The puddle on the floor quit glowing as the rubber grips, the only intact part of Olivia's weapon, splashed into the cooling liquid.
"Sit down, Detective. Now," Willow ordered softly. "We are running out of time, and there are things you need to know." Her eyes were still blue; although, as Chelsea watched, green slowly leeched back in until Willow seemed normal.
Olivia dropped into her chair. "What the hell are you?" Her voice shook noticeably and she sat as far away from the table – and Willow – as possible.
"Red's one of the good guys." Faith smirked slightly. "Just don't keep pissin' her off. Girl's got a temper and plenty of mojo to back it up." The smile disappeared. "I'm gonna say this real fast for you and the Sarge. If ya' got questions, they have to wait for the drive."
Unfortunately for Faith's plan, Munch wasn't as stunned as Olivia. He leaned forward and stared intently at the Slayer. "I don't…"
Faith's hand snapped up. "I said no questions. You're as bad as the Tweeds. Shut up and listen!" she said sharply. "Or I'm gonna haul your ass outside and there won't be any explanation." She waited a second as Chelsea held her breath. Would Munch let Faith dictate the terms?
Apparently so. Munch nodded once and crossed his arms over his chest. "No questions." Then he had to add, "For now."
"That's all I'm asking, Sarge," Faith told him. Glancing at Chelsea, she raised an eyebrow. "You want in on this or are me and Red tellin' the story?"
Chelsea didn't even hesitate to take the out. "It's all you, Faith." If she got involved, the explanation would take hours and probably not make any sense. After all, Chelsea still didn't completely understand (or fully believe) the things happening around her. Olivia and Munch would sense that, and things would go downhill – again – from there.
"Wicked," Faith said dryly. "I'm gonna start and then Red can hit what I miss. The shit happening with the Chief is all because of some prophecy. Me, her, and the vampires got starring roles. For all the newbies at the table, prophecies suck for details. The only people happy to see 'em are Simmons and the Tweed Crew."
Nicole stirred for the first time since the conversation started. "The Tweed Crew are really called Watchers, Detective Munch. They… Well, they do a lot of the research. Prophecies can get them pretty excited," she finished dryly.
"Ain't no lie." Faith and Nicole shared a look before Faith got back on track. "Red and Nic figured out there's an election, a War Lord or something, and the Chief's the only one able to cast the final vote. That's why she's got vampires huntin' her. They probably got their own fav candidate."
When Olivia cleared her throat, Faith stopped talking and watched her carefully.
Chelsea watched, too. While Faith had certainly given a concise summation of their situation, she had done nothing to explain the supernatural forces at play. Olivia wasn't going to accept vampires as a reality without something more concrete. Willow's magic must have convinced her not to push for answers, though. Despite a mutinous expression, Olivia didn't say anything.
"We can't prove that vampires are real. Not here. Not now." Willow picked up the thread of conversation. "They are real, like magic." Her eyes again turned blue. "Faith, Nicole, and those…escorts," she mocked Munch's earlier comment, "are called Vampire Slayers. They were created centuries ago to fight and kill vampires and other evil."
Giving up on sitting safely on the sidelines, Chelsea said, "They have powers like Willow's. Not magic." Thank God. "Super strength and speed. Faith didn't exactly turn my gun into a puddle, but it's still as useless. I'm carrying my backup." Meeting Munch's eyes, she pushed back the edge of her coat to show him the weapon. "I've got to be in St. Reginald tomorrow, and we're probably looking at a big fight on the way. Are you in?"
Chelsea didn't expect Munch or Olivia to agree. Not yet. Not until they'd asked their questions – and they had questions. It didn't take training in reading body language to see that.
"If I remember my legends, Chelsea," Munch's use of Chelsea's first name indicated she might have been wrong about his decision, "vampires can't be killed by a mere bullet. Does your personal army, here, have any extra stakes I can use?"
Without hesitation, Faith pulled a stake from her belt and tossed it across the table. It landed in front of Munch less than a second before one of Nicole's. Faith didn't even have to turn her head to see that every Junior still in the room had a hand out – holding a stake.
"I think one is enough," Munch mumbled and retrieved Faith's stake. For the first time, he seemed to lose composure. Faith watched his long, thin fingers stroke over the wood of his new weapon. When he spoke again, the usual mocking edge was back in his voice. "Benson? How about you? You've got space in your holster now."
The droll comment broke most of the lingering tension. Faith snorted and heard Willow and Nicole giggle. The only one not smiling was Olivia. "This is right down your alley, Munch. Secret warriors against evil. Rigged elections." Hands fisted on the table, Olivia glared at Munch and then turned the look on Faith. "Maybe we all need a long vacation at Bellevue. God knows the last psych eval I had said I was on the edge."
No longer amused, Faith met Olivia's gaze. "My prison shrink said I shoulda been in some loony bin. It don't mean the fucker had a clue."
"So Hollywood has it right?" Some of the aggression faded from Olivia's voice. "Why haven't I seen any of this before now? I've been a cop a long time…"
"Movies are stupid," Faith said with utter certainly. "And I'm bettin' you've seen a lot more than you think. You damn near got nailed by a vamp the other night in the park. Me and Red were there and I tossed a stake right under your nose to dust the blood sucker." She grinned faintly at Olivia's suddenly wide-eyed expression. "You got another reason your bad guy went poof?"
Olivia slowly shook her head. "I should have tried that with the captain. 'Sorry we lost the perp. He got staked and disappeared…'"
It sounded as if Olivia was about to choose sides. Wanting to make sure she picked the right one, Faith said, "You're a cop. You seen enough shit to know evil's real." Faith stopped there. She'd talked far more than she'd intended. Either Olivia was going to join the team right now or they were leaving her behind.
