Greetings and salutations. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's reviewed so far, so (takes deep breath) Harry, S.M, Joshua the evil guy, Catlimere, vld, X-Lander, Brutal2003, Lore, manticore gurl, pay-day1999, Lacrea Moonlight, Kiwi3, destiny-ruler, adb, Wolfheartx, Empress of the Wing, judge mim, red crystal, Jaminjellybean, Rosie W, superfan, scarlet, CyberAngelOne, Kurt Uhlig, Vampyr Moon, SarahSenior, bob, bob 'n' Jack, Jedi Knight 666, Christina, Gavin, Brian, Contania, dusty and Gregdorezea. Whew. Thanks a lot guys.
Slayer's Knight will continue soon. I hope.
"I can't believe you screwed up! Again!" Spike yelled.
"There's something different about her." Finn said. "And that guy that showed up. They sliced through the vampires you sent with me like they were nothing."
"Your tellin' me that twenty vampires couldn't handle one Slayer, no matter what she's capable of, and the Grand bloody Poof?" Spike demanded, ready to break Finn's neck.
"It wasn't Angel." Finn said. "Some other guy, about six foot, dark hair. She seemed surprised to see him." Spike thought about the description.
"The vegetable?" He said suddenly. "That's impossible. That guy got beaten into a coma by 'is father! How the bloody hell could he help take down twenty vampires?"
"I only know what I saw." Finn said. Spike growled. If he didn't have his uses…
"Watch 'im." He ordered. "I want to know everything there is to know about this guy. I don't like surprises."
"So, any reason you asked me to come along instead of Angel?" Willow asked nervously.
"Deadboy's gone looking for Dru." Faith told her. It had been a week since they found out about the Judge. They now had two pieces in their possession. It didn't help that Giles had been forced to start the injections for the Cruciamentum, but Jedi training was filling in the gaps. So far. "Besides, you need to get out more. You spend way too much time hunched over that computer."
"But that's the only way I can help." Willow said defensively.
"Bull." Faith said. "Mom said your picking up the training well. You just need to learn to relax, focus. Can't be done bent over the computer."
"I suppose." Willow said. "Doesn't mean I'm comfortable with patrolling with you."
"You'll do fine, Red." Faith assured her. "Just…" The gang of vampires that came out of a nearby alley interrupted their conversation. "B's right." Faith commented. "These guys really are dumb."
"I wouldn't say that, pet." Spike said as he walked out. "I thought it'd nice if I showed that sister of yours I mean business. Sending you two to the morgue should do the trick."
"Spike." Faith spat. "What's going to take for you to get it through your thick skull? You aren't getting your hands on my sister."
"That's Spike?" Willow asked nervously.
"Yeah, that's Sunnydale's resident Billy Idol wannabe." Faith said dryly.
"Hey!" Spike said. "Get it straight, chit. 'E copied me." Faith rolled her eyes.
"Whatever." She said. "Can we just get this over with?"
"Right you are, pet." Spike growled. "Get 'er! Concentrate on the Slayer." The Vampires moved forward, ignoring Willow. Willow watched as the vamps closed in on her friend. There was no way Faith could handle that many vampires. She had to help somehow, but what could she do.
She remembered the night Darla had turned Jesse, the night she had lost one of her best friends. She could not let that happen again.
Power rushed through her as she charged forward, ripping through the vamps that surrounded Faith. Spike watched shocked, as a light sprang around the two, stared, horrified, as they dusted every single vamp he threw at them, until only he was left.
"You were saying, blondie?" Faith sneered.
"That's kind of an insult to Buffy." Willow said, more confident than she had been. She'd staked at least three vamps on her own, how she didn't know.
"So, let's get rid of the insult, shall we?" Faith said with an evil grin. Spike took one more look at the glowing duo and ran like hell. "Chicken."
"You said it." Willow said, looking at her hands. "How'd I do that? No, on second thoughts, I don't want to know. The answer's impossible."
"You never know." Faith said. "But there's one way to find out. C'mon."
Buffy and Xander had decided to take a quick break from patrol for some…private time. This is how Faith and Willow found them, connected at the lips.
"I think the idea of patrol is to hunt vampires." Faith said. "Not play tonsil hockey." Buffy and Xander jumped, falling off the headstone they were sitting on. "Graceful, sis."
"Very funny, Faith." Buffy muttered. "What are you…?" The words disappeared from her mind when she saw the glow surrounding her sister and Willow. "Holy…Xander!"
"What?" The Protector said, getting to his knees. "What's all the…?" He, too, stopped mid sentence. "Oh boy."
"Guess that solves that problem." Buffy said with a grin. "At least its someone we know."
"Um, excuse me?" Willow piped up. "Translation, please?"
"You guys are glowing something fierce." Xander said. "Now I know how you felt."
"Oh." Willow said. Faith draped an arm around the girl.
"Looks like I've finally got a sparring partner." She said.
"In the non prison sense, I hope." Willow said weakly. Faith laughed at the girl.
"Ah, c'mon, Red." She said. "I'm kinda glad it's you. I needed a sidekick of my own and at least your experienced."
"I guess." Willow said hesitantly. "Are we sure someone didn't make a mistake?"
"You kiddin' me?" Faith asked. "After the way you ripped through those vamps? Man, even I was frightened. In a good way." She added quickly, noticing Willow's crestfallen look. I didn't mean to insult her, she thought.
"You didn't insult me, Faith." Willow said. "You just…" She noticed Buffy and Xander's grins. "What?"
"Faith didn't say anything." Buffy said.
"But…" Willow looked over at the Slayer.
"Ah, nuts. There goes what little privacy I had left." Willows eyes bulged. She was hearing Faith's thoughts.
"Excuse me, Ms Slayer, but I can keep my thoughts to myself, unlike you." Willow thought.
"Ah, nuts." Faith said out loud. Buffy and Xander doubled over with laughter.
Dru observed the happenings using her Sight. She smiled. Yes, the four teens had melded into more of a team than she had seen in her long life. Now that the Protectors had awakened, her plans could truly go ahead. "Soon, my Angel. Soon."
"I, uh, I see you found Faith's Protector." Giles said as the four glowing teens walked in, Buffy and Xander to a lesser extent to the newly joined team.
"I'm going to wear sunglasses until they get that under control." Buffy muttered.
"Relax, B. It'll fade. Eventually." Faith sent.
"Do you think we should try to deaden the glow ourselves?" Willow asked mentally. Buffy stared suddenly. She could hear Wills through Faith!
"Nah. Let 'em suffer." Faith sent wickedly.
"I don't know…" Willow began. Buffy finally had to say something.
"It'd be appreciated." She sent, slightly agitated.
"Now you know how I felt." Faith sent. "After everything we went through to find each other, now we have to share. And you thought I was being unfair."
"So that's what that was about." Xander entered the conversation.
"Hey!" Willow almost shouted. "My Slayer. You've got your own."
"You can talk." Xander shot.
"Guys, settle down. My head's about to explode." Buffy begged. "Hoo boy, this is getting complicated. Okay, obviously we can hear each other through the various links we have running. I doesn't mean we get any less of each other, so keep the jealous rampages through my brain to a minimum."
"Amen." Faith agreed. She looked over at Giles. "G-Man looks a might confused." They all looked over at the Watcher.
"Sorry, Giles." Buffy said. "We're just getting used to the four way link."
"And overcoming the bouts of jealousy over sharing our Slayer/sister." Faith explained.
"Oh." Giles said. "I don't think I'm going to get used to this."
"Used to what?" Angel said walking through the door. He squinted as he looked at Faith and Willow. "Oh. That. Well, that's that mystery solved."
"I take it you couldn't find Dru." Buffy said.
"Spike's keeping her indoors." Angel explained. "I couldn't find hide or hair of her."
"Couldn't you find where she is?" Faith asked. "I mean, aren't Sires and their Children supposed to have some sort of link?" Willow nodded.
"Yeah." She said. "I've read how some hunters use a Child to lead them to their Sire. It usually worked."
"Unless the Child in question is insane." Angel said darkly. "I know the trick. Dru was crazy enough to see through it and lead them into a trap of some kind." You mean intelligent Deadboy, Buffy thought in a shielded section of her mind. She's not as crazy as you think. "But yeah, I think that might work. We still have to get rid of those." He looked over at the Judge pieces.
"Unlax, Deadboy." Faith said. "Mom's got it. We're going to dump them in outer space once we've got all the pieces."
"A few clicks through hyper space, then drop a bit." Buffy explained. "If anyone can gather them after that, they deserve them."
"Can we come?" Willow asked enthusiastically. "Please?"
"We'll see." Buffy said.
"Um, not to bring a pall over the proceedings, but…" Giles held up a pair of syringes. The twin slayers groaned.
"This sucks." Faith said, sitting down.
"This isn't going to…?" Willow asked suddenly.
"Don't worry, Wills." Xander reassured her, watching as Buffy sat next to her sister. "I've already asked. The only permanent damage is if they get killed, and I for one am not letting that happen." Willow nodded in agreement, looking over at her Slayer…whoa, when had that happened?
"Alright, but if she gets hurt…" Willow growled.
"Should I be jealous there?" Buffy asked.
"Nah." Faith said as Giles jabbed her with the needle. "I think it's a Protector thing. Xander's the same. And could you be a little more gentle?"
"This is why the Slayers are usually hypnotised." Giles complained.
"So the total secrecy thing isn't a factor in that bit?" Xander asked innocently.
"Well, there is that." Giles admitted moving over to Buffy.
"I swear, I'm shoving one of these things up Travers'…" She started, before yelping in pain as Giles stabbed the needle in. "How long are those needles?" Giles gave her a withering look.
"I cannot understand how a girl who has cheated death more times than I care to remember can be so afraid of needles." He said.
"I don't like hospitals or anything associated with them." Buffy said sulkily. "Needles hold a special place in that list of 'things that get shoved up the keister'." Xander stood and moved behind her, massaging her shoulders.
"Down, girl." He muttered.
"Keep that up and you'll be saying that for a different reason." She muttered back.
"B, could you not." Faith said, getting to her feet. She noticed Willow at her side almost immediately.
"Get used to it, Faith." Buffy said. "It'll last at least until your glow dies down a bit. Unless…" She smiled up at Xander, who rolled his eyes.
"Buffy!" Willow and Faith said together.
"You need to get your mind out of the gutter, sis." Faith said.
"I'm not…I mean, I…" Willow babbled, her face going pink.
"I was joking, Wills." Buffy said. "Although…"
"Would you cut that out?" Giles and Angel said at the same time.
"Now that's freaky." Xander said with a mock shudder. "Giles and Angel saying things in sync? Brrr."