FIC: A New World (12?)

"I understand you have the preliminary stage 2 reports?" Agent F nodded, his commander beamed. "Please, continue."

"Hundred and twelve of our targets were killed, forty-five taken into custody, and twenty-seven missing."

"Um," his leader scowled for a second before shrugging. "Twenty-five per-cent of our targets taken. Given our rivals' calibre and general attitude, that's acceptable. How many of our units did they account for?"

"Eight hundred and twenty-nine." Almost their entire force.

He was surprised when his leader didn't fly off the handle at the news. Instead he smiled. "Ah well, never mind. Once we have Martin under control we'll have a whole new and far more effective army. Any news on the whereabouts of any of our priorities?"

For a second he was so shocked by his superior's reaction he was too stunned to reply. "The missing W&H jet has been located with its now deceased pilot in Italy," he eventually reported.

"Um," his leader looked thoughtful. "That doesn't quite tally with the actions of the ensoulled Angel; he's far too queasy for that. Perhaps William the Bloody also survived. Why do you think he went to Italy?"

"Perhaps Dawn Summers managed to get a message out to him?"

His boss nodded. "That is certainly a possibility."

"Should we warn the Immortal?" he queried.

After a moment's consideration, his superior shook his head. "There's nothing to link him to the Summers girl's death. And if by some fluke they find the connection," his superior shrugged. "He has his own security. If he's taken. He knows little."


"No! A million times no!" Xander's solitary eye bulged. "In the history of bad ideas this is the worst I've ever heard!"

"That's a maybe then? Angel asked.

Xander glared at the smirking vampire. "Deadboy smiling! He's evil! Faith, stake him!"

"One-eye is quite right," interjected Illyria. "Such a plan is dishonourable. Skulking around in dark. We should storm this den of iniquity and take this Immortal vermin, make him beg to spill his secrets together with his entrails!"

Xander gaped at the Old One. "Okay, correction. There are worse plans than Deadboy's."

The former Scourge sighed long-sufferingly. If nothing else he had to admire the Irish demon's patience. 'Course when dealing with a being who could take on Angel, Faith, and Connor without breaking a sweat, he guessed the vampire didn't have much choice. "That wouldn't work," Deadboy explained. "The Immortal is heavily protected wherever he goes. If we attempted to take him by force, he could easily escape. Worse still, innocents could be injured in the melee."

"Why can't we kidnap him at his home?" Dawn put in.

"Now there's a plan!" Xander enthused. "I like that idea!"

"No one knows where he lives," Angel's words quashed his floundering hope. "Or even where he's going to turn up next. Except every Friday night he goes to his favourite nightclub, a club he owns, and picks up a girl for the weekend. You accompany Faith to the club, she catches his eye-."

"How can you be sure she will?"

"You still got one eye right Xan?"

"Fine," he waved his hand at Faith's smirk. "I withdraw the question in favour of keeping my limbs."

Angel continued. "The Immortal asks her over, you have an argument, and his bodyguards throw you out. You head back to us and Faith gets him to take her back to his place. We track her using electronics surveillance. When they reach his mansion, she notifies us -."

Again Xander interrupted. "Okay, but were are we getting this bugging equipment from?"

"Ah," Giles stepped forward. "That's where I come in. A friend of mine works in the electronics business. I've already sent for the equipment, it should be here tomorrow."

Xander scowled at the treacherous Englishman; he swore it was a conspiracy. "Okay," Xander hesitated. "Not to get all schoolyard, but why me? You're," he nodded towards Angel, "a way better fighter and fit in better with the jet-set than me."

Angel nodded. "True. But the Immortal and Angelus had a run-in back in the day. Even without the club's vampire detectors he's bound to recognise me."

"You sure got around didn't you?" Xander shook his head. "So why don't you," he pointed towards the two younger Slayers flanking Connor, "go with Faith. Like a threesome?" He grinned suddenly. "Now there's a picture I'd savour."

