Chapter 6: If Three is a Crowd, Six is a…

San Francisco, CA – Near Fisherman's Warf
Two days later
02:25 PM

They had arrived the previous day, late at night. After booking two rooms at a hotel, Faith and Xander decided to patrol a little, just to get the 'feeling' of The City by the Bay. Surprisingly, they found only one vampire, and he was hiding, scared of something. Before they had a chance to ask him anything, he decided to flee. Faith and a well-thrown stake ended his run forever.

The following morning, the trio decided on a little sightseeing, attached to a lot of information gathering, since they didn't know squat about Frisco's underworld. To the two women accompanying him, information gathering meant that they asked every single price of every single item of every single store they entered. Add to that a complaining mystical crow, which was being harassed by the local bird fauna, and one could call Xander's mind state as explosive.

Right now, said man was at an ice cream store, trying to calm his boiling-point nerves with a double hot-fudge sundae, a pack of Twinkies in the inner pocket of his jacket, only waiting for him to finish. At his side, on the table, rested a local newspaper of the most 'esoteric' variety, already read in full. Nothing weird was being reported in it, and this was almost as weird as the other option, perhaps weirder. Either the underworld acted way over carefully on the town or something was taking care of it.

He was finishing his ice cream when Faith and Cordy entered the store, each one carrying just one bag, surprisingly.

"So, how was 'research'?" he asked, smiling. He could never be pissed for long with such beauties.

"The clerks didn't know much, but they said that some weird things have being happening in this town for a while now. Mysterious murders, lights in the sky, which means…" Cordelia said.

"That our 'friends' do their things in here as well. The newspaper is quiet about it," Xander said, pointing to it.

"Perhaps the editor is a man planning for an Ascension?" Cordy asked. Xander cringed, along with Faith. "What? It's possible, isn't it?"

Nobody answered verbally, but the answer showed in the expressions around the table. Xander called the waitress, asking for the bill.

"Let me pay this up, and we'll go to the newspaper to search their archives," Xander said.


While Xander was dealing with the bill, two brunettes and one redhead were approaching the ice cream shop in a hurry.

"You sure this is the place?" one of them asked.

"Of course I am. The vision was pretty clear about it, and I've been here before. You doubting me?"

"'Course not. I just find it odd that nobody is running. Where's the demon?"

They entered the shop, and one of them promptly waved her hands, freezing everything and everyone in place.

"Why?"

"I'm tired of just freezing them after they hit one of us. So, where is it?"

They searched the small store twice, nothing weird on sight.

"Anything?" the apparently leader asked.

"Just a strong vibe around that table," another one answered, pointing to /the/ table.

"Vibe? What kind of vibe? Evil?"

"Not exactly. Just . . . dangerous, I guess."

At this precise moment, a black crow entered the shop by the frozen-open door, landing on Xander's shoulder. The eyes of the youngest one almost jumped out of their sockets.

"Oh, shi-it!" she exclaimed, much to the surprise of her sisters.

"What?" the other two asked, almost in synchronicity.

"We fucked up. We fucked up badly!" she answered, eyes focused on the cawing bird.

"Watch the language! Why we fucked up?"

"What did you see in your vision? Exactly?"

"I . . . I saw this place and something else. It looked like light a-and darkness, and there was something in the middle, like wild animals. And Power. With a big 'P'."

"Did you see a crow? That crow?" the young one asked, pointing to the bird.

"N-no," she answered, but she stopped for a second. "Wait. I saw something. It looked like a shadow over the thing. I-it looked . . ." and she looked to the bird. Her attitude changed to one of defiance. "How do we vanquish it . . . them?"

"We don't. We release them. Now!" she said, in a no nonsense voice.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Why?"

"DO IT!"

The tone didn't leave space for anything else. The brunette waved her hand again, and time and action resumed themselves. The trio seated on the table looked to one another, trying to understand what happened, when suddenly the man looked to the bird for some seconds and then to the three sisters.

"Ladies, I believe you were looking for us, and we for you. Care to sit down?" he asked, grinning.

It seemed like the freezing had reverted to the young women. They stood mute, looking at the man that had spoken to them. The bird took flight once again, going out. The other people at the store noticed it, but nobody made a comment. Paige, the youngest, was the first to react. She walked slowly forward and sat down, the two other women on the table adjusting themselves for everyone to sit. Her sisters followed suit a few seconds later.

