Collision
By MsBrooklyn
Incredibly AU: Crossover between BtVS/AtS and Michael Mann's Collateral. Shortly after This Year's Girl/Who Are You (BtVS) but just hours into Five by Five (AtS), Faith 'jacks herself a cab and picks up a very interesting passenger.
"I love this town," Faith yelled into the night, glancing back at the cops rushing into the club. It was too early to check out her new digs and since she had some money and there was so much of LA to see -
A horn honked over to her left and she turned to see a cabbie flashing her a mouthful of yellowed teeth.
"Need a ride, sweetheart?"
A smile crossed her lips as an idea came to her.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"312 North Spring Street."
The driver turned around and looked at him.
"312 North Spring Street," Vincent repeated. "You're on duty, aren't you?"
"Yeah, okay, what the hell," the girl said. "What's the address again?"
Vincent gritted his teeth and repeated it for the last time before he tried another cab. "312 North Spring. Know where it is?"
"I don't have to. This thing'll give me directions. Pretty cool, huh?" She leaned forward and punched in the address on the flat panel console mounted on the dash. "Got it. Buckle up, baby."
He leaned back in his seat, regarding her warily. "How long do you think it'll take to get there?"
"It takes what it takes, yo. Traffic and weather, I don't control 'em. Why? You in some kind of hurry?"
"I'm on a schedule." With that, he reached into his briefcase and pulled out his PC tablet. He reviewed the prep again, glancing back up at his driver after a couple of minutes. She was young, he noted, with dark brown hair and doe eyes. Pretty. "How long have you been driving a cab?"
"A little while." She met his eyes in the mirror. "You got a problem with my driving?"
"It's fine, but you might want to turn the meter on."
"Huh?"
"Never mind. I'll pay you for the time when we get there."
"'Kay."
Looking down at his watch, Vincent took some comfort in seeing that he was still on schedule. Her driving wasn't bad, even if she wasn't all there. Probably, this was her first night on the job.
The cab lurched to a halt in front of a shabby-looking building.
She turned to him. "This it?"
"Yeah." He considered it for a minute and decided to take a chance. "Listen, I'm in town on a real estate deal, closing in one night. I need to make five stops. You think you can drive me around?"
"I think maybe you can convince me." Her lips curled up in a smile. "What's it worth to you?"
"How much do you make a night?"
The girl's eyes narrowed. "Hey! This ain't that kind of car -"
"I meant in fares." Definitely her first night on the job. "How about five hundred? Plus a bonus if you get me to LAX without me having to run for my plane?"
Her eyes swept over him. "I don't know."
"Yeah, you do." He pulled the bills from his pocket and fanned them in front of her. "Two hundred now. The rest later."
"You got yourself a deal, man."
"What's your name, hon?"
"Faith."
"I'm Vincent." He flashed a quick smile at her as he handed her the money. "Listen, why don't you go wait in the alley around the corner, so you don't get a parking ticket?"
"Cool." She winked at him. "See you in a couple."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Five hundred? To drive his Armani-covered ass around all night? Not bad, she decided. If it got boring, she could just take whatever money he had, but right now, he was fun to watch. Total tight-ass, but a hot tight-ass. Maybe she could loosen him up.
Reaching over, Faith turned on the radio.
WHUMP!
When she looked up, there was a bloody face on the other side of the windshield.
"Holy crap!" She wrenched open the door and got out of the cab.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Vincent took one look at the scene down the alley and cursed silently. This night was turning into a disaster.
The girl, Faith, came up to him. "This guy landed on the cab and totally trashed it. He's dead."
"No kidding."
She cocked her head to one side as realization dawned. "You killed him?"
"I shot him," Vincent told her. "The bullet and the fall killed him."
"Huh?"
Pulling his .45 HK from his waistband, Vincent leveled it at her. "Pop the trunk, Faith."
Faith gave a little shake of her head, not fazed by the gun. "Why?"
"Because I say so."
"Why not just get another cab?"
"Do it." He slid the safety back. "Now."
He heard her mutter 'tight-ass' as she made her way over to the cab. Opening the driver's side door, she reached in and popped the trunk.
"Good girl." He engaged the safety on the gun and slipped it back into place, reaching for the trunk latch. "Take his hands."
"What?"
"Take his hands and help me put him in the ..." Vincent trailed off as he looked down into the trunk. "What the hell is this?!"
The girl came up next to him. "That's the cab driver."
Vincent whipped out his gun again and pumped two rounds into the driver before whirling on the girl. "Who the hell are you?"
"I told you. I'm Faith." She smiled slowly at him. "You some kind of hit man, Vincent?"
"Kind of."
"You think you're a tough guy?"
"What?"
"You think you can take me?"
What the hell had he walked into? "You don't want to go there, Faith."
"Put the gun away and give us a kiss." She crooked a finger at him. "Unless you're chicken."
"I'm on a job."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Look, you want me to drive you around tonight, I'll get us another cab. Piece of cake."
"You're going to get us another cab," Vincent repeated. "How?"
"Watch."
She walked out of the alley, looked up and down the street, stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. Within seconds, a cab pulled in front of her. Faith leaned over, as if she was going to whisper to the driver, who rolled down his window to hear her. In a flash, she pulled the driver through the window and slammed his head on the hood of the cab. Twice.
Dropping the driver, she turned to Vincent. "See? Easy."
"I'm impressed. Put him in the trunk with the other one."
"You gonna shoot this one, too?"
"Is he still breathing?"
"Yeah."
"Then, yeah, I'm gonna shoot him." He watched her lift the unconscious driver with ease and toss the man into the trunk. "Good girl."
"Your turn."
"My pleasure." Two short bursts and then he retrieved his bag from the back of the cab. "Ready to roll?"
Faith grinned a shark's grin at him. "I love this town!"