Chapter 64: Bad Girls

Buffy and Faith get slammed down into the ground, hard. Vampires clutch their necks, baring down.

Faith makes conversation. "So, what, you're telling me never?"

"Faith, really. Now is not the time." Buffy says.

"I'm curious. Never ever?" Faith asks. Buffy and Faith each flip their attackers off them, start kicking ass. Only Faith won't shut up. "Come on, really? All this time and not even once?"

"How many times can I say it? I have never…" Buffy says as she punches the vamp…" Done it…" kicks the vamp… "With Xander!" She stakes the vamp and he dusts. "He's just a friend."

"So?" Faith asks as she stakes her vamp too and he dusts also. "What are friends for? I'm sorry. It's just, all that sweating nightly, side-by-side action, and you never put in for a little after hours…" she grunts.

"Thanks for the poetry, and no. I love Xander, I just don't… love Xander. Besides, I think it ruins friendships to do stuff like that." Buffy says.

"You think too much." Faith says.

Buffy stops cold. Faith stops, too. "There's one left."

"How do you know?" Faith asks.

"I think too much." Buffy says looking at the ground. There is a cacophony of tracks and footprints in the dirt. She mentally adds them up, one set leading her gaze to a tomb nearby.

A shadow moves subtly behind it.

Someone's hiding. The slayers go silent. Buffy points. Faith goes right.

Buffy goes left. "On three…" She silently counts off on her fingers: One, Two… but that's as far as she gets. Faith leaps straight over the top of the tomb, stakes in hand. "Three."

"Yaaahhh!" Faith says.

Impossibly fast, a third vampire flashes up from behind the headstone, grabs Faith, and using her momentum slams her into the ground face-first.

The vamp turns to Buffy. Unsheathes a jewel-encrusted sword and dagger. Holds them in dueling position.

Buffy powers up a fireball, she kicks the vamp in the nuts. He howls in rage as Buffy kicks away both sword and dagger. He rushes Buffy, and slams her up against a headstone before she has a chance to throw her fireball. They struggle. His fangs approach her neck when suddenly - POOF! He's dusted. Dust clears, revealing Faith behind him.

Faith grins, twirling her stake like a gunfighter. "Nicely diverted, B.!" She holds up her hand for a high-five.

Buffy just looks at her like she's crazy. "That wasn't diverting! That was fighting for my life, Miss Attention Span." She storms away, pissed.

Faith follows. "Hey, this isn't a Tupperware party, it's a little harder to plan."

"The count of three is not a plan. It's Sesame Street." Buffy says.

"Hey, they're toast and we're here so it couldn't have been too bad. Who were those guys, anyway?" Faith says.

Buffy shrugs, "No idea. They sure didn't look local. Grab the weapons, would you? Maybe Giles can…"

But the sword and dagger are gone. Buffy and Faith look to each other…

The next day Buffy, Willow, Xander and Oz, lounging in the school lounge. All look on as Willow looks through an endless pile of thick manila envelopes. College catalogues.

Xander reads over her shoulder. "Harvard, Yale, Wesleyan…"

"Wow, Willow. Looks like early admission came early this year." Buffy says.

"Hence the name." Oz says.

"M.I.T., Barnard, some German Polytechnical Institute whose name I can't pronounce… Is anyone else intimidated? Because I'm just expecting paper-thin slips with the words "no way" written on them in crayon." Xander says.

"They're typing those now." Oz says.

"I'm so overwhelmed. I got in! To colleges. Real live colleges! And now they're wooing me. They're pitching woo!" Willow says.

"The wooing stage is always fun." Buffy says.

"But weird, too. Rejection I can handle from my long years of training in the field. But this…" Willow says.

"I feel your pain, Will. Like, right now? I'm torn between the fast-growing industries of appliance repair and motel management. Of course, I'm still waiting to hear from The Corndog Emporium, so…" Xander says as he crosses his fingers.

"Embrace it, Will. This is a great time. There's nothing standing between you and a whole new world." Buffy says.

"Except - if I could suggest? Graduate. Getting left back? Not the thrill ride you'd expect." Oz says.

Cordelia folds back the folder Xander is reading. He looks up. "That's so cute, planning life as a loser. Most people just turn out that way, but you're really taking charge."

"The comedy stylings of Miss Cordelia Chase, everybody. Who incidentally won't be needing a higher education when she can just market her own very successful line of Hooker Wear." Xander says.

