The two girls were motionless, and not a word had been uttered since Dawn
greeted the older woman. At eighteen years old Dawn Summers had been
trained for the last two years in various forms of hand to hand combat by
Faith, Buffy and Xander (utilizing his soldier imprinted memories).
Finally, realizing they were just squatting in a third floor room looking
stupid Faith made the first move. Loosening the grip she had on her younger
sisters neck and lowering her knife and replied, "Hello little sis."
Dawn nodded at the gesture and rubbed her neck where the slayer once held her.
"I'd say I'm not surprised to see you here but that would be a total lie." Faith announced with a pause then continued, "What the Hell are you doing here?"
"Inquiring minds want to know huh?" Dawn replied with a chuckle as she snapped the two knife blades back into her wrist gauntlet.
"New toy?" Faith asked since Dawn wasn't as forth coming with answers as she would have liked. "Looks like someone's been watching Predator a little much."
The younger girl grinned at the banter. "We aren't all blessed with supernatural strength, healing and senses. Some of us have to improvise." Dawn said pulling a long overcoat on.
Faith did not respond to Dawn's jovial comment. She was still awaiting the answer to her original question.
"Oh stop pouting that's my shtick." Dawn stated. "Xander and I moved here three weeks ago. After Cordelia's passing he wanted to get away from the things for awhile." The youngest Summers girl explained.
"You and Xander?" Faith said in surprise, even though it didn't truly surprise her after how close the two had become during the course of last year.
"How is it that I knew out of that entire sentence that you would comment on that one thing? Don't make it sound so sordid Faith. Just because a guy and a girl live together doesn't mean there is something sexual going on between them." Dawn said not looking at her older sister.
"Riiiiiight." Faith replied very skeptically.
"We're not all like you use to be Faithy." Dawn retorted. "Come on, Xander's down stairs finishing up the mess you left." Dawn said in an exasperated tone of voice.
"Mess I LEFT?!" Faith yelled as she followed the young woman out of the room and down the stairwell.
~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~
Alexander Lavelle Harris, Xander to his friends, was down stairs making sure that there were no other vampires in the immediate area. He had been behind the building, peering around the corner, when the trio of vamps had chased a hot looking brunette woman into the building Dawn and he had staked out. Moments later he heard the tell tale signs of a struggle and was about to charge into the house when one of the vampires was thrown out of a second floor window. The vampire crashed into the adjourning wall and fell on top of a stack of garbage cans making enough noise to wake the dead, or undead in this case. When the vamp stood, and tried to regain his bearings, he turned around only to see a razor sharp sword blade already inches from his neck. The blade cleaved the vampire's head off before he could even utter his favorite profanity. Dusting himself off, Xander then made his way to the front of the building.
As Xander deftly approached the door and peered in looking for hostiles his keen ears heard two very distinct voices from the floor above him. One was a male whose voice he didn't recognize. The other was the all to hauntingly familiar voice of a slayer that Xander could never forget if he tried. Xander heard the vampire making tracks and knew that this would probably be the easiest kill of his demon-hunting career. Sure enough, Xander need only have seen how tall the vampire was and placed the sword approximately where the vampire's neck would be and watched as the vampire, head turned facing in the direction Faith would appear from, ended up cutting off his own head because he wasn't watching where he was going.
Faith never ventured down the stairwell so Xander guessed that she was checking out the building to see in there was anyone around. Either that or she didn't want to risk having to fight whoever was wielding this sword. Xander pondered leaning against the front door holding the Charles V sword in his right hand. Boy is she in for a surprise when she finds out who's waiting for someone to come upstairs. Xander thought to himself.
Minutes later Dawn Summers, followed by her adopted sister, exited the abandoned building looking none the worse for wear. Faith looked rather perturbed but that was to be expected given her current desire to be retired from active slaying. Three weeks ago this was not how they envisioned spending an evening but fate has a funny way of messing with one's life.
"Hello Faith, correct me if I'm wrong but aren't you supposed to be retired?" Xander asked even though he knew that answer.
"Bite me Xander." Faith stated in an annoyed tone.
"Sorry, Dawn would kill me. What brings you to Haddonfield?" Xander inquired.
"Oh nothing much, just Buffy found out you were banging little D here and sent me to stake you for her." Faith replied with a rather harsh look on her face.
Xander visibly paled at this response. Faith, who normally could maintain her poker face for ages lost her composure and almost fell to the ground laughing. Even Dawn had to use the doorframe to keep herself upright. To say that Xander was not the least bit happy that they were laughing at his personal expense was an understatement. While Dawn wouldn't be in as much trouble as he would with the Buffster she would be, by no means, immune to the fall out of this realization. Xander just exhaled and calmed down as the girls continued to laugh at him.
"Comedy acts are my stock and trade Faith, don't quit your day job." Xander retorted as he stowed his sword inside his coat.
"If I had a day job that is. Come on Xan... if you could see the expression on your face you'd have died laughing too." Faith managed to say after catching her breath. Looking at Dawn again the two burst out laughing some more.
Xander merely leaned against the wall to the front of the building the vamps had died in watching and waiting as the two now very red-faced girls gasped for air and tried to get the breathing back under control. Looking at his watch Xander figured that if they didn't stop laughing soon one of them would pass out from lack of oxygen, most likely Dawn.
Dawn hugged her older sister and the two finally managed to calm down. "It's good to see you sis."
"Nice to be seen baby sis." Faith replied. Everyone knew Dawn hated being referred to as a baby, that's why she did it from time to time.
Xander chuckled as Dawn gave her adopted sister a sour look. Without even seeing Xander however Dawn said, "Laugh and it'll be you on the non-fold out couch."
