Disclaimer: I own Aurelius, Alexia, and Hope, but that's it.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the previous chapter of Degenerate. . .our heroes were off to Sunnydale to help Buffy defeat the First. Cordelia's pregnant with Conner's child in her womb, Wesley and Faith are shagging, and the plot thickens, we are, after all, in Sunnydale! Story's fast paced, and I post a lot, so, keep up!

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Driving along in silence, with just an old green pick-up truck ahead of them, and Gunn's blue truck behind them Wesley, Cordelia, Willow, and Faith were all near sleep. Angel, however, seemed restless, he couldn't wait to get to Sunnydale and see Buffy again.

Faith's head was still resting on Wesley's shoulder, and her hands would stray every so often to his stomach, where she would tease him by trailing down to his pants zipper, but never do anything for fear of being caught by one of the other occupants of the car.

Wesley, himself, was looking over a book, and trying to ignore Faith at the same time. Even though he had changed so much, he didn't want Angel and the others to see them fooling around.

"Willow?"

"Yeah?"

"Are there any stops anywhere?"

"Gee, Wes, you should have gone before we left."

Faith smiled to him, and actually un-did his zipper.

"Yes, well, I didn't have to go, then."

"Yeah, sure, Wesley, I think there's a gas station a couple miles up. Can you wait?"

Sighing, and slapping Faith's hand away, Wesley went back to his book.

"I suppose."

"You know, I think you guys will be a big help, I mean, I know Buffy will really appreciate it."

"Has she changed a lot since our Sunnydale days?"

"Not really, she's buff, you know?"

Smiling at her own joke, Willow looked around the car to find no one else laughing.

"Get it, she's buff? Oh, neverm. . ."

Suddenly, a girl came flying out of the car in front of them, causing Willow to do a fish tail in the road, and Gunn to barely miss crashing into her. Rushing out of the car, Faith, who had crawled over Wesley, was followed by Willow, Angel, and Wesley as they ran to the girl.

Stooping down, Wesley felt her pulse.

"Oh God, she's still alive."

Willow could barely make out the tail lights of the truck as it rounded a bend a couple hundred yards up the road.

"She's been stabbed, we need to get her to a hospital!"

Lifting her into his arms, Angel carried the girl back to their car, just as Gunn, Conner, and Fred came running up to them.

"What happened?"

"A girl, she was thrown out of that truck."

"You're kiddin' me."

"No, and someone stabbed her, too, come on, we have to hurry!"

Rushing back to their car, the three climbed in the back seat with the girl resting on their laps. Faith trying to calm the sobbing girl. Willow started the car again, and they sped off down the road.

"God, I didn't miss Sunnydale."

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Three hours later, the girl had been taken into the hospital, and was now resting, while Willow tried to collect her information, and the others sat on plush hospital chairs in the lounge. Buffy was supposed to be meeting them soon with some of the other potentials, and Giles.

"I can't believe it! Who would throw a fourteen-year-old girl out of a car after she'd been stabbed and burned? Have you found any references to that mark yet, Wes?"

Wesley wiped his eyes, and yawned, stretching his long arms.

"Not yet."

Smiling at how tired he was, Faith reached her hand over, and took his.

"Maybe you should get some sleep."

"Now? No. All I need is some coffee."

Jerking his hand away from hers, Wesley went back to his book as Angel, Fred, and Gunn returned with coffee and sugary snacks, one of which Fred had already opened and was now eating the chocolate filling.

"Where are Conner and Cordelia?"

"Oh, she said she was having. . .well, she didn't really say, they just disappeared, said they'd be back in a minute, they probably just wanted some alone time."

Handing Wesley his coffee, Angel grimaced and looked around for any sign of his son and the seer. Nothing.

"Has Willow gotten anything, yet?"

"Negative."

The red-haired witch came back and sat down in one of the chairs next to Wesley, and sighed, holding her head.

"Urgh, these hospital people don't even know what's going on. Half of them are clueless. Though, they did say that she was stabbed with a knife, thanks a lot, because we couldn't already see that. Got anything on the symbol, Wes?"

"Not, yet. I'm trying to reference it with Celtic origins, but, I didn't really get a good look at it, and I can't get in there, now. When's Buffy coming?"

"Should be here soon, I called her half and hour ago."

"Oh."

Sitting down next to Gunn, Angel stared at the coffee table that held a clutter of magazines.

"You know, I really think we should be sticking together, I'm gonna go find Cordelia and Conner."

"Okay."

As Angel walked away, Gunn leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"He's uptight lately."

"Heard that!"

Gunn shrank in his seat as Angel called over his shoulder. Wesley waited until he was out of sight, to sit up and face the others.

"Maybe it's this whole Conner and Cordelia thing, I mean, Conner's Angel's son, and he's sleeping with his mother-figure, and now, she's mystically pregnant, it's bound to be stressful for Angel."

"Yeah, that'd kinda freak me out too, wait, it is freaking me out. It was just a couple months ago he was spitting up, now. . .ew."

Wesley looked at the tile floor as Gunn said this, and then, stood.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to use the restroom."

Walking away from them, and leaving and awkward silence, Wesley went to the restroom and splashed his face, looking at himself in the mirror. He seemed tired, not old, just tired. A moment later, the door opened again. He couldn't see who it was, but he heard the lock click a couple seconds after they entered.

Stealthily bending down and acting like he was tying his shoes, he drew his dagger from it's sheath on his ankle, though was surprised when a hand was in his hair, gently playing with it.

"Faith."

"Hey, thought you could use some company."

"Well, how thoughtful, but I'm done."

Placing his dagger back in its sheath, and standing, Wes was pushed against the wall, and Faith kissed him. Kissing her back for a moment, and then, pushing her off, Wesley went to the door, and unlocked it.

"I said I'm done."

Before he could open the door, Faith had her hand on it.

"So, what was last night, Wes?"

"A good time, blowing off some steam, friends, or rather, people who can barely stand one another, with benefits, whatever you want it to be, Faith, that's what it was. It's over now, though."

"You. . .used me?"

Almost laughing, Faith looked at her former Watcher with amusement, though, she felt like a broken mirror inside.

"You used me?"

"Perhaps, if that's what you want it to be."

Pushing him against the wall again, Faith smiled, wryly.

"And what are you thinking of it as, Wes?"

Grinning, he took her hand off the door, and walked back into the lobby. Why had he just blown her off? Didn't he feel something last night? Of course, he had been upset about Lilah, and Faith was there, and the opportunity to let go of some of his emotions was too good to pass up.

Had he felt something real, though? Perhaps. . .love? Not love, but lust? There had been so much lust, he just wanted to have sex with her, or had he wanted to make love to her? Had he wanted it for awhile?

His short brain rant was cut off as he spotted Buffy, Giles, and a gang of girls that hardly looked like well-trained soldiers of evil, talking with Gunn, Fred, Willow, and Angel, who Wesley guessed had found Cordy and Conner, because they were sitting together, brooding in Wesley's old seat.

"Buffy."

"Wesley?"

"Yes."

"Wow, I mean, WOW!"

She smiled as she hugged him, loosely, and then let go.

"Wow."

"So I've heard."

"You've changed. . .a lot. . .for the better, of course."

"Told ya he was the Marlboro Man!"

Buffy smiled to Willow, and Giles approached Wesley, and held out his hand.

"Nice to see you again."

"Thank you. You, too."

It was a little awkward, but focus soon turned to Conner, and Wesley was out of the lime-light. Moments later, Faith joined them, and to Wesley shock, it appeared as if she had been crying.

"Faith."

"Hey, B."

"What are you doing here?"

"Nothing much, just you know, fighting evil, kicking ass, and taking names."

"Oh, so, how was jail?"

"New experience, grew old quick."

"Oh."

"Well, Buffy, why don't you fill us in on this First Evil on our way to your house."

"Yeah, good idea. We parked in the parking garage, so, Angel, you should be okay. Lola, Susan, you stay here, and guard her room in case that creep comes back to finish his job, call the house as soon as that girl wakes up."

"Okay."

"Good."

Wesley picked up his books off the hospital floor, glancing at Faith, who was staring at him, and then following the others down to the parking garage.

"I can't wait to hear about this uber-vampire, it should be interesting."

"Yeah, well, first, you have to meet the girls."

"Exactly how many are there?"

"Thirty, forty, give or take a few."

Exchanging glances, the Fang Gang continued to follow Buffy. Faith, on the other hand, stopped and glanced in the room where the wounded girl lie, sleeping. Faith knew that pain. The eternal sleep.

"You'll get better, I promise."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Aw, Wesley won't give into his feelings. Well, that might just have to change. Okay, now, next chapter. . .meeting the girls, and training. Plus, what does Cordy have up the sleeve of her icky black maternity dress? I wonder? Oh, and are more of our 'friends' coming? Of course, it's a Scoobie/Fang Gang party!