Sire

By KnightMare24

Willow had spent some of the night comforting Kristin, who now held a little jealousy about the ex-boyfriend but wouldn't say it. Willow reassured her vampire that she wasn't a dirty little secret, she was just in danger. Kristin had been good about hiding her fear, but the link cancelled that and Willow was grateful, because she could have really screwed things up if she'd ignored Kristin's insecurity. After they talked Willow spent the rest of the night barely being able to sleep. As she got up for school she felt like she was going to the gallows, and she stood beside Kristin's side of the bed and stared down at her vampire. "It's going to get messy now, but I love you." Willow whispered.

Willow left early for school and hurried so that she'd have some time in the library before school, some time to feel Giles out perhaps. He hadn't been thrilled with Buffy and Angel, and still wasn't, so he was unlikely to be all happy for Willow when this came out.

Willow opened the door and was about to call out into the library when she noticed Oz standing in front of Giles, and Giles was rubbing the lenses of his glasses. "Oh Dear Lord." The British man spoke that loudly, sounding shocked. Willow watched the animated way her ex was talking to him and she quietly slipped back out the door.

"Damn it." Willow glanced around the hall and started to walk a bit faster away. She couldn't talk to them now, she had to make a plan. She needed a plan, something foolproof and smart, something that made sure that this didn't blow up in their faces. Willow needed a plan. Willow grimaced as no plan started to spring forth in her mind. Willow needed more time, but she wasn't going to get that. "Damn werewolves and their super sensitive noses." Willow muttered as she rushed back down the hall toward the front doors of the school. She needed to avoid certain people until she had a plan too.

"Whoa, where's the fire Red?" A voice spoke just as the front door rammed into someone and Willow looked up to see Faith there. It was strange to see her any time before noon.

"Why are you up early?" Willow snapped out, worried that someone had called Faith in over what Oz said.

"I'm not up early, I'm still up." Faith gave Willow that teasing sexy grin and Willow just shook her head and started to walk around her. It was early, but a few students were starting to show up. "Hey Red, what's up?" Willow grimaced as that sounded too close for Faith to be doing anything but following her.

"None of your business Faith." Willow turned to glare at the slayer, before turning to just start walking away from school. She didn't even know where she was going.

"You're in trouble Red, I know you are." Faith was still there and Willow did her best to ignore her as she tried to think. She needed to get Kristin out of the house in the daylight, so that no one could find her. "You need help."

"A slayer is absolutely the last thing I need right now." Willow stopped walking and just stared at Faith, "Just go away."

"So someone figured out you have a vampire?" The words shocked Willow and she just stared at Faith with wide eyes for a moment. "Took them a while."

"What? No." Willow shook her head to deny it and heard the rustle of paper as Faith pulled something out of her pocket.

"Buffy gave me a copy of that list you made her." Faith unfolded the paper and Willow was too stunned to say anything as she looked at the seven pictures again. "Funny thing is, I hear this person here wasn't there." Faith pointed to the picture of a woman Willow had put on there to cover for Kristin. "Nope, she wasn't there at all." Faith looked far too cheerful as she looked up at Willow, "So, want to skip school and chat?"

That was how Willow found herself walking with Faith into a restaurant a few blocks from the school and ordering breakfast just as her first class should be starting. She didn't share a class with anyone until third period, so hopefully she could fix this before then. "She's never killed anyone, never once." Willow spoke quietly, knowing she had to convince the slayer. "She's just a pet, one of the weak ones." The waitress had left them alone with their orange juices and Willow hated the pleading in her voice. "She's not like the other vampires, not at all. Hell, Buffy let Angel live and he's killed so many, and Kristin's never killed anyone." There was no point in hiding that she had the vampire.

"How do you know she hasn't?" Faith asked, but it wasn't harsh. For a brief moment Willow wished that Buffy would listen to her like Faith was, but then she pushed that thought away. "It's not natural that a vampire would be around for over a month and not hunt. It's what they do."

"Pets serve, they get their blood from their Sires, either gifted humans, leftovers, or right from their Sire's veins." Willow repeated what she'd learned. "But they don't hunt like other vampires. They aren't strong enough. I'll admit she tried once, but she was attacked and tortured by vampires and she is scared to leave the house now. She's terrified of vampires. That doesn't sound like a killer to you does it? I feed her pigs blood." Willow didn't admit to the human blood that was a treat, or that her own veins weren't too pure anymore.

"You've been letting her bite you." Faith stared at Willow's neck, but there wouldn't be a bite mark, so Faith was just searching.

