A/N: Again, thanks go to Jen for Beta-ing. Big kudos to PyroBear/E-beth,
thank you for talking, and discussing. She knows what I mean. Bit
disappointed with the response to chapter 9, cuz I needed a reaction,
people!
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Lilah Morgan was seated at her very large, highly polished desk, admiring the very nice view from her very large office. When you had moved from being a just-out-of-law-school-flunky, to 'Head of Special Projects', there were a lot 'of 'very's in life. She sipped an amber liquid in her crystal tumbler, and flipped through a pile of documents requiring attention with her manicured nails.
Leaning back in the chair slightly, she let her mind drift. She had no meetings that afternoon, no clients were coming in until one that morning, so she could afford to relax a bit. Lilah Morgan would never appear in public without looking perfect. It was hard enough holding onto her job. Too many Harvard graduates thinking they could make more money in a demon law firm. Idiots. They took on more Yale than Harvard, anyway.
Without her permission, lazily, her mind drew up the forbidden name, 'Wesley'. Her lips curved in a lascivious smile at the memory of how exactly, she had spent her lunch hour. The ex-Watcher was teetering on the edge of grey. She had had to keep her nails firmly imbedded in him to hang onto the man, when that little Texan had shown the slightest bit of interest.
Her smile turned cold. He was always wanting something *pure*, she thought scornfully. Innocent. Miss Innocence-personified-bland-and-boring wouldn't have held his attention. Not when his habits, tastes ran to something so much more-. Lilah paused in her train of thought, dispersing memories of her lover, as she caught the noise coming from outside her office. She stalked quickly towards the door, yanking it open.
Gavin Parks stood there, an insincere smile on his face, his hands neatly folded behind his back, his eyes trying to register shock, but failing in his pleasure at seeing her.
"What is it?" she demanded. He peered past her, seeing the half empty glass, the strewn papers.
"Oh, nothing. Just going to the meeting."
She folded her arms across her crisp white blouse, and gave an equally insincere smile.
"What meeting?"
Gavin attempted to show dismay, lifting his hands, and blinking, and then dropping his gaze.
"Of course. Quite. Uh, indeed. What meeting?" he repeated.
One slim hand shot out, grasping the slime ball's jacket by the lapel, so he couldn't run off.
"What meeting, Gavin?" she repeated coolly. He let out a small chuckle of laughter, and, firmly closing a hand over hers, lifted it disdainfully off his jacket.
"A meeting. With the department heads. And the executives. Discussing budgeting, various projects," he said airily. He glanced at her, trying to guess the effect he was having. "I suppose, they forgot you. You haven't been in the office nearly as much." He shot her a sly, sidelong look.
"Just go, Gavin," she said shortly. Happily, the weasel sidled off, having perfectly carried out his own petty act of revenge, one-up-man-ship, whatever it was.
Lilah dropped back into the well-cushioned chair, and ran a hand through her hair distractedly. She had an inkling of why they were going on the offensive. Her . affairs . with Wesley .. She shook her head. None of their business what she did in her spare time. She was as influential as that little rat, Gavin, and..
She picked up the tumbler again, and examined it, drawing a finger around the rim, making the glass resonate. Let them have their secret meetings. The senior partners had always had a substantial interest in her, even if that idiot running the floor didn't like what she was doing. Lilah's smile broadened. She always felt so sorry for the guys on her floor. They couldn't do what she did, to maintain *contacts* with upstairs.
Dropping her head, she picked up the discarded documents once more, and resumed work.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The door slammed hard, and Lilah looked up. Moments later, a very human hand was wrapped around her throat.
"Lindsey," she managed to choke out. "Nice to have you back."
He dropped her back down, and turned away, as she massaged her throat.
"So was this a meaningful come on in and strangle me, or is this a social call?" she asked, with a bite of sarcasm. He turned back, and gave her a look of searing hatred.
"Shut up." She moved to walk around from behind the desk, but he held up a hand.
