Two Slayers (4D/?)

"Wes-."

"Belt up," instantly she quietened. "You know something Faith, my father told me that Slayers are like spirited horses that required a firm hand-," she felt the Watcher's hand gripping her around the jaw, lifting her head up, "to train them. Haven't I been good to you? Allowed you to wear your slapper's clothes? Fed you, kept a roof over your worthless head?"

Faith swallowed. "You've been real good to me-."

"Shut up!" the Englishman glared at her. "And how do you re-pay me? By disobeying me again. I can see I've been far too lax. Put your hands behind your back." After a second she obeyed and shuddered at the feel of him cuffing her hands. She moaned as he covered her eyes with a blindfold, oh god this was going to be bad.

"Please Wes, I've learnt my lesson," Faith begged, her lips drying with fear.

"Little girls should learn to take their medicine," she whimpered deep in her throat as she felt her belt being unfastened and her trousers drop around her ankles. A second later, she gagged as an oily rag was shoved in her mouth. "Wouldn't want anyone to hear your screams would we?"

For a few seconds she could hear the man walking around her, stalking her. Then she heard his voice in her ear, felt his hot breath on her neck and his callused hands stroking her hair with a tenderness that was obscene given the circumstances. "This is for your own good Faith, I don't enjoy this," the husky note of desire in Wes' voice gave lie to his words, "but a trained Slayer is a long-lived Slayer."

She whimpered at the sound of something cracking through the air and winced at the feel of her leather belt slapping into the back of her bare legs. Five strokes later the attack ended. Faith sighed in relief. Maybe he was going to take pity on her. Maybe he realised she had the best of intention- .

A scream would have erupted from her mouth but for the rag stuffed there when a fist collided into her ribs. She realised through her waves of pain that Wesley must have put on his brass knuckles because no human punch could hurt her that much. She struggled to stay upright, conscious that going to ground would make her a too tempting target for her Watcher's steel toed boots. She groaned when the buckle of her belt whipped into her chest, driving precious air from her lungs. She tried to beg him to stop, he liked it when she did that, but her words were muffled by the rag.

Suddenly she heard something whipping through the air and blacked out for a second as a searing pain ripped through her upper back, knocking her to the dusty floor. Through the air roaring through her ears she heard Wesley's disapproving tones. "Weak Faith, weak. If you can't take a little discipline how can you expect to stand against the creatures of the night?" the Watcher tutted before grabbing her by her pony-tail and yanking her to her feet. "Now let's do this again, and this time stay on your feet."

Conscious of the blood trickling down her back and legs and panicked that the Englishman was going to continue until she was dead, she attempted to force her cuffs loose, but found her beaten and battered body not up to the task. In the distance she heard the office door swing open. "What's all this?" Faith felt her stomach hollow, oh god, that was the resistance leader, Wes had invited him to join in too.

Xander's eyes rolled back as he listened to the older Watcher and his group's two mages discuss this Vengeance demon. He didn't care about demons, he cared about Cordy, his eyes misted over as he remembered cradling her broken body in his arms. He cared about wiping every last vampire from the face of the earth.

He looked around, puzzled, where had that other Slayer, Faith that was her name, gone with her Watcher. Maybe they were planning more direct action. Finding himself cheering at the thought, he looked around but couldn't see either of them in the groups scattered throughout the warehouse floor. "Perhaps they're checking out the armoury," he muttered. Grabbing his pistol crossbow for safety, he hurried to the back of the warehouse. The first three offices were empty, but the fourth....

Bile rose in his throat as he stepped over the threshold to see the brunette Slayer, cuffed, blindfolded, and gagged, stood with her pants round her ankles, and her blood dripping onto the filthy ground. "What's all this?" His guts churned as he noticed the leather belt and the blood- speckled bike chain and brass knuckles.

"This is Council business," the younger Watcher stepped towards him. "Faith took a stupid reckless decision and as such has to be disciplined." The Watcher smiled. "You can join in if you want."

Disgust and rage filled him. Before he knew it he'd hit the Englishman full in the face, knocking him to his knees. "Giles would never have done this!" he roared before kneeing the knelt Watcher in his face, knocking him on his back. In an instant he was on him, pounding the older man's face into a bloody mask, rage blinding him to the Englishman's increasingly weak attempts at retaliation. Finally he grabbed Wesley's skull and twisted, snapping his neck.

