FIC: She's Gone (15A/?)

"Faith, I did it for your own goo-."

He took a step back as his girl-friend's eyes flashed dangerously. Faith shook her head, the motion causing her hair to bounce in what under other circumstances would have been a delightful manner around her face. "I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you Xander. My mom used to say that to me when she was beating my ass around our home; I never want to hear you say that again, you get me?"

Now Xander felt his own temper begin to smoulder. How dare she compare him to her mother? "I get you," he replied through gritted teeth. This had been going on for a week, the few words they had exchanged had been stormy ones and he was getting damn sick of it.

Faith nodded. "Good," she looked past him, as if he didn't exist. "Yo G! I'm going to kick some demon ass, see ya later."

"I'll get my coat -."

"Alone," after a final glare, the Bostonian was out of the front door.

"Damn it," Xander grabbed for his coat.

"Don't son," Xander looked down to see Giles had taken hold of his wrist. "Give her some space."

As stubborn as ever, he shook his head. "I need to explain."

"Come through for a minute." After a second he trudged through into the lounge. "Sit down Xander." Once he'd sat, Giles began to talk. "Faith was brought up in an environment we can't even imagine," he began to protest, the Watcher waved him to silence. "Yes I know your childhood was tough, far tougher than any child should have to endure. But next to Faith..." the Englishman's voice trailed off for a second, his eyes growing anguished. "Faith was brought up to believe she was less than nothing, to be used and abused as others pleased. Unable to defend herself." The former librarian paused. "And then she found she was in fact special, out of millions she was chosen as the bearer of a great power, something that meant she could defend herself, that she was important."

"That's not the only reason she's special!"

"No of course not son," Giles sighed. "I feel we made a big mistake last week."

"But she would have died otherwise!" Xander protested. He was angry at her now, but he couldn't imagine facing life without ever hearing her whisper his name, feeling his lips on her neck, or seeing her smile.

Giles shook his head. "You were right to call in Angel and the others, but having me pull Faith out of the fight, that was an error, I should have realised."

"She couldn't fight that thing."

"Xander," Giles sighed. "By pulling Faith out of that fight we more or less said that we didn't trust her to fight her own battles, that we thought she was useless, unable to defend herself."

"That's rubbish!"

"To us yes," Giles nodded. "But to someone with Faith's self-esteem and trust issues.... Faith has a great difficulty accepting help from anybody." The Watcher patted him on the shoulder. "Faith is hurt by what she sees as your lack of trust," Xander opened his mouth to protest. "I know son, I know. Give her time, she obviously cares for you very deeply otherwise she wouldn't be so upset." Xander looked down at the ground. Why was he such a screw-up? Cordelia, Anya, now Faith. Three, amazing, beautiful women had somehow seen something in him to care about, and each time he'd screwed it up. He was such an idiot.

"Come on," he looked up at Giles' gentle tone. "I know what will cheer you, let's go and find some demons to kill."

Xander smiled unwillingly. "But what about -."

"Faith?" Giles shook his head. "I know where she'll be patrolling. We can avoid her."

"Great," Xander rose. "I'll get my axe."


"The troops are in position?"

"Troops stand ready at the hospital, the police station, the media outlets, the port, and all the roads, sir. All we need is your command sir!"

"Excellent, deploy troops now. Once the Bronze is secured, we'll power up the Nullifier."


Faith shook her head as she strode through the town, eschewing her usual sexy swagger for a more business-like stride, her face set in a thin, determined line. "Bastard," she muttered, unshed tears burning her eyes. Who the fuck did he think he was anyway? No-one owned her, she wasn't a fucking toy for him to play with. She'd really thought he was different. "Bastard," she repeated, her voice breaking slightly.

She stopped when she saw six uniformed demons harassing a couple of teenagers, uniformed? That was different, she'd never seen them in uniforms before. Wicked weird. She chuckled as she drew her sword, her spirits rising. She bet they still died the same though. "Off with their heads." She hurried across the street, sticking to the shadows so to sneak up on them unaware.

Finally she was behind them. "Hey guys." Even as the demons turned towards her, her sword flashed out, decapitating the nearest in a shower of blood. "I'm Faith, who am I Slaying today?"

Instead of answering her politely asked question, the five remaining monsters charged her. She raised an eyebrow. "Momma not beat any manners into you?" she asked before launching herself into an Olympic standard somersault that carried her over the heads of the on-rushing monsters to land in a crouch beside the couple the demons had been accosting. She turned to the stunned teens. "What are you waiting for? An instruction manual? Scram!"

Shaking her head, she turned back to the demons. "Who's next? Group thing or a little one on one?" She raised an eyebrow as all five charged her again. "So group it is then." She blew them a kiss before raising her sword. "Please be gentle boys. I've only got out of the nunnery this morning."

