Chapter 56

Buffy and Angelus walked through the streets of LA and headed back to their place. They were staying in a warehouse near Santa Monica. They didn't want anyone to know where they were and this would be the last place they would think to look. LA was still a huge wreck and there were demons everywhere.

"This is paradise." Buffy said, looking out a window with a cruel smile on her face.

"I'm glad you like it." Angelus said, watching her. "Because I sure as hell do."

"It's not the destruction you like." Buffy stopped and grabbed a demon's neck. The thing had tried to attack them earlier and they had brought him in for torture. Now he was getting annoying with his wheezy breath, so the Slayer snapped its neck in two and the head popped off. Angelus smiled. "It's the person causing it."

"Which person would that be?"

"The one you've been riding for a while."

"Speaking of.." Angelus grabbed her around the waist and hauled her to his chest before slamming her back against the wall. "We've gone all day without any."

"That's because we were enjoying the sights." Buffy watched a couple run down the street as five vampires chased after them. She smiled. "Tourists." Angelus was working his way down her neck to her collarbone. "Is sex all you can think about? Geez, no wonder Darla left you in that burning barn."

He stopped and punched her. "Don't talk about Darla that way."

Buffy's face hardened and she kicked Angelus in the stomach. He went crashing into the a stack of wooden crates. She followed and pinned him there with her hand tightly around his throat. "Thought you would have learned not to hit. I chained you up last time." Buffy ran a fingernail down Angelus' cheekbone and drew blood. He winced a little, but then smiled as Buffy licked it up. "Just enjoy the carnage baby."

"Not gonna happen right now." He grabbed her shoulders and slammed her against the wall. His face changed and he growled low in his chest. He knew it turned Buffy on. She smiled and yanked his head down to hers. They kissed fiercely and both smiled when they heard a whimper from the corner.

Angelus broke away from Buffy and walked over to the woman sitting in the corner. She was chained up and there was a small cut on her forehead. Buffy had brought her in as a present for Angelus, mocking what Darla had done the night Angelus had first received his soul. The woman whimpered again and shrunk back in fear from Angelus. He smiled and crouched in front of her, sweeping a strand of hair form her face. "Are you scared?" The woman nodded. "Don't worry. You won't have to worry about it much longer."

"W-w-why?" the woman asked.

"Because I'm going to kill you."

"Please no! No! I don't know what you want or who you are! I have a family! Please don't kill me!"

"Shh. Hush now. You're not going to die right now."

"Please!"

"I have some business to take care of." He stood and turned to Buffy who was sitting on a crate watching him intently. She jumped down and Angelus crushed her mouth in a fierce kiss. They sunk to the floor and the woman started to cry knowing that no one was going to be a hero and save her this time. The hero was now in front of her having sex with the enemy. The hero had given up on being a part of the Justice League.
Faith sat at Buffy's desk staring at two teenage boys. Principal Wood stood behind her glaring. "This may mean more than you think." Faith said.

"Is that so?" Wood asked. "Because I think what we have here is a couple of chuckle-heads who thought that a cafeteria fist fight would impress. I'm not impressed. Faith, are you impressed?" Faith pursed her lips and shook her head disapprovingly. "Still, I'm gonna cut you guys some slack this time." He made a gesture toward the door with his thumb and the kids left. He turned to Faith. "Third fight this week, and it's just getting worse." Wood started to close window blinds and walked to the front of Buffy's desk. "Plus, a rise in vandalism. Three students missing. Tell me something, Faith, in your professional opinion it's started, hasn't it?" He closed another set of window blinds. "The Hellmouth has begun its semi-annual percolation. Usually, it blows around May from what I know."

"Was it like this before? I mean, it just seems to me as if things are getting bad faster than we thought."

"We're a little ahead of schedule."

"I can't say I'm too surprised. I knew I signed on for something, but, Faith, I'm just a guy. Granted, a cool and sexy vampire-fighting guy, but still."

"Don't forget 'snappy dresser.'"

"Thank you. But this is gonna get bigger than me."

"Yeah, it is."

"That's why I've decided to give you this." He reached down under Buffy's desk and pulled up a large leather duffel bag, setting it on the desk with a clunk.

"What is it?"

"An emergency kit. This bag belonged to my mother."

"A Slayer keepsake. I-I couldn't."

"Well, you have to. Technically, it should have been passed down directly to you or Buffy through the years, but after my mother died.. I guess I just couldn't part with it."

"Wow!"

"I don't know what's inside, exactly, but I know it has something to do with her power. Well, your and Buffy's power now."

"I-I don't know what to say."

"Try saying, 'Thank you, Principal Wood.'"