Xander covered his mouth and began walking in the direction that Faith had originally been headed towards.
"Come on Faith," Dawn ordered before Faith could object, "no hotels for you, you're coming home with us." Dawn said.
Dawn nodded at the gesture and rubbed her neck where the slayer once held her.
"I'd say I'm not surprised to see you here but that would be a total lie." Faith announced with a pause then continued, "What the Hell are you doing here?"
"Inquiring minds want to know huh?" Dawn replied with a chuckle as she snapped the two knife blades back into her wrist gauntlet.
"New toy?" Faith asked since Dawn wasn't as forth coming with answers as she would have liked. "Looks like someone's been watching Predator a little much."
The younger girl grinned at the banter. "We aren't all blessed with supernatural strength, healing and senses. Some of us have to improvise." Dawn said pulling a long overcoat on.
Faith did not respond to Dawn's jovial comment. She was still awaiting the answer to her original question.
"Oh stop pouting that's my shtick." Dawn stated. "Xander and I moved here three weeks ago. After Cordelia's passing he wanted to get away from the things for awhile." The youngest Summers girl explained.
"You and Xander?" Faith said in surprise, even though it didn't truly surprise her after how close the two had become during the course of last year.
"How is it that I knew out of that entire sentence that you would comment on that one thing? Don't make it sound so sordid Faith. Just because a guy and a girl live together doesn't mean there is something sexual going on between them." Dawn said not looking at her older sister.
"Riiiiiight." Faith replied very skeptically.
"We're not all like you use to be Faithy." Dawn retorted. "Come on, Xander's down stairs finishing up the mess you left." Dawn said in an exasperated tone of voice.
"Mess I LEFT?!" Faith yelled as she followed the young woman out of the room and down the stairwell.
~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~
Alexander Lavelle Harris, Xander to his friends, was down stairs making sure that there were no other vampires in the immediate area. He had been behind the building, peering around the corner, when the trio of vamps had chased a hot looking brunette woman into the building Dawn and he had staked out. Moments later he heard the tell tale signs of a struggle and was about to charge into the house when one of the vampires was thrown out of a second floor window. The vampire crashed into the adjourning wall and fell on top of a stack of garbage cans making enough noise to wake the dead, or undead in this case. When the vamp stood, and tried to regain his bearings, he turned around only to see a razor sharp sword blade already inches from his neck. The blade cleaved the vampire's head off before he could even utter his favorite profanity. Dusting himself off, Xander then made his way to the front of the building.
As Xander deftly approached the door and peered in looking for hostiles his keen ears heard two very distinct voices from the floor above him. One was a male whose voice he didn't recognize. The other was the all to hauntingly familiar voice of a slayer that Xander could never forget if he tried. Xander heard the vampire making tracks and knew that this would probably be the easiest kill of his demon-hunting career. Sure enough, Xander need only have seen how tall the vampire was and placed the sword approximately where the vampire's neck would be and watched as the vampire, head turned facing in the direction Faith would appear from, ended up cutting off his own head because he wasn't watching where he was going.
Faith never ventured down the stairwell so Xander guessed that she was checking out the building to see in there was anyone around. Either that or she didn't want to risk having to fight whoever was wielding this sword. Xander pondered leaning against the front door holding the Charles V sword in his right hand. Boy is she in for a surprise when she finds out who's waiting for someone to come upstairs. Xander thought to himself.
Minutes later Dawn Summers, followed by her adopted sister, exited the abandoned building looking none the worse for wear. Faith looked rather perturbed but that was to be expected given her current desire to be retired from active slaying. Three weeks ago this was not how they envisioned spending an evening but fate has a funny way of messing with one's life.
"Hello Faith, correct me if I'm wrong but aren't you supposed to be retired?" Xander asked even though he knew that answer.
"Bite me Xander." Faith stated in an annoyed tone.
"Sorry, Dawn would kill me. What brings you to Haddonfield?" Xander inquired.
"Oh nothing much, just Buffy found out you were banging little D here and sent me to stake you for her." Faith replied with a rather harsh look on her face.
Xander visibly paled at this response. Faith, who normally could maintain her poker face for ages lost her composure and almost fell to the ground laughing. Even Dawn had to use the doorframe to keep herself upright. To say that Xander was not the least bit happy that they were laughing at his personal expense was an understatement. While Dawn wouldn't be in as much trouble as he would with the Buffster she would be, by no means, immune to the fall out of this realization. Xander just exhaled and calmed down as the girls continued to laugh at him.
"Comedy acts are my stock and trade Faith, don't quit your day job." Xander retorted as he stowed his sword inside his coat.
"If I had a day job that is. Come on Xan... if you could see the expression on your face you'd have died laughing too." Faith managed to say after catching her breath. Looking at Dawn again the two burst out laughing some more.
Xander merely leaned against the wall to the front of the building the vamps had died in watching and waiting as the two now very red-faced girls gasped for air and tried to get the breathing back under control. Looking at his watch Xander figured that if they didn't stop laughing soon one of them would pass out from lack of oxygen, most likely Dawn.
Dawn hugged her older sister and the two finally managed to calm down. "It's good to see you sis."
"Nice to be seen baby sis." Faith replied. Everyone knew Dawn hated being referred to as a baby, that's why she did it from time to time.
Xander chuckled as Dawn gave her adopted sister a sour look. Without even seeing Xander however Dawn said, "Laugh and it'll be you on the non-fold out couch."
Xander covered his mouth and began walking in the direction that Faith had originally been headed towards.
"Come on Faith," Dawn ordered before Faith could object, "no hotels for you, you're coming home with us." Dawn said.