Chuckling to herself she propelled herself into the air, her two-footed dropkick cannoning into the face of the central demon lifting him off his feet and throwing him into a wire mesh fence some thirty feet away, his face a shattered mess. Upon landing in the centre of the demons, she swung her sword to her left decapitating another before back-flipping out of the way of another's lunge at her. "Three down," she smirked at the remaining trio. "Three to -," her smile withered and disappeared. "What the fuck?"


Giles watched his surrogate son out of the corner of his eyes, worried at the younger man's grim demeanour. He was so proud of the way the goofy teen had grown into a successful and respected young man, but his parents had implanted a deep darkness in the youth that meant sometimes he struggled with his moods.

And he worried for the continuation of Xander's relationship with Faith. The two worked well together, the gorgeous brunette and his good-hearted son, they shared the same sense of humour, had the same sort of burning loyalty, and cared deeply for one another. He'd known long before the two had actually started their relationship that Faith had feelings for his son. Sometimes Xander would enter the shop and Faith's eyes would brighten for a split-second until he called out Anya's name and then they'd darken, not with rage, but with sadness and hurt.

Not that Xander had done anything to make Faith feel that the two had a future except treat her with a kindness that no man, apart from Angel, had ever done. Made her feel part of the family, included her in discussions, and outings that were nothing to do with Slaying.

Giles hid a sigh. Something he should have done as her Watcher the first time she was in Sunnydale. His stewardship of Faith the first time had been a complete and utter disaster, consumed with thoughts of Angel's return and intimidated by her Ripper-like persona, he'd neglected her, contributing to her downfall. Sometimes, thoughts of the young girl he'd failed kept him awake at night, consumed with guilt. But this time was going to be different, Faith was going to be happy, and if that meant locking the pair of them in a vault until they'd worked out their differences then so be it. "Uh Giles?"

He glanced at his companion. "Yes Xander?"

"Since when," Xander pointed to a quartet of demons heading towards them, "have the uglies come all tailored."

"Oh bollcocks," Giles felt the blood drain from his face. It couldn't be. "Xander-."


"Oh no!"

Dawn caught Tara as she stumbled, her friend's face suddenly pale. "Tara what's wrong?"

"M..my power, I can't access it. Something's blocking me!" Fear was etched on the Wicca's face. "We need to-."

Her friend was interrupted by the sound of the front door splintering open. "Find the Wicca!"

Tara turned to her. "Get out, get help." She began to shake her head. "Go!" Tara her away. "Find Faith and the others!"

Tears burning her eyes, Dawn slid out through the back window and down the tree that Angel had once used when he came courting her sister. "I'm sorry Tara."


Faith looked up at the trio of demons circling her, her blood chilling at the hungry look in their eyes. Why did she feel so weak, why did the sword that she'd carried effortlessly for months now feel so heavy? Where was her speed and strength? What was happening to her?

Gathering her courage, she looked at the three monsters surrounding her. "Back off jackasses or you'll get the same as they did. Get out of here, and call this a warning."

For a second she thought her bluff had worked, that they'd bought it. Then a hard right smashed into her face, knocking her back a step into the wall behind her. "Ah the Slayer's powers gone!" One of the demons gloated. "Now we get to party!"

Faith forced her fear down deep. She might not be a Slayer anymore but she'd always been a fighter and there was no way these bastards were getting her without a fight. She stabbed at one of the demons, the blade slicing through his shoulder, but before she had time to pull her blade back another demon grabbed her wrist and twisted. Pain shot through her arm, causing her weapon to clatter to the ground.

In an instant all three demons were on her, their kicks and punches forcing her to her knees, her body battered and bruised from the pounding. Her heart stopped at one of the monster's taunts. "Never had a Slayer before boys, what about you?"

"Nope and she's such a pretty little thing too."

"No!" Panicked, she tried to rise but they knocked her down again, her head colliding with the ground, blood splattering the gravel beneath her.

"Oh a wriggler, I hope she's a screamer too."


Demons. Xander felt his blood begin to pound. Faith had once told him that the reason she was so into Slaying was that when she was in the fight all the bad stuff going on in her life was relegated to unimportant, all that mattered was the thrill of the kill. And he got that, as a kid when his parents had been getting heavy he'd immersed himself in the fight and had done the same when Buffy had died and Anya left. Maybe it wasn't the perfect solution or even healthy, but it worked for him.

The demons noted their approach and hurried to meet them. Xander parried a sword thrust on his axe-head before countering with a swing that had his adversary backing away from him. Snarling ferally Xander pressed his advantage, feinting with another swing before reversing his arc and catching his adversary in the forehead with his axe shaft. The stunned demon was helpless to evade a decapitating swing.

Turning, Xander blocked a downward swing on his ax shaft before kicking his adversary in the balls and decapitating him too. Xand spun round to see that Giles was alright. He grinned as he saw his mentor heading towards him only to gasp when the Watcher's eyes glazed over and he pitched forward. GILES!"