He groaned as he brought his hand to shield his eyes, the light in the room seemed to harsh after the blow to his head. Slowly, he dared to open them and was confused at the sight of the bookshelves surrounding him. He sat up, the pain in his head nearly gone, and knew where he was. He couldn't believe Faith had dragged him all the way here. He moved to his feet and carefully crept past the stacks. He was confused to why she left him up there and wasn't sure if she had some sort of purpose for doing so. Maybe she was just playing some kind of sick game of "hide and go seek" with him. He stopped dead at the top of the small stairs when he saw her standing in the middle of the floor watching the door. Her head perked up as if she sensed him and spun around to face him. She grinned wickedly, licking a small bit of blood from her fingers. He could smell it. He turned his eyes away briefly. He didn't like the way her fangs corrupted her smile.

"Hey sleepyhead," she said casually. "Enjoy your nap?"

"What did you do now?" He asked regarding the blood on her hands and ignoring her question.

"Don't worry," she replied. "I didn't kill him."

"Who?"

She grinned again and ran to the small office behind the counter. He didn't move from the top of the stairs. A large part of him was very afraid of what she was going to pull out of that office, though somewhere in the back of his mind he already knew. It still didn't prepare him for what he saw. Mr. Giles was tied to a chair with his head hanging to his chest, a small trail of blood dripping from a cute on his forehead. He seemed unconscious but Xander couldn't see his eyes and wasn't be sure.

"For fuck's sake!" He yelled. "Why'd you tie him up?"

"Safety reasons," she defended. "Did you see that cache of weapons he has in the book cage over there? One can never be too careful with a man who has more swords than King Arthur's knights."

The librarian lifted his head slowly, his eyes darting around in a confused state. He looked at Xander and the recognition passed briefly over his features.

"The math book boy," he mumbled.

"Mr. Giles," Xander began. "I'm so sorry. I tried to come to you on my own, but my friend there didn't want me to."

"Apology accepted," the older man replied. "But, uh, do you think there's any chance she might untie me?"

Xander turned his eyes to Faith who merely shook her head. He sighed and turned back to Giles.

"Sorry," he said.

Giles only nodded and struggled weakly at his bonds.

"Why'd you even come here?" Xander asked Faith. "I thought you didn't want any answers."

"I thought about it," she said smiling at him. "After I knocked you out, sorry about that by the way, and I don't know, maybe it is a good idea if we get some kind of understanding about what happened to us."

Xander smiled softly at her to which she returned, her fangs still showing prominently. He sighed and moved to sit on the bottom of the steps. He was trying to think of a good question to ask but Faith jump started the questioning before him.

"What about it librarian?" She asked moving in front of Giles and sitting in his lap. She smiled widely at him and flashed her teeth, then brought a finger up to his chin to prick the skin gently with the point of her claw. "Ever seen anything like us?"

"W-well," he stuttered. "Can't say that I have with my own eyes. But you do s-seem to have the traits o-of a werewolf but..."

"But we're no where near a full moon?" Faith filled in.

"Precisely."

"And the vampire angle is gone because we can walk around freely in the daylight right?"

"Yes."

"Also the fact that religious artifacts don't do anything but itch or feel wet. So tell me wise man, are all these rumors true about you? That you're some kind of demon expert?"

"I wouldn't say that," Giles mumbled. "But something like it yes."

"Well, let me tell you something pops," she said leaning close to his ear. "You're not exactly wowing me with your vast knowledge here. Yes and no answers aren't exactly essay contest winners. I thought you were this big brain or something."

"If I could consult my texts..."

"No can do," she sighed. "If I untie you who knows what you'll do. You look like a feisty one. Doesn't he Xander?"

He turned his head to Xander.

"Any chance of reasoning with you?" He asked.

"Wouldn't do you any good," Xander admitted sadly. "I can't stop her."

Giles nodded in response and looked back to Faith still perched in his lap.

"I have read," he began. "About a sort of mixed breed between the two. But I'm afraid I don't remember too many details."

"Two?" Xander asked.

"Vampire and werewolves," He went on. "Sometime in the last century, there was a report of a savage creature somewhere in Canada. Tore an entire small village's population to nothing. Devoured most of their bodies as well. No one was quite sure what to call it. But it showed the same traits of vampires and lycanthropes, mauling, feeding, blood consumption. However it seemed completely unaffected by the phases of the moon or daylight."

"So you're saying we're some kind of crossbreed hybrid thing?" Xander asked.

"We?" Giles replied curiously. "You've been affected as well?"

Xander nodded.

"She uh, bit me a few days ago."

"Oh my," he muttered. "You don't seem to be in such an advanced state as she."

"She was bitten a few days before me," he filled in.

"Did you taste of her blood?"

He looked to Faith, his eyebrow arched in questioning. If he had drunk of her, he sure didn't remember.

"Faith?"

"You don't remember huh?" She grinned. "Right in the middle Xand, you fed off me. I guess you were too caught up in the moment eh?"

"Middle?" Giles asked.

Xander opened his mouth to reply but Faith cut him off before he got a word out.

"That's enough Xander," she warned. "He doesn't need to know everything."

