The Quickening

Note: Reading through transcripts of season three, I couldn't find any specifics about what happened between Faith, her Watcher, and Kakistos. So, I'm going to make it up.

Previously:

Firming her resolve, she slipped the picture into her pocket and locked her motel room door. Then she took off down the street, heading for the Sunnydale High School. She had never relied on anyone before; she knew that she couldn't fight Kakistos alone. She would need help. Though she was loathe to ask it of anyone, she had a feeling that she could swallow her pride just once, if it meant she could save Xander.

Chapter Six:

"Hey," Faith said, strolling into the library. She was the first one there and Giles seemed to be waiting for her.

"I'm glad you're early. There's something I wanted to talk to you about," Giles said, sitting his cup of tea down on one of the library tables. After Buffy had come to him to tell him of Faith's out of control fighting style and her frivolous dismissal of Buffy's concern about it, Giles had called the Watcher's Council in London. He had found out that Faith's Watcher was not in fact at a Watcher's Retreat, but had been viciously murdered by an ancient vampire named Kakistos.

"Yeah, me too. Mind if I go first?" Faith asked, sitting down at the table across from Giles. Giles nodded.

"Of course," he said.

"I kinda lied to you before," Faith said, resting her hands in her lap nervously. Giles smiled softly and nodded, encouraging her to continue. "I told you that my Watcher was at a Watcher's Retreat. Well, she's not. See, back in Boston, I pissed off this vampire called Kakistos and he killed her…right in front of me," Faith said, her voice taking a distant tone. She looked away. "Anyway, the thing is, Kakistos followed me when I left Boston. He's here in Sunnydale."

"I feared as much," Giles said, leaning back in his chair. He smiled as a look of surprise flickered across Faith's face. "I knew about your Watcher before you came in here today. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. However, I appreciate that you told me first. I want you to know Faith, I may not be your Watcher, but your welfare is of great concern to me. Whenever you have a problem, just tell me what it is, okay?" Giles asked. Faith nodded and looked down at her hands.

"There's more," she said, looking up. This time, Giles looked surprised.

"What is it?" He asked, leaning forward on his elbows.

"Kakistos has been gunnin' for me ever since I slashed his eye out. This morning, I found this taped to my motel room door," Faith said, taking the envelope out of her pocket and sliding it across the table to Giles. Giles picked it up and opened it. His eyes flashed when he saw the photograph of Xander.

"Kakistos has taken Xander?" Giles asked, looking up at her. Faith nodded.

"Apparently. Look, this whole thing is my fault. If I had just told you guys the deal when I got here, this wouldn't have happened. I wanna do whatever it takes to get him back, but I get it if you want me gone afterwards," Faith said resolutely. Giles looked at her for several long moments.

"Faith, you're with a group of people who care very greatly about each other now. We're not going to tell you to pack your bags just because you made a mistake. Honestly, I understand why you didn't tell us. It's not your fault that Kakistos took Xander and we will get him back….together," Giles said, smiling softly and standing. "Would you like some tea?" He asked, turning back to her as he began to walk to his office with the envelope and photograph. Faith looked up at him gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks," she said, smiling slightly. She had expected Giles to kick her out after he learned that she had lied to him. The last thing she had expected was kindness and understanding in return. Perhaps Xander was right when he told her that Giles wasn't anything that she assumed. Faith watched him as he heated up another cup of tea. There was something different about him than the others. He had a darkness that he carried with him everywhere he went. Faith didn't think the others saw it, but she did. She could see it in his eyes at times; when he didn't think anyone was looking. Something haunted him.

"Here you go," Giles said, bringing the tea out to her. Faith smiled her thanks at him and wrapped her hands around the mug, warming her fingers. "The others should arrive here shortly. I'll explain to them what's happened."

"Thanks," Faith said sincerely. It had been hard enough for her to explain what happened the first time; she didn't want to have to do it again. Giles seemed to understand that.

