Since my offer of some popcorn and a diet coke was turned down by the
Malcolm and Buffy people, I don't own any of these characters. yet. Once I
do, I plan to use them to take over the world and only those of you who
give me good ratings and reviews will be spared! Mwhaha. Righty then, off
I go with more random insanity. Enjoy! And review if you value your life
in the not too distant future!
~Anoron.
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Faith stole a quick glance at the clock as she slid her bedroom window open. It was 11pm, and she could hear her family settling down for the night. In a flash, she had her leg hooked over the windowsill and she was outside.
She kept to the shadows, her black leather outfit helping her to melt into the darkness, skirting the pale glow of the streetlights as she made her way to the cemetery. "Time for a little action," she told herself, a wicked grin spreading easily over her face.
The quiet night was pierced by a woman's scream and Faith tore off in the direction of the sound. On the far side of the cemetery, she came across the source of the disturbance. A woman was struggling wildly against a large, growling vampire who had caught her up in a vice like grip. The yellow-eyed creature was just lowering his head to sink his fangs in and drink deep from the woman when a rock hard fist slammed into his temple out of nowhere.
The woman stumbled free and stared up at Faith, who simply grunted "Run," and turned back to the vampire.
The woman fled, barely noticing the two men she passed on her frantic flight through the cemetery. Faith too did not notice the two figures approaching; all her attention was on the rough fight she was now engaged in with the vampire.
The two traded blows back and forth, almost as if it was a competition to see who could hit the hardest, until Faith got bored with the game and threw a spinning heel kick into the mix. The startled vamp flew backwards, crashing into a slighter form than his formidable bulk. Faith groaned as she heard a familiar voice screaming in shock and terror as the vamp tumbled on top of one of her brothers.
She dived over and staked the vamp in the back, standing as it dissipated into dust. She looked down at the figure flattened in the dirt, coughing and sputtering vamp dust out of his mouth, shaking her head in anger.
"Get up you jackass," she snarled.
Reese pulled himself to his feet, still trying to rid his mouth of the disgusting remains of the vampire. "What the hell was that?" he asked, brow furrowed.
"What the hell was that!?" Faith repeated in disbelief, launching into a rant her mother would be proud of. "You moron! That was a vampire, one that could have very easily killed you. You've never seen a vamp before, you have no idea what they're capable of doing to you! What the hell were you thinking, and you!-" she turned to glare pointedly at Francis, who had been trying to back away from the scene unnoticed before he caught the wrath of his sister.
"You at least should know better! You know what the deal is, how dangerous it is to be out here. And you haven't slayed in five years, you're rusty and you shouldn't have come out, let alone bring *Reese* with you!"
"Hey!" Reese interrupted, annoyed with Faith's derogatory implications of him and his abilities. He started coughing again, still choking on the vamp dust.
Francis just gave a little half smile, his best attempt at feigning innocence, and Faith rolled her eyes at him. Her anger dissipated. "Well, I'm not escorting your asses home so you might as well come too."
"Awesome," Reese grinned.
Faith whirled on him. "You get yourself into *any* kind of trouble tonight, and I will let whatever wants to get you, get you. And if either of you think you're ever coming out on patrol again, you're both so dead wrong."
Both of her brothers nodded, eyes wide. Francis fought the urge to salute Faith, because she sure was acting like the little Commandant. He figured she would kick his ass all the way back to Marlin Academy if he dared call her Spangler, though.
Two hours and six dusted vamps later, Faith decided they should call it quits for the night. It was late by non-Slayer standards, and Reese at least had school the next morning. Well, later this morning.
They crept up to Faith's window, only to find it shut. Faith frowned to herself, she thought she had left it open. With a shrug, she pushed it up, cringing as it made a small squeak of protest that seemed amplified in the still night.
Reese and Francis barely gave Faith a second to slip through the window before following, so the three eldest siblings of the family ended up in an ungainly pile of limbs that landed on Faith's bedroom floor with a soft thud.
The trio found themselves staring straight at a pair of swollen feet. Together their gazes travelled upwards until the found themselves staring directly at their mother's face, her eyes smouldering with rage.
"Kitchen, now," Lois ordered, turning on her heel and stalking out of the room.
"Damn," Faith muttered, shoving her brothers off her and standing. She wasn't exactly used to having to deal with parents dealing with Slayer issues, or parents dealing with any issues to do with her, really, and she wanted this to be over with as soon as possible.
