Note: I'm trying someone else's POV in this chapter. Tell me if it works. I know not everyone likes Dawn. I have tried making her a little more likable. Go with it and tell me what you think. This chapter is dedicated to Imzadi.

Chapter Seventeen – Survival Instincts

Hey, watcherman. You there?

They'd been driving for some time, heading south. Wesley had nodded off for a while, trying to catch a little sleep because it might be forever before he could again.

Resting a little, you?

Still being bounced around like crazy. I think we're heading south.

LA, I think. We interrogated a demon.

Oh. What'd you do? Faith could feel the emotions pore off of him in waves.

Pardon?

Blew the fucker's brains out, didn't you. Welcome to Faith's School of Torture.

No, you made it last longer. I'm much more impulsive than you on such things. Always have been. That one hurt her. The issues they still had with each other would have to be dealt with as soon as possible.

I can't believe we're having a conversation in our heads about this.

Well, if Giles doesn't have me sent off to an institution after this, I'll be lucky.

Not like he's some prince or anything. Buffy told me some stories. And he tried to kill Spike against Buffy's wishes.

Interesting.

Stupid if you ask me. We fucking needed him.

Not something you hear every day.

What?

Someone needing Spike.

I need you.

Likewise.

Do you think it'll change after we figure this out?

The connection?

No, our feelings.

If I had to take a guess, I'd say no.

And you're so smart.

I have it on great authority that I have a very large brain among other things.

Pervert.

Thank you for the compliment.

Anytime. And oh honey?

Yes, dear?

Once we're out of this mess, we have some other issues to discuss.

Absolutely. As always.

And don't think that you'll be able to walk for a week after this is over.

Now the threat of taking me down.

Not gettin' it, are you?

And who's the pervert now?

Only guys can be pervs and what do you think I was talking about.

Your mind is perpetually on the subject.

Not your mind I'd like to be on right about now.

"Hey, you know, snickering to yourself just makes you look even more insane than you really are," Xander told Wesley as he patted him on the back.

"I'll tell Faith you said hello."

"Excuse me?"

Xander says hello.

Don't talk to him.

Why? Oh, another one.

You know, I really don't like this mind reading stuff.

"OK, how can you talk to Faith?" Xander was prying. Riley was all ears.

"Some kind of psychic connection."

"No wonder you've been able to be all slayeree and scary I might add."

Connor snorted and looked at Xander. "He was pretty scary before all this."

"Working in a big city must change a person," Riley added.

"Working with Angel changes a person."

"You and psycho slayer. Tried to strangle you yet?" Wesley chuckled. So Xander and Faith did have a past. Together. He'd have to ask Giles next. Nothing would surprise him.

Faith and sex. Two words that went together. She personified the word. The way she dressed, the way she moved, and the way she talked. No wonder every guy turned their heads when she walked by, even though she could be quite scary herself at times.

At least she hadn't required the wooing part he hated so much. She didn't require the talking and getting to know each other pretenses. The very thing he sucked at.

Women tended to leave him tongue-tied. Especially beautiful, confident women. A dork, as Cordelia so aptly put it. But he had finally thrown off that persona for another, much different one because of Lilah. She had pursued him, not the other way around. And had finally won out in the end. First time for him. Which gave him all the power over her. Oh, she tried to tell him that he actually needed her. Frankly, he really hadn't needed her other than to bury himself in misery. In some weird way, he'd come to care for her. Something had made him want to redeem her. He thought since she made him feel something in the pit of despair he was in, that he would find some way to help her. Help that she didn't want and ultimately rejected.

He could have never trusted her completely, never have really gotten to know her. But trusting Faith now was what he was doing. Did she trust him? Trusting her had become much easier when she had followed his lead in Los Angeles. He had used some questionable practices, but she trusted his plan would work. Not that she didn't question his methods. He would have expected no less from her. If she hadn't, that would have worried him.

Now she was gone, and he needed to control himself without her help and trust. Needing to put his head to the task at hand would take all his mental strength.


"We're stopping," Dawn called.

They had been traveling for hours without a break. Brianna now was visibly shaking in her boots.

"Bri, pull yourself together. I've been in worse situations than this." At least there wasn't thousands of ubervamps crawling all over.

When the crate was opened, Faith saw that it wasn't good. At least thirty vampires surrounded them as they climbed out.

"So much for being ready," Dawn quipped.

