded as Tara thought. Wrapped in a towel, Faith walked into view. She stopped the second she saw Tara. "Sorry. Didn't know you were here."
It was clear she had wanted to hide, too. Tara saw no reason they couldn't share the secluded spot. "Don't run away. There are two chairs. Sit down." Tara pointed to the other seat at the small table. "We can commune with Nature or contemplate the meaning of Life in silence. Together."
"Nah. You were here first. I'll head back…" Faith was already turning away.
Dear Goddess. Was Faith always this stubborn? "Faith," Tara said in exasperation, "sit down."
The emotion created an unintended snap to the comment, and Faith's turn became a three hundred sixty degree spin. "Yes, Ma'am." She sank into the chair and shook her head in confusion.
Tara nearly mimicked the gesture. What was she doing? Less than a week with a partial bond, and she was lording it over poor Faith. "You were looking for some peace and quiet, and I was trespassing on your spot, wasn't I? If anyone should leave, it should be me," Tara offered. Picking up her mug and book bag, she started to stand.
"Don't." Faith reached out and stopped short of actually touching Tara's hand. "We can share the table. Ain't like you're Red and gonna talk my ear off."
It was a strange sort of compliment, yet Tara beamed at Faith. Without commenting. After all, she wasn't going to be like Red (who she assumed was the ever-talkative Willow) and ruin the mood.
Closing her eyes, Tara gave Faith the illusion of privacy. It also provided some much-needed headache relief for Tara. Without the glare of the sun, the pounding in her temples eased. She sighed and rolled her neck. The muscles, which had begun to resemble taut cables, stretched and released. Excellent. As the pain faded, Tara let the soft rustle of leaves and the sleepy chirping of the birds send her into a light trance.
A sense of well-being infused her. She'd never felt so strong, so confident, so unbelievably powerful. It was as if she'd swallowed the final rays of sunlight. Tara shivered as warmth blossomed from her chest to her fingers and toes. Even her hair tingled.
Slowly, the feeling ebbed. Tara reluctantly opened her eyes. It was full dark now. A cool breeze ruffled her hair, and her stomach growled.
Wait. That wasn't her stomach. "Eh, been a while since lunch." Faith, who'd been sprawled, boneless, in her chair, blinked sleepily. "Guess I fell asleep." A massive yawn caused her jaw to crack.
"You must have needed the nap, sweetie," Tara said softly. A grin snuck out as Faith's stomach growled an even louder protest. "And now you need some dinner, before that thing decides I'd make a good snack."
Faith chuckled, and Tara glimpsed a pair of killer dimples. "I got more self control than that. Could probably make it to the kitchen without more than nibbling on your arm." She stood and stretched,
The move reminded Tara that Faith was dressed only in her underwear. Tanned skin and rippling muscles displayed for a long moment before the towel was back in place. Tara swallowed in a suddenly dry throat. "Good," she choked out. "I like my arms without teeth marks. It makes it easier to roll my sleeves up in the summertime." Dear Goddess, Tara thought. She sounded like an idiot. Her face burned from the heat of her blush.
"Guess I gotta head inside then. I don't want you to have to be all buttoned up." Faith gave Tara a slow once over. "Be a shame if that happened." She might have said more but her gaze stopped when Faith glimpsed Tara's marker. "Oh, hey. Didn't mean nothin.'" Raising her hands in a gesture of surrender, she mumbled, "Crossed enough lines for one week."
Tara responded instantly to the sudden self-loathing in Faith's voice. "You didn't cross any lines, sweetie." Her smile was meant to reassure Faith and to reestablish their teasing mood. "And if you did, I jumped right over them with you. I wasn't insulted and I'm not angry." She stood, too, and began to clear up the remains of her tea. "Come on. I'll escort you into the kitchen. If you don't eat me between here and there, I'll know you believe that you did nothing wrong."
Frowning, Faith regarded Tara as if she wasn't ready to trust her.
"I promise I'm not mad, Faith." Holding out her hand, Tara waited. She was determined to stay frozen in place until Faith believed her. Luckily, Tara was patient because she had to wait several minutes.
Faith finally heaved a dramatic sigh and hesitantly took Tara's hand.
"Thank you." Somehow, Tara knew she'd accomplished a miracle in earning this much trust from the prickly Faith. "Dinner is this way, Slayer." She started for the house, towing Faith along with her. "You know, if this Hungry Beast of yours comes around often, maybe you need something out of the ordinary. Maybe dinner out?"
"You askin' me out on a date?" Goddess, those dimples. "What would your sub say, huh?"
"I don't know," Tara answered truthfully. "We haven't really talked about it." Or anything else. "Does it have to be a date? I mean, friends go out together all the time." They made it to the kitchen, and Tara released Faith's hand. A shiver rippled through her and she absently rubbed her hands up and down her arms to warm up. "Willow has my email if you ever need a friend, Faith."
"Ah, there you are!" Giles was in his usual place behind his desk when Faith walked into the office. "I thought perhaps I would need to deploy a search party to find you."
