Title: The First Seconded

Author: Falcon-Rider falconriderhotmail.com

Rating: PG-13 for Angst and ect. And CD

Disclaimer: I own nothing 'cept the plot and Nich. Oh and a few others…

Authors note: Umm… there is nothing that can excuse my lack of postage… except perhaps writers block… and the fact that I seriously thought I had posted this one! Turns out I hadn't… Anyway, another chapter will be out in about 2 days. I just have to type it up and edit it… then hopefully another soon after..., as soon as I locate my timeline again… --;


Part Thirty Eight

What about me?

8 days

"Who are you?" Faith growled at him, visibly shaken and upset.

"The question is who I could be," He smiled and raked her body with his eyes. "An ally, a friend? A lover…"

She laughed, "How about D none of the above."

"None of the above is E, baby you just chose the best of all."

"What's that?"

He grinned and was behind her in less than a flash. Her hands were held tightly behind her back as he spoke softly into her ear, "Your master."

Faiths eyes widened as his tongue felt her pulse point, "And why would I want that?"

"We gave you this life," He replied drawing back from her neck slightly. "We can take it away again."

"What do you mean you gave me this life?"

"What, do you really think you got out on good behavior?" He laughed. "No baby, there's none of that for murder."

"How?"

"We have powerful allies; they managed to get you paroled."

"So," Faith coughed out a laugh. "My whole life here is a lie?"

"Pretty much," He smiled into her neck as he kissed it.

"Sarah, Bobby, and the baby?" Her voice was rough.

"No. They're yours, but your job, the parole… that's all ours," He answered tightening his hold.

"I-I get to keep my life if I work with you?"

"No one will even know your helping us," He answered.

"Alright then, what do I have to do?"

"It's simple," He whispered. "Just sleep."

His fangs pierced her neck and she screamed.

Dawn opened the door to her bedroom and entered, closing the door behind her. Going to the closet she hung up the light green shirt Buffy had let her have before grabbing a night shirt.

She felt guilty about not telling her sister about Spike, but she had already agreed not to. What was she supposed to do, argue with him? He had given her his puppy dog face and she had relented to the ex-vampire, of course, she had him whipped as much if not more so than he had her, so it didn't bug her too much.

The young slayer undressed quickly and slipped her long night shirt over her head before going to the dresser and taking out a bottle of lotion.

She had been mad at him about what he had done to Buffy, but she wasn't as mad as she had been. After Buffy had explained it to her the anger had further faded from her mind. Squirting the lotion into her palm she began to rub it into her arms and hands.

Her sister had been acting different lately, and Dawn guessed it had something to do with what she had been talking about…

"Don't worry about it, last year was rough, but I got through it," Buffy smiled slightly. "I think I finally realized what I want and what I felt."

"What was that?"

Buffy shrugged and stood, "Doesn't matter now does it? He's gone. Side's Dawnie you should get some sleep I didn't realize it was so late."

…her sister cared for him, she just knew it. Maybe it was love, and maybe it wasn't. Buffy herself had admitted that she had only felt when around him, even if she couldn't understand or fathom the feeling it had to have been pretty strong to break through the numbness.

Dawn seriously doubted that it had been hate.

Willow yawned as she exited the bathroom, the toilet flushed behind her. She frowned as she walked past the living room towards the room that Xander had fixed up for her, the one that used to be a closet.

"Xander?"

"Oh, hey Will." He answered from the darkness.

"What are you doing up?"

"Nothing, I just couldn't sleep."

She frowned and walked toward him, "Are you alright?"

"No, not really."

"What happened?"

"Do I have my own life? Do I still lean too much on Anya?"

"Uh, I don't think so," Willow sat down on the couch next to him. "But then I was gone all summer, so I'm not really the right person to ask."

"She- she said that I cling to her, and that I need to let her live her own life," Xander glanced at his best friend. "I don't cling… do I?"

"Maybe just a little," Willow answered hesitantly.

"I do? How do I cling? I mean, I didn't really figure myself to be a clingy person," Xander jumped up and paced in front of the witch.

"Well you do kind of try to control things a bit at times, people's lives," She whispered.

"When have I tried to control peoples lives-"

"We, not just you, kind of do it all the time with Buffy," Willow smiled sadly. "I realized that this summer. She could have been a lot happier if we hadn't pushed her."

"We didn't push Buffy, there was no pushing-"

"She let us believe she was in Hell because we kept saying she was," Willow interrupted him. "And what about the time when she had to send Angel to Hell? Remember you're: 'Kick his ass for me' or whatever it was? Think she wouldn't tell me about that?"

He glanced at her surprised, "I guess I just-"

"We control her all the time, we influence her… and I guess Anya realized that you were trying to do that with her too," Willow looked away. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this Xander, but Anya did love you and you gave her up. It hurts a lot when someone leaves or dies and it doesn't heal quickly. If she doesn't want to be with you anymore it's her choice. Let her have her life."

"Great everyone hates me," Xander muttered.

"No, we still care for you Xander but she's right… you can be clingy at times," Willow said.

After a few moments of silence Xander sat back down next to her.

"There's no way I can get her back is there?"

Willow smiled sadly and shook her head, "Probably not."

Faith groaned and rolled over, a rock had dug into her side during the night… a rock? She bolted upright and stared at the rising sun across the cemetery. Twisting her head around she saw a stake lying next to her; flecks of dust scattering the ground near where her head had been.

Her neck hurt.

She lifted her hand up to it and felt the vampire bite marring her neck. She hissed at the soreness of it.

Faith stood slowly, feeling completely numb inside, and picked up the stake. It was time to head home.

To be continued in: The Stars, The Sight, The Voices

A.Note: Please don't murder me!!! .; This year was a hectic one… and I had bad, very bad, writers block. I hope though, that starting with my next chapter, my writing will have greatly improved. See, I was in AP English this year, and I'll be in it again next year... Also I've been Qcing stuff for a channel on IRC. So I like to think I've gotten better over my sabbatical from writing. . Psst, if you like Naruto, please check out my one shot, soon to have another chapter, Naruto ficcy! And I realize that something is off about the timing for the Xander scene... but I haven't done anything but a quick check for grammar/spelling errors in this before I posted so...

Please R&R and yell at me for being late! I deserve it! ((better read next chapter hint .