"Well Xander, I could dress more like you but, oh. My father has a job." Cordelia says.

"I won't waste the perfect comeback on you now, but don't think I don't have it. Oh yes, its time will come." Xander says but Cordelia's gone. Xander turns back to the group. "So. Life beyond high school. Anyone. For the love of God, please, chime in."

"I hear it's nice. And, a place I'll never go if I don't pass Mrs. Taggart's chem. test tomorrow." Buffy says.

"I can help. Chemistry's easy. It's just like witchcraft, only there's not as much newt. Which makes me wonder how come you have trouble with it. What do you say? Study jam at my house? Tonight?" Willow says.

"I'm there." Buffy says. The BELL RINGS. They all get up to leave. "I gotta check in with Giles, report on last night's patrol."

"Oh, that's right. He said he needed to talk to you." Willow says.

Buffy frowns, "What about? Is he all right?"

"Well, he's looked better…" Willow says.

In the library Giles HAS looked better - he's uncomfortable, bored and a teeny bit hostile. He is, however, trying to be polite about it.

The reason for his attitude is speaking to him. Incessantly. He is Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, Watcher. "Of course, training procedures have been updated quite a bit since your day. Much greater emphasis on field work."

"Really." Giles says.

Wesley nods, "Oh yes. It's not all books and theory nowadays. I have in fact faced two vampires - under controlled circumstances, of course."

"Well, you're in no danger of finding any here." Giles says.

"Vampires?" Wesley asks.

"Controlled circumstances. Hello, Buffy." Giles says as Buffy enters the library.

Buffy looks over the new watcher with suspicion. He brightens to see her, shaking her hand.

"Well, hello!" Wesley says.

"New watcher." Buffy says.

Giles nods, "New watcher."

"Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. It's very nice to meet you." Wesley says.

"Is he evil?" Buffy asks.

"Evil?" Wesley asks.

Buffy nods, "The last one was evil."

Wesley nods, "Oh, yes, Gwendolyn Post, we all heard. A sad example of the seductive power of dark knowledge. Mr. Giles has checked my credentials rather thoroughly and phoned the council but I'm glad to see you're on the ball as well, a good slayer is a cautious slayer." He smiles at her.

"Is he evil?" Buffy asks again.

"Not in the strictest sense." Giles says.

"Well, I'm glad that's cleared up. And as I'm sure none of us is anxious to waste time on pleasantries, why don't you tell me everything about last night's patrol." Wesley says, slightly peeved.

"Vampires." Buffy says.

"Yes?" Wesley asks.

"Killed 'em." Buffy says.

"Anything else you can tell me?" Wesley asks.

A gently remonstrative look from Giles makes Buffy grudgingly continue.

"One of them had swords. I don't think he was with the other two." Buffy says.

"Swords? One long, one short?" Wesley asks.

Buffy nods, "Both pointy. With jewels and stuff."

"That sounds familiar." Giles says.

"It should." Wesley says as he rifles through some of his own books. Hands one open to Giles.

"El Eliminati. Fift –" Giles says.

Wesley nods, "Fifteenth century duelist cult. Deadly in their day, their numbers dwindled in later centuries, due to an increase in antivampire activity and a lot of pointless dueling. They eventually became the acolytes of a demon called Calthazar, who brought them to the new world. Specifically, here."

"You seem to know them well." Giles says.

"I didn't get this job because of my looks." Wesley says.

Buffy nods, "I really really believe that."

"I've researched this town's history. Extensively." Wesley says.

"So why haven't we seen them before this?" Giles asks.

"They were driven out a hundred years ago. Calthazar was, happily, killed. I'm not sure by whom." Wesley says.

"And they're back 'cause…" Buffy says.

"Calthazar had an amulet, purported to give him strength. When he was killed, it was taken by a wealthy landowner - I don't want to bore you with the details…" Wesley says.

"Little bit late…" Buffy says.

"…Named Gleaves. It's buried with him and I believe the few remaining Eliminati are probably looking for it. For sentimental value." Wesley says.

Giles nods, "So you don't think the amulet poses a threat of some kind?"

"Not at all. None the less, we may as well keep it from them. Buffy, you will go to the Gleaves family crypt tonight and fetch the amulet." Wesley says.

Buffy frowns, "I will?"

"Are you not used to being given orders?" Wesley asks.