He was so not funny. "Mighta been a good idea. I ate so much I almost couldn't make it out of the kitchen." Faith rubbed her stomach ruefully. She'd been too nervous to do more than nibble at lunch, thanks to the meeting with the Mayor. By the time Tara had dropped her off by the refrigerator, Faith had been starving.
"Well, now that you have successfully maneuvered the staircase, perhaps we can concentrate on tonight's mission?" Giles gestured to the chair next to Buffy. "I asked Willow to research the amulet as well as the El Eliminati. Her findings were not what I had anticipated."
"Hey, I had an idea." Faith couldn't resist. "What if that Balthazar guy ain't really dead? Would he send the Sword Vamps out looking for his necklace?" It was a direct hit. Giles gaped at her, and Faith did her best to maintain an innocent expression. "It makes sense, Giles. The Eliminati guys decided out of the blue to steal the amulet from a dead guy? Why now? Only good explanation is they got marchin' orders from their boss."
Staring at her in bemusement, Giles said faintly, "Yes, that's what Willow believes as well."
"That's two votes for Breathing Balthazar. Where do Faith and I go to make sure Balthazar is really dead this time?" Buffy cut right to the chase. Either she'd begun channeling Faith's usual impatience or things with Xander were still eating away at her.
"Based on Willow's in-depth research of recent vampire activity, various witness statements filed with the Council switchboard..." Giles settled into his full-on lecture mode.
Faith tuned him out. She already knew they were headed to the warehouse district. She had more important things to worry about than listening to Giles explain every step in Willow's research process or why they should take extra precautions for this demon in particular. She had the Mayor's offer to consider. A non-Council job. Slayers weren't required to stay with the Council. They could, and did, fill other professions as long as they remained on the Council's reserve list. What would it be like to have an office? To have people who worked for her?
"Are you listening? Faith!" Giles' voice snapped Faith back to the present.
"Hard to sleep with you yelling," Faith responded automatically.
She scowled as his long-suffering sigh. "Tonight's mission is for information-gathering only. Although Willow is confident she has discovered Balthazar's location, there is nothing to explain his unexpected return to Sunnydale. Please refrain from your usual carnage and focus on finding answers." He pinned them both with a steely stare that would have been more effective if he hadn't tried it on two Slayers.
It wouldn't do to tell him that, though. Faith remained slumped in her chair. Buffy had to respond. She raised her right hand. "I solemnly swear that we will be carnage free unless there is a sale. In which case, there might be a small purchase made because you know I could never resist a bargain on the death and dismemberment."
Giles crumpled. "Go. Just… Please, go."
Faith was up and out the door before he could change his mind. They stopped at the weapons closet, and this time she didn't back away from the hardware. Short sword, daggers on both hips and in boot sheaths, and the usual collection of stakes. In case Balthazar had really come back to play, she looped a quiver of arrows across her back and grabbed a short bow. Giles might think Faith was too impatient for planning, but she wasn't taking any chances tonight. Superior firepower equaled more dead demons. "Let's find some facts, B."
"Facts are of the good," Buffy agreed. Fully armed, they left the House. Their destination was on the edge of town. Technology Park and the nearby manufacturing district housed dozens of deserted warehouses and storage facilities. It was Faith's least favorite place in Sunnydale. The dirty, vampire-infested buildings reminded her of the Boston docks. Gripping the shaft of her bow, she followed Buffy down Greenwalt to K Street.
"Feel it?" Buffy asked softly
Like a bolt of lightning to the gut. "Yeah." They were close. It was pitch black now. All the streetlights and security lights were out. Empty buildings closed in around them as they jogged down an alley. "I think Giles's fact finding thing is gonna be more vamp killing."
"Oops?" Buffy glanced over her shoulder at Faith, her lack of remorse evident.
Before Faith could reply, a pair of vampires stepped out of the shadows in front of Buffy. She immediately went on the offensive while Faith cursed and pulled an arrow from the quiver at her back. It was too dark. They were all too close.
The damned bow was less than useless. Tossing it aside, she ran to help Buffy. "I got the one on your left," she shouted. Buffy took a half-step to her right, giving Faith a clear path at "her" vampire. It turned to dust seconds later. Unlike the bow, the arrow made a perfect stake.
Buffy staked the other vampire. Unfortunately, there was no time to celebrate. More vampires poured into the alley. "You get the impression we may not have a chance to find Balthazar?" she asked Faith as the real fighting began.
Faith was too busy staking vampires to answer. Stab. Dust. Duck. Repeat. It was awesome. Riding the wave of adrenaline, Faith ignored the pain from a kick she hadn't blocked. The sting along her cheek from a cut.
Slaying. There was nothing like it. "We're winning, B!" Only a few vampires remained. Faith took out two more and the coast was clear. Buffy was still fighting. Faith could hear the battle behind her. Turning, she saw a vampire throw himself at Buffy's back.
Coward. Faith charged forward and grabbed his arm. A quick twist and he stared at her in shock until her stake lodged in his chest. The life faded from his eyes as blood rushed over her hands.