Yikes, it's been a while. I hope all u people hu keep askin me to update my Faith stories haven't given up on me!! There is more of this story on its way, I'm just kinda swamped right now since I have loads of stories on the go, as well as just going back to school a couple of weeks ago, into sixth form- I never knew you could get twice as much homework from less than half the number of subjects… oh well. Please read and enjoy, and REVIEW so that I know u havn't abandoned me!! Otherwise there no point in me posting, right? ;)

Chapter 5

            The two slayers sat together in Faith's apartment. Willow had fiddled some of the computer files so that it ceased to exist on city records and would therefore not be reclaimed when the late mayors affairs were dealt with. Buffy's mum had been a little confused, and not to mention wary when they'd told her about Faith being a good guy, so they'd decided to hang here tonight. For the first time in a long time, the two girls just sat together just chatting about 'pointless' things, just normal everyday, teenage things. However, after a while, Buffy realised that something was nagging at Faith.

"Ok." She said, "What's up?"

Faith raised her eyebrows, but knew from experience that lying wasn't an option.

            "It's not important." She said anyway. "It's just… well… does Xander hate me?"

Buffy snorted a laugh,

            "What!? No! Why?"

            "I just… did he tell you what happened between us?"

            "Yup." Buffy grinned wickedly. Much to her surprise, Faith hung her head, looking a little ashamed. "Faith…?"

            "I, oh god, B, he doesn't even know what happened! It wasn't exactly me."

            "Huh?"

            "Or, I wasn't myself." Buffy raised her eyebrows in a look that clearly said, 'it sounded just like you'. "Thanks, B." Faith murmured, "That's real reassuring."

            "Oh, Faith, would you just say it? I'm only teasing."

            "The truth is, I couldn't have not slept with him if I wanted to. You remember when Max an' me talked about heat?"

Buffy's eyes widened in realisation.

            "Oh! Shit!" Buffy tried not to laugh.

 Faith groaned. "We'd just fought off those weird sisterhood demons, an' you know how I am after a fight anyway…"

            "Oh jesus!!" Buffy cried, hysterical laughter bubbling out despite her efforts. Faith frowned,

            "Yeah, well…"

            "Sorry, sorry…"

            "S'ok, it's just, I feel so awful…"

            "Why? Xander really isn't complaining!" Buffy scoffed.

            "I know." Faith grinned, "But when I'm in heat, I have no control over it. Xander is a friend, which is a rare thing for me… and you know I'm not so good with the whole connection thing. He was just there, and male, and it was as simple as that, my brain had no say in the matter. And then when it was over, an' I was me again, I freaked, I chucked him out. He probably does hate me now."

            "Faith, no. I'm sure he'll understand."

            "You saying I should tell him it was heat!? Hey Xander, don't be offended that I chucked you out, see it was just cos I never chose to screw you in the first place. Yeah, I'm sure that will go down soo well."

Buffy scowled.

            "I didn't mean it like that."

            "My life is so f*cked up, y'know? Friggin' Manticore… I wish Manticore never existed, and that I was just… normal!"

            "Uh-uh." Buffy said seriously, "If you were normal, you wouldn't be Faith. You wouldn't be the person we all know and love." Faith looked up sharply at her friend, and saw only sincerity in her eyes.

            "Thanks, B."

Seattle- (goes a bit off from the story of 'before the Dawn' now. I just had to change some of the stuff that happened there… If u haven't read it, I guess u wont care. All u need to know is that the Chinese Clan is a group of thieves Max lived with for like 6 years in LA.  Lead by a guy called Moody, they're like family to her, but she left for Seattle when she got a lead on her brother Seth. Oh! And Kafelnikov is the leader of another group, 'the brood' I think that's how its spelt! who are bad guys. They hate the C.C. and Max.)

Max rode as fast as she could, not even totally certain where she was going. All she knew was that she had only a few days to get to the Clan. She'd been investigating this eyes-only guy, and paying careful attention to his hacks. When he mentioned Kafelnikov's intentions to move to Seattle, she made a point of finding out where… and found out more too. Kafelnikov planned to lay siege to the Chinese clan. He would kill them all, and he had help- from who, Max didn't know, but she could guess.