"Nice office, Lilah. They give it to you before or after you did it?" She looked at him, confused, but carefully concealing it. He hardly resembled the Lindsey she'd known, a co-head of Special Projects. In place of the well-tailored suits, he was wearing a dirty check shirt, and jeans, and the blue eyes she remembered being so carefully guarded, hiding emotions, were burning.
"I really don't know what you're talking about," she said flatly. He smiled a soft, dangerous half smile, and strode forward quickly, and fastened a hand across her delicate wrist, his fingers roughened by calluses.
"Then you've got a treat in store," he answered, dragging her forward. "There's a meeting. You're not in on it?" he addressed her, pulling her down the carpeted halls.
"No," she answered, trying to pry his fingers from her.
"Standards have slipped, Lilah. Once upon a time you'd do anything to get ahead of me, what changed?" he asked wryly, kicking open a door. Surprised, the various lawyers seated around the table looked up, and although some didn't recognise him, those who did, froze a moment. Lindsey released Lilah with such force that she hit the table's edge.
"Yeah. Me," he answered the unspoken question, directing a look straight at Linwood. He took out from inside his shirt a sheaf of black and white photographs, and dropped them, face up onto the table. Lilah caught a glimpse of a child, eyes wide open, dead.
Lindsey looked calmly right at Linwood. "What I want to know is, why?"
"You are no longer in this firm's employ, Lindsey. I suggest you leave," the elder man commented, but his gaze faltered under the younger's steady, heated glare.
"You see, I saw this symbol. A while ago, when I was walking around with a plastic hand attached," Lindsey began, ignoring Linwood's threat. He leaned over, and said, in a low voice, "And I know this firm has something to do with it."
"Lindsey, get out," Linwood said wearily, as a pair of guards strode in, and grabbed the younger man, who allowed himself to be guided out.
"You won't get away with it," he promised, in a menacing tone, as he was ushered out.
"All right, meeting adjourned," Linwood commanded, and the ranks of department heads dispersed. Lilah looked over at the photographs. Pretty little girl, until someone cut her throat.
"Who is she?" she asked Linwood. The greying man looked at her as if he wasn't going to answer, then finally said, "His daughter."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Are you sure they're ready for this?" Cordelia asked Angel. Connor's voice could be heard distantly in the background, shouting from the basement. Faith folded her arms.
"If they're not, Boy Wonder is gonna go crazy," she remarked indifferently. Angel kissed Cordelia's cheek.
"They'll be fine. How hard could four Potentials be?" Cordy raised an eyebrow as Angel's son came upstairs from the basement, scowling.
"They're demons," he stated, and dropped onto the couch, his arms folded. Cordelia smiled.
"How hard could they be?" she asked Angel. Laughing, and breathless, Gabby and Jess raced up the stairs, closely followed by Faye. Promptly, the girls stopped in front of the three adults.
"So who's taking us?" Jess asked. She glanced toward Faith.
"Me, Cordelia, Faith, Gunn, and Fred," Angel replied.
"Why so many people? We're Potentials, we can handle a few vampires," Jess said confidently. Gabby shot her a startled look.
"We're going to a nest. It's dangerous," Faith spoke up. She levelled her gaze to the girl's. "You obey orders."
Jess tossed her head defiantly. Before she could answer, Starr came running down the stairs from her room above.
"I'm not late, am I?" she asked quickly. Angel shook his head.
Fred walked in, her arms wrapped around an artillery of various weapons. Jess's eyes lit up.
"We get weapons? Cool," she said happily, smiling. Gabby and Faye looked a little less enthralled.
"Yeah." Cordelia pulled four crosses from the bundle dumped unceremoniously on the countertop, on top of a pile of texts Wesley had left open before he had gone home for the night. She handed one to each Potential. Gabby stared at hers dubiously.
"Is there an 'on' switch for one of these?" she asked, looking up through her long bangs, with a small smile. "'Cause I'd hate to have to use it, and it not work."
Jess gave her a withering look, as Faith plucked it from Gabby's hands, and tossed it to Angel, who caught it unthinkingly, and then gave a yell of pain. He dropped it, his hand smoking.