Buffy smiles, "Giles always says please when he sends me on a mission. And afterwards, he gives me a cookie."

"I don't feel like we're getting off on quite the right foot –" Wesley says. Faith enters as he speaks. Assesses the situation. "Ah! This is perhaps Faith?"

Faith looks at him. "New watcher."

"New watcher." Buffy and Faith says.

"Screw that." Faith says. She turns on her heel and exits.

"Now, why didn't I say that?" Buffy says.

Giles frowns, "Buffy, do you think you could –"

Buffy sighs, "I'll see if I can get her back. Don't say anything incredibly interesting while I'm gone." She exits.

Wesley watches, trying not to be thrown. "They'll get used to me."

Giles sighs very quietly, takes off his glasses to clean them. Notices Wesley has taken his off and is cleaning them. Giles slips his back on. "Well Faith it might matter if she gets used to you. You should forget about Buffy. She is a Charmed One. Her allegiance is not to the Watcher's Council but to the Power of Three. She will work with you but she will not work for you."

Out in the quad Buffy catches up with Faith, who's storming off campus. "Faith, wait." Buffy catches up to her. "I know this new guy's a dork, but… I have nothing to follow that, he's just a dork."

"You actually gonna take orders from him?" Faith asks.

Buffy shakes her head, "Probably not. But I do need his resources."

Faith nods, "You know we're slayers, girlfriend. The Chosen Two. Why should we let him take all the fun out of it?"

Buffy nods, "That'd be tragic, taking the fun out of slaying and stabbing and beheading…"

"Oh, like you don't dig it." Faith says.

"I don't." Buffy says.

Faith shakes her head, "Liar. I've seen you. Tell me staking a vamp doesn't get you a little bit juiced. Say it." She stops, faces Buffy, folds her arms and waits. Buffy smiles, hesitates, looks away… "Aah! Can't fool me. The look in your eyes right after a kill? Just get hungry for more."

"You are way off base." Buffy says.

"Tell me that if you don't get in a good slaying, after a while you start itching for some vamp to show up so you can give him a good…" Faith says and makes a stabbing motion and grunts.

"Again with the grunting. I'm not comfortable with that." Buffy says.

"Hey, slaying's what we were built for. If you're not enjoying it, you're doing something wrong." Faith says and she starts to go.

"Uh, what about the little idiot's mission?" Buffy asks.

"Tell you what. You go." Faith says and she goes, leaving a pensive Buffy.

Faith saunters off campus, free. Buffy looks back at the school. Then back at Faith.

That evening Buffy and Prue enters the Gleaves Family Crypt. They each have a flashlight in hand, moving forward.

"So why is Faith not with you tonight?" Prue asks,

Buffy finds a grave. With some effort, she shoves the heavy stone covering aside, looks inside. Nasty corpse. No amulet. "Strike one… New Watcher, Prue. I don't know why they couldn't just stay away. Anyways Faith doesn't want to play nice and I can't say I blame her. If it weren't for the fact Giles only has access to his own books now. I would say let's ship this guy back to England. But we need his resources."

Prue nods and turns to the second grave. Opens it using her power on the cover. Inside, she sees the rotting corpse of a dead monk. Wearing an ancient, ornate amulet. "Here we go."

"Game over." Buffy says and reaches into the tomb to remove the amulet. And suddenly the tomb is filled with light.

Buffy and Prue turns to see a torch comes into the crypt. Held by a vampire. Followed by another. Then another. Then another. They keep coming. Ten torches in all. The vampires swagger in as a pack.

Buffy grabs Prue and stuffs herself and Prue into the first tomb, next to the rotting corpse. They wait, trying to be silent.

The vamps enter. The head vamp, Vincent, pulls the amulet off the corpse. They exit as a group.

Buffy and Prue listens. Nothing.

Buffy exhales a sigh of relief. Stands up, and the second she does - clap! - a hand grabs her shoulder. "Aah!"

Prue turns using her power on… Faith. Sending her flying across the crypt.

"Faith!" Buffy says.

Prue frowns, "Sorry. You shouldn't have startled us like that, Faith."

"What are you two doing, hiding in there?" Faith

"Looking for an amulet. Wasn't really counting on the special guest stars. Ten against two - hence the hiding.

Faith smiles, "Ten against three now. Come on." She runs out of the crypt. Buffy and Prue follows.