Back at her apartment, swiftly packing anything she thought she might need, Max tried to call Moody. It didn't work. Max had a horrible feeling that Kafelnikov had cut off communication to the area. Then a thought struck her- it was very unlikely that she would get there in time to stop the slaughter even if she managed to stow away on a plane, but she did know people much closer. She dialled another number.

            "Hello?" A voice said on the other end of the line.

            "Erm, Hi." Max said, not recognising the voice, "Er, is Buffy there please?"

            "She's not in right now, can I take a message?"

Max cursed under her breath, and sighed,

            "Yeah, ok, could you tell her that Max called, and ask her to ring back on this number? It's kinda urgent." Max gave her the number, and, thanking the mystery woman she guessed must be Mrs Summers, hung up. Max bit her lip, and remembered another number Fay had given her- the library. She dialled again.

            "Hello?" that must be Giles, Max thought.

            "Hi, is Buffy or Fay…Faith there please?"

            "No, neither of them is here right now, can I ask who is calling?" He sounded worried, and Max realised that he probably thought she was from the council.

            "Yeah, tell them it's Max. And it's urgent."

            "Urgent?" Giles repeated.

            "Yeah."

            "Ok, then." She heard him murmur her name, probably while writing it, and then she heard a gasp in the background.

            "Max!?"

            "You know her?" Giles asked, his voice muffled, as if his hand was over the phone. There was the sound of a bit of a struggle, and Willow's voice sounded,

            "Max?"

            "Willow! Thank god! I have to talk to Fay."

            "She's not here. They're patrolling."

            "Damn it! I need her help… in fact, I guess all of your help would be good." Max sounded desperate.

            "Max, what is it?" Willow asked, concerned.

            "Bad guys are gonna kill a load of people in LA. People I care about, and I'm pretty sure it's cos of me, y'know, the thing we told you? About me and Fay?"

            "Oh!"

            "Yeah, but I'm in Seattle!"

            "Oh, I get you." Willow cringed, "Ok, I'll get Faith as quick as I can."

            "Tell her to leave a message on my pager." Max gave the number. "I'm gonna start down."

            "Ok. It'll be ok Max."

            "God I hope so. Thanks Will. Bye."

            "Bye." They both hung up.

            "Who was that?" Giles asked.

            "Max."

Giles raised his eyebrows. Willow rolled her eyes, "Faith's sister."

            "What!?"

Willow smiled, that was just the reaction she'd expected.

            "Can't talk now, I need to find Faith."

            "An' then I was like, 'I'm Buffy, the vampire slayer, an' you are?' He totally freaked, swung at me with this big club thingy, and I dodged, and … it was wicked."

            "I can imagine." Faith grinned. They were walking through the graveyard, and Faith found Buffy's animated story telling very amusing, since Buffy still claimed that she didn't see the fun in slaying.

            "So… you got any Manticore stories?" Buffy ventured. Faith face fell,

            "Not so much… wasn't exactly fun time…" But suddenly she lit up again, "'cept there was this one time, when one of the guys in our unit, Zane, was showing off so much… we were doing an obstacle course, an' we were at the one bit where Lydecker couldn't see us, so we were playin' around a bit. Me, Max and Jondi were just starting up a wall, when he turned up and told us to move aside for the men, y'know doin' the macho guy thing. He slipped an' fell down about half way, so we all left him there in a heap and climbed the wall, no probs. He finished last, and he was so embarrassed…" She grinned at the memory. Buffy smiled back, loving to see Faith happy about memories, when they so often bought her sadness. Buffy she opened her mouth to ask something, but before she actually formed a word, they both heard a yell,

            "Faith! Buffy!" They turned to see Willow running towards them. They each got the feeling she'd probably run all the way from where ever she'd been.

            "Will, what is it?" Buffy asked, supporting her panting friend.

            "Phone call, Max, trouble." She managed.

            "Max?" Faith repeated, her faced hardening into an expression that told Buffy she was now once again Fay, Manticore soldier, not Faith the vampire slayer. "What kind of trouble?"

            "Dunno exactly, gave me number… phone back…" Willow handed her the piece of paper. Fay grabbed it, and ran, faster than even Buffy could ever move.