"Works," Faith commented.
Jane trotted in, clad in a white nightgown, and Cordelia held open her arms. The little girl rushed into them, and was hugged tightly.
"Pleeeeease can I come?" Jane begged. Faith grinned.
"Too small, short stuff. Vampires like to fight something that's bigger than them."
Cordy smiled. Jane made her eyes wide, and pleading.
"Please?"
"Sorry, sweetie. Connor's staying though, so you can play with him." Connor gave her a look that stated he clearly didn't agree.
Jane pouted, and folded her arms.
"Connor's not fun," she stated, her bottom lip quivering. Connor looked up.
"I'm fun," he defended. Jane turned a sunny smile on him.
"Good. Then you'll play with me," she ordered. Angel smirked, and mumbled something about falling right into that one. Cordy poked him, and smiled at Connor's aghast expression.
"You will, won't you?" Jane asked, this time, her lip threatening to wobble again. Connor looked at his father, and then at Cordy, pleadingly.
"Please?" the little girl repeated, her eyes filling with tears. "Everyone else is going out to play, and they won't take me."
"Fine," the Destroyer grouched, folding his arms, and glaring at anyone who looked at him.
"So, weapon up, guys," Faith directed, lifting her chin. "We're heading out."
"This is boring," Jess stated, as they trudged through the park. "And pointless," she added. "We should split up. We might actually get to kill something then."
"Not the point of the exercise," Angel answered easily.
"What is the point?" Gabby asked. Faith shot her a grin.
"Not to get killed."
The gang drew to a stop.
"Okay, we know there's a vamp nest on 12th. The warehouses are a good place to find fledglings, and 43rd is a client. Fred, Gunn, and Starr, you take the client's. Cordelia, you and I take Gabby and Faye. Faith is gonna take Jess," Angel directed. Jess instantly scowled at the arrangements.
"Why can't I go with you guys?"
"Because you're comin' with me," Faith answered shortly.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ "Angel, are you sure Jess is gonna be, you know, okay with Faith?" Cordy asked the vampire. He strode ahead, and nodded, chuckling.
"Yeah. I think so." He watched the two Potentials walk along, making tentative conversation.
"Maybe Gabby and Faye will make friends or something," Cordy whispered.
"Yeah. Jess isn't exactly an cherub to be around," he answered.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
In silence, the Slayer and Potential walked down the street, and crossed to the warehouse district.
"Why am I here, anyway? It's not like there's a point to it. Watch you kill things, yeah, that's gonna further my training," Jess said sarcastically.
"Here to learn," Faith answered, glancing around, as they stepped inside the gloomy building.
"Learn, from you? Yeah, how to kill people, maybe," Jess scoffed. She didn't see the Slayer until she was pinned to the wall, the breath slammed out of her.
"You don't like me. I can live with that," Faith said calmly, holding her tight against the wall. "What I can't live with is if, 'cause you got a problem with me, you go out and get yourself killed. So either grow up, or go home."
"I can take care of myself," Jess replied sulkily, glaring at her. Faith stepped back, and let her drop.
"Fine. Take me," she invited. Jess folded her arms.
"What?"
"I'm a Slayer. Same powers as a vampire, same strength, same speed, whatever. If you can take care of yourself, take me," Faith ordered coolly.
Jess lunged, and spun into a roundhouse kick aimed at Faith's head. The brunette twisted easily, and blocked it, moving forward on the offensive, and blocking a punch. She flipped back, laughing holding out her hands in a gesture of invitation.
"Take me," she repeated. Angrily, the younger girl raced at her, lashing out with fists, twisting into a full assault. In a neat, simple move, Faith blocked her attack again, and knocked her back with a single punch. Now moving faster, she kicked out, and high, connecting with Jess's chin, and sending the girl flying back into the wall, crashing into it. Stubbornly, the girl scrambled up, and was greeted by a ruthless onslaught, as Faith beat her back down. Slumping against the wall, she glared at the woman, blood trickling from her lip, her eye bruised.