Francis and Reese were still disentangling themselves from each other and trying to get to their feet by the time Faith was seated at the kitchen table, readying herself for the fury of Lois.
Lois decided to wait and deal with her boys first. As soon as they made it to the table, she began to lecture them. Her voice was low, so as not to wake the rest of the sleeping household, but there was a dangerous hiss to it that still terrified Reese and Francis beyond measure.
"I don't know what the two of you thought you were doing sneaking out like that tonight, but you are never, I repeat, *never* to go out slaying again-"
"But Mom," Reese whined in protest. Despite being scared out of his mind most of the night, which he would never admit, he'd actually enjoyed slaying. It was something violent, something that he could get into trouble for doing, and he got to spend time with both his older siblings, which didn't happen often anymore. He thought he'd just discovered the perfect hobby.
"Never!" Lois repeated vehemently. Faith she had pretty much expected to slip out to go slaying sooner or later, it was her birthright after all, but to discover that both Francis and Reese had sneaked out as well had been nothing short of terrifying for her. She had no idea of what things lurked out there that could hurt her family. "Now both of you boys get out of my sight."
Without another word, the pair trudged off to bed, leaving Faith and Lois alone in the kitchen. "What were you thinking, Faith?" was all Lois would say.
Faith was a little taken a back. She knew her mother well, despite not having seen her for so long, and she fully expected a lecture, not a chance to explain herself. "Look, they followed me out and I didn't know until I got to the cemetery. I couldn't send them back alone and I couldn't stop doing my job. So I had to take 'em with me. They're never coming again," she promised, hoping she was off the hook.
Lois shook her head, her anger rising again. "That's not good enough Faith. You can't just risk your brothers like that just because you don't feel like doing the right thing and bringing them home. And you're damn right about them never going out with you again. God, how are we supposed to trust you again when you go and do something like this?"
"It wasn't my fault!"
"No, but it was your responsibility."
Faith had no reply to that. Lois was right, her brothers, her whole family, were her responsibility. It was up to her to protect them from the supernatural world, not take them on excursions through it. Faith's shoulders slumped a little as she thought of her least favourite word: responsibility. "What do you want from me, Mom?" She suddenly understood Buffy a whole lot better than she ever had before.
"I want you to use your brains Faith. I know you have to slay, but when you go out hunting vampires-"
"Patrolling," Faith supplied.
"Patrolling," Lois corrected herself. "You don't go sneaking around behind our backs. It's a bad example for the boys, and God knows the last thing they need is another bad example. We'll talk about this some more in the morning. G'night honey."
Lois pressed a quick kiss to Faith's temple and left her alone in the dark of the kitchen, brooding over her mother's words. She took no notice as Malcolm came softly down the hallway, stopping a moment to gloat over Faith sulking at the table.
Malcolm's Aside: "Ha! Finally, someone finds fault with the perfect Faith."
Faith looked up at the sound of Malcolm's voice. "What did you say?" she asked sharply, sure he had been making some snotty remark about her being in trouble already.
Malcolm frowned inwardly. He hadn't said anything. Instead of answering, he strolled into the kitchen to pour a glass of water, a self- satisfied smirk on his lips.
"What?" Faith's tone was still sharp.
"Nothing," Malcolm replied mockingly, taking a long drink of water.
"You think I don't get it?" Faith snarled, her voice rising as her patience expired. She'd had more than enough family issues for one night. "The family murderer's in trouble and the little genius thinks it's funny. Big deal Mal! You think you're so much better than me but guess what? You're no hero, you're just a selfish kid and I'm not taking that holier than thou crap off you any more than I took it from B. Besides, at least I was doing something more important that sneaking off to my little girlfriend's place," she threw back in his face.
Malcolm's eyes widened a little, he hadn't known Faith had heard about his little indiscretion immediately prior to her homecoming. His eyes narrowed. Reese or Dewey must have filled her in, and when he discovered who it was, they would pay.
Regaining his composure a little, Malcolm began to yell back. "I never said you could borrow my CDs!" he was still angry at her, having found his CD in Hal's player earlier that evening. "And at least I'm not trying to get my family killed two days after being reunited with them! You know that's all you're good for, anyway, killing things! You said it yourself!"
Blood red rage flooded Faith's vision and she fought the urge to wring Malcolm's neck, choking that attitude right out of him. She stood, leaning over him in her most intimidating pose.
