Part 6 - Victims

"No, I meant it was dark!" Cordy rolled her eyes and gave Angel a withering glance. "Not a dark woman! There was a woman, a young one – she was walking. In a dark place. Dark – I don't know, no streetlights or something……but anyway, something's going to happen to her." Cordy finished. "I don't know what. Just got the impression of – something nasty, you know?"

"Nasty?" Angel repeated. "When isn't it? Do you know where?"

"I'll know when we get there," Cordy answered. "I hope. We'd better go soon – I don't think she has long before she meets her 'nasty thing', whatever it is."

Buffy finished clearing up, turning to them, listening as they discussed what weapons to take. Wesley had rushed from the room, muttering something about a spell "just in case". A spell to stop Faith, to trap her, before she killed them or anyone else. Just in case she was anything to do with this vision of Cordelia's. Buffy frowned. "Why do the visions pick one victim but not another?" she asked. "I mean – why this one? Why not someone else?"

Cordy shrugged and shook her head. "We have no idea. The Powers just pick 'em out of a hat, I guess." She glanced at Angel and Wesley, returned now with a small glass bottle full of glittering liquid. Wesley rolled his eyes at her last comment. "Well, they might! How do we know?" she added.

"I'm coming." Buffy said firmly. They all turned to look at her.

"But – you're well, what…I mean……is," Wesley trailed off weakly and looked at the others for help.

"I know I'm not the, a, Slayer, now," Buffy said, mouth and voice trembling, "But I can still help. Somehow. I'm good with weapons even though I don't have the strength thing anymore. But all that training – must be good for something. And, and it might not be Faith. Nothing in Cordelia's vision said it was Faith. She just saw a girl. What – what if she comes here? " She looked at them in turn, tears shimmering slightly in the wide, dark eyes, pushing her thick, dark hair away from her face. "Please?" she appealed.

Angel nodded. "OK. We can't really leave her," he added to the others, "She's right. What if Faith can find her, somehow? Or track her? She comes with us. We can keep her safe."

Cordy threw up her hands impatiently. "Alright, enough already. We have to go and we have to go now. Grab the weapons, guys, it's time to move!"

* * * * *

The girl was eighteen, working in the diner to help pay her school fees. The badge pinned to her pink-and-white uniform declared her name to be "Leigh". Long blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, exposing the clean lines of her throat, and her skin was clear and pale. Hazel eyes smiled down at Faith, as she ran a finger down the diner's limited menu. "What can I get you?" she asked brightly, pencil poised to write on the small pad she'd taken from her pocket.

Faith glanced at her companion, then looked at the waitress. "Oh, just a – hot chocolate for me," she said. "You're sure cheerful for this time of night?" She made it into a question, hoping that the response would be a finishing time.

Leigh nodded. "Yeah, I only got another hour to go, then it's home sweet home." she answered, smiling. "So I'm kinda pleased that my shift is nearly over." Faith nodded and smiled in response. Leigh turned to her companion, who shifted on the seat opposite her. "Can I get you anything?"

He shook his head, staring at her, his eyes fixed – looking at her neck. Faith kicked viciously him under the table – he was paying too much attention to the girl's throat, could see the pulse tapping gently. His eyes dropped as he jerked from the kick, shaking his head. "Well, OK," she said slowly, uneasily. "I'll be back in a moment with your drink." She smiled at Faith, turned and moved away from their table, humming slightly, hips swaying gently under the pink-and-white dress.

Faith watched appreciatively for a moment, then leaned across the table. "You get her later," she hissed, mouth tight with annoyance. "Do I have to remind you what'll happen if you don't do what I want, the way I want?"

The man in the seat opposite shrank back from the sharp glare of the blue eyes levelled at him. He'd thought – well, when she'd walked in and demanded at they help her, they'd laughed. Petite, blonde, blue eyed, pretty. Had thought she'd be lunch. Now? Just him. The others were dust. Faith settled back. "OK then. We'll do the usual – finish in here, leave as usual. Don't want anyone remembering that we left the same time as her. Not that," she glanced round, "there're many here. We'll wait nearby, close enough to see when she leaves and which way she goes – then she's ours. Number 4," she said quietly. She smiled, leaned over to tap his cheek. "Don't worry." she added. "You'll be fine as long as you behave."