Faith placed her hands on her hips.
"You're not the Slayer," she said simply. "You won't be, unless B and I both kick it, and I'm not planning on doing that for a while. You're a Potential, someone who could *possibly* become a slayer. There are three other girls staying in the hotel who could be the Slayer. There are another hundred out there. You're not 'the Chosen One'. You're just an ordinary kid. So I can either continue to smash you into a wall, until you feel like you've had enough or-"
A soft growl of breath made her turn, and her hand flash to her stake. "- Watch," she finished.
The slayer whirled into an attack, kicking out, and her fists flying. Pure passion, one hand shot out, and drove the wood through the vampire's heart, exploding it into a shower of dust. Faith stood there, breathless, but a small smile on her face.
She turned back to the younger girl.
"Let's go."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Connor, come play with me." At the imperious little order, he sighed, but stood up. Tugging on his hand, she towed him toward the dress up trunk of clothes that Cordy had found, some old dresses that she'd worn, but weren't right in some way, some of Angel's old shirts, with blood stains hidden by patches, and a sparkly tiara.
"We're gonna play Princess," Jane smiled up at him. He swallowed.
"Uh, okay.."
Five minutes later, Princess Connor looked at himself in the mirror in a long, pink dress, and a sparkly tiara, and groaned.
"C'mon, Connor. We gotta play," Jane protested. Her own dress dragged behind her, and draped over her feet.
"Why can't you be the princess?" he asked, fearful of the answer.
"Cuz It's gotta be the bigger person," she said, with child's logic. "And Angel plays princess." Connor snickered at the mental picture of Angel in the same silver plastic tiara, and dress. Then, catching a glimpse of himself again, shuddered. His dad enduring the same thing did *not* make it any better.
"Okay, so what do I have to do?" he asked his tiny emperor. She put her head on one side, considering.
"Well, you're the princess, and I'm the queen. So we're gonna go have tea," Jane announced brightly. Picking up her skirts carefully, she sat down on the couch, where the purple plastic tea set was set out. Picking up a cup daintily, she sipped at it.
"Go on," she encouraged. He stared flatly at the empty teacup. Being a teacup, it stared blankly back at him.
"There's nothing in it," he told her.
"Pretend!' she ordered.
"Pretend what?"
Her lip quivered. Hurriedly, he picked up the cup, and drank air from it, making slurping sounds.
"You're doing it too quickly!" she complained. "Take sips. Like proper ladies do."
"Okay, okay," he muttered, taking tiny sips of air, praying Dawn would never find out he was playing princess and tea party with an eight year old.
"I wanna play a different game now," Jane announced. Sighing with relief, Connor pulled off the plastic tiara.
"You count to fifty, " she instructed, with a giggle, "And I go hide."
"Okay," he answered, with a long-suffering sigh.
"One, two, three-"
Half an hour later, the Miracle child was panicking. He told himself that it was impossible to lose an eight-year-old in a hotel this big. He told himself that he was the son of two vampires, and *ought* to be able to find Jane.
Still, the fact remained, he couldn't find her. So he was panicking.
It was also fifteen minutes past her bedtime, something he was very aware of, since Cordelia's very graphic threats of what she would do if Jane didn't get to bed on time.
He'd checked the bedrooms, the lobby, the office, the basement, the bathrooms..The kitchen. Running towards it, he found Jane curled up, sound asleep under the table clutching the remains of a chocolate-chip cookie. Gently, he lifted her up, and carried her up the stairs, and back to her room.
* ~ * ~ * ~
A/N: Yep, Jane *isn't* smart enough to get away to the fighting. It was just plain fluff. Sorry to disappoint! Lol. Pleeease, oh god, review. I need it. Plus, if you have a spare moment, check out (I can't believe I'm saying this) Ivorycat's fic 'Magical Mayhem'. I've been beta-ing from chapter three onwards, so if you wanna see my work start, go ahead. Ooh, and please, all reviewers, go read Camp Tess on gidgetgirl's profile, my characters are in there, it's fantabulous, you need to persuade her *NOT* to give it up. So, many many reviews would be good.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Lilah Morgan was seated at her very large, highly polished desk, admiring the very nice view from her very large office. When you had moved from being a just-out-of-law-school-flunky, to 'Head of Special Projects', there were a lot 'of 'very's in life. She sipped an amber liquid in her crystal tumbler, and flipped through a pile of documents requiring attention with her manicured nails.