"I've offered, but she won't bite. She's afraid to hurt me." Willow spoke quickly, wanting Faith to see Kristin the way Willow did. "If I cut myself she'll lick, but she never bites, and if she accidentally cuts me she freezes, afraid that I'm hurt."

"Why the hell would you let a blood sucker drink from you?" Faith's voice was quieter, but more intense.

"I don't know that I can even explain. It's like with a cute kitten, you know cute kittens like milk so you give it to them and it feels good to watch them drink their milk knowing their purry little hearts are all happy. Only my cute kitten is a vampire and she likes blood." Willow bit her lower lip as she considered what she'd said. "Not that she's a kitten, because hey, I know she's a vampire, but she's cute in a vampire kind of way, even with the grr face. And she's all purry when I let her have my blood, it makes her all happy, because she likes it best."

"You're insane." Faith scoffed and Willow felt a bit angry.

"Oz just told Giles that I was out last night with a vampire. I have to figure out how to keep her from getting slayed." Willow snapped at Faith.

"I thought she couldn't leave the house." Faith pointed out the flaw.

"I'm working on showing her she can. I can't keep her in the house for years, she has to be able to leave, to see movies, go out to restaurants, maybe go back to school." Willow defended herself. "She didn't want to live here, and I can't leave. I have to make it better for her, because she gave up too much. She's not happy here, but she's staying for me. I can't let her live in fear."

Faith just stared at Willow for long enough to make it uncomfortable. "You trust this vamp?"

"More than I ever trusted Angel, more than I trust him now. My vampire doesn't have a soul, and she can't lose what she doesn't have." Willow sighed. "She's my girlfriend Faith, my vampy girlfriend."

"Whoa, Red, when you step out of the box you pole vault don't you?" Faith shook her head and Willow didn't answer because the waitress was back with breakfast. Willow was a little surprised to see Faith just start to shovel food into her mouth during such an important conversation. It must have shown, because Faith gave her a funny look. "Hungry and horny, you know how it is. I got one scratched, now I need to scratch the other."

"Ew Faith, I'm eating." Willow grimaced and looked down at her plate.

"No you aren't, you were just telling me you do the horizontal dance with the undead. Don't act like I'm grossing you out." Faith's words made Willow cringe, because what she did with Kristin was beautiful and those words made it sound rather gross.

Willow used her fork to move food around on her plate, but she wasn't feeling like eating. There was too much she needed to do and her appetite was missing now.

"Eat up Red, you're paying for all of this." Faith moved to point at her own plate and Willow's eyes narrowed at that, but she couldn't complain now. She hated that she needed Faith's help.

"You know, before I came to SunnyD it was all simple, if it's a bloodthirsty demon kill it." Faith sighed heavily. "It's what a slayer is supposed to do, but Buffy changed all those rules and it isn't all good and evil, black and white anymore. Sure the Council would eat their underwear after shitting them if they saw what all goes on in this town, but maybe some demons, even some vampires, are okay. I don't know anymore." Willow noticed that Faith seemed really bothered by the topic, it seemed like an important one to her and Faith was talking to her plate, not directly at Willow. "But how can we BE slayers if we need to evaluate every demon, every vampire, and decide if they need to be slayed?"

"Buffy is one of my best friends, but if the vampire isn't Angel she doesn't think twice." Willow spoke quietly, not wanting to get philosophical, because this wasn't a philosophical issue for her. Willow wanted her vampire protected, end of issue, no debating about if she should want that, she did. Willow was a little reassured, however, that it seemed like Faith had considered this issue before. "Her vampire is safe, but I'll have to fight for mine and I'm not all strong and violent. I know Buffy's all slay happy and overprotective, and she's going to assume I don't know what I'm talking about even though I read all the books she refuses to open. I swear I know my vampire and I know how to keep her in line. She doesn't need a soul to be good, she has me, and she's sweet and far gentler than anyone could imagine a vampire being. I have to be careful with her, because I swear if I told her to walk outside at noon she'd do it for me." Willow's throat felt like it was closing from repressing tears and even though she tried her eyes were teary. "She'd do anything for me."

"We're gonna have to test that." Faith spoke and it sounded a little more action oriented. Willow stared over at the slayer. "You know Buffy's going to head to your house as soon as she hears you have a Pet Vamp. It would be best if your vamp wasn't there. Fangette needs to leave the house in the middle of the day."

………………………….

Kristin groaned as she heard the pounding on the front door and rolled over. She'd woken up a little while ago to a strange feeling of urgency her sire was sending out, but at school Willow tended to send those out a lot. Willow worried about her grades too much, not that Kristin would tell her that.