"Well, I believe introductions are in order. I'm Xander, and these are Cordelia and Faith. My flying buddy just told me you are 'The Three'. Since I'm not familiar with the term, at least if it doesn't involve armored vampires, care for some explanations?"

"A-are you a Crow?" Paige asked.

Xander's face didn't betray his sudden surprise. "You know about the legend?"

"I-I had a friend who told me a story once, about one. When I got into this gig, I researched a bit more."

Her sisters looked at her, surprised and somewhat pissed. "Care to enlighten us, o sister of mine?" Piper asked, somewhat annoyed.

"There's a legend, I-I guess it's not a legend anymore, that a crow takes the souls to their final resting place, but sometimes, when something truly horrible happens, the crow brings the soul back to set things right."

Xander clapped lightly, smirking. "Nicely said."

"So, you're some kind of zombie or demon?" Phoebe asked.

"No, I'm human. Mostly."

"What do you mean, 'mostly'?"

"My . . . connection with my feathery sidekick," that earned a mental scolding from said sidekick, " gives me some extra stuff in the supernatural side of things."

"What things?"

"Speed, strength, stamina, the basics," he said, keeping the immortality bit out of it on purpose.

"Is he evil?" Phoebe asked Paige, which seemed transfixed with him. She noticed the dangerous-looking brunette sitting at his side giving her sister the evil eye, so she took the opportunity to elbow her sister lightly in the ribs.

"Wha . . . No. Yeah. Maybe. They are driven about their mission of Vengeance, but we should be safe. We are safe, aren't we?" she asked, a bit worried.

"Sure. My initial 'mission' is fulfilled. I'm just tying up some loose ends," he said, and Cordelia snorted, murmuring, "Understatement much?"

"Anyway, this 'Three' thing Blackie was telling me about?"

"Blackie?" Piper asked.

"The crow."

"Oh, yeah. How does he – he's a he, right?" Xander nodded, "knows about us?"

"Don't have the slightest. But he's a mystical bird. I guess it's in the resume somewhere he must know those things."

Paige smiled slightly. Piper answered him. "Ever heard of the Charmed Ones?"

Xander hadn't, but from the reaction he got from Faith, she had. The Slayer was frozen on the spot, mouth hanging open. He looked at his girlfriend. "Faith?"

She looked back at him. "R-remember when I first showed up in SunnyD?"

"Who doesn't?" Cordelia quipped.

"Cordy," he said, sternly. "Yeah, Faith. What about it?"

"I never told that to anybody. When my Watcher died, she gave me two options; either go to Sunnydale and meet you guys or come to San Fran and ask for the Charmed Ones. They are this wicked trio of über-witches or something."

"You witches?" Cordelia asked.

"Guilty as charged. And what is this Watcher stuff?"

"Ever heard of the Slayer?" this time Cordelia spoke.

Phoebe and Piper had. The latter spoke. "This table is getting interesting. We are only lacking a werewolf to make the perfect card game or a really bad joke."

"Sorry," Xander said, "but I don't know where Oz is right now, otherwise we could be shuffling cards already. Does a Seer count?"

The Charmed Ones looked to Cordelia. "Welcome to the club," Phoebe said.

"What is this Slayer stuff?" Paige asked.

"Vampire Slayer. Empowered girl, given strength and speed to fight the forces of darkness. Demons, Vampires and the occasional incorporeal evil," Faith said. "Yours truly."

"Oh."

"So, what did I see in my vision?" Phoebe asked.

"What was it?" Xander asked, and Phoebe gave them the rundown of what she saw.

"I guess you saw me, or better, what makes the Slayer tick, nowadays. Predator spirits or some shit like it. You gotta ask Red about it, though. And I guess BoyToy over here, as well."

"Red?" Piper asked.

"The Wicked Wicca of SunnyD."

The trio of sisters looked at one another, shaking heads.

"Look, this conversation is getting too interesting for the Ice Cream Shop. Can we move to a place where we won't scare the customers if our job's clients decide to show up?"

"Sure. Where to?"


