Night Falls

Previously:

"Take a look," she said. Hailey followed Faith's finger and slammed on the brakes. A wall of Bringers stood blocking the road. Their knives flashed in the headlights of the car. One of the Bringers licked his lips.

"Shit," Hailey muttered.

Chapter Seven:

Dawn felt a shift in energy. If anyone had asked her, she would not have been able to explain it, except to say that something changed in her. All of the sudden, she had the undeniable urge to stand, walk across the room, and gaze out of the window. It was as if the night was beckoning to her; more than that, it was as if something outside was pulling at something inside of her. She tried to focus on the rousing, yet utterly depressing speech that Buffy was giving, but her mind kept drifting back to the change. The air around her was charged. It felt as though a storm was brewing, black clouds rolling in advance of thunder and lightening.

"A building of something," Dawn muttered to herself. Giles apparently heard her, as he glanced over at her, the skin between his eyes wrinkling as he frowned.

"What did you say?" He asked lowly. Buffy either did not hear him, or choose to ignore him.

"You're here because someone else didn't make it. This isn't a game. Some of you will die – all of you might die. It's not my decision," Buffy was saying.

"Nothing," Dawn whispered. But Giles did not look away; instead, he scooted closer to her on the sofa.

"I heard you say something," he insisted.

"It's nothing," Dawn replied harshly. "I just felt something is all."

"Felt what?" Giles asked. Ever since he had learned of Dawn's true identity, as an ancient mystical key, he had been curious as to whether she had inherited any sort of gifts as a result of her origins. Though he longed to test her, he did not think that Buffy would approve. The Slayer was fiercely protective of her younger sister and even more resistant to the Council and their methods of research.

"A change," Dawn replied, looking down at her hands. "Like the air was speeding up. Something shifted." Dawn looked across the room at the window. Xander, Anya, and Willow were sitting on the couch across from her. Kennedy was perched on the armrest beside Willow, persistent in her supposed courtship of the Wicca, though Willow did not seem enthralled with the idea of dating again. Buffy stood in the center of the room and Spike stood off to the side, watching her intently. The rest of the potentials were gathered about the room, sitting where they could find space.

"What kind of change?" Giles prodded.

"I really want to go look out that window," Dawn muttered irritably. Rising to her feet, she tiptoed through the mess of people, moving over to the window. Pulling aside the curtains with one of her hands, she gazed out into the darkness. For a moment, she only saw the empty street, lit by a streetlamp that cast an amber glow on the sidewalk. Then she saw something move. She could see four shapes running through the darkness. "Buffy," Dawn said, recognizing the leader of the group as she ran into the light. Buffy ignored her. Dawn turned and looked back at her sister. "Buffy!" She said, capturing the older girl's attention.

"What is it, Dawn?" Buffy asked, obviously aggravated at having been interrupted.

"Faith's outside," Dawn said, looking back out of the window. "And she's not alone."

Buffy felt her blood run cold at the mention of Faith's name. Her initial reaction was of anger, but it was quickly replaced by something else – regret. She tried to shake the feeling away, but it lingered in the back of her mind, gnawing at her thoughts. "What?" She asked in surprise.

"Bringers are chasing her. She's got three girls with her," Dawn said. One of the girls ran beside Faith. She wore a black cowboy hat and was carrying a brown duffel bag. Faith had a black duffel bag strapped onto her shoulder. Behind them ran two younger girls, both dark haired and afraid.

Buffy quickly moved to the door, throwing it open. The rest of the group followed. Those who did not know Faith were eager to see what the commotion was about. Those who did were eager to see if the once rogue Slayer was still working for the other side. Faith immediately saw the light of the foyer spilling out onto Buffy's front porch. "Run to the door!" She commanded, watching with satisfaction as Colleen and Maria bolted towards Buffy's house.

She and Hailey stopped once they reached the front lawn and let their bags slide onto the grass. Pulling out her spare gun, Hailey handed it to Faith. "I thought you said these bullets were scarce?" Faith asked, taking the gun.

"They are," Hailey replied. "But we're only going to shoot one. I'm hoping this will scare them away," she said, raising her gun into the air. She pulled the trigger and a loud bang issued forth, echoing down the street. The Bringers halted. Faith lifted her gun and pointed at it the nearest one.

"That's right," she said. "We're packing heat, so if I were you, I'd run along home to mommy and daddy."

Buffy could not help but smirk at Faith's quip. The Bringers hesitated and then slowly began to back away, silently and quickly disappearing into the night. Hailey and Faith breathed a collective sigh of relief and lowered their weapons. Grabbing the duffel bags, they turned and walked quickly to the house. "How's it going, B?" Faith asked, grinning widely to mask the turmoil of emotions running through her. She felt her stomach squeeze into knots when she saw the blonde Slayer eying her from inside of the house. She handed the gun back to Hailey, knowing that her possession of a firearm would only exacerbate the situation.

Buffy was experiencing as similar roller coaster of emotions as she gazed at the younger Slayer. But like Faith, she had learned to hide them. "Better now that I can see you're not working for the First," she said, noting the flash of pain that shot through Faith's eyes before the other girl could conceal it. Time had changed Faith, Buffy could see it, but she was not so willing to acknowledge it. Faith never would have allowed that flash of pain to show all of those years before. Now, however, Faith could not easily disguise it.

"Play nice," Hailey muttered, feeling Faith tense beside her. Buffy looked over at the new girl.

"Who are you?" She demanded, instantly disliking the girl standing next to Faith. Perhaps it was her confident stance, her appraising stare, or the intimate way in which she spoke to Faith that made Buffy both jealous and wary of her.