"Thank you Principal Wood."

"Ah, call me Robin. Now, I'd like to see where you work."

"Uh, here now, actually." She touched the desk. "Uh, th-this is my desk, and, uh, these are my pencils.."

"No, where you do your other work."

"Oh, you mean Buffy's house."

"I guess, yeah. You work at Buffy's house?"

"Yeah. It's Slayer HQ." Faith grabbed her jacket and followed Robin out to his car.

"Speaking of Buffy, have you heard anything from her?" Robin asked, starting his car.

"Nothing. I'm really worried about her. No one's called and every time we call, we get rushed off the phone. From what her friends told me, Angelus is really bad news. He doesn't need a weapon to hurt them. He is one."

"How's that?"

"Turn here. He uses his brain. That's why he was the Scourge of Europe. He knows all these different ways to torture a person and mental abuse is his specialty. He's got way more ammo on B this time around."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Left here. You came into this game too late to be sorry about it. Buffy's the strongest person I know, she'll get through it no matter what. But I gotta ask, what about Connor? He's missing all this school. It's that house with the tree."

"It'll be ok." Robin parked the car in the driveway. "I've been covering for him."

"You have?" Faith stopped on the porch.

"Yeah. I'm the principal, I can do anything I want."

"But you've only know about Connor for less than a week."

"I figured if he was hanging with you and Buffy, he knew the drill. I've cut him a lot of slack."

"Thank you. Buffy'll be grateful. Connor too."

"So, what should I expect in here?"

"Lots of girls." Robin stared at her. "Uh, potential Slayers. We're protecting them here. Apocalypse stuff." Faith opened the door ad allowed Robin to enter first. "All the potential slayers, who seem to keep popping up from, like, every corner of the earth, were getting killed."

"By the First."

"Agents of. We thought the Council could protect them, but, unfortunately, no one was protecting the Council, and all their watchers were killed. Word got out, and they've all been coming here since."

"Well, there's nothing like the end of the world to bring people together."

"It's heartwarming. Anyway, this is, uh, it. Command central."

Andrew stormed into the room wearing a white apron and a red and white checked oven mitt on each hand. "Where the hell have you been? This funnel cake is kicking my ass."

"Yeah, I hear they're tricky." Robin said.

"Robin Wood, this is.. Andrew." Faith said lamely.

"It's a pleasure." Robin and Andrew shook hands.

"Andrew is our.. actually, he's our hostage."

"I like to think of myself more as a 'guestage.'" Andrew said.

"So, you.. you hold him here against his will?" Robin asked.

"Well, he was evil, and people got killed, and now he.. bakes. It's a thing." Faith said.

"Oh."

"Could we try to just keep our secret headquarters a little bit secret? Keep bringing people in, they're gonna see everything. They'll see the big board." Andrew said.

"Andrew, we don't have a big board." Faith said.

Andrew ran to fetch a white dry-erase board from behind the chair. "I, uh, made it myself." The board was approximately 2' x 4', and was labeled: SUNNYDALE "BIG BOARD." Using every color of marker, the board featured a hand-drawn map of Sunnydale, with representations of trees, cemeteries, railroad tracks, and the street grid.

"Oh, I wouldn't have guessed." Robin said sarcastically.

"Uh, this is us. And this represents the First in various incarnations. And, uh, there's no pattern to the naked eye yet, but the instant one emerges, yours truly is on it." Faith and Robin looked at each other, then walked away. Andrew called after them. "Where do we put our receipts?"

Faith rolled her eyes and led Robin out to the back porch. "You'll have to forgive Andrew. Or not. Your call. We do have a lot more working for us than just the, uh, big board."

"So I see." Robin said.

The potentials were in the backyard training. They were lined up in rows and Kennedy was leading. She yelled an order and the potentials followed. Chloe messed up and Kennedy attacked. She ordered her to do pushups. "Push- ups, maggot!" Chloe dropped to do push-ups. Kennedy turned toward Faith and Roin, still scowling, then suddenly grinning and giddy. "I love this job! Did you see that? I called that girl 'maggot.'" She noticed Robin. "Hi. Who the hell are you?"

"An ally." Faith said.

"So, what do you think? My girls ready to kick some ass, or what?"

"Looking strong." Robin said.

"But..?"

"Well, I'm just not sure the First has an ass that you can actually, you know, kick."

"Guess we'll see."

"Principal Wood, hi! It's so weird seeing you outside of school." Amanda called.

"What are you waving at, potential? Attention!"

Faith turned to Robin. "You're right, it's not enough."

"That's not what I said, Faith. It's an impressive group of recruits." Robin said.

"They're not recruits. Recruits are.. recruited. These girls were chosen."

"You're doing the best you can with what you've got."

"They're not all gonna make it. Some will die, and nothing Buffy and I can do will stop that."

Willow walked out the back door onto the porch, arms full of weapons. She froze when she saw Robin. "Oh, hi. Hey. Well, Faith, I-I see that our preparation for the school-pep-dance-cheer-drill contest are coming along. Bring it on!"

"It's ok, I filled him in on everything." Faith said.

"Oh, thank God! If I had to explain all these weapons, I had nothing." Willow put down the weapons.

"Faith tells me you have been, um, oh, how shall I put it, experimenting." Willow's eyes went wide and she cast a "you said what?" glance at Faith. "With the magicks."

"Oh! Yeah. Oh, nothing too heavy, though. Just the lighter, safer stuff. Uh, if Kennedy asks, her pointy stuff's right there. See you inside." Willow looked at Faith. "So much cooler than Snyder."

"She really almost destroyed the world?" Robin asked.

"Yep. Wasn't here for it though. Heard that was a good thing." Faith said.

"Remind me not to make her crabby."

"It might be better if you did."

"How's that work?"

"Oh, I don't know. It's just.. the First is coming, and then look at us: the army. We've got a bunch of fighters with nothing to hit, a Wicca who won't-a, and the brains of our operation wears oven mitts."

"Hmm. Well, you're redefining the job, Faith, and that takes guts. This isn't your full arsenal anyway. Show me the vampire."

"You want to go to LA!?"

"No! I meant the other one. Spike."

"Oh." Faith looked around nervously and then led Robin down to the basement.

Anya was there with Spike. "But you just let him go!"

"After saving your life." Spike said.

"For now. That was one of D'Hoffryn's killers, Spike. He won't stop coming till he kills me."

"Yet here you are, walking, talking, annoying."

"But you fought like such a wimpire, what with the lifting and the running. Why not just kill him?"

"Anya, think. I fight, demon boy gets lucky, I get knocked out, you get killed. True? We both know the safest and sanest way of saving your life was to keep you with me, away from danger." Anya grunted, shook her head, and walked away. "No need to thank me. I'm just the one who beat him off. Repelled him would perhaps be the better phrase." Faith nodded. "Demon."

"Figured." Faith said.

"I hope we're not intruding." Robin said.

"Not a bit. And just what brings our good principal to this neck of the gloom?" Spike asked.

"I'm showing him our operation. Us." Faith said.

"Fine by me. Big fight against evil coming up. The more good guys we've got, the longer we'll all live."

"Is that what you are? A good guy?" Robin asked.

"I haven't heard any complaints. Well, I have heard a few complaints over the years, but then I just killed whoever spoke up, and that was pretty much that."

"He's joking." Faith said.

"No, he's not." Robin said.

"No, I'm not. But.. that's the old me I'm talking about." Spike said.

"Why don't you tell me about that?"

"Not much to tell. I've changed."

"Oh, now that you have a soul."

"Yeah. That was a big deal. Very.. private. What, are you just telling everyone now?" Spike asked Faith, hurt.

"Oh, come on, Spike. Don't blame Faith. I asked."

"Right, the educator. Yeah, I went to great lengths. Lots of trouble, and now I'm unique. Well, more or less. Got myself a soul, whatever that means."

"And how's that working out for you?"

"In progress."

"Well, you've had some time. You've been in Sunnydale, what..?"

"Years."

"How many?"

"A few."

"Before that?"

"Around."

Faith finally had enough and she stepped between them. "I think we'd better get back upstairs."

"Right. Give him the full tour. You don't want to miss a look at Buffy's weapons' chest."

Faith glared at Spike as she allowed Robin to go up first.
Buffy watched Angelus drained the last of the woman and drop her lifeless body to the floor as she pulled up the strap on her top. Buffy got up and wiped away the few droplets of blood that had dribbled out the sides of his mouth and he sucked her finger into his mouth, lapping the rest of the blood up. The woman had sobbed the whole time that Buffy and Angelus had been having sex and that pissed Angelus off. Right as they had climaxed together, Angelus had ripped himself from Buffy and then ripped the throat out of the woman.

"I could have stood to torture her longer." Buffy said.

"I've never heard anyone whimper that much!" Angelus growled, morphing back to his human face.

"I want to torture someone. I just have a craving."

Angelus pulled his pants up and buckled them. "Want to go to the demon bar and find one of those stoned freaks in the back to torture?"

"No, I want to torture someone we know."

"That's my girl." Angelus smiled. "Who'd you have in mind?"

"Follow me and find out."