"Malcolm if I was gonna kill you, I'd use my hands!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
A split second of utter dead silence ensued before another voice floated down the hallway.
"Would you two shut up!? Some of us are trying to sleep," Reese yelled from the boys' room.
* * * * *
Faith stole a quick glance at the clock as she slid her bedroom window open. It was 11pm, and she could hear her family settling down for the night. In a flash, she had her leg hooked over the windowsill and she was outside.
She kept to the shadows, her black leather outfit helping her to melt into the darkness, skirting the pale glow of the streetlights as she made her way to the cemetery. "Time for a little action," she told herself, a wicked grin spreading easily over her face.
The quiet night was pierced by a woman's scream and Faith tore off in the direction of the sound. On the far side of the cemetery, she came across the source of the disturbance. A woman was struggling wildly against a large, growling vampire who had caught her up in a vice like grip. The yellow-eyed creature was just lowering his head to sink his fangs in and drink deep from the woman when a rock hard fist slammed into his temple out of nowhere.
The woman stumbled free and stared up at Faith, who simply grunted "Run," and turned back to the vampire.
The woman fled, barely noticing the two men she passed on her frantic flight through the cemetery. Faith too did not notice the two figures approaching; all her attention was on the rough fight she was now engaged in with the vampire.
The two traded blows back and forth, almost as if it was a competition to see who could hit the hardest, until Faith got bored with the game and threw a spinning heel kick into the mix. The startled vamp flew backwards, crashing into a slighter form than his formidable bulk. Faith groaned as she heard a familiar voice screaming in shock and terror as the vamp tumbled on top of one of her brothers.
She dived over and staked the vamp in the back, standing as it dissipated into dust. She looked down at the figure flattened in the dirt, coughing and sputtering vamp dust out of his mouth, shaking her head in anger.
"Get up you jackass," she snarled.
Reese pulled himself to his feet, still trying to rid his mouth of the disgusting remains of the vampire. "What the hell was that?" he asked, brow furrowed.
"What the hell was that!?" Faith repeated in disbelief, launching into a rant her mother would be proud of. "You moron! That was a vampire, one that could have very easily killed you. You've never seen a vamp before, you have no idea what they're capable of doing to you! What the hell were you thinking, and you!-" she turned to glare pointedly at Francis, who had been trying to back away from the scene unnoticed before he caught the wrath of his sister.
"You at least should know better! You know what the deal is, how dangerous it is to be out here. And you haven't slayed in five years, you're rusty and you shouldn't have come out, let alone bring *Reese* with you!"
"Hey!" Reese interrupted, annoyed with Faith's derogatory implications of him and his abilities. He started coughing again, still choking on the vamp dust.
Francis just gave a little half smile, his best attempt at feigning innocence, and Faith rolled her eyes at him. Her anger dissipated. "Well, I'm not escorting your asses home so you might as well come too."
"Awesome," Reese grinned.
Faith whirled on him. "You get yourself into *any* kind of trouble tonight, and I will let whatever wants to get you, get you. And if either of you think you're ever coming out on patrol again, you're both so dead wrong."
Both of her brothers nodded, eyes wide. Francis fought the urge to salute Faith, because she sure was acting like the little Commandant. He figured she would kick his ass all the way back to Marlin Academy if he dared call her Spangler, though.
Two hours and six dusted vamps later, Faith decided they should call it quits for the night. It was late by non-Slayer standards, and Reese at least had school the next morning. Well, later this morning.
They crept up to Faith's window, only to find it shut. Faith frowned to herself, she thought she had left it open. With a shrug, she pushed it up, cringing as it made a small squeak of protest that seemed amplified in the still night.
Reese and Francis barely gave Faith a second to slip through the window before following, so the three eldest siblings of the family ended up in an ungainly pile of limbs that landed on Faith's bedroom floor with a soft thud.
The trio found themselves staring straight at a pair of swollen feet. Together their gazes travelled upwards until the found themselves staring directly at their mother's face, her eyes smouldering with rage.
"Kitchen, now," Lois ordered, turning on her heel and stalking out of the room.
"Damn," Faith muttered, shoving her brothers off her and standing. She wasn't exactly used to having to deal with parents dealing with Slayer issues, or parents dealing with any issues to do with her, really, and she wanted this to be over with as soon as possible.
Francis and Reese were still disentangling themselves from each other and trying to get to their feet by the time Faith was seated at the kitchen table, readying herself for the fury of Lois.