"Mmm, lovely slayers." One of the vampires started sniffing Brianna. "You will be a great sacrifice to Columba."

"What, what do I do?" Brianna asked the older slayer.

"Just sit tight." Their chance hadn't come yet.

The vampires tied each person's hands, and then led them down into the sewers.

"OK, this is gross." Dawn was getting on her nerves. Maybe she was getting on their captors' undead nerves too.

"Why don't you just shut up?" Faith told her.

"What's your trauma?" Dawn shot back with a wink.

"My trauma is you, you little bitch."

Faith turned to Dawn and got right up in her face. The look of shock on Brianna's face said it all. She believed the two.

"Don't get in my face," Dawn yelled.

"You're going down." With that comment Faith knocked Dawn to the ground. They rolled over and over like they were trying to hurt one another.

"Stop them," the lead vampire told the others.

Squirming out of handcuffs had never been much of a challenge for Faith. The lame knots that her captors had made weren't a challenge at all. By the time the vampires knew what hit them, Faith had taken down three of them.

"Go," Faith yelled to the two younger girls, knowing she could only hold them off for so long. She tried to block the other vampires before they could run after the girls. Dawn immediately complied, but Brianna hadn't moved a muscle.

"Get the fuck out of here," Faith screamed again, taking on four more.

Fighting in close quarters wasn't new for her. The sheer number of undead bodies was. At some point, she'd be overwhelmed. But if one of them got away, she could lead the good guys back there.

Brianna finally complied, but it was too late. Two vamps took her down. Having her hands still tied behind her back was a hindrance. Hands on training in real scenarios would be at the top of her list on slayer training if they got out of this mess in one piece. Controlled circumstances just sucked.

Two more ran off after Dawn as Faith was taken down by at least six. She prayed that Dawn's survival instincts would kick in. They had to. She was their only hope of getting out of a very sticky situation.


Dawn ran as hard as she could in the sewers, all thoughts of the grossness were put away. Annoying the vamps had been the goal. Faith had played along and made it possible for an escape.

Needing a place to hide, Dawn searched for any kind of nook or cranny in which she could cram herself. Hopefully they wouldn't be able to smell her fear, just the awful sewers.

Dawn almost screamed when a hand snaked out and caught her around the waist. She whirled around and clocked whatever grabbed her hard on the head.

The figure growled a little, and then put a hand over her mouth to keep her from making any sound. The hand was warm, and she realized human. So the first thing that came to mind was to bite it. When she did, a mild yelp came out, but nothing else.

The human still didn't let go of her waist, so she struggled until she heard the vamps come closer. Her body froze at the sound.

"Where'd she go?" one of her former captors yelled.

"This way," the other pointed in the opposite direction.

As they ran away, Dawn kicked the human in the shins to break the contact.

"OK, now that hurt," a faint voice told her in her ear. "Be still. I won't hurt you."

"Heard it before," Dawn whispered.

The human let her go. As she turned around to see him, because she could tell by the voice it was a he, she almost laughed. The guy wasn't any taller than she was. But when she looked into his eyes, a chill went down her spine. Now she was scared.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," the man said in a slight southern accent.

Dawn started to back away.

"Lindsey, what the hell is takin' you so long," another voice whispered down the corridor. A huge black man came into view.

"Found this girl. Vamps were chasin' her."

"Hey, how'd you get down here? Cuz this ain't no place for a little girl."

The two men moved closer to her. "You're not going to hurt me?"

"Listen, we need to get out of here. This place is crawling with vamps. Come on."

"Why should I? I mean go with you."

The big man shrugged. "Cuz we're the good guys in this. I always tell people that. Why don't they believe me?"

"We promise," Lindsey added.

Indecision. Dawn didn't know what to do. On the one hand, the two could be telling the truth. On the other hand, they could be like the men who attacked her in the abandoned building.

"Weapon. I need a weapon."

The big man automatically handed her a knife. "Satisfied? Let's go."

Dawn whipped out her cross necklace and put it on each man. "Not vamps."

"Thank God for that." Lindsey grinned.

"The first wrong move."

"Yeah, yeah. We know. Why do they always say that?" The big man motioned her to move forward.

"After you." Dawn still didn't trust them. Being behind them was the only safe option.

"Suit yourself," the big man called as he started moving.

"What's your name?"

"Oh, this here's Lindsey. He used to be some smartass lawyer. I'm Gunn. Charles Gunn."

TBC