Leaning back in the chair slightly, she let her mind drift. She had no meetings that afternoon, no clients were coming in until one that morning, so she could afford to relax a bit. Lilah Morgan would never appear in public without looking perfect. It was hard enough holding onto her job. Too many Harvard graduates thinking they could make more money in a demon law firm. Idiots. They took on more Yale than Harvard, anyway.
Without her permission, lazily, her mind drew up the forbidden name, 'Wesley'. Her lips curved in a lascivious smile at the memory of how exactly, she had spent her lunch hour. The ex-Watcher was teetering on the edge of grey. She had had to keep her nails firmly imbedded in him to hang onto the man, when that little Texan had shown the slightest bit of interest.
Her smile turned cold. He was always wanting something *pure*, she thought scornfully. Innocent. Miss Innocence-personified-bland-and-boring wouldn't have held his attention. Not when his habits, tastes ran to something so much more-. Lilah paused in her train of thought, dispersing memories of her lover, as she caught the noise coming from outside her office. She stalked quickly towards the door, yanking it open.
Gavin Parks stood there, an insincere smile on his face, his hands neatly folded behind his back, his eyes trying to register shock, but failing in his pleasure at seeing her.
"What is it?" she demanded. He peered past her, seeing the half empty glass, the strewn papers.
"Oh, nothing. Just going to the meeting."
She folded her arms across her crisp white blouse, and gave an equally insincere smile.
"What meeting?"
Gavin attempted to show dismay, lifting his hands, and blinking, and then dropping his gaze.
"Of course. Quite. Uh, indeed. What meeting?" he repeated.
One slim hand shot out, grasping the slime ball's jacket by the lapel, so he couldn't run off.
"What meeting, Gavin?" she repeated coolly. He let out a small chuckle of laughter, and, firmly closing a hand over hers, lifted it disdainfully off his jacket.
"A meeting. With the department heads. And the executives. Discussing budgeting, various projects," he said airily. He glanced at her, trying to guess the effect he was having. "I suppose, they forgot you. You haven't been in the office nearly as much." He shot her a sly, sidelong look.
"Just go, Gavin," she said shortly. Happily, the weasel sidled off, having perfectly carried out his own petty act of revenge, one-up-man-ship, whatever it was.
Lilah dropped back into the well-cushioned chair, and ran a hand through her hair distractedly. She had an inkling of why they were going on the offensive. Her . affairs . with Wesley .. She shook her head. None of their business what she did in her spare time. She was as influential as that little rat, Gavin, and..
She picked up the tumbler again, and examined it, drawing a finger around the rim, making the glass resonate. Let them have their secret meetings. The senior partners had always had a substantial interest in her, even if that idiot running the floor didn't like what she was doing. Lilah's smile broadened. She always felt so sorry for the guys on her floor. They couldn't do what she did, to maintain *contacts* with upstairs.
Dropping her head, she picked up the discarded documents once more, and resumed work.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The door slammed hard, and Lilah looked up. Moments later, a very human hand was wrapped around her throat.
"Lindsey," she managed to choke out. "Nice to have you back."
He dropped her back down, and turned away, as she massaged her throat.
"So was this a meaningful come on in and strangle me, or is this a social call?" she asked, with a bite of sarcasm. He turned back, and gave her a look of searing hatred.
"Shut up." She moved to walk around from behind the desk, but he held up a hand.
"Nice office, Lilah. They give it to you before or after you did it?" She looked at him, confused, but carefully concealing it. He hardly resembled the Lindsey she'd known, a co-head of Special Projects. In place of the well-tailored suits, he was wearing a dirty check shirt, and jeans, and the blue eyes she remembered being so carefully guarded, hiding emotions, were burning.