Halliwell Manor
Same day
04:47 PM

They sat at the manor's living room, and began chatting amicably. During their conversation, Xander picked up a thread he didn't like at all. Apparently, the Charmed Ones didn't question their 'superiors' much. That was good behavior for soldiers in the field of battle, but for three women with the power they held, it could mean some serious problems in the long run. He kept it for himself, but with the slightest glance he traded with Cordelia, he knew she had realized it as well. He beamed internally with it, she really was the person Sam was looking for.

During their talk, Faith stood stock still for a moment, hand flying to the inner pocket of her jacket. A second later, a series of lights appeared and disappeared in the middle of the living room, leaving a man standing on its wake. Since none of the hostesses jumped, Faith let the stake in its place, but her hand over it.

"Star Trek much?" Xander asked, surprised. The crow, perched in the back of a chair, communicated to him what the new guest was. The brunette's eyebrows lifted almost to his hairline. "You know the strangest people in this business," he quipped.

The recent arrival looked at Xander, his eyes bugging out. "What is he doing here?" Leo asked.

His ex-wife answered him. "Hello, Leo. These are Xander, Faith and Cordelia, a Crow, the Vampire Slayer and a Seer, respectively. And they are here as our guests, so far. Why? You know them?"

Leo didn't answer his ex, instead, he approached Xander and held his hand for shaking. "I'm Leo Wyatt. I must say it is a pleasure finally meeting you. And I must extend our thanks for your dealings with The First."

"'Our thanks'? Why?" Xander asked, without holding his hand.

"The Elders have a debt of gratitude with you, Mr. Harris. You dealt with a major problem and kept the Balance steady in the process."

Xander's good mood disappeared in a flash. "If you know my story, I suggest you leave, now."

Leo looked into him, and actually shivered. "O-ok. Fine. Talk to you later, girls," he said, and orbed out.

"What was that?" Piper asked, dumbfounded. Her sisters were equally curious about a man who could apparently scare Leo, an Elder himself.

"Story of my life. Don't worry, nothing to do with you, ladies."

"X just have some problems with the 'upper management', if you catch my drift."

"What happened?"

"Ask Leo, when he returns," Xander said, closing the subject.

They managed to re-start a good talk a couple minutes later, after a few unsuccessful starts.

The 'shop talk' took the best part of a couple of hours, they trading stories back and forth. By unspoken agreement, no one mentioned Faith's shady past, even when the matter of two Slayers appeared, or the subject of Xander's 'talk' with Leo. He guessed that they were hiding things as well, and he most surely wouldn't blame them. In the middle of one of their stories, they mentioned a locator spell. That made Xander halt them with a lifted hand, much like a student in class.

"Can I ask for a favor?" he said, after conversation died out.

"It depends. What do you want?" Piper asked.

"Well, the reason for us to be here is that we are searching for a shady bastard that is slipping trough our fingers. Cordy hadn't had a vision about him, and the underworld is either silent or don't know about it. So, I was thinking if you could make a locator spell to try and find him."

"Who is this guy?" Paige asked. Xander explained, helped by Cordelia and Faith, so that they would have a mostly balanced view of the vampire with a soul. In the end, they all agreed that he was too dangerous to be left on his own.

"I don't know if it would work. We need something from him, something pretty personal if we want to find him," Piper said.

"Got it covered," Cordy answered, opening her purse and handling them the Claddagh ring that Angel had given Buffy so many years ago. She turned to Xander and Faith, noticing the question in Xander's face. "He kept it after he returned from that mess with Acathla, and I saw him sometimes caressing it when he thought nobody was looking. Is it personal enough?"

"Yeah. Come on, let us prepare," Piper said, and they climbed the stairs to the attic.

The six people arrived at the attic, and the Charmed Ones started reading from a rather large book, while the trio from Sunnydale went quietly to a corner, as not to bother them, Xander's crow perched on his shoulder.

The witches started mixing a lot of stuff and chanting. Xander noticed it was even more stuff than when Willow and Tara used to create such a spell. For the finishing touch, Phoebe threw the ring on the potion, which emitted a bright light for a few seconds and stabilized. Then they looked expectantly to it for a few seconds, but nothing happened.

"Strange," Piper said. "The spell is right, and it shows that he is still in this plane, but nothing more. Either he is protecting himself with some serious magic or something is interfering with the spell."

"Could it be a Hellmouth?" Xander asked.

"I sincerely don't know. Maybe. Too much mystical energy in the area, but I guess it would give us a reading, even a faint one."

"Damn, DeadBoy. I /will/ stake you, just because of the annoyance. Thank y. . ." he turned abruptly to his crow, which apparently was talking to him over their connection. "I guess it won't hurt. You sure?"

The bird flew to the rim of the cauldron, and drank a bit of the potion. The Charmed Ones screamed. "Hey! This thing is poisonous!"

Blackie cawed once and flew back again to his perching in Xander's shoulder. "He told me that the potion could help him track DB. Don't worry, he isn't a normal crow," he answered.

"Of course not, he's yours, dweeb," Cordelia spoke. This caused a round of giggles to cross the room, and the bird to caw.

"What is my problem with strong, beautiful women?" he mockingly asked to the skies.

"They all think you are funny?" Paige spoke first, still giggling.

"Stupid is more like it," Cordelia answered her, which elicited another round of giggles.

"Ok, ok, I give," he said, grinning. "Come on, Faith, let's try and find our slippery vampire. We can drop Cordy at the hotel, eat something and go hunting. We can try and go out later to that club of yours," he said, looking to the sisters.

"Give your names at the door, I'll have a table reserved for you," Piper said, handling him a business card from P3.

They walked out of the manor, and while they were giving their goodbyes, Faith noticed something that caught her eye. While in prison, she didn't have much to do, so she decided to use her time to learn. She obtained her GED, and she developed a secret passion for cars and computers. All of her free time she would spend in the library, either reading or browsing the 'net. And what was her surprise to see one of her 'dream cars' passing slowly right in front of her . . .


Near Halliwell Manor
Same day
6:54 PM

The search had been a complete bust. Either the guy was clean as he claimed or someone had forewarned him, any of the two being bad, since he was the only real suspect. It had another aggravating circumstance; it made SIU Inspector Nash Bridges late for a date. Anyway, he wasn't a happy man tonight. Joe was at his side rambling about some other crazy moneymaking plan of his, but he wasn't paying attention to it, matter of fact, he was thinking on his excuses for being late for dinner.

His mood cleared a bit when he saw the stunning brunette ogling the car. The classic Barracuda was real eye-candy material for the car lover. Nash slowly removed the foot from the accelerator, as to extend the mutual appreciation. He looked at her more thoroughly, wishing that he could be some years younger, because with a body like that and those looks, she could easily be a supermodel. He passed her up and started to speed up again, looking once over the rearview mirror, and seeing her climbing a bike. He loved his car.

But then something started nagging at his brain. He had seen that face somewhere. Being the head of SIU wasn't easy. He was chosen for a lot of attributes, one of them was that he was a /verygood/ cop. So, his mind kept spinning over the memories of magazines, outdoors, everything that he imagined could have that face stamped on. As it should be, it reverted to his job. And then he remembered.

"DAMN!" he screamed, twisting the steering wheel forcefully and pushing the handbrake. The car executed an almost perfect one hundred eighty degrees turn, and he stepped on the accelerator once again, releasing the brake. The car jumped forward like a wild stallion, gaining speed in mere seconds.

"NASH!" Joe screamed at his side, holding on as best as he could.

"Hang on, bubba!" he said, hand flying to the police siren.


Faith climbed on the bike, and it started on the first try. Cordelia would go with Xander on his bike, so she picked up her helmet and put it on, adjusting the straps with the ease gained from experience. She looked back one last time, to see if she could spot the Barracuda one last time. What wasn't her surprise when she saw the car making a wild turn right in the middle of the street. The driver was a very good one, because he controlled the wild swerve like a pro.

That's when she noticed him fumbling with something in the dashboard. Her vision caught it easily.

"Oh, shit!" she said, hands twisting the throttle to the max. The bike shot forward, not even waiting for Xander.

Meanwhile, the brunette was waiting for Cordelia to put the helmet on. He didn't understand a thing when Faith throttled the bike and ran away, until he heard the siren and the 'Cuda pass at his side speeding up.

"Oh, shit!" he said, mimicking Faith's words. He picked up his cell phone and threw it to a surprised Cordelia. "CALL SAM!" he screamed, and shot forward, following the police car. Talk about keeping a low profile.


"Five-George Thirty One calling Dispatch. We are in pursuit of a suspect over Prescott Street. Suspect is driving an off-road white and blue bike, going east. We need backup, over."

Some seconds passed, and a feminine voice was heard back.

"Dispatch to Five-George Thirty One, backup is on the way, over."


Xander accelerated his own bike, gaining on the yellow muscle car. He looked forward, and he saw Faith making a dangerous curve to the right, back tire smoking on the asphalt.

Can you give me some aerial support?he asked his crow.

Of course, the bird stated, flying higher.

The car would have a difficult time in making the curve at such speeds, so when it decelerated, Xander forced the bike to give every single drop of speed it could outta it, and he swerved to the right, waiting for the car to begin its forced turn. The moment the yellow monster lost speed, the biker took advantage of the opening to the right and made the curve as well, his left leg almost hitting the spinning tire of the 'Cuda.

As soon as he was clear from the car, Xander opened the throttle again. Faith was a couple of blocks in front of him, racing like a maniac. The off-road bikes wouldn't be faster than the car, but they could use their maneuverability to try and escape the policeman.

Faith sensed something in her back with her enhanced Slayer senses, and she risked a quick lookout: Xander was there, good. She looked up, and saw the crow flying ahead of her. Even better. She did have an idea, and she pointed up to the crow and shook her hand left and right, as if signaling the streets.

Xander understood it. "Smart girl," he said, and he communicated her idea to the bird. He promptly flew to the right, Faith following the move at breakneck speeds, entering an apparently empty street. Xander decided to help her escape even further, by reducing his speed and staying right in front of the 'Cuda.

Inside the car, Nash was cursing, while Joe kept on giving directions to dispatch.


The Charmed Ones followed a fuming Cordelia Chase back to the Manor. The Seer was fumbling with Xander's cell phone, trying to find the number for Sam Finn. She finally found it, and she made the connection.

"Come on, come on . . ." she rambled, while the scrambler was aligning.

"Yes, Xander?" Sam asked.

"Not Xander, your future Second in Command."

"Cordelia? That means you're on?" the voice of the Director of STCA was a happy one.

"Yeah, yeah. But that comes later. Our main agent is being hunted by SFPD."

"Tell me," Sam demanded, all professional. Cordy explained in some sentences what was happening. "All right, I'll do what I can from here. Her pardon is already signed up, and we can come over with a convincing back story. I'm putting her and you in the Federal database, effectively now, with some backlog to make it convincing. I'll make the needed phone calls. Welcome to the STCA, Overseer."

Cordelia was about to complain about the 'Overseer' bit, but the line went mute, and she found herself being the focus of three pairs of curious eyes.

"Eh . . . what?"

"What is that 'agent' stuff?" Piper asked, voicing the question of her sisters.

"I can't explain it all, but me and Faith, we are federal agents, as well."

"How so?"

"Look, I can't get into specifics right now, but the Government isn't entirely stupid in relation to our 'jobs', ok? So, me, Faith and some other people are part of an Agency that deals with it. I'll send someone to contact you as soon as I can, ok? But let me finish cleaning up this mess," she said finally, dialing another number in the cell phone.


Xander still kept following Faith and delaying the Barracuda, but when he saw another police cruiser joining the chase, the latter became moot. So, he sped up again, trying to gain up to Faith. Over the connection with his crow, she saw the Slayer taking a shortcut over the middle of a park, her reflexes and strength making the almost impossible course almost a breeze. The cruiser had to turn around the park, giving the Slayer some breathing space. She stopped the bike for a second, eyes scanning for the bird. She saw him over her, making a calm turn to the left, so she pressed on the throttle once again, making a lot of gravel and sand fly through the air. Thankfully, the park was almost empty, and she managed to get out without endangering anyone out of the chase. The moment the tires touched asphalt once again, she looked behind her, trying to find her boyfriend. Her enhanced eyes caught him entering the park the same way that she did, so she turned around the first corner, entering another empty street.
"Damn! They are good! Why are we chasing them?" Joe Dominguez asked, leaving the radio chatter for a moment.

"She's an escaped convict. I remember her face from a wanted poster," Nash said, while making a sharp turn, going against traffic. Horns and screeches around them signaling the danger. Nash finally managed to enter a parallel street to the one that the woman had entered. He accelerated and turned around the first corner, trying to intercept her. He crossed the street she was racing down on, and stepped on the brakes, halting right in front of her, a couple seconds before impact. He braced himself and Joe got down on his seat, waiting for it.

What he saw would be imprinted in his mind forever.

She saw the impact coming, so she did what anyone would do, she turned the bike sideways, trying to reduce speed, while frantically pressing down on the brakes, her right foot hitting the ground for balance. In a microsecond, she forced the bike to change angles, so her /body/ was facing the 'Cuda, instead of the bike. A couple of feet before impact, she planted her left leg on the ground and pushed with all the strength she could muster. The inertia on the bike was great, but not greater than the Slayer's strength, so the bike took the air and they flipped over the car, /sideways/, making a sharp one hundred eighty degrees tumble six feet above the police officers and landing on the other side of the car, with the tires still smoking. The moment she touched the ground and steadied herself and the bike, she opened the throttle all over again. She would have to remember thanking Xander about the stunt driver memories.

"Tell me I saw that," Nash asked Joe, both absolutely surprised with it.

"You saw that, because I saw it as well. I don't believe it!"

"Damn, she's good!" he said, and pressed down on the accelerator as well.


Back on the manor, the trio of witches had retreated to another room, leaving a screaming Cordelia to deal with the bureaucracy of the San Francisco Police Department.

Once they were out of earshot, Piper turned to the ceiling and called "Leo!"

A second later, the Whitelighter orbed to the room right in front of them.

"They are gone?" he asked.

"Yeah, sorta. Can you explain what the heck this is all about?"

"Well, I asked a couple of questions upside, and I guess I can explain a few things."

"Well, explain away," Paige spoke.

"The Slayer, and a few other Champions are under the jurisdiction of the Powers That Be."

"Powers That Be? What are they? Some kind of Elders?"

"No, they are above us, and from a different branch. We don't mess with them and them with us, so we just are aware of a few things."

"What it has to do with the trio?"

"The PTB have some sort of plan, where all the involved must do some actions to keep the balance between Light and Darkness steady in the mortal realm. Apparently, Xander messed up their plans quite badly."

"How so?"

"Did he explain how the second Slayer line was formed?"

With the three nods, he continued. "Well, the first Slayer, Buffy, had a series of problems in her life, and she got . . . unbalanced. So, the PTB decided to make a test to see if she was still worthy, and she failed. The test was for her to choose between a vampire which she probably loved and a human who was a friend since the beginning."

"Xander," Phoebe spoke.

"Exactly. The test was set up so that Xander would be revived if the Slayer chose wrongly, but instead of being revived by the test, he revived himself, turning himself into a Crow in the process. He killed the Balance Demon and the demons that he had 'contracted' to make the test. And he then proceeded to help the Slayers and Potential Slayers to defeat the First Evil, destroying it in the process."

"The First Evil? What is it?"

"It was as its name states, the First Evil, the one created when the Universe was created as well. He couldn't interfere in the mortal realm, but when the second Slayer line was formed, it caused an imbalance that allowed him passage. It planned on destroying the Slayer line once and for all, thus leaving it with safe passage to your realm. Problem is, it pissed off the one single entity that the entire Creation doesn't want pissed off."

"What?"

"Vengeance."


Xander saw the incredible stunt that Faith pulled, jumping over the car. It was impressive. Problem was, they could deal with a single car, but the number of police cruisers joining the chase was starting to worry the Crow. Time to even the odds a little bit.

He couldn't shoot a police officer in cold blood, not under those circumstances, but he could make them miserable enough. Xander reduced speed, allowing one of the cruisers chasing them to approach. When it was close enough, he put enough pressure on the brakes to make his bike stop with a skidding halt. The cruiser shot past him, and he drew his 9mm with a single fluid motion, pressing the trigger twice. Both bullets penetrated the front right tire, blowing it to smithereens. The driver, unable to maintain control over the car, twisted the wheel with all of his might. By sheer luck, the car didn't tumble, but it impacted with the cars parked on the street with massive force, effectively killing any kind of pursuit and blocking the street for any car traffic. Xander re-holstered the weapon, and continued racing, the bike passing with ease over the small passage left by the wrecked cruiser.

He focused on his connection with his crow, locating him and Faith. He took a small shortcut, entering a street to his right, down a couple of blocks, and then he got down a staircase between two buildings, scaring a couple climbing it and an old lady near the base of the steps. It should be funny with all those bumps along the way, but he was so worried with his girlfriend he barely even noticed it, focusing on finding her. He got out of the stairs on the same street the Slayer was racing down, a couple hundred meters behind her, but still in front of the Barracuda.

He positioned himself better, cutting cars left and right, and he quickly gained on her. Xander thought it over for a second: this was beginning to get too dangerous for innocent civilians. He and Faith had the advantage of their powers and stunt driver memoirs, but the policemen didn't, so he ordered his crow to find a suitably enough hiding place.

A few seconds later, an image appeared on his mind, along with the way towards it. He ginned, and managed to side with Faith, motioning her to follow him. He made a sharp left turn on a closed light, causing several sudden screeches and some minor accidents, not enough to hurt anyone, but sufficient as to halt the yellow pit bull behind them for a few seconds.

Nash asked for a helicopter to assist on pursuit, while he dodged the damaged vehicles. He managed to watch both bikes disappearing in an alley to his right, so he stepped on the accelerator once again, the 426 Hemi engine with twin Carter AFB four-barrels giving him the proper response. The SIU inspector made a sharp turn to enter the alley, but in the last second he realized he was going a bit too fast for it. The left side of the car impacted with the wall, but the tremendous horsepower under its frame didn't allow it to reduce enough speed as if to stop, so it ended entering the alley, at the cost of scratching the entire left side of the car, from the middle of the driver's door to the back.

Joe almost cried when he realized what had happened, and Nash's face only reflected a single feeling, rage.

"I'M GONNA KILL THEM!" he screamed, and pressed down on the pedal.

By the end of the alley, they saw both motorcycles taking a right turn, so they followed them, Nash pressing the steering wheel with so much strength that his knuckles were white from it.

When they cleared the alley, Joe noticed the tail of one of the bikes entering a garage door.

"THERE! That garage!" he yelled.

"I saw it," Nash said, following them. This was it. He entered the garage building, and apparently, the exit was right to the left of the entrance. "Cover the exit!" he said to Joe, which disembarked in a second. He flashed his badge to the man guarding the garage. "Where did the two bikes go?"

"The ramp," the black man said, confused.

"How many floors?"

"Three."

"Anyone else in the building?"

"No."

He pressed on the accelerator once again, climbing the ramp to the second floor. He looked around, and he heard the sound of their engines climbing the other ramp. He climbed it as well, and was assaulted by the strong sunlight. The third floor was actually the roof of the building. Good.

Nash saw both bikes stopping near the edge of the building. They couldn't jump to the next building, because of the safety low wall around the roof. He stopped his car and jumped off, drawing his automatic.

"FREEZE! POLICE!"

Faith and Xander removed their helmets, looking to one another.

"What now, BoyToy?"

"Up for a little Spider-Man impersonation?" he grinned that lopsided grin of his.

"Sure," she said, looking to the building right to her side.

"You first," he said, standing between the gun and her.

Faith started running, and surely the bullets started flying, impacting on the mystically powered body behind her. She placed her right foot on the low wall and propelled herself up, and like she had done so many times in the last couple of months, she flew through the air, landing smoothly in the rooftop of the neighboring building. As soon as Xander knew she was safe, he ran himself, jumping right behind her, leaving a dumbfounded police inspector holding an empty automatic behind.

A couple of minutes later, Joe appeared at the roof, sweating like a pig and breathing very hard.

"What . . . happened?" he asked between breaths, noticing the bikes and the discarded helmets.

"I don't know, bubba. I sincerely don't know. But I intend to find out."

Then, the sound of his car's radio took him out of his musings.

"Five-George Thirty One, come in, over."

"This is Five-George Thirty One, over."

"Be advised, Five-George Thirty One, do not, I repeat, do not proceed with the pursuit, over."

"WHAT? Please, repeat, Dispatch, I understand we are to suspend our pursuit? Over," he asked, surprised.

"That is correct, Five-George Thirty One, over,"

"On whose orders? Over."

"They came directly from the Chief of Police, over."

Nash threw the mike back into the car.

"DAMN!" he screamed one last time, Joe's jaw dropping to the ground.


Xander and Faith moved through empty streets and back alleys, counting on the crow to provide an aerial view of their surroundings. They just stopped long enough for Xander to buy a new jacket and t-shirt, so he could discard the bullet-ridden ones.

Once they were far enough from the garage building, they climbed in a cab, giving the driver the name of their hotel. Faith fished her cell phone out of her pocket and speed-dialed Xander's phone.

"Yes?" answered a nervous-sounding Cordelia Chase.

"Yo, Queen C? We're five-by-five!" she said, looking at the smirking face of his boyfriend.

"Thank the Goddess! Where are you guys?"

"Going back to the hotel."

"I'll meet you there," she said, hanging up.

She closed the phone, looking back to him. "She seemed worried."

"Who wouldn't be?" he asked.

"I don't know, she's still so bitchy sometimes."

"It's her way of dealing with stuff, Faith."

"Are you ok?" she asked, changing subjects.

"Yeah, just pissed."

"I-I'm s-sorry . . ." she started, but a single digit in her lips stopped her rambling.

"Don't be. I would do everything again. And I'm not pissed with you, but with Sam."

"S-she wouldn't do something like that, Xan. She seems real nice."

"Right now, I don't know," he said, none of them talking much because of the driver.

"What now?" she asked.

"I'm not in the mood for DB right now. What about we go with our initial plan, shower, eating and some clubbing?"

That perked Faith right up, but she looked worried. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Nope. Not after I speak with Sam."

"Don't you go pissing up on my boss, Boy Toy!" she exclaimed.

"I won't. Not much, anyway."

They kept silent for a few more minutes.

"Damn, I liked my bike," Faith said, looking back.

"Me too. Don't worry, I'll try to speak with Sam about them."

"You better."


Faith and Xander's Hotel Room
Same night
09:28 PM

Faith was lain down on their bed, naked and with her hair wet after the shower, listening to Xander complaining to her boss.

"Look, Sam, you better keep your promises to me and Faith. I wouldn't like to have to deal with you," he said, in his calm, spooky voice. Faith actually shivered when he used that voice.

"I said it once, Harris, don't threaten me. I did what I promised. It's not my fault the bureaucracy involved can't move along, the President signed the pardon, the intel is supposed to have been sent to al the local and federal authorities, but they must not have processed it yet. But don't worry, San Francisco already knows about Faith's status as a federal agent, as does the Cleveland Police Department. I believe Cordelia spoke with you about the story we concocted?"

"Yeah, she did," he said. The STCA created a file in which Faith was first a victim of a madman (which was partially true), and later a federal agent undercover, so that was the reason for her to have escaped prison. Until her APB and the Wanted posters would be lifted or recalled, they would still have some trouble, but nothing that a phone call wouldn't solve. "What about our bikes?"

"I'm dealing with it as well. They should be back in your hands tomorrow. But did you have to shoot a police officer?"

"I shot his car, not him. Is he ok?"

"Yeah, he is. Problem is the man that chased you guys, he is creating quite a storm over it."

"Who is the guy?"

"He's a police inspector, named Nash Bridges. He's the head of SIU, or Special Investigations Unit. He's a very good cop."

"I betcha. I used to have a jacket and a t-shirt covered with bullet holes that proves it."

Sam laughed on the other side of the line. "Look, Xander, try to keep yourself and our friend out of trouble for now, ok? And tell her I expect her here by the end of the month, ready for training."

"I will. Bye, Sam," he said, cutting the connection. "She said that I should keep you out of trouble."

The Slayer snorted. "I heard. What are you thinking on doing 'bout it?"

Xander smiled his lopsided grin, removing his t-shirt.

"I think that this bed isn't troublesome. What do you think?" he asked, dropping right by her side.

"I think you're completely wrong," she said, climbing over him.

"Maybe. Wanna prove me wrong?"

"I could never resist a challenge."