"Maybe he can help," Xander shot back. "There might be someway reverse this."

"I'm afraid not," Giles said. "There is no known cure for either of the two... afflictions."

"So we're stuck like this?" Xander shouted.

"Told you," Faith said. "It's too late, nature's taken its course. Only thing left to do is accept it my dear boy."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Still think you have a choice in the matter," Faith said sarcastically. "Didn't you hear a word he said?" She asked wrapping her hand around Giles' neck, her claws digging into the skin.

"You seem to have taken to the vicious killer bit rather quickly," Giles choked out.

"I couldn't fight it like he does," Faith shrugged. "It's no matter. Now we know what we are. What we do. Why deny it?"

"Because its wrong maybe?" Xander retaliated.

"There you go with that right and wrong bullshit again," Faith shouted. "This!" She screamed jumping out of the older man's lap and pulling him upward still tied in the chair. "Is what we're supposed to do! Don't you feel the instincts Xander? Telling you to feed. It feels so right and you know it. It's like touching yourself Xander, every sensation, every pulse and feeling is dead on." She ran her tongue along the drying trail of blood on Giles' forehead. "You're too afraid to admit it to yourself that this is what you want, what you need."

"No," Xander said shakily. "I can't... I won't..."

"Oh boo fucking hoo," she growled. "When did you become this giant fucking whiner huh? Get some stones! We are animals Xander. The little people no longer matter. We hunt, we kill, and we rip things to fucking shreds so you better get used to it."

She threw the tied up librarian to the ground and he cried out.

"Faith don't!"

"You can't stop me," she roared.

She leaned over Giles' body, her tongue flicking out over the cut again. Her claws crawled slowly up and down his chest and she flashed a fang bearing grin at the older man. Her claw like fingers wrapped gently around his throat and his eyes grew wide from sadistic enjoyment she seemed to get from his fear. Her claws dug deeper into the tender flesh of his neck, the points breaking the skin gently.

"My friend needs a little more convincing that there's no going back old man," she said in a whisper. "And I know that if I let you go you'd probably just run to your other demon hunting buddies, or whoever it is you have to know all this stuff for, and sick them after us."

Her claws dug deeper into his neck and his eyes bulged with the effort of trying to breath. Faith growled and ripped the hollow of his throat away, his blood spurting all over her face and chest. The old man's eyes fell unfocused and faded away. She began eagerly lapping at that blood pouring from him, moving her claws to tear away the shirt he wore and digging for more skin. Xander turned his head away in disgust but he couldn't help the way his nose perked at the scent of it. It was so strong and he struggled against the desire he felt for it.

Faith tapped his shoulder and he didn't turn to face her. She slid in front of him, grinning madly with pleasure as the blood dripped down her mouth and chin. He tried to turn away from her but she clasped the sides of his head, forcing him to meet eyes. His body shook with resistance and it only made her smile wider. She gently pressed her lips to his, letting the coppery flavor of the blood transfer into his mouth. He fought at first, grabbing her shoulders and trying to push her away. It was a weak effort and he soon found his tongue tracing the outlines of her mouth, licking away any trace of blood on her face. He growled as his body demanded more.

"That's my boy," she smiled.

He pushed her away roughly and turned to Giles mutilated body lying a few feet away. He sniffed the air hungrily, the scent driving his mind wild. He crawled on hands and knees toward it and snarled like a dog being teased with a chop as he kneeled next to the corpse.

"Do it Xander," Faith encouraged. "Make the pain stop."

His hands went to the puddle of blood formed underneath the man and carefully wiped up small amounts of it with his fingers and brought it to his mouth. His body cried out in relief at the sweet tingle the taste of it brought him. He anxiously wiped at more his tongue lapping eagerly at his fingers. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind the small part of him that chose to fight the animal inside began to fade away completely. This is what he wanted. This is what he needed. The simple enjoyment of feeding in a way that now felt natural. This is what he was. Faith crawled next to him, smiling happily, running her tongue over her fangs.

"Now," she said. "Now you see."

He growled in response a small drop of blood dribbling from his chin. She growled back and reached across the body hauling his face to hers. Her tongue invaded his mouth, the sticky remnants of Giles blood flowing between them as the kiss deepened. Xander growled loudly and suddenly pushed her away. He collapsed on his back, his hands shooting to his mouth.

"What?" She asked. "What is it?"

He sat back up slowly, his hand still covering his mouth.

"I can't," he mumbled through his hand.

"Show me," Faith demanded.

He removed his hand to reveal a mouth full of sharpened pointed fangs. Faith smiled happily. He was hers. She crawled toward him again.

"No," he said. "I... I can't."

He turned to throw up all the blood he'd drunk from Giles' body.

"What?" She cried. "After all of that and you're still going to fight this? "

"I..."

"Why Xander?" She asked softly. "Do you not want to be with me? Do you want to leave me as this thing to wander all by myself? Would you really leave me alone?"

"Faith," he whispered.

"Oh my god!" A voice shouted from behind them.

They both turned to growl at her, fangs flashed and eyes burning. Buffy stood frozen staring at the remains of her slaughtered mentor.