"I really don't know what you're talking about," she said flatly. He smiled a soft, dangerous half smile, and strode forward quickly, and fastened a hand across her delicate wrist, his fingers roughened by calluses.
"Then you've got a treat in store," he answered, dragging her forward. "There's a meeting. You're not in on it?" he addressed her, pulling her down the carpeted halls.
"No," she answered, trying to pry his fingers from her.
"Standards have slipped, Lilah. Once upon a time you'd do anything to get ahead of me, what changed?" he asked wryly, kicking open a door. Surprised, the various lawyers seated around the table looked up, and although some didn't recognise him, those who did, froze a moment. Lindsey released Lilah with such force that she hit the table's edge.
"Yeah. Me," he answered the unspoken question, directing a look straight at Linwood. He took out from inside his shirt a sheaf of black and white photographs, and dropped them, face up onto the table. Lilah caught a glimpse of a child, eyes wide open, dead.
Lindsey looked calmly right at Linwood. "What I want to know is, why?"
"You are no longer in this firm's employ, Lindsey. I suggest you leave," the elder man commented, but his gaze faltered under the younger's steady, heated glare.
"You see, I saw this symbol. A while ago, when I was walking around with a plastic hand attached," Lindsey began, ignoring Linwood's threat. He leaned over, and said, in a low voice, "And I know this firm has something to do with it."
"Lindsey, get out," Linwood said wearily, as a pair of guards strode in, and grabbed the younger man, who allowed himself to be guided out.
"You won't get away with it," he promised, in a menacing tone, as he was ushered out.
"All right, meeting adjourned," Linwood commanded, and the ranks of department heads dispersed. Lilah looked over at the photographs. Pretty little girl, until someone cut her throat.
"Who is she?" she asked Linwood. The greying man looked at her as if he wasn't going to answer, then finally said, "His daughter."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Are you sure they're ready for this?" Cordelia asked Angel. Connor's voice could be heard distantly in the background, shouting from the basement. Faith folded her arms.
"If they're not, Boy Wonder is gonna go crazy," she remarked indifferently. Angel kissed Cordelia's cheek.
"They'll be fine. How hard could four Potentials be?" Cordy raised an eyebrow as Angel's son came upstairs from the basement, scowling.
"They're demons," he stated, and dropped onto the couch, his arms folded. Cordelia smiled.
"How hard could they be?" she asked Angel. Laughing, and breathless, Gabby and Jess raced up the stairs, closely followed by Faye. Promptly, the girls stopped in front of the three adults.
"So who's taking us?" Jess asked. She glanced toward Faith.
"Me, Cordelia, Faith, Gunn, and Fred," Angel replied.
"Why so many people? We're Potentials, we can handle a few vampires," Jess said confidently. Gabby shot her a startled look.
"We're going to a nest. It's dangerous," Faith spoke up. She levelled her gaze to the girl's. "You obey orders."
Jess tossed her head defiantly. Before she could answer, Starr came running down the stairs from her room above.
"I'm not late, am I?" she asked quickly. Angel shook his head.
Fred walked in, her arms wrapped around an artillery of various weapons. Jess's eyes lit up.
"We get weapons? Cool," she said happily, smiling. Gabby and Faye looked a little less enthralled.
"Yeah." Cordelia pulled four crosses from the bundle dumped unceremoniously on the countertop, on top of a pile of texts Wesley had left open before he had gone home for the night. She handed one to each Potential. Gabby stared at hers dubiously.
"Is there an 'on' switch for one of these?" she asked, looking up through her long bangs, with a small smile. "'Cause I'd hate to have to use it, and it not work."
Jess gave her a withering look, as Faith plucked it from Gabby's hands, and tossed it to Angel, who caught it unthinkingly, and then gave a yell of pain. He dropped it, his hand smoking.
"Works," Faith commented.