The knocking was irritating. It wasn't the first time someone had tried to knock when Kristin was alone at the house. Usually it was religious zealots and it wasn't safe to answer the door to those even if the sun wouldn't come in. The pounding didn't stop and Kristin was a little surprised. "Come on Fangette!" An unfamiliar voice called out and Kristin sat up and focused on listening harder. "Willow sent me! Unlock the door or I'll have to break it."

Kristin was out of the bed, feeling a sense of forboding, thinking that the feeling she'd sensed earlier from Willow wasn't about school. Kristin grabbed Willow's robe and walked into the hall naked while putting it on. She grabbed the umbrella and used it to block the sunlight as she made her way to the front door, the robe still hanging opened since she couldn't tie it and hold the umbrella at the same time. "Finally awake." The voice spoke through the door. "Thought I was going to have to break in and drag your undead ass out of bed."

Kristin closed the umbrella and quickly tied her robe. "Willow never sends people to me." Kristin spoke through the door.

"And Red never sends me anywhere, so today is opposite day. I'll be her little lackey and get her undead lover to safety." Kristin leaned up against the door. "Wolfboy is causing trouble and this is the first place they'll look for you. Look, check the answering machine if your worried, Red called you before she went back to school."

Kristin moved her hands to the door, believing this. "I'm unlocking, but wait a few seconds before you open it." She told the stranger at the door. Once the door was unlocked Kristin moved into the living room where the sun wouldn't hit her and waited.

A dark haired and rather confident looking teenage girl opened the door and stepped in. Kristin felt a small strange sensation she couldn't quite recognize, it wasn't a vampire, but this girl wasn't normal. It had to be Faith, and if it was something really went wrong, because Willow didn't even like that slayer. "Is she okay?" Kristin felt out for her Sire as she ask and felt a bit of urgency and reassurance.

There was also a faint message, "go with faith." It was almost a whisper and Faith's starting to talk almost made it hard to hear but Kristin managed.

"Red's fine, just worried about you." Faith closed the front door and Kristin swallowed, feeling a bit nervous. "We're leaving for my place. If you want to go naked feel free, but I can wait about two minutes for you to get dressed."

Kristin moved to the answering machine, hit the button and then moved to the stairs as it started to run. She glanced a little nervously at the now smug looking slayer as she grabbed the umbrella and opened it while they listened to a telemarketer who was the first message. "Guess bad luck doesn't matter to the undead huh?" Faith spoke and Kristin just sighed as she made her way upstairs fast.

Willow's words filled the house and Kristin could hear it because her senses were stronger. As Kristin pulled on her pants she could hear the tension in Willow's voice and wondered how she'd slept through that. "Please, just go with Faith. I know she's a slayer, but she's going to hide you until I can make the others listen. If you're in the house when they all find out about you they'll just go after you and ignore what I say." There was a pause and Kristin was tugging on her shoes as she heard her Sire speak more softly. "I love you, and I'll protect you. I'll see you tonight, but it may be later. Be careful and be good." The message ended and Kristin was dressed. She grabbed her brush and her toothbrush. She went down the stairs fast and glanced over at the slayer.

"I'll need my blood." She told Faith and watched the slight grimace before the woman nodded.

"I'll get some ice, because no way in hell is that going in my fridge." Faith spoke up and Kristin looked over from her place pulling a few bags out of the fridge. Faith was hitting erase on the answering machine. "Hiding you won't work if they find out this easily." Faith explained and Kristin was glad the slayer was thinking more clearly than Kristin was at the moment.

"How am I leaving?" Kristin had her bag with a few containers of blood and her favorite mug, in which she tossed the other things she had in her hand.

"Borrowed a car. You'll be riding in the trunk." Faith smirked at her and Kristin sighed heavily, not liking it, but not really able to see another way.

Just a few minutes later and Kristin heard the car start and she stood in the garage near the door to the house as she hit the button to open the garage door. She watched as the sun filled three feet of the garage and stared at the back of the large and rather run down looking car that was backing up into the garage for her. She closed the door to the house and moved as far as she could into the garage.

When the pop sound signaled that the truck was unlocked Kristin stared into the rearview mirror of the car at the slayer, not seeing herself, but seeing an amused smile looking at her. Kristin sighed and got into the trunk, before pulling it closed behind her.

"This is the easy part. I don't have a garage." Faith spoke in the car and it carried to Kristin easily. They moved forward. Kristin did her best to steady herself in the trunk, but she knew this wasn't going to be a comfortable ride. Something was already poking her in the back.