For the longest time he stared at the body. He'd killed a human once before – Ethan Rayne had come to town, planning to try and team up with his old running buddy but Xander had got to him first. He hoped he never stopped getting that sick feeling in his stomach from killing a fellow human being, even scum like Wes and Ethan.

Suddenly he became aware of a muffled sobbing behind him. Remembering the Slayer, he hurried over to her. Bile rose in his throat as he surveyed the damage Wesley had done, a cold rage built up inside him, suddenly he wished he'd taken more time over killing the bastard.

Crouching over the girl, he pulled the rag from her mouth. "Please Wes," she gasped. "I'll be good, I know it was stupid running after Angelus. I'm sorry, I'll do as I'm told-"

"Hush," he placed a gentle finger across the Slayer's babbling mouth. "He's not going to hurt you again. I've killed him."

"Noo!" Faith began to thrash wildly. "The Council will kill me."

"Calm down," he placed his hands on the Slayer's shoulders. "No-body's going to kill you. I won't let them."

Releasing his grip on the Bostonian's shoulders he pulled her blindfold off. "Promise?" she asked, her voice child-like.

"I promise," Xander pulled the girl's pants up and fastened them. "Faith, where's the cuff keys?"

"He has them."

"Okay," he pulled the girl up into a sitting position. "Why did you let him hit you?"

"I..it started six weeks after he became my Watcher. I seduced him 'cause I figured if we were screwing he'd be easier on me for training, patrolling, and shit. Then one night I went out partying even though he told me to stay in. When I got in the next morning we had an argument, I told him we weren't exclusive, I could go with who the hell I liked. He told me to get stripped and get in the meat locker for six hours-."

"And you obeyed him?" Xander's blood had chilled.

"H..he said if I disobeyed his training methods then he'd tell the Council he'd got a rogue Slayer and then they'd kill me," which was probably true, judging from the Watcher Diaries he'd read. Faith's eyes filled with tears. "From that moment, if I said or did the slightest thing he'd beat me, make me do real disgusting shit. If you protect me from the Council I'll do anything you want -."

"Faith, I'll protect you because you deserve it, you don't have to do anything you don't want. Except patrol, okay?" the brunette nodded. The cuffs came off. "Listen I'll take you into my quarters, you can have a wash, get changed into some of Cordy's," his heart caught at the mention of his girlfriend, "clothes. Okay?"

"Why are you helping me?"

"Because," Xander paused for a second, there were a dozen different reasons but in the end he went for the simplest. "Because Giles would never have treated Buffy like that." Brushing aside the Slayer's protests, he lifted her into his arms and carried her out of the room, ignoring the mutters his reappearance gained.

"Good lord," Zabuto's mouth dropped open as he saw Xander walking towards him, a thunderous look on his face and the crying second Slayer cradled protectively in his arms. "What happened to her?"

"Kendra," the American ignored him to speak to his Slayer. "Faith saved your life earlier didn't she?" his Slayer nodded meekly, her eyes filled with horror at her fellow warrior's beaten state. "So you owe her, right?" Kendra began to turn him for guidance. "I want your answer, not his!"

"I owe her," Kendra whispered.

"Good," Xander nodded his approval. "Now," the young resistance leader lowered his precious cargo into Kendra's arms. "It's time for you to pay your debt, okay?" the Slayer nodded hesitantly. "I want you to take her into my quarters – Aura," the young man nodded to a pretty girl, "will show you the way. Wash her, clean her wounds, help her dress, and protect from everybody. Okay?"

"Xander," the whimper came from the east coast Slayer. "I want you to look after me."

"Faith, you'll be fin-, five by five," the man tousled the Bostonian's hair. "I've got some business to attend to and then we'll start about getting you settled in okay?" After a moment the girl nodded. "Good girl."

Once the two Slayers had disappeared with their guide, Zabuto turned to the young man. "Xander what's happened to her? Where's her -."

His words were cut off when the youth grabbed him by the throat and bent him back over the table he'd been studying at. A half-second later there was a switchblade to his throat. "Xander-."

"Back off Amy!" Xander's gaze didn't move from his face. "I'll tell you what happened. I walked in on a cuffed Faith being beaten by Wesley with a bike chain, brass knuckles, and a leather belt. Tell me, is Wesley or Giles the exception?"

Somehow Zabuto knew that his continued existence depended on the sincerity of his answer. "H...he beat her?"

"You're telling me you didn't know?" the pressure from the knife against his throat didn't move an inch, but the young man's eyes changed from homicidal to merely suspicious.