Jane trotted in, clad in a white nightgown, and Cordelia held open her arms. The little girl rushed into them, and was hugged tightly.
"Pleeeeease can I come?" Jane begged. Faith grinned.
"Too small, short stuff. Vampires like to fight something that's bigger than them."
Cordy smiled. Jane made her eyes wide, and pleading.
"Please?"
"Sorry, sweetie. Connor's staying though, so you can play with him." Connor gave her a look that stated he clearly didn't agree.
Jane pouted, and folded her arms.
"Connor's not fun," she stated, her bottom lip quivering. Connor looked up.
"I'm fun," he defended. Jane turned a sunny smile on him.
"Good. Then you'll play with me," she ordered. Angel smirked, and mumbled something about falling right into that one. Cordy poked him, and smiled at Connor's aghast expression.
"You will, won't you?" Jane asked, this time, her lip threatening to wobble again. Connor looked at his father, and then at Cordy, pleadingly.
"Please?" the little girl repeated, her eyes filling with tears. "Everyone else is going out to play, and they won't take me."
"Fine," the Destroyer grouched, folding his arms, and glaring at anyone who looked at him.
"So, weapon up, guys," Faith directed, lifting her chin. "We're heading out."
"This is boring," Jess stated, as they trudged through the park. "And pointless," she added. "We should split up. We might actually get to kill something then."
"Not the point of the exercise," Angel answered easily.
"What is the point?" Gabby asked. Faith shot her a grin.
"Not to get killed."
The gang drew to a stop.
"Okay, we know there's a vamp nest on 12th. The warehouses are a good place to find fledglings, and 43rd is a client. Fred, Gunn, and Starr, you take the client's. Cordelia, you and I take Gabby and Faye. Faith is gonna take Jess," Angel directed. Jess instantly scowled at the arrangements.
"Why can't I go with you guys?"
"Because you're comin' with me," Faith answered shortly.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ "Angel, are you sure Jess is gonna be, you know, okay with Faith?" Cordy asked the vampire. He strode ahead, and nodded, chuckling.
"Yeah. I think so." He watched the two Potentials walk along, making tentative conversation.
"Maybe Gabby and Faye will make friends or something," Cordy whispered.
"Yeah. Jess isn't exactly an cherub to be around," he answered.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
In silence, the Slayer and Potential walked down the street, and crossed to the warehouse district.
"Why am I here, anyway? It's not like there's a point to it. Watch you kill things, yeah, that's gonna further my training," Jess said sarcastically.
"Here to learn," Faith answered, glancing around, as they stepped inside the gloomy building.
"Learn, from you? Yeah, how to kill people, maybe," Jess scoffed. She didn't see the Slayer until she was pinned to the wall, the breath slammed out of her.
"You don't like me. I can live with that," Faith said calmly, holding her tight against the wall. "What I can't live with is if, 'cause you got a problem with me, you go out and get yourself killed. So either grow up, or go home."
"I can take care of myself," Jess replied sulkily, glaring at her. Faith stepped back, and let her drop.
"Fine. Take me," she invited. Jess folded her arms.
"What?"
"I'm a Slayer. Same powers as a vampire, same strength, same speed, whatever. If you can take care of yourself, take me," Faith ordered coolly.
Jess lunged, and spun into a roundhouse kick aimed at Faith's head. The brunette twisted easily, and blocked it, moving forward on the offensive, and blocking a punch. She flipped back, laughing holding out her hands in a gesture of invitation.
"Take me," she repeated. Angrily, the younger girl raced at her, lashing out with fists, twisting into a full assault. In a neat, simple move, Faith blocked her attack again, and knocked her back with a single punch. Now moving faster, she kicked out, and high, connecting with Jess's chin, and sending the girl flying back into the wall, crashing into it. Stubbornly, the girl scrambled up, and was greeted by a ruthless onslaught, as Faith beat her back down. Slumping against the wall, she glared at the woman, blood trickling from her lip, her eye bruised.
Faith placed her hands on her hips.