"Me too, ow!" Connor rubbed at the back of his head where the two junior Slayers had simultaneously slapped him. "Just sayin'."

After shooting his son an amused glance, Angel turned back to him. "We have no idea what security he has at his home. We might need as many of our best fighters as possible to get through the outer security."

"I guess that makes sense," Xander admitted. "But while I doubt I'm high on the list of our enemy's Most Wanted, I do kinda stand out."

"Fuck Xand!" Faith exploded. "Get with the program! If you're gonna be my Watcher you're gonna have to gro-."

"You've offered to be Faith's Watcher?" G-Man interrupted.

"You gotta problem with that?" Faith's eyes flared as she turned to the Council Head. "Not good enough for him!"

"On the contrary," Giles raised his hands placatingly. "I'm sure you'll make a magnificent team."

"Oh," Faith turned back to him, her eyes still blazing. Xander resisted the urge to sigh. He could well understand Faith's anger at the world, he'd gone through it after Anya's death, add in her residual bitterness at her mistreatment during her first run in Sunnydale, and you had quite a turbulent cocktail. But it wasn't helping matters any. "Yeah," Faith glanced at the Englishman again before turning back towards him. "Fang thought of that. We could both be recognised, so I'm having my hair braided," Faith's grimace told him what she thought of that idea. "I'm putting in grey contacts and covering my tat."

"And that's it?" Sounded thin to him.

"Not quite."

Faith's smirk told him she had a hell of a surprise planned. Good or bad, well he'd have to wait and see. He shuddered inwardly at the terrifying prospect of a Faith planned surprise. "What about me?"

The Slayer circled around him, like a lioness stalked her prey. "I figure a crew-cut, a stud in your ear," Xander's eye widened. "Some clothes bought by Angel instead of your usual crap." His mouth opened in protest. "Oh and your hair – bleached red I think." Xander groaned, this was a world of bad.

"What do ya think?"

Xander's mouth opened and closed several times at the wondrous sight before him before finally managing to speak. "W…wow."


"Wow?" Faith's eyebrow rose slightly and her curved lips parted in a crooked smile. "I get dressed up special for you and the best you can come up with is wow? Frankly I'm insulted."

"Try this, you look like a billion dollars," he said, meaning every word. Even with her hair braided, her lips peach instead of their usual cherry red, and the contacts making her eyes a smoky grey instead of their usual soulful brown she was still Faith. But a Faith he'd never seen or even dreamt of seeing.

The Bostonian was dressed in a full length black sequined cocktail dress that clung to her curvy body like a second skin. Slits on either side ran down from the waist to the ground, giving tantalising glimpses of the east coast native's long, slender legs. The dress was sleeveless and backless revealing the muscular definition in her arms and lats while the plunging neckline stopped mid-way between her ample breasts where a gold crucifix hung. The ensemble was completed by a simple sliver chain fastened around her slender waist.

Faith grinned. "That's more like it X." The Slayer gave him an appraising look. "Vi did a good job with the make-up."

"Yeah," Xander touched the jagged scar Vi had cosmetically added. It tan from the bottom of his eye-patch to his jaw, using the skills Vi's mother, a former theatre make-up artist, had taught her. "I feel ridiculous."

"Well you don't look bad. Although."

"Although what?"

Faith sauntered towards him, patting his paunch. "You need to lose about thirty pounds if you want to be my Watcher. Can't have a fat-ass as my Watcher, matter of pride."

"Thirty pounds!" Xander knew he'd put some weight on over the last year, but thirty pounds? "I've only put on an extra twenty!"

"Hate to break it you X, but weren't exactly a lean mean machine before this." The mirth left the brunette's eyes. "I really don't wanna do this," the Slayer admitted. "It's like cheating on Woodie."

"You don't have to."

"No," Faith shook her head, a determined glint entering her eyes. "This is our first chance to get a lead on these bastards. Come on, the limo's waiting."