The vamps are getting away. They are rabbiting down a manhole. Gone. Faith charges after them.

Buffy pulls her back. "Wait. Stop. Think."

"No. No. No." Faith says.

"It's a manhole. Tight space, no escape - and ten against three – not unlike three against one." Buffy says.

"And there might be more. Come on." Faith says.

"You're just going in? That's your plan?" Prue asks.

Faith stops, turns, looks at Prue. "Who said I had a plan? I don't know how many's down there but I wanna find out and I'll know when I land and if Buffy at least don't come in after me…" She leaps, finishing with a big smile, "I might die!"

Buffy looks to Prue, "She's right. I got to go."

Prue nods, "Let's go then."

Buffy jumps down into the manhole followed by Prue.

As Buffy lands she is punched by an vampire. She turns to face TWO OTHERS. Lightning-fast, she backhands the first, one-tows the other and backs up right into Faith…

Prue lands beside them and she too backs up towards Faith.

They are surrounded by vampires

Faith is fighting for her life - and grinning.

The three of them are right in the middle of one big mother of a fight. Ten vamps. Two Slayers, Two witches. And the only exit is a small round opening, twelve feet overhead.

"We're surrounded!" Buffy says.

Faith laughs, "You noticed that too?"

The vamps attack at once. War cries echo sharply through the tunnels. Buffy, Prue and Faith go total video game on them. Kicking. Punching. Staking. Anything but stopping.

One slams Faith against the slimy sewer wall. Buffy hurls a fireball and dusts Faith's vamp.

Two vamps rush Prue, one left, one right, and grab her arms. Their leader, Vincent, a tall one, unsheathes a sword and dagger. He has the amulet tucked into his belt. He takes a fighting stance.

"Let's settle this honorably." Vincent says.

Prue kicks the sword out of his hand. She telekinetically brings the two thugs holding her crashing together. Vincent lunges with the dagger. Only to find Buffy standing in his way as she holds the dagger off, but it takes both hands.

Vincent takes his free hand, grabs Buffy by the back of the head. "Well, then, we'll just settle it." He shoves Buffy's head under the brackish water, face first.

"Buffy!" Prue and Faith says.

"Son of a bitch, I'll…" Faith says.

But Faith can't even finish her sentence. She gets socked in the stomach by a big brute of a vamp.

Another jumps Prue from behind.

Prue and Faith fights them, two-against-two, watching as Buffy stays down.

Vincent smiles, holding Buffy's head under water. She struggles. Then weakens. Then stops.

"BUFFY!" Prue and Faith yells.

Vincent holds her down just a little bit longer, just to make sure. The remaining vamps surround Prue and Faith. They're next. Vincent relaxes his grip, stands, is about to turn when…

Buffy whisps her head up. Alive. Newly baptized. Eyes blazing a glint we've never seen before lighting her eyes. She's crazy. Grins. She uppercuts Vincent, catching him clean under the jaw and lifting him a good two feet off the ground. "I hate it when they drown me."

Prue lets out a sigh of relief.

Buffy grabs his sword from under the water. Lunges.

Faith grins at Buffy's transformation. She uses the distraction to kneecap of the vamp holding her with a crisp sidekick. He goes down.

Prue flips one who rushes her from behind. Clears an entrance. Palm-thrusts an onrushing vamp, sending nose cartilage straight into his brain.

Buffy's Errol Flynn. She fences Vincent, kills and oncoming vamp without breaking stride, keeps thrusting forward…

"B. - gotta go!" Faith says.

"Faith's right Buffy. We need to flame out." Prue says.

"We came for the amulet…" Buffy says as she swipes her blade in a long, swinging arc - slicing the amulet's chain from around Vincent's belt. It drops to the ground. She scoops it up the second it lands. "…We're not leaving without it." She clocks a vamp who's sneaking up behind her with the blade handle. He's out.

Vincent and what's left of his men - run. A ragged, defeated gang, splashing away in defeat. Buffy, breathless, turns to Faith and Prue.

"Tell me you don't get off on this." Faith says.

Prue rolls her eyes.

Buffy stands tall, pockets the amulet, too cool. "Didn't suck." She grabs Prue and Faith's hands and flames out.

