A/N: Thanks to Icewing for the idea.

She's Gone (13A/?)

Linwood Murrow smiled as the last of the junior partners finished his report. "Excellent Gavin, real initiative. Now, I'm sure you're all just raring to get back to work, so let's get to it!" He waited until everyone was filing out of the room before speaking. "Lilah, could you stay behind please?"

"Certainly sir."

He savoured the look of fear that flickered across the lawyer's icily beautiful features. He idly treasured the thought of how far the uppity bitch would go to protect her shapely behind. Pushing the temptation away in favour of more immediate and important matters, he motioned for his subordinate to sit down. After a nervous glance at the boardroom door, as if expecting one of the company's assassins to come through it, his junior obeyed. "Ever since Lindsey's unfortunate defection, you've more than kept Special Projects running smoothly. However," he sighed theatrically. He did so enjoy dragging these things out, savouring the tension in the air and the fear on his subordinate's face. Why if he dragged it out for a little longer, Little Miss Superior would be on her knees begging for mercy. "A case from your past continues to worry the senior partners."

Lilah licked her lips, her eyes nervous. "Which case?"

He relished the slight tremble in Morgan's voice for a few seconds before replying. "This one," he pushed a thick manila folder across the desk. "Both your performance and the case outcome are most unsatisfactory."

After glancing down at the folder, the lawyer swallowed. "Mistakes were made-."

"Please," Linwood shook his head. "No excuses. The senior partners were willing to let this failure," he spat out the word disdainfully. "Pass without mention. But with your unauthorised hiring of an assassin who failed to kill the traitor you lost our firm a lot of face amongst the demon community. A great deal."

"I was trying to send out a message."

Linwood chuckled. "Please, Lillah. Don't bother, I know exactly why you did what you did. You did it because you're a petty vindictive bitch who can't bear somebody getting one over you. The Slayer's continued good- health gives you gas-."

"Mr. -."

"That was a compliment," he interrupted. His smile widened at the woman's fuming face. "What? You don't surely think it was merely your law school grades that got you this position do you?" he sniggered. "Dear, your grades were exceptional, but it was your reputation as a cold-hearted, manipulative schemer that got you the job. But," all semblance of humour left his face as his eyes bored into Morgan's. "If you leave this issue with Faith unresolved, then the Senior Partners could well order a case by case review. And given your past association with Mr. MacDonald I wouldn't bet on the verdict being a favourable one."

Morgan swallowed. "I'll get right on it."

Murrow nodded curtly before standing. His message had been received. "See that you do Ms. Morgan, see that you do."

"Good night stud?"

Xander's heart caught as he looked down at his date for the evening, her arm wrapped around his waist, and imprisoned by her beguiling brown eyes and trademark lop-sided smile. She looked amazing as always, dressed in a sequined black silk shirt and matching loose-fitting trousers. "The best Faith," he smiled, he couldn't believe how easy he'd found the conversation tonight. Usually with beautiful girls on a first date he was a babbling moron, but somehow Faith had disarmed him, made it seem so natural.

The brunette grinned back at him. "Yeah, my date knows how to treat a girl." She winked. "Based on what Dawn told me, I was figuring that we would end up at Doublemeat Burger."

He raised an eyebrow. "Now I'm offended. That's strictly for second dates."

Faith snorted. "Take me to Doublemeat buddy, and I'll rip your prick off."

Xander chuckled. "You're really not up on dating etiquette are you?"

Even as he finished speaking he regretted his words, seeing the pain that shadowed his companions. He winced, cursing him for his stupidity at rubbing Faith's face in her past. Even as he opened his mouth to apologise, the Slayer turned to him, pulled his head down towards her until her could feel her breath on her face. "This is what you want?"

He moaned as Faith slid her hot, moist tongue into his mouth, crushing her lips against his. After a second he pulled away. "No, no." Seeing the disappointment on the sultry Bostonian's face, he tried to explain. "Faith, every relationship," the girl snorted derisively at the word. "Every relationship you've ever had has been about the physical stuff. Let's get to know each other first-."

The Slayer shrugged, the all-too familiar armour falling back into place. "Hey girl knows her skills – fighting and fucking. Gotta stick at what she's good at." Suddenly Xander felt an almost uncontrollable anger, not at the east coast native, but at those who'd programmed her to think like that. "Bullshit Faith," he growled, his tone making the Slayer flutter her long eyelashes. "You're doing pretty good at college. According to Giles you're damn good in shop. Dawn idolises you and Tara thinks you're a great friend." He forced a smile. "As for the sex, yeah as I remember it there's nothing like a Slayer." His remark caused a half-smile. "But let's wait until it's not about the moment, until it's about us." Damn, he wasn't explaining this well.

Despite his bumbling explanation the Slayer grinned. "Yeah," Faith nodded. "Waiting to make it special, sounds pretty good to me too. But making out's cool, right?"

He smiled back at his girlfriend. "It's practically encouraged."

"Oh yeah?" Faith winked before flicking her hair behind her head. "In that- ."

The Bostonian bombshell was interrupted by the sound of clapping from the shadows. "Oh stop," proclaimed a lanky demon with a blue-grey skin and a horn sticking out of his pointed chin. "You're making me ill."