"So, if you don't mind my asking, what happened to your Watcher?" Giles asked, noticing a look of pain flash in her eyes.

"When he came to town, Kate was kinda freaked. I mean, Kakistos is old as hell; he has these cloven hands and feet. But she thought I could take him on. So I tried one night. I didn't kill him, but I slashed his eye out. Needless to say that put him off me. He found us one night and took us captive," Faith said, then looked down at the table. Giles wanted to stop her as he could see the memories were incredibly painful for her, but he knew that she needed to talk about what had happened. If she kept those memories bottled up, she would never be able to get over the experience.

"He wanted me to suffer for what I had done to him, so he tortured Kate right in front of me…did horrific things to her," Faith said, involuntarily shivering. "He killed her, but I managed to escape. He's been following me ever since, trying to finish his revenge. I guess he thought that by taking Xander, he would get to me."

"Why would he think that?" Giles asked, wondering about the extent of her and Xander's relationship. He couldn't say that he had seen them together very often, but he wasn't aware of what his charges did when they left his watchful eyes.

"I don't know," Faith said. "I mean, me and Xander just hung out a little."

"I imagine Kakistos would only need to see you and Xander together to assume that he was friend of yours. He is, of course?" Giles asked. Faith shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess. I've never really had friends," Faith said a bit regretfully.

"I know what you mean," Giles replied. Faith looked up at him. "There's a great difference between people you would call friends and people you spend time with simply to have company. I just hope you know that you have friends here, Faith…if you give us a chance."

Faith smiled. She was about to respond when Willow, Buffy, Oz, and Cordelia wandered into the library. "Hey, Giles. What's the what?" Buffy asked, smiling at Faith. Faith nodded back. Giles looked over at her and noticed that her walls were back up. Gradually, as he had been talking to her, he noticed that Faith was slowly dropping her defenses, whether consciously or no, she had let him see her true self. Giles saw a troubled, haunted, and utterly lost girl there – one who was much younger than she portrayed and much more fragile than she would ever admit.

"We have a situation that needs our immediate attention," Giles said, falling back into Watcher mode. Faith noticed his walls go back up as well. When he had been talking with her, he spoke to her as a friend instead of as an authority figure. Faith imagined that was why it seemed easier to talk to him about the things that were bothering her than she had anticipated. But when the others came into the room, his voice took an entirely different tone – one of compassionate authority.

"What's wrong?" Willow asked as the group gathered around the table where Faith and Giles were sitting and sat with them.

"There's a very old, very dangerous vampire in Sunnydale. His name is Kakistos. He just recently arrived here. Unfortunately, he followed Faith from Boston. He and Faith have some bad blood between them and he's looking for vengeance," Giles explained.

"So? We just kill the vamp, end of story, right?" Buffy asked.

"Not entirely. Kakistos has taken Xander hostage," Giles replied. Faith watched the others react to the news. Willow and Buffy both looked devastated. Oz was impassive, as usual. Concern briefly flashed over Cordelia's eyes, but faded. Maybe Xander was right when he told her that Cordelia was more embarrassed of him than anything. Her reaction seemed to indicate that while she had some genuine feelings for Xander, she was too embarrassed to reveal those feelings for fear that she would somehow be humiliated.

"We need to find out where Kakistos is staying. Faith, Buffy, I want you both to go to Willy's and see if you can't find out some useful information. If that proves a wash, we'll have to think of something else," Giles instructed.

"How do we know that Xander isn't already dead?" Oz asked.

"Kakistos didn't take Xander simply to kill him. I have a feeling that Xander is very much alive, but he won't be for long. We have to find him soon," Giles responded.

"We will," Buffy said, looking directly at Willow. Faith thought it odd that Buffy would console Willow instead of Cordelia. "You ready to go hit up Willy's?" Buffy asked, looking over at Faith.

Faith smiled and pulled herself to her feet. "Let's go."