The next day in the library Wesley, tut-tutting to himself quietly, cleans a small bit of muck off the amulet as he examines it up close. "Well. Looks authentic enough. Of course, there are tests to be made before actual verification…"

"How about verifying that your "nearly extinct" cult was out in magnum force last night? Faith, Prue and I got into a serious party situation." Buffy says.

"Are you all right? Is Prue?" Giles asks.

Buffy nods, "I had to lather, rinse, and repeat about five million times to get the sewer out of my hair, but otherwise, I'm of the good. Prue's good, nothing a Charmed One couldn't handle."

"Perhaps there were a few more of them than we'd anticipated, but I'd expect you to be ready for anything. Remember the three key words for any slayer:" Wesley says and taps his book for emphasis. "Preparation. Preparation. Preparation."

"That's one word three times." Buffy says. The bell RINGS. "Oh my God. I have a chem. test. It's so sad that I'm happy about that. Giles. We gotta talk."

"Buffy, I must ask you to remember that I am your watcher. From now on, anything you have to say about slaying, you say to me. The only thing you need to discuss with Mr. Giles is… overdue book fees. Understood?"

Buffy turns to Wesley and gets up in his face, "I don't care who you are. The only reason you're here is for your resources with the Watcher's Council. The Charmed Ones don't want to burn an ally by turning our backs on Giles. If we want to use that resource it is our call not yours or the Watcher's Council. You got me? If you don't you can pack your bags." Wesley nods. Buffy turns to Giles. "We'll talk."

"Of course." Giles says beaming with pride.

Buffy turns and leaves.

Wesley frowns at Giles. "You're not helping."

Giles nods, "I know. I feel just sick about it. But you know I did warn you.

Moments later Mrs. Taggart, chemistry teacher, hands out test booklets. Buffy talks with Xander and Willow.

"It was intense. It was like I just let go, you know, and I became this force. I just didn't care any more." Buffy says.

"Yeah, I know what that's like –" Willow says.

"I don't think you can. It's kind of a slayer thing; I don't even think I'm explaining it well." Buffy says.

"You're explaining it a lot, though…" Xander says.

"All right. You have one period to fill out your test booklets, periodic charts are included in the back, and you're on the honor system, so remember… no talking." Mrs. Taggart says.

"Well, the thing was, Faith knew I didn't want to go down there –" Buffy says.

"Ahem. Ms. Halliwell?" Mrs. Taggart says as Buffy sits straight, makes a contrite 'zip' across her lips. "You have one hour." She hands out the last of the tests. Leaves.

And the second the door closes, Buffy launches right back in, "Okay, so the best part –"

"Buffy? Test. You know, the one you didn't come over to study for?" Willow says.

"Right. Got it. Sorry." She turns to Xander, "…so, we're in the sewers, right, and Faith has three of them on her…"

"Hey. Whoa, can we resume Buffy's ode to Faith later? Like when I'm not actively multiple-choicing?" Xander says.

"How come your eye always twitches when I talk about Faith?" Buffy asks.

"What? No it doesn't." Xander says.

"Faith." Buffy says.

Xander covers his eye. "Cut it out, we got a test to take, I'm highly caffeinated and trying to concentrate. Some of us care about school, you know." He goes back to his test.

Willow's immersed. Everyone in class sits hunched over their test booklets, except Buffy. Way bored. Then, tap tap tap! Buffy sees Faith - her nose pressed up against the glass of the classroom window.

"Hey girlfriend. Bad time?" Faith says as Buffy holds up her test booklet. Faith nods, breathes steam onto the window. Finger-draws a heart. Then a stake through it. Looks at Buffy, wiggles her eyebrows…

"She can't." Willow says. "You can't. Can you?"

Buffy climbs out the classroom window. Kids laugh and point, but go back to their tests.

"Buffy! This is fifteen percent of the final grade, and that's…" Willow says but Buffy's gone. Willow turns to Xander. "…apparently meaningless."

Faith and Buffy stride off campus.

"What's up?" Buffy asks.

"Vampires." Faith says.

"Uh, Faith? Unless there's a total eclipse in the next five minutes - it's daylight." Buffy says.

Faith smiles, "Good for us. Bad for them. I found a nest."

Buffy grins, "That has potential…"

They walk off together, picking up momentum.

Later in an abandoned warehouse it's dark. There are several silhouettes of several sleeping figures on the grounds.

CRASH! Two figures come smashing through a window. Buffy and Faith. They land, roll, and come up on their feet. Sunlight pours in through the broken window behind them.

