Quick A/N: I know it's been quite a while (hangs head in shame)...but I do have every intention of finishing this. Aiming for a new chapter every two weeks. A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed or PM'ed me. I picked a pen every time, even if I didn't get too far! Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Sleep

That night, Buffy had never felt more alone. She realized when she laid down in her bed that Spike had slept with her every day since she had been resurrected. For some reason, she was still uncomfortable telling him that she barely needed sleep. It made her feel so inhuman. She had settled for the fact that she was nocturnal in a way, but she knew it was more than that.

No, she didn't need sleep.

But being in his arms did bring her some kind of peace. No matter how fleeting.

A huge part of her wanted to go patrol and work off her nervous energy. But she knew he was probably doing the same thing and wanted to respect his space right now. Honestly, she wasn't even sure what to say to him. If she was really being honest, she wasn't not enjoying the quiet of her room right now either. It was exhausting always having to be around everyone sometimes. She always had to be something normal.

Pretend to be, at least.

And Spike was always watching her with careful inspecting eyes, checking on her happiness. How happy she was with him, or unhappy. How happy she was being here, or unhappy she was being here.

*Aren't you tired?*

A part of her didn't know how she heard the words, but she knew who they were coming from. The presence that usually was simmering deep within her started to buzz. The two of them were usually effortless. Buffy never had to make an effort to control herself, or it. It felt like she was Buffy and, like the very dark depths of the ocean, there was something else down there. She felt safe and protected, even in her most conflicted moments.

They belonged to each other, she knew that.

*Aren't you tired?*

"Yes," Buffy whispered out loud. For the first time in a very long time, in the rare quiet solitude of her room, tears fell down her cheeks. "But this isn't over. I need a plan. I'm failing."

*To save him?*

"Yes," she whimpered.

*You are lost-unfocused. I can feel your pain and it's suffocating you, isn't it? The end game is not the save him.*

"I know," Buffy lied.

*Rest, Buffy. Just for a moment.*

"How?"

*Sink.*

The sun had risen when Faith knocked on Buffy's door, fully dressed.

"B, it's recon time. Can I come in or am I going to be traumatized by Spike's ass again?"

"Come in," she heard Buffy say. Faith saw Buffy alone and her face fell immediately. Faith gave Buffy a long once over, trying to find signs of her being upset. But her eyes were focused and sharp, her body relaxed-it was like...

Faith grew worried that this was more than Buffy trying to put on a strong face and not alarm her. For a woman who was full of quirky Buffyisms, as Faith liked to call them, the woman in front of her was too calm and quiet. It was like...

Buffy let someone else do the steering today.

"Faith?" Buffy asked her, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, are you gonna change? Didn't you sleep in that?" Faith stuttered out, trying to not raise suspicion to her assessment of the blonde Slayer. Buffy wordlessly began to pull some clothes out of her drawer. "Buffy? Did you sleep?"

Buffy blinked a couple times, a bit surprised her by question. "I mean, as much as I could. Without him, I mean. I'll be down in a second."

Faith, unconvinced, left the room to find Finley approaching her.

"Is the almighty leader ready?"

"Yeah, she had a rough night. Look, you're going to stand guard for us today, OK? We can't have you going down to the seal and being distracted. We don't know what's down there."

A dark look crossed Finley's face. "I do. But I get it. You don't want me going all PTSD down there, it's cool."

"Look, good ol' Sunnydale High isn't chock full of great memories for me either. Mostly skipping class and just...like pretending I was actually a student."

Finley actually rolled her eyes and laughed a bit. "Kinda not the same thing."

"You should stay in school though. It's good for...things, I guess," Faith tried to recover.

"I heard truants make the best slayers though."

They both chuckled and, for a moment, Faith put her fears aside about Buffy.

The car ride to the school was not an exciting one. Finley seemed too anxious to notice Faith's bad driving or her concern for Buffy. She couldn't seem to stop wringing her hands together or see her Watcher's face. Her body seemed to tingle with an uncomfortable energy as the last of Buffy's healing blood was leaving her system.

As much as she wanted to protest the limited role she was playing in this adventure, she knew she didn't want to go back down there again. But there was part of her that did want to impress Buffy and Faith today. She was a Slayer too! She was embarrassed she was basically a look out today but extremely relieved.

Another time, she thought. Seemed like there would be a lot of battles ahead of them and Faith had agreed to train with her later. Finally, the car rolled to a stop.

The school was eerily quiet as they roamed the hall and Finley navigated them to the door she had opened that day. How could she have been so stupid? Thinking her dead Watcher was..what? A helpful Casper?

She felt her chest tighten.

"You ok?" Faith asked.

"Yeah, I"m fine. Are those great memories coming back yet?" She tried to joke.

"Not yet. How about you, Buffy?"

Buffy frowned. "I actually don't-It's hard to remember things that far back."

Faith was taken back and Buffy seemed to pause for a moment, as if thinking about something. "Where I was," she continued. "Time ran differently. And the memories of life before Dawn and without Dawn kind of...muddled up most of the memories before I was bought back."

"Buffy never told me that."

Before Buffy could respond or acknowledge Faith's slip of the tongue, Finley stopped at the door leading to the basement with a haunted look on her face. "This is it. Wait, what do you mean without Dawn?"

Faith scratched her head. "Short version: Dawn isn't real. Technically."

Finley gave her an odd look. "This seems like this doesn't come with a short version."

"Another time, then," Faith promised. "Hang back and only come get us if it's an emergency."

Finley whispered something that sounded like "be careful" but Faith was already going after Buffy who seemed more than eager to go down into the basement. She gave Finley a reassuring glance before the door closed behind them. She found Buffy staring right at her with a slightly amused smile on her face.

"I should have known better then to try to trick you," she said, something resembling pride in her voice.

Faith crossed her arms and regarded 'Buffy' wearily. "Where is she?"

"She is here. Under. She knows what is happening, everything I am saying to you."

Faith closed her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath. "She asked you to do this," she realized sadly.

"Yes and I've been meaning to speak to you directly for some time now. We need a plan and I fear we cannot do that unless you know all the information."

"All the information?"

Buffy nodded. "It's time I told you everything. We must be prepared for the First and the witch."

"Her name is Willow," Faith said carefully. "What's yours?"

"My name has no translation. It appears they have chosen Sultana in the absence of a name."

"OK, *what* are you?"

"I was one of many. My pack was feared but we did not enjoy carnage and chaos. We preferred to be left alone to our hunts. One day, a witch came to us and asked us to join her army. She was a necromancer and led a horde of vampires. Turok Hans-they are now called. They are nothing like the vampires you know. Their demon lineage is pure and their bloodlust is insatiable. My pack did not want to run with those beasts."

"What happened?" Faith asked. "You said no?"

"She sent her beasts to seek retribution. Most of my pack was killed by either magic or violence."

Faith frowned. "But I thought you're immortal."

A dark pained expression clouded Buffy's eyes. "To kill the witch, I made a deal to ensure my victory. I was stronger and faster than I could imagine. I ended the witch, slowly, but when I went to kill the Turok Hans, the shamans trapped me in a box. I learned then that I was immortal and the price of of my bargain."

"A box?" Faith asked, something about this sounding familiar to her.

"They wanted to use my power to create a warrior to protect the humans from dark magic and the beasts. But my essence was too strong and my hosts did not survive. They found a more suitable demon to serve them. They made Slayers but I remained in the box."

Faith took a deep breath, trying to take in everything. "Until Buffy."

"Yes, she is the Slayer I was promised. Now those beasts are here. I smelt it on Finley that night and I smell it now. It is down there and I will not let them attack my pack a second time. As for the witch you call Willow-"

"She's Buffy's friend," Faith corrected her.

Buffy blinked and was silent for a long moment. "Buffy disagrees and the witch is not pack. I do understand that she is an ally we need for this battle. For now, she lives."

Faith sighed. "When is Buffy coming back?"

"When she is rested. This is my fight. I wish to slaughter this vampire and feel it's bones crack in my hands."

"I thought you didn't enjoy carnage," Faith ribbed with a raised eyebrow. In return, she received a smirk.

"I enjoy a good hunt."

Then an inhuman growl echoed in the tunnel below the stairwell. Buffy's gaze turned sharp and her entire body tensed. Power was coming off of her like static energy and Buffy postured in front of the brunette Slayer protectively. When Faith but her hand on Buffy's shoulder, she wasn't sure how the demon was going to react to her touch. Instead, Buffy simply moved aside so they were standing shoulder to shoulder.

"What Buffy has not told you is that the First has an army like the necromancer did."

Before Faith would express her outrage at this revelation, her heart stopped in her chest. She had faced too many demons to count but she had never felt paralyzed in fear. The Turok Han was salivating as it stood at the bottom at steps. His pitch black sunken eyes standing out from ashen skin. Its jagged sharp teeth were glistening with blood. A low rumbling growl was building in its chest that the Sultana was matching with its own.

Faith could feel its lack of humanity and she fully comprehended what Buffy had meant when she had described the Turok Han to her. "How many?" Faith asked breathlessly.

Without taking her eye off the Turok Han, Buffy said solemnly, "Thousands."

Faith took a deep shuddering breath and crouched down in a fighting position. "You can kill it, but let me get a couple punches in."

Buffy actually smiled darkly. "You can try."

Faith chuckled. "I enjoy a challenge."