………………………

Willow walked into the school and into the crowd after first period. She felt like there should be a huge blinking sign over her head that screamed she'd skipped a class, but no one looked at her strangely at all as she made her way through the halls toward her locker.

"Hey Wills." Xander leaned up against the row of lockers near her and Willow's body tensed up for a moment as she turned to look at him. He was smiling, so he didn't know Kristin was a vampire yet. Willow gave him a weak attempt at a smile back. "So do you think she'd be up to another jaunt outside soon? We could go to the mall. I always get roped into shopping with Cordy and I think having Kristin and you along might make that bearable."

Willow did her best not to tear up, knowing this acceptance was going to go away by the end of the day. She'd miss invitations like this from Xander. "I don't know Xan. I'll ask her later." There was no way they could do it, but why have that discussion now.

Willow and Xander made their way down the hall, but they split up as they made their way into their own classes. Willow was in AP English and Xander was well, Xander. He'd never be in AP anything but Woodshop. Willow did her best to pay attention and to hope that Faith wasn't scaring Kristin. It was unbelievable that Faith, the skankiest slayer ever to live, was the one helping Willow save Kristin. Willow had to go back to school to delay the confrontation while Faith moved Willow's vampy lover in the middle of the day.

It was almost time for the third period to end when Willow felt a wave of concern from Kristin and she knew Faith was at the house. Willow closed her eyes and focused on her vampy girlfriend, willing her to trust Faith, to go with Faith, because they didn't have time for Kristin not to.

………………………..

Kristin ran into Faith's apartment right after the invitation and slammed the door behind her. The sheet that must have come from the messy bed was tossed back onto the bed and she stood in the middle of a rather run down looking hotel room. "I'll go get some ice for your blood, stay here and don't touch anything." Faith told her and Kristin moved out of the way of the sunlight as the slayer left her alone in the room.

Kristin looked around and noticed the small mini fridge, and the microwave sitting on top of it. It looked like something you'd find in a dorm room and from the looks of this place it hadn't come with the hotel room. Kristin looked around and there was no couch, just a bed, a dresser, and a round table with a single chair.

Kristin made her way to the bathroom and looked at a few cracked tiles and cracks in the paint. The bathtub was tiny and there was little room around the sink for the few items that sat there. "This is so wrong. You're a slayer." This wasn't a place fit to live in. Even Kristin's ugly dorm room was miles above this. Who was watching out for this slayer? Willow told Kristin that slayers had watchers, but in Kristin's mind a watcher was doing more than research, they would watch out for the welfare of the slayer. Apparently she was wrong.

The door opened again and Faith had the tub filled and overflowing with ice. Kristin watched her pour it into the sink and Kristin sighed at the pour set up for her blood. If she had to last more than until tonight what she had wouldn't last in that set up, it would spoil. She needed to drink some now, as much as she could. "Can I use the microwave?"

"Ew, no. I don't want blood splatters in my microwave." Faith sounded rather firm on that and Kristin just sighed. Cold it was even more disgusting. She didn't bother mentioning that she always cleaned out the microwave, because it wasn't likely to earn her points. "I'm gonna take a shower and get some sleep. You go near me when I'm sleeping Fangette and I'll stake you." Faith told her.

Kristin had enough time to set up the cold storage for her blood, and she pulled two containers out of the bathroom with her as Faith took the room over. It took a lot of willpower to be able to drink it and Kristin felt like she'd gag as she did it.

Faith didn't talk to her when she came out of her bathroom later smelling of soap and shampoo. Kristin was a little surprised that the slayer wasn't shy about being naked, but Kristin thought of Willow and didn't look. Her sire wouldn't want her to. "I sleep naked, and I don't want to wake up to a lesbian vampire in my bed, so know that I also sleep with a stake under my pillow." Faith crawled into bed.

"Can I have a pillow?" Kristin asked after she brushed her teeth and then caught the one tossed at her. Kristin curled up on the floor furthest from the door and sighed. "Do you think she'll be able to straighten this out?" Kristin asked the slayer from her spot on the floor.

"Probably. Buffy listens to Willow. If you were my vampire you'd be dusted no matter what I said, but Willow will give her sad eyes and get what she wants." Faith spoke and then the rustle of sheets sounded like she'd rolled over. "If you can't sleep stay quiet. I sleep during the day."

Kristin found it impossible to sleep, so she just listened to the slayer's breathing even out and the strong heartbeat. It didn't have the same soothing quality Willow's did on her. Kristin sighed heavily and rolled onto her back and stared up at the stained ceiling. She should have brought a book.