"Given the reputation of his father for bullying perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised," he evaded. Admitting he'd had his suspicions appeared to be a really good way of getting his throat cut.

"And do the Council approve?" still the knife didn't budge.

"Of treating potentials or Slayers like that," Zabuto was horrified at the suggestion. "No of course not!" While few in the Council approved of Rupert's mollycoddling of Miss Summers, an opinion more than borne out given recent Sunnydale occurrences in his own estimation, brutality towards the girls was considered spirit-breaking and counter-productive, not to mention downright distasteful.

"If Wesley's father was considered such a lousy bastard why was his son given Faith's care?" the youth demanded.

"Roger Whyndham-Pryce is a man of considerable power in the Council, a former Field Watcher of some distinction." Zabuto realised he'd started to sweat. He considered shouting for Kendra, but Xander would have slit his throat before she even made it into the room. "With Faith having lost her first Watcher and not even being a potential of long-standing before that, there weren't a lot of takers for the position of her field Watcher. Of those, Wesley had the most Council support."

The young man's nose curled up in disgust. "Damn politics," Zabuto was relieved when the knife moved from his neck but didn't attempt to rise. "Well from now on Faith stays here. She's now the Slayer of Sunnydale, my group and I will-."

"I'm afraid Faith's whereabouts aren't up-."

His words trailed off when the young man again pressed his blade to his throat. "I don't think you're listening," the youth growled. "Your Council had their chance to look after her. They fucked up. They're not getting another chance to brutalise her. I've got two powerful witches, a hundred fighters under my control, most of the remaining cops, and a good part of the community provides intel. After this is over, any one from the Council comes into my town and I'll send them home to merry old England in a body-bag! Am I making myself clear?"

Zabuto swallowed. "Crystal," he croaked.

"Good," the resistance leader stepped back. "Are the others here?"

"Excuse me," Zabuto asked. "The others?"

"Like I said this is our HQ," the Scooby founder glanced around, "but there are six other resistance cells scattered through the city, doing patrols, collecting intelligence. With the deaths of Trick and especially Angelus we've weakened Giles' forces. We out-number them four to one, we've got a chance."

"But you can't!" Zabuto cried.

"Really?" Xander's eyes bored into him. "Tell me why?"

"Because that Anya Cordelia was talking about making a wish to before her death was really Anyanka, a Vengence demon." Seeing the youngster's mouth open, he hurried on. "She grants wishes. Maybe where Cordelia came from everything was better, Giles and Buffy were never turned, Cordelia wasn't killed, Faith's first Watcher never died," although quite how Kendra and her were sisters bewildered him. Perhaps he'd never been assigned her as a Watcher.

"And this helps us how?"

Noting Xander's tone had lost much of its hostility, Zabuto breathed a little easier. "If we summons her here and destroy her amulet, her power source, then the world will return to how it was."

Xander nodded slowly. "How do we know it's any better?"

Zabuto looked around. "It has to be."

The resistance leader stared at him. "What do you need?"

"The assistance of your two mages would be sufficient."

"Fine," Xander nodded. "Percy!" the young man continued to look at him, his gaze unflinching.

"Yes boss?"

"We're going to war, but I want you to pick eight men, real trust-worthy, to stay behind and guard him. He tries to leave with Faith, kill him."

"Xan-."

"You might be telling the truth," Xander stepped towards him. "I really don't know. But I'm not risking a young girl's happiness on a Watcher's word. Do your spell. But betray me or hurt any of my friends, and that includes Faith, kill yourself, it'll go easier on you in the long run." The youth turned to the crowd around him. "Tonight we reclaim Sunnydale!"

Giles looked up, sensing the approach of an army. He scowled. With the death of Angelus it appeared the humans had grown bold. "Dress dear," he stroked his resident SlayerSadistSlut's golden hair. "We have company." Silly humans, they'd have to be taught their place in the food-chain.

Zabuto looked down at the pentagram. It seemed the summonsing symbol was correctly executed. "Are we ready?" he smiled at the two nervous mages. "You'll do fine," he soothed. Anything had to be better than this place. Anything.

The Bronze's double-doors crashed open as a 44 flew through them. In an instant, ten vampires were on the vehicle. A half-second later the car exploded in flames, incinerating the vampires. "Amazing what you can do with remote technology," Xander stepped into the doorway flanked by a score of his best soldiers, his heart thundering. Months of planning, building his team, setbacks, and tragedies hinged on this. Angelus' death gave them an opening.

