The Unicorn: Yes, someone should talk to Dawn, and I'm waiting to see what you come up with for your Buffy/Leon story. And Mathilda is about 20 or so (I think I mentioned it in the first story).

Trinfaneb: glad you like it.

Smee: It's something I've intended to do for a while, and finally got round to.

Angus Hardie: Yes, there is going to be a Faith/Mathilda friendship fic, in a way.

Sean Malloy-1: I have about 4 works-in-progress on the go at the moment, so it may take awhile between chapters.

MeoW03: Leon is a cool film :)

Dark Light: Well, you asked for it…

The Sunnydale Connection

Mathilda was up the stairs in an instant, pulling the newly acquired shotgun from under the table as she erupted from her chair. Her hand pumped the massive plastic grip, and she hit the basement door with her shoulder, almost knocking it off its hinges. An evil looking Turok-Han stood where the front door had been, one Potential lying still at its feet, blood gushing from several wounds. Not even flinching, Mathilda brought the guns stock to her shoulder and fired.

The echoing discharge threatened to deafen everyone in the house, but the huge solid shell slammed into the Vampire, knocking it back a pace. Mathilda pulled the trigger again, thankful that the shells contained enough power to worked the semi-automatic reloading.

The second blast caught the vampire in the chest, sending it flying off the porch and sprawling onto the front path. Mathilda saw the creature start to rise, the shells doing nothing more than bruising it. Dropping the shotgun, she drew one of her 9mm and fired a single shot at the Turok-Han's head.

The silver hollow-point seemed to decapitate the creature, turning the rest to dust.

Only after she was sure that there where no other vampires or daemons in the vicinity did Mathilda rub her bruised shoulder, cursing the shotguns recoil under her breath. She turned to see Buffy, Faith and several of the other Potentials looking at her in amazement.

"Nice one M!" Faith smiled, clapping her hands, setting off most of the Potentials.

"Thanks." Mathilda smiled, then winched as she tried to move her arm, "But that thing's got a kick like a mule." She lifted the shotgun with her good arm, "Think I'd better see about making some silver rounds for this thing."

"Come on B: you have to admit she did well." Faith stood on the back porch, looking at the stars, "The only other Potential to pull a weapon rather than scream was Kennedy."

"I still don't trust her." Buffy shook her head, "Did you see the look on her face when she shot that thing? Nothing: no anger, no pain, no fear, nothing."

"Scared that what you see in her is what you see in yourself?"

"I'm not like that."

"You are B: I've seen you in action. It's like watching a machine: I've seen you take down half a dozen vamps without even blinking. It's the price we pay for being the Slayer: With great power comes great responsibility."

"You've been spending too much time with Xander and Andrew."

"Maybe."

"It's nothing personal luv." Spike sat on his bed, watching Mathilda listen in on the two Slayers through an open basement window, "Buffy doesn't trust easy."

"She trusts you." Mathilda looked at the bleach-blond vampire, "And you're meant to be her enemy."

"Yeah, it's funny how things work out sometimes."

"You find this all funny?"

"I'm the better part of 200-years old: I've seen and done a lot of things, most I'm not very proud of, but you learn to take the rough with the smooth."

"Really?"

"Life is hard, even when you don't have one."

"Should you be out here on your own?" Mathilda wondered out onto the patio some point later that night/early next morning.

"Not like I have a lot else to be doing." Dawn shrugged, "What's your excuse?"

"Jet-lag: I'm still on East Coast time."

"What's it like, New York?"

"You know the song with the line that says 'The City That Never Sleeps'?"

"Yeah."

"Not even close."

"Is it true, what I've herd you do…"

"Kill people for money? Yeah, it's true: been doing it since I was your age."

"How'd you get into it?"

"My dad got involved with some crooked cops. He tried to screw them on a drug deal, so they killed him, my step-mom, brother and sister."

"What!"

"No bull: I only lived because I'd popped down to the store on the corner."

"Didn't they catch you when you went back?"

"I got lucky: my neighbour let me in: he was a professional killer, although I didn't know it at the time."

"So he trained you?"

"Reluctantly: he didn't think it was a job for a 12-year old."

"What happened to him?"

"He died: same corrupt cops that killed my family. He managed to take them all with him thou."

"That's sad."

"Yeah kid, life normally is."

"Is life always this hard, or just when you're a kid?"

"Always like this. Now get some sleep before your sister catches us!"

"I'm taking some of the others to get some new cloths if you want to come." Faith found Mathilda in her normal spot on the back porch.

"Dose Buffy trust me to be let out of her sight?" The Potential asked.

"Who says I asked her? B needs to learn to chill out a little every now and then, or she's going to end up with an ulcer."

"If any of us live that long."

"Yeah, well that's our lot in life: Slayers live short, bloody and violent lives, and get to die trying to save the world."

"You seem ay ease with it?"

"Hell, I always figured I'd die young: just a question of when, where, why and how: being a Slayer just cuts down the options a little."

"Ok, let's go shopping. How much money should I take?"

"Money? Towns deserted M: we don't need no money!"

To Be Continued…