Thanks to the stillness in the cabin, Faith heard the rumble of a car engine spring to life outside and the dull scrape as one of the Juniors shifted nearby.
"Give me a couple of stakes, Munch. My gun's bigger than yours and one skinny piece of wood won't fill my holster," Olivia announced, turning her attention back to Munch.
Faith watched the scene and felt…better. Not exactly happy or hopeful. Just better. "OK, then, boys and girls. You've had Slayer 101. The next lesson's more hands on. Sarge, you and Liv follow our car. We got an extra Junior you can have to make sure ya' don't get lost." Riding with two cops probably rated higher than being stuck in the car with her and Willow in Shannon's mind, anyway. "You run into trouble, use the stakes and aim for the heart. They're gonna be faster and stronger than anything you've seen, and they don't give a fuck that you're cops."
It didn't take long for everyone to stand, and they began to file toward the door. Faith hung back, scanning the room for anything useful they'd left behind. A few books lay in one corner, and Willow's windstorm had scattered some loose papers and pieces of parchment. Nothing they could make into a weapon.
"Faith?" Willow stood in the doorway with her head cocked inquiringly. "Everything OK?"
Leaving the items behind, Faith strode for the door. "Five by five, Red." The trademark phrase worked almost as well as it had in the hotel. Willow looked far from convinced of Faith's sincerity. Heaving a sigh, Faith muttered, "Makin' sure we didn't leave nothin' important. Let's hit the road before Butch Liv decides she oughta be in charge."
"Be careful," Willow said. Faith didn't understand the smile that accompanied the warning until she continued. "If she hears you call her that, I'm not stepping in with more parlour tricks to keep her from shooting you."
Willow stepped in? What was she talking about? "The fireball…" Faith stared at Willow, chest and throat tight. "You said you had a plan, Red." Melting Olivia's gun hadn't been part of Willow's strategy?
Taking Faith's hand and pulling her outside, Willow nodded. "Yep, I did. I was going to get my laptop out and show some of those videos Giles finally made. The ones of you fighting off the M'Fashnik demon." Her smile faltered, not quite disappearing, and Willow looked away. "The fireball just happened."
Faith had been around Willow enough since Sunnydale to know magic didn't simply happen. "Willow, she wasn't going to shoot me." To hell with hurrying to the car. Faith stopped moving, and, thanks to Willow's grip on her hand, Willow stopped moving, too. "I'da had the gun before she pulled the trigger." Probably. Faith hadn't been convinced Slayer speed would beat Olivia's itchy trigger finger at the time. Now, faced with Willow's magical protection, Faith forced herself to at least sound certain. "Don't go all veiny 'cause of me."
Willow's lips pressed together, and Faith waited for her to complain. And waited. After several seconds of silence, she put her free hand under Willow's chin and pulled.
Stubborn green eyes glared at her. "I will if I want to," Willow declared. "I don't care if you're a Slayer, Faith. Detective Benson can't threaten you and get away with it. You didn't have a weapon; you just told her something she didn't want to hear. I won't be so nice the next time she – or anyone else – tries it again."
Warmth pierced Faith's palm where it pressed into Willow's chin. As she stared at Willow, the warmth grew and spread until it suffused her entire body. "Willow," she said softly, "did you…are you…?" Lost in Willow's eyes, in the sheer emotion there, Faith faltered.
"I wanted to wait," Willow answered. "I told myself you had to be the one to make the first move." She stepped closer and turned her head, lips pressing gently into Faith's palm. "Damned detective, ruining all my plans."
Through their contact, Faith felt Willow's smile. "You woulda waited a long time." Faith curled her suddenly stiff and uncoordinated fingers tighter around Willow's chin. "I didn't know, Willow. Even Nic saw…this." What should she call it? Faith understood, now, that what she felt for Willow was more than mere friendship. What she didn't know, couldn't know, thanks to her past, was what their relationship had become.
Willow raised her head. "Nicole is very smart, for a Slayer." Faith watched Willow's smile turn into a grin and inch closer. And closer.
When Willow's lips touched hers, Faith felt the world split. On one level, she was aware of the biting cold and the utter absurdity of playing out the most important moment of her life in front of a group of gaping Juniors and Chelsea's cronies.
On the other…Faith couldn't think. She could only feel. Willow's lips were so soft, so sure. They opened, and Faith automatically mimicked the move. In a heartbeat, Willow's tongue slipped inside her mouth and Faith gasped. Pure sunlight seemed to pour into her, heating, warming, and cleansing every part of her heart and soul. The inner light remained, even when Willow slowly pulled away. "Will…" Don't leave, Faith tried to say.
The words were cut off when Willow pressed a single finger over her lips. "I'm not going anywhere," she said, almost as if she heard Faith's unspoken plea. "Well," Willow continued with a wide smile, "I am going. So are you. To the car." She stepped backward, never releasing Faith from her stare. "We have a vampire army to beat and then we are so going to revisit this, Missy."
It was such a Willow-type comment that Faith rolled her eyes. "Revisit? After dustin' an army, we'll be doin' more than visitin'. More like movin' in. You been around long enough to know the HHs, Red. You ready for that?"
Willow's eyes were dark and soft. "Wait and see, Faith. Wait and see." Winking, she turned and strode to the car.
Faith waited for a second as the world around her trembled. What was she doing? Fighting vampires was her job. No problem. Starting something with Willow? All new. Definitely a problem.
"If you aren't in the car in ten seconds, we're leaving without you," Willow called out. "And then you won't get to see what I'm ready for."