Xander glanced at Faith. Oh boy, he swallowed, his date looked pissed. "You guys are actually dumb enough to start looking for me now? What is it a hobby?" she scoffed. "Are you a fucking 'tard?"

The smirk left the demon's huge mouth. "Actually Slayer, I'm here on assignment from Wolfram & Hart, your continued fighting on the whitehats' side is a source of considerable embarrassment to them. So," Xander's eyes narrowed as the demon pulled out a hand-sized black pentagram. "I've been sent to rectify this situation."

"Oh yeah," Faith raised a challenging eyebrow. "How's that?"

"Like this!" Suddenly a crimson light erupted out of the centre of the pentagram and towards the Slayer. Without thought for his own safety, Xander slammed into his friend's side, knocking her away from the attack and himself into the beam. Suddenly his world erupted in pain.

"Fuck X!" Faith's voice tailed off as she looked up to see her boyfriend convulsing desperately in the light, his scream ripping the flesh from her ears. Stunned by the terrible sight she was unable to move until the light suddenly stopped. To her surprise, Xander didn't fall but just stood staring at the demon. "Xan, you five by five?"

Her friend didn't answer her, choosing instead to start towards the demon.

Klec stared down at the pentagram, cursing as he watched it re-load. Wolfram & Hart had said it would be a simple mission, just aim the weapon at the Slayer, fire, and wait for it to take effect. But then that damn fool boy had jumped in the way. "Hey asshole." Klec looked up into the face of death.

Faith blinked as Xander slammed a knifehand into the demon's throat before following up with a barrage of punches to its scaly face. The demon attempted to retaliate with an overhand right, but Xander dodged beneath the attack before smashing an uppercut into the monster's unprotected armpit while at the same time sweeping the creature's legs beneath him.

The monster hit the ground with a thud and a groan. Before it had time to make its feet, Xander was knelt on top of it. Faith fought down the bile that rose in her throat when Xander grabbed out of the creature's horn, tore it out of its chin, and shoved the tip into its eyes. The monster's scream was cut off when Xander grabbed its head and twisted, snapping its neck.

"That was major intense, X." Heart pounding, Faith moved over to her boyfriend. "We needed him alive to see what you were zapped with."

She took a step when Xander turned his cold gaze on her. "Why bother? I feel great, demon dead. What's the problem? You not paying attention Slayer?"

"Xan," it was an effort to keep her tone calm in the face of her companion's disdain. "We need to get you home."

"What for?" Xander raised an eyebrow. "I thought I told you earlier, not interested."

"X, just -."

"You know," Xander's voice overrode her. "If it isn't one bitch Slayer, its another giving orders. Well I'm sick of it. Now Kendra," there was nothing friendly in Xander's wink. "There was a bitch who knew her place. She had potential, nice body, with a little bit of training, man the things.... But no, she had to go and get herself killed. And what do we get in her place? A psycho who'll open her legs for anyone."

"X." Faith felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach. "You don't mean that."

"Ah shut yer yapping," Xander growled. "I'm gonna have me some fun. Ya know with a slut who might give me an itch but won't try and strangle me. See ya."

For the longest time Faith stared at the man's departing back, her eyes brimming with tears and her world shattering around her.

Giles whistled to himself as he left the coffee house, his guitar case in his hand. Tonight's performance, a eclectic set of acoustic Beatles, Dylan, Stones, and the Doors tracks had gone barnstormingly well. And it always did a man's ego good to be approached by girls maybe two decades his junior asking for his number.

His good mood evaporated as he noted a sobbing figure across the street. Her stumbling gait was a million miles away from her usual loose-limbed stalk and her face was obscured by her raven tresses, but there was something that told him it had to be his Slayer. And without Xander. Which either meant they had an argument or, even more unpalatable, his son was lying dead or injured somewhere, victim of one of Sunnydale's many demons . "Faith!" the Slayer either didn't hear or didn't want to hear his cry. "FAITH!" Realising that the Bostonian wasn't going to acknowledge him, he started across the road, cursing the cars that dared to block his route.

Tears streaming down her face, Faith stormed into the Magic Box. "BASTARD!" her pain-filled scream shattered the shop's silence as she flung the pentagram the length of the room to imbed itself in the wall. The act of violence gave her no satisfaction. One guy, why couldn't she find just one decent guy? Was it her? Even before she became a Slayer she'd attracted nothing but Hell's Angels, crims, and lowlifes – Boston's scum. She had the goods physically, had her ma been right, was there something about her that was wrong? Was it her fault?

Unable to find the answers she sought inside her, Faith strode through into the gym and began hitting the training bag, tears still obscuring her vision.

"Faith?" the silly girl had forgotten to lock the door behind her, but given the state she'd appeared to be in he could forgive her that. Seeing no sign of his charge and noting the gym light on he started towards the back room only to stop at the object he saw imbedded in the wall beside the dojo door. His entire body suddenly sweating, Giles hurried to make a closer inspection. His heart sank as his first thought was confirmed. "Oh bollocks." A rogue Slayer, not good at all.