Lois decided to wait and deal with her boys first. As soon as they made it to the table, she began to lecture them. Her voice was low, so as not to wake the rest of the sleeping household, but there was a dangerous hiss to it that still terrified Reese and Francis beyond measure.
"I don't know what the two of you thought you were doing sneaking out like that tonight, but you are never, I repeat, *never* to go out slaying again-"
"But Mom," Reese whined in protest. Despite being scared out of his mind most of the night, which he would never admit, he'd actually enjoyed slaying. It was something violent, something that he could get into trouble for doing, and he got to spend time with both his older siblings, which didn't happen often anymore. He thought he'd just discovered the perfect hobby.
"Never!" Lois repeated vehemently. Faith she had pretty much expected to slip out to go slaying sooner or later, it was her birthright after all, but to discover that both Francis and Reese had sneaked out as well had been nothing short of terrifying for her. She had no idea of what things lurked out there that could hurt her family. "Now both of you boys get out of my sight."
Without another word, the pair trudged off to bed, leaving Faith and Lois alone in the kitchen. "What were you thinking, Faith?" was all Lois would say.
Faith was a little taken a back. She knew her mother well, despite not having seen her for so long, and she fully expected a lecture, not a chance to explain herself. "Look, they followed me out and I didn't know until I got to the cemetery. I couldn't send them back alone and I couldn't stop doing my job. So I had to take 'em with me. They're never coming again," she promised, hoping she was off the hook.
Lois shook her head, her anger rising again. "That's not good enough Faith. You can't just risk your brothers like that just because you don't feel like doing the right thing and bringing them home. And you're damn right about them never going out with you again. God, how are we supposed to trust you again when you go and do something like this?"
"It wasn't my fault!"
"No, but it was your responsibility."
Faith had no reply to that. Lois was right, her brothers, her whole family, were her responsibility. It was up to her to protect them from the supernatural world, not take them on excursions through it. Faith's shoulders slumped a little as she thought of her least favourite word: responsibility. "What do you want from me, Mom?" She suddenly understood Buffy a whole lot better than she ever had before.
"I want you to use your brains Faith. I know you have to slay, but when you go out hunting vampires-"
"Patrolling," Faith supplied.
"Patrolling," Lois corrected herself. "You don't go sneaking around behind our backs. It's a bad example for the boys, and God knows the last thing they need is another bad example. We'll talk about this some more in the morning. G'night honey."
Lois pressed a quick kiss to Faith's temple and left her alone in the dark of the kitchen, brooding over her mother's words. She took no notice as Malcolm came softly down the hallway, stopping a moment to gloat over Faith sulking at the table.
Malcolm's Aside: "Ha! Finally, someone finds fault with the perfect Faith."
Faith looked up at the sound of Malcolm's voice. "What did you say?" she asked sharply, sure he had been making some snotty remark about her being in trouble already.
Malcolm frowned inwardly. He hadn't said anything. Instead of answering, he strolled into the kitchen to pour a glass of water, a self- satisfied smirk on his lips.
"What?" Faith's tone was still sharp.
"Nothing," Malcolm replied mockingly, taking a long drink of water.
"You think I don't get it?" Faith snarled, her voice rising as her patience expired. She'd had more than enough family issues for one night. "The family murderer's in trouble and the little genius thinks it's funny. Big deal Mal! You think you're so much better than me but guess what? You're no hero, you're just a selfish kid and I'm not taking that holier than thou crap off you any more than I took it from B. Besides, at least I was doing something more important that sneaking off to my little girlfriend's place," she threw back in his face.
Malcolm's eyes widened a little, he hadn't known Faith had heard about his little indiscretion immediately prior to her homecoming. His eyes narrowed. Reese or Dewey must have filled her in, and when he discovered who it was, they would pay.
Regaining his composure a little, Malcolm began to yell back. "I never said you could borrow my CDs!" he was still angry at her, having found his CD in Hal's player earlier that evening. "And at least I'm not trying to get my family killed two days after being reunited with them! You know that's all you're good for, anyway, killing things! You said it yourself!"
Blood red rage flooded Faith's vision and she fought the urge to wring Malcolm's neck, choking that attitude right out of him. She stood, leaning over him in her most intimidating pose.
"Malcolm if I was gonna kill you, I'd use my hands!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
A split second of utter dead silence ensued before another voice floated down the hallway.
"Would you two shut up!? Some of us are trying to sleep," Reese yelled from the boys' room.
* * * * *