Yep, it's me again guys! Thanks for the reviews. Imzadi: okay, I'll see if I can rough out a plot involving Xavier as Faith's father. Sorry that Beckett and Henno were a bit obscure for you. Short version: Nick Beckett is from the tv series Bugs which was made by the BBC in the mid-Nineties – I grew up on them. (That's bugs as in electronic espionage devices, not those Disney animated films about insects.) There haven't been any repeats, and I can't remember what HIVE stood for, but it was a (fictional) arm of British Intelligence that dealt with electronic warfare and counter-intelligence. Beckett lost his job with them after the SACROS fiasco. Henno Garvie is the main character of the (in my opinion rather pathetic) series Ultimate Force produced by ITV, another television company from my homeland (which is England, in case you're wondering) and is portrayed by our answer to Schwarzenegger, Ross Kemp. Harry2: if you mean Joe Black's Rainbow Over Sunnydale, yes I've been reading, reviewing and enjoying it immensely. That wasn't the inspiration for Chapter Five though.

2000

Washington

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Faith chewed her lip uncertainly, studying the floor as she waited with Mrs. Landingham in the Outer Oval Office, mind swamped with conflicting emotions.

On the other side of that door, in that famous office, was her father. Yeah, he'd left her and her mom before Faith had been born. But how the hell could he have known? How could he have known she would happen? After all, her mom had given him with a fake phone number after their first date, and then accidentally lost his.

Screw it. Unless he turned out to be a complete bastard, she'd give him a chance.

"Cookie? You look like you could use one."

Faith looked up to see Mrs. Landingham smiling kindly and holding out an open cookie jar. Faith couldn't help but return the smile, vaguely reminded of her first kindergarten teacher. "Thank you," she whispered, her hand dipping nimbly into the jar and emerging with a sample of chocolaty goodness.

"Are you nervous?" Mrs. Landingham asked in an encouraging tone, returning to her desk.

Faith nodded anxiously, chewing on the cookie. "Yeah. I mean, you guys just found he's my dad, y'know?"

Mrs. Landingham's eyes twinkled. "And what about meeting the President?"

Faith's brief frown of confusion melted away and she shook with silent laughter. "Y – y'know," she gasped, wiping tears from her eyes, "I – I flat out forgot about him!" She snorted. "Bit of a 'duh' moment there, huh?"

Mrs. Landingham chuckled. "Well, dear, you're the first person I've ever seen to do that."

Faith smirked. "Think I could get in the Guinness Book of Records?"

The Oval Office door opened and a group of photographers filed out with a White House diplomatic aide in tow, followed by Charlie Young. "Faith?" He waved for her to come in. "They're ready for you now." Faith nodded, hastily finishing off the cookie and following him.

"—as a matter of fact, there's something else we need to talk about, John," she could hear President Bartlet saying to the newly-appointed British ambassador. "A year ago, a certain young lady came to my attention for an extraordinary act that places this administration and indeed the world deeply in her debt. I wanted to do her a favour, nothing much but still…ah, Faith," Bartlet smiled warmly in greeting. "How you doing tonight?"

"So far so good," Faith grinned shakily, eyes on the man who was her father.

"Great to hear it. Sorry to take you away from patrol. Lord John Marbury, I'd like you meet Faith, the Vampire Slayer."

Lord Marbury smiled, shaking her hand. "A true pleasure and an honour to meet you, Faith. I once had an uncle in the Watchers' Council, he told me all about what goes bump in the night. I take it you've prevented an apocalypse, then?"

Faith returned the smile. She could get to like this guy, provided he didn't flip. "Yeah. I wasn't 'xactly alone though – a coupl'a buds a' mine from California and Wesley, my Watcher, they gave me some backup on the research 'n' computer hacking front."

"Still, that's an incredible accomplishment," Marbury praised her, still shaking her hand.

"There's something else you need to know, John," Bartlet said quietly.

"Oh?"

Faith sucked on her lower lip as Bartlet continued. "I had a search run…the thing is, y'see, she's your daughter."

Marbury went a little pale, looking shocked. "My – my daughter…? How – oh, god!" Moving faster than Faith thought possible for a regular human, he pulled her off her feet and into his arms. She clung to him as he shook, felt tears dripping from his cheeks onto the top of her head, tears of her own dampening his shirt. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I – I didn't know, I didn't get any word…oh, god I'm so sorry."

Faith grinned weakly through her tears of joy. He believed her. He hadn't rejected her. "S'okay…Dad," she whispered, squeezing him tightly

At length, they finally parted, Marbury keeping an arm about Faith's shoulders as if to keep her from vanishing into thin air. He offered her his handkerchief, drying his eyes with a spare.

"Er, so," he looked at Faith uncertainly. "What happens now?"

Bartlet stepped up to them, smiling in satisfaction. "Faith, do you have anywhere to stay for tonight?"

The Slayer shook her head. "Naw, we didn't plan that far ahead. Wes'll be here tomorrow with our stuff, Henry could only teleport me here in time."

"Well, at the moment the Lincoln Suite is unoccupied if you want it, Faith – and John, there's another suite free the next door down the hall if you'd prefer to stay here instead of the embassy tonight."

Marbury shook Bartlet firmly by the hand. "Thank you," he beamed. "I certainly shall." He hesitated, looking in awe at Faith. She wrapped an arm around his waist and snuggled a little closer to him, meeting his gaze happily, badass image be damned. "Mr. President…I believe this is the single most wonderful evening of my life," he finally said, not taking his eyes off her. "Faith, I'm truly—"

Rolling her eyes, Faith held up a hand and cut him off. "S'not your fault. Mom lost your number and gave you a fake. But nothing says sorry better'n a Harley…" She watched him eagerly, hoping he'd take the hint.

Marbury snorted as Charlie showed them out. "You must be joking, I'd have a heart attack just thinking about you on one of those hogs at night. You can have a Jag."

Faith pouted, eyes widening and pout fading fast as his last words truly registered. "A Jaguar? Wicked!"

Crossover with The West Wing.