Vampires scream. Scramble out of the sunlight's path before bits and pieces of them burst into flame. Big chaos. Buffy and Faith each pull stakes.

"Rise and shine, people." Faith says.

"This is your wake up call." Buffy says.

The two girls, smiling in the moment before all hell breaks loose.

Later at Payson's Buffy and Faith dance wildly. Both slayers look a little beat-up. It only makes them sexier. They gyrate with abandon. Their dancing picks up a beat as two hunky cute guys join in. Buffy and Faith heat it up for their dance partners, the luckiest boys in San Francisco.

Piper shakes her head watching Buffy from the bar. She's never seen Buffy like this before.

Angel is watching from the crowd. Bummed. He turns to leave.

"Angel!" Buffy says as she jumps on Angel and wrapping herself around him. "Not leaving, are you?"

"Saw you making friends." Angel says.

"Them? Boys. I like you." Buffy says. Angel lets her down. She stands. Very close. "What's the matter? You're not afraid of little me, are you?"

"We better sit down." Angel says and he leads her to a table. They sit. Buffy tries to match his seriousness, but she can't help the playful smile that floats about her lips.

"Okay. I can sense this is a business trip. What's the what?" Buffy says motioning for Piper.

Piper comes around the bar and walks over to Angel and Buffy.

"Calthazar." Angel says.

Buffy nods, "Dead demon."

"Not as dead as you'd think. Word on the street puts him in the packing warehouse on Devereau. He's looking for –" Angel says.

"— his amulet. Yeah. It's supposed to restore his strength." Buffy says.

"From what I'm hearing, that's not something we'd like to see happen." Angel says.

"Well, Buffy got the amulet." Piper says.

"I know, I spoke to Giles. But he said you gave it to –" Angel says.

"There you are!" Wesley says and he bustles to them.

"Wow, speak of the really annoying person." Buffy says.

Piper shakes her head, "Buffy."

"Well he is." Buffy says.

"Well, you're certainly giving me a run for my money." Wesley says pulling Buffy aside. "I think we should establish that when you go out slaying, you leave me a number where I can –"

"Where's the amulet?" Angel asks as he and Piper come over to them.

"Who are you two?" Wesley asks.

Buffy smiles, "He's a friend. And she's my sister. One of the Charmed Ones. Do you have it?

Piper glares at Buffy, "You told him?"

"New Watcher." Buffy says. "I thought Prue told you."

"It's somewhere very safe." Wesley says as Buffy reaches into his inside pocket and pulls it out. "How did you –"

"It pooches your jacket." Buffy says and she hands it to Angel.

"Now hold on a minute." Wesley says.

"Walking around with this thing is like wearing a target." Angel says.

Piper nods, "He's right. Demon would go straight for you."

"You'll put it somewhere safe that's actually safe?" Buffy asks.

Angel nods, "I'll do it now."

"I'm gonna do a little recon on Calthazar. Piper go back to the Manor and see if he's in the Books." Buffy says.

"Okay, people? Calthazar is dead. Am I the only one who remembers that?" Wesley says.

Buffy kisses Angel a hard goodbye.

"Be careful." Angel says.

"That goes double for me, Buffy." Piper says.

"You know me…" Buffy says.

"I mean it." Angel says as he goes out the front, Buffy heads for the dance floor, and Piper goes to the bar to grab her keys.

On the dance floor. Faith is dancing with the two cute guys simultaneously. No one's complaining. Buffy passes by, pulling Faith out towards the back with her. "Call me!"

Later outside a warehouse Buffy and Faith spy through a broken window, watching Calthazar and his minions, lit by the ring of torches.

"Okay. We got ten, maybe twelve bad guys and one big demon in desperate need of a stairmaster." Buffy says.

Faith nods, "I say we take 'em all, hard and fast, now."

"Okay. But - we need a little more firepower than just my fireballs. We should get to the library." Buffy says.

"Well, I guess Jacuzzi boy isn't going anywhere, I just wish we –" Faith says scanning the neighborhood. Stops. "Oh. That's too good."

Buffy follows her gaze to a sporting goods store across the street. Buffy smiles and a moment later Faith is kicking the door in.

Faith strides in through the broken frame. Buffy comes in after, looks around. They pass rows of soccer balls and camping equiptment. Go straight to the knives, bows and arrows, