Thanks again for the reviews, I appreciate. The next chapter will have a lot of answers. It might take a little while to post it (not as bad as the first ones, I promise) I've got a lot going on in my life right now. Writing keeps me sane so it should be fast anyway. By the way if anyone wants to comment on my english, go ahead it's not my maternal language and I could use the pointers.

Again, thank you for reading.

From across the street I could hear the phone ringing in my ear. A girl answered "Summers residence". This was it.

- Faith please.

A moment later I could hear whoever answered yell in a typical "it's not for me so I don't care» teenage way.

- Faith phone!

I can see the scene in my mind, everyone frozen in place. Who could be calling, asking for Faith when she's supposed to be in prison? If the caller is more informed and knows that she has escaped why would they be calling her here of all places. This is no logical hiding place for Faith. She has to know who is on the other end of the line.

- B.

- Faith. I want you to listen to me for two minutes, now on the phone and then do whatever you want, just don't hang up, please. Will you do that?

I wait for her answer.

- Listen I can do. Shoot.

- I have something to give you, that you really need to have it for the coming battle. I also have some knowledge about the big showdown that I need to share.

- I don't know B. With the First messing everyone up, maybe it's not such a good idea to meet up.

- Then ask Giles to come with, you won't be alone. I'm on the other side of the street, on the porch of the green house. You can see me if you look through the window of the front door. I'm with Spike and Angel but we'll meet alone if you like. I just want to talk.

- Gimme a sec.

I can hear the phone being muffled, some voices not loud enough to be recognised. It goes on for a couple of minutes then Faith comes back on the line.

- Okay, we'll meet. Yyou and me first, like you said. I'll meet you halfway down the street.

- Thank you Faith, I appreciate.

Angel is taping me on the shoulder, making signs.

- Don't hang up Faith, Angel wants to talk to you.

I handed the phone back to Angel with a warning. Don't mess it up.

I had made an opening. I let got the breath I didn't know I was holding. Spike came to me, laid a soothing hand on my shoulder. His smile was enough to give me back my strength and resolution.

Angel was still on the phone with Faith. I hadn't realised that they had kept in contact even after she had escaped from jail. I take the time to really look at him, just talking on the phone, interacting with someone. LA had been good to him, he was surer of himself and was showing a new range of emotions outside brooding. He had come out of his shell. He even smiled and sometimes laughed. The first time I heard it I was so shocked, I couldn't remember him laughing when we were together. It suited him, giving him a lighter side.

Angel turned to us, he was putting the cell phone back into his jacket.

- She's coming out now. She said that we could all meet in front of the house.

I nodded. I was never that hyped, not even before a fight. I knew everything was still in balance but since I had made my decision, everything was simpler in my mind. Faith stood in the open doorway, weighting us. I took the occasion to get a good look at her. Angel had told me that she had seemed tired and maybe a little down on the phone. She was looking older, well I guess we all did. This new experience has made us grow a little faster.

She smiled a little at me, nodded her head to Angel and ignored Spike who had stayed a little behind us. From up close she looked like she didn't get much sleep last night.

- Everything okay Faith? You seem a little drawn?

- Yeah well we suffered some lost last night when we attacked the high school. They had booby trapped the place. A couple of the girls got killed when the bomb exploded.

- Oh my god, I'm so sorry Faith, how are the others holding up?

- Been better.

She let out a sigh.

- We always fight bare, us slayers. We never carry firearms, it's not natural. We never have to face arsonists and mad bombers, that's for the FBI, not the chosen two. This fight doesn't make sense to me anymore.

She was almost crying. I could understand what got her. We might be fighting evil day in day out but they generally have a code of honour. Any fool could get a bazooka and shoot at a crowd. Demons don't, they don't shoot you in the back if you didn't see it. This bomb thing? It's just, I don't know, too human for the First.

- Yeah, I'm with you on that, nothing good comes out of modern weaponry. I might have some good new for you though. I went on a little crusade last night. Bagged myself a priest and brought some little things for you from the gift shop. First, Angel is here to help you. He's on a mission from God or a reasonable Blues brother equivalent. He even has a real flashy necklace thingy that's supposed to help him in the fight. So a brand new old warrior for the white hats' team. But I got something even better for you Faith. I could try and explain it to you but it would be simpler for you to touch it. It sounds a little kinky and a lot more evil than it is. I'd like to bring it here first, than you can have Giles or Willow to take a look at it. But you'll probably be the only one to sense its power. It's a weapon made for the slayer. When you hold it, you can feel its power reaching inside you to strengthen the attack. Wanna see?

I could see that she didn't trust me yet but who could resist the attraction of a new toy? She took her time to think about it. She finally nodded.

- Yeah okay B, show me this fabulous (air quotes) weapon of yours.

I flashed her my brightest smile. I turned and made a sign to Spike. He brought out the battle axe. I took it, feeling the tingles rising in my arms. I hadn't lied. When I held this beautiful thing I could sense my energy being united and merged inside the weapon. I became the weapon, the true slayer. This was made for us, to be used by us. Faith was smiling like a kid in a candy shop.

- Wow, shiny.

I handed her the weapon. She looked up at me, still not sure about what to think of me. She held her hand out tentatively at first, then with a little more conviction. Her smile became even bigger.

- Where did you find it? Do you know what it is?

- I'm not sure what exactly it is, but you know whom it's for. I found it in the vineyard. This is what Caleb was so adamantly defending in there. The Harbingers were trying to pull it out of its resting place, inside this huge boulder. I fought Caleb a little and then feinted to grasp it behind his back. And you know what? Didn't even brake a sweat to pull it out of the rock, it almost jumped in my hand. This is what was written about in that monastery that Andrew and Spike checked out.

- What happened to Caleb?

- What can I say? This new shiny thing slices, dices and makes preacher julienne. I split him in half the hard way, bottom to top. It has real power this weapon, clean power. Spike and Angel couldn't feel it, maybe Willow and Giles might be able to sense it but the girls aren't there yet. We do, sister, this is our inheritance. Oh, I also noticed some markings on the handle, you should show it to Giles, and he might be able to tell something about this axe.

As I was saying those things I ran my fingertips over the markings to show them to her. For a couple of seconds our hands were both on the battle axe. There was a great sense of movement and everything went black. I saw flashes of battle, Amanda with the axe holding her head high as she dusted an Übervamp. Some other nameless girl her eyes focussed on the battle ahead of her. I saw Willow holding an unconscious Dawn, laughing and crying at the same time. Angel surrounded by the Turok Ans. A flash of my conversation with Whistler, then the first slayer and Kendra. Tara smiling. I gasped, feeling a great weight finally lifting from me.

- Damn Buffy, what is that thing? Major head rush, it's like a slayer's dream but without the pleasantness of sleep.

- That is the other reason that I am here. I have a message to share with you all sent to us graciously by the PTB, the driving force behind this whole bloody world and then some. I think everyone should hear it, it was meant to be known by all. We have to call a Scooby meeting extraordinaire. Do you think you can arrange things?

- I don't think I have a choice anymore. Give me a couple of minutes, I'll arrange it. Can you land me the axe, I want to show it to Giles.

- It's yours Faith, you don't have to ask.

- I'll be back.