He looked up to the second floor at the sound of clapping. "Xander, my dear boy," Giles walked into view, the sight of his surrogate father's demonic face making his stomach clench. "As innovative as ever, why I remember your plan for defeating the Judge, ah," the vampire king sighed. "I'm sorry it came to this." Suddenly the former Watcher broke out into laughter. "Who am I kidding? I love this! Kill them all!"

Glass cascaded down as the skylights were shattered by a dozen rappellers flying down, crossbows in hand as they started to decimate the shocked vampires. At the same moment, both the back service entrance and fire exits flew open, the vampire sentries dealt with, as Xander's recruits flooded the club and battle began.

Zabuto swallowed as Anyanka appeared. "The world, change it back," he commanded. Oh bollocks, he gave up a shining career as an interior decorator to become a Watcher? What had he been thinking?

"A man dares summon me?" Knocking aside the two guards nearest him, and laughing at the pentagram, the demon lunged for him, her hand grabbing him around the throat, steel-hard fingers crushing the flesh.

As soon as the demon was close enough, he grabbed the amulet around her neck, tore it off and threw it to Jonathan. "Break it!"

Giles watched with concern as Xander cut his way through his vampires, the boy's skills had improved in the past year. "Buffy dear," he purred. "Be a dear and kill Xander for me."

"Can I turn him?"

Giles paused in thought for a second. Turning the resistance's leader against them, there was a sort of delicious irony behind that. And the boy had potential, his ingenuity, and bravery proved that. "You know I could never deny you anything," he murmured. His words were rewarded with a filthily passionate kiss and then the Slayer-Vampire leapt into the melee below.

"Hello Xander, miss me?"

His blood chilled as Buffy charged towards him, leaving severed limbs and screaming bodies in her wake. "I miss Buffy, not you!" His sword-swing was coat by the blonde at the wrist, his shoulder wrenched out of the socket a half-second later. He grinned defiantly at the vampire as she forced him onto his knees. "You know what's funny?" he demanded. "This world, apparently none of this is real."

The vampire looked confused. "What do you -."

"I'm sorry about this," Faith said as she patted her sis on the back. God she hated playing nursemaid. 'Cept when she'd played dress-up back in the day, she was lousy at the damn thing. "But I thought you deserved to know."

"You're sure about this?" god she hated the hurt look on Kendra's face, her sis was the best. She just wished Cordy was a fucking demon so she could decapitate her and use her skull as a place ornament.

"Girl, if there's one thing I know it's when a girl's putting the moves on. She was all over him like a cheap suit."

"But why?" Kendra looked bewildered. "Have I said something to offend her?"

Aw fuck, her sis was such an innocent. "This ain't you girl, it's all on her," she consoled her big sis. "Not your fault, Cordy's a bitch from way back. Remember all those stories Xan and Jon told us about her back in the day?" Kendra nodded. "But I told her what's what and what'll happen to her if she even looks at X wrong, she knows what'll happen."

"S..she only did it because she's lonely."

Faith looked up at Tara stood in the doorway. She hadn't noticed the Wicca entering. "If she's lonely she should get a dog, seeing as she's acting like a bitch in heat."

"I..it wouldn't happen if we involved her more in Slaying." Tara's face darkened. "W..what you did to her was wrong, abusing your power like that. You shoul-"

Faith bristled. "What about what-."

"I WAS TALKING!" Faith jumped when Tara shouted at her. Tara never shouted, Tara went all quiet when other people shouted. "You acted like a bully and you should apologise."

Faith snorted. "Like that's going to happ-."

She gulped at the look in Tara's eyes. "B...bullies aren't nice people," her friend scolded. "Are you a nice person, Faith?"

She looked down at the floor. "Yeah," she muttered.

"G...good, then that's settled." Tara nodded. "Tomorrow's Saturday and Cordelia will be working with you in the shop. I think you should apologise for attacking her and ask her to join you in your workouts."

"No way," she gulped when Tara raised an eyebrow. "Ah, what I was going to say that sounds like a really good idea." Fuck, when Tara get so scary?

"E..excellent," Tara beamed. "I'm getting some cocoa, do either of you want some?" Both Slayers shook their heads. "Night then." The wicca walked out.

After a minute, Faith managed to close her gaping mouth. "Fuck Ken," she shook her head. "Remind me never to piss off Tar again."

Kendra nodded, her face ashen-grey. "I think that's wise."