"You're not the Slayer," she said simply. "You won't be, unless B and I both kick it, and I'm not planning on doing that for a while. You're a Potential, someone who could *possibly* become a slayer. There are three other girls staying in the hotel who could be the Slayer. There are another hundred out there. You're not 'the Chosen One'. You're just an ordinary kid. So I can either continue to smash you into a wall, until you feel like you've had enough or-"
A soft growl of breath made her turn, and her hand flash to her stake. "- Watch," she finished.
The slayer whirled into an attack, kicking out, and her fists flying. Pure passion, one hand shot out, and drove the wood through the vampire's heart, exploding it into a shower of dust. Faith stood there, breathless, but a small smile on her face.
She turned back to the younger girl.
"Let's go."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Connor, come play with me." At the imperious little order, he sighed, but stood up. Tugging on his hand, she towed him toward the dress up trunk of clothes that Cordy had found, some old dresses that she'd worn, but weren't right in some way, some of Angel's old shirts, with blood stains hidden by patches, and a sparkly tiara.
"We're gonna play Princess," Jane smiled up at him. He swallowed.
"Uh, okay.."
Five minutes later, Princess Connor looked at himself in the mirror in a long, pink dress, and a sparkly tiara, and groaned.
"C'mon, Connor. We gotta play," Jane protested. Her own dress dragged behind her, and draped over her feet.
"Why can't you be the princess?" he asked, fearful of the answer.
"Cuz It's gotta be the bigger person," she said, with child's logic. "And Angel plays princess." Connor snickered at the mental picture of Angel in the same silver plastic tiara, and dress. Then, catching a glimpse of himself again, shuddered. His dad enduring the same thing did *not* make it any better.
"Okay, so what do I have to do?" he asked his tiny emperor. She put her head on one side, considering.
"Well, you're the princess, and I'm the queen. So we're gonna go have tea," Jane announced brightly. Picking up her skirts carefully, she sat down on the couch, where the purple plastic tea set was set out. Picking up a cup daintily, she sipped at it.
"Go on," she encouraged. He stared flatly at the empty teacup. Being a teacup, it stared blankly back at him.
"There's nothing in it," he told her.
"Pretend!' she ordered.
"Pretend what?"
Her lip quivered. Hurriedly, he picked up the cup, and drank air from it, making slurping sounds.
"You're doing it too quickly!" she complained. "Take sips. Like proper ladies do."
"Okay, okay," he muttered, taking tiny sips of air, praying Dawn would never find out he was playing princess and tea party with an eight year old.
"I wanna play a different game now," Jane announced. Sighing with relief, Connor pulled off the plastic tiara.
"You count to fifty, " she instructed, with a giggle, "And I go hide."
"Okay," he answered, with a long-suffering sigh.
"One, two, three-"
Half an hour later, the Miracle child was panicking. He told himself that it was impossible to lose an eight-year-old in a hotel this big. He told himself that he was the son of two vampires, and *ought* to be able to find Jane.
Still, the fact remained, he couldn't find her. So he was panicking.
It was also fifteen minutes past her bedtime, something he was very aware of, since Cordelia's very graphic threats of what she would do if Jane didn't get to bed on time.
He'd checked the bedrooms, the lobby, the office, the basement, the bathrooms..The kitchen. Running towards it, he found Jane curled up, sound asleep under the table clutching the remains of a chocolate-chip cookie. Gently, he lifted her up, and carried her up the stairs, and back to her room.
* ~ * ~ * ~
A/N: Yep, Jane *isn't* smart enough to get away to the fighting. It was just plain fluff. Sorry to disappoint! Lol. Pleeease, oh god, review. I need it. Plus, if you have a spare moment, check out (I can't believe I'm saying this) Ivorycat's fic 'Magical Mayhem'. I've been beta-ing from chapter three onwards, so if you wanna see my work start, go ahead. Ooh, and please, all reviewers, go read Camp Tess on gidgetgirl's profile, my characters are in there, it's fantabulous, you need to persuade her *NOT* to give it up. So, many many reviews would be good.