"Dear God," Giles said as he stepped forward from behind Buffy. "Hailey? Surely it can't be you."

"In the flesh," Hailey said, smiling as she stepped forward and pulled Giles into a tight embrace. "Although not for a lack of trying on the First's part," she added.

"I thought you were dead," Giles said when they finally broke apart. "When I heard of the explosion, I was sure you had been killed."

"Funny thing that," Hailey said, entering the house as Giles ushered her inside, despite Buffy's silent protests. Colleen, Maria, and Faith filed in behind her, all shifting on their feet anxiously. "I was in the vault when the building exploded."

"It protected you," Giles reasoned. "I imagine that's the only reason why you're alive today."

"It is," Hailey confirmed. "Oh, I got something for you," she said, dumping her bag on the floor and reaching for the bag Faith was holding. Faith handed it to her and smiled uneasily at Giles, lowering her gaze to the floor.

"What's this?" Giles asked as Hailey passed the bag to him.

"It's what you wanted," she said. "The diaries and some other stuff I managed to get before everything went kaboom. I would have gotten more, but you know what happened."

"Thank you very much," Giles said appreciatively. He quickly moved off into the living room, eager to explore the contents of the bag.

"Break out of prison much?" Xander asked, looking at Faith. Faith glanced down at her clothes, groaning when she realized that she was still wearing her prison uniform.

"I thought prison was meant to keep the murderers in," Willow muttered.

"Do you mind?" Hailey asked, shooting a glare over at the redhead.

"Excuse me?" Willow said, unaware that she had been heard by anyone.

"It's cool," Faith said, laying a hand on Hailey's shoulder. "Let it be."

"Here," Hailey said, handing her brown duffel bag over to Faith, "I've got some extra clothes in there. We're about the same size. They should fit."

"Thanks, sheriff," Faith said as she moved towards the bathroom. Once the dark haired Slayer had disappeared, the rest of the group turned their attention towards Hailey.

"You two seem awful close," Buffy commented.

"Does that bother you?" Hailey shot back.

"Okay," Dawn said, stepping forward. "I think everyone's getting off on the wrong foot here. How about some introductions? I'm Dawn, Buffy's sister. And you are?" She asked, extending her hand to Hailey. Hailey sighed and took the younger girl's hand, giving it a quick shake.

"I'm Hailey Travers," Hailey replied.

"Travers?" Willow asked, instantly recognizing the name. "As in Quentin Travers?"

"He was my father," Hailey confirmed.

Now I know I don't like her, Buffy thought, studying her. "Why did Faith call you sheriff?" She asked suspiciously.

"I'm the sheriff of a small town in Arizona. They hired me to help with their vampire problem," Hailey replied.

"So you're a potential then?" Willow asked. When Hailey turned to look at her, Willow felt all of her muscles tense, as if they were anticipating something. She found herself suddenly becoming incredibly self-conscious.

"Yeah," Hailey replied.

"Then you're in the right place," the witch said, smiling nervously. "This seems to be potential headquarters nowadays."

"The Coven told me to come here. They said I would be needed," Hailey explained.

"The Coven?" Willow asked excitedly, forgetting her unease. "How are they?"

"Good," Hailey said. "You must be Willow right?" She asked, giving the redhead a second glance. Amelia had spoken a great deal about a girl named Willow Rosenberg from Sunnydale who possessed a great deal of power. Supposedly, she had used it to try to end the world. Hailey could hardly believe that the woman standing in front of her had an ounce of evil in her, but looks were often deceiving. And the looks definitely aren't bad, Hailey thought appreciatively. Willow nodded. "Amelia sends her regards," Hailey said, struggling to tear her eyes away from the witch's emerald gaze.

Kennedy watched the interaction between the two with a growing concern. Hailey was obviously attracted to her would be girlfriend, but she could not determine if Willow felt the same. Either way, she knew that she would have to keep an eye on the new girl. Buffy also watched the interaction, her eyes remaining locked on Hailey, however. She hated Quentin Travers with every fiber of her being. He had tried to destroy everything in her life when she had turned eighteen, all for the sake of tradition. Buffy did not know if his daughter believed in the same things, but she knew that if she did, Hailey was dangerous. Hailey could feel Buffy's eyes on her and she turned, catching the Slayer staring at her.

"And you must be Buffy," Hailey said, taking a step forward. Buffy misread the act as one of aggression and stepped forward as well, folding her arms across her chest. Willow felt her muscles relax once Hailey shifted her gaze to Buffy. She could feel Kennedy standing directly behind her, heat radiating off her in waves. The younger potential was obviously threatened. Willow wondered if she should be. Though she had not given in to Kennedy's demands, she felt a particular fondness for the dark haired girl. However, she the moment her eyes rested on Hailey, she felt an attraction that she did not feel to Kennedy, one that went far deeper than the physical. It was not the same as with Tara. That connection had been deeper than anything she had ever felt. But she thought that Hailey could come close if she let her in. Willow frowned, however. She had no way of knowing if Hailey was even interested in her, or if she even wanted to pursue her attraction to the girl. A confusing mix of emotions tumble through her and she moved slightly away from Kennedy and Hailey.

"If it makes any difference," Hailey said low enough for only Buffy to hear, "I'm not a threat to you. I'm here to follow you. Just tell me what to do."

Buffy relaxed a bit at her words. Sighing, she let her arms drop to her sides. "Well, we're gonna need all the help we can get."

"That include me, B?" Faith asked, reappearing in one of Hailey's white wife beaters and skintight black jeans. Buffy's face hardened, but she nodded.

"Yeah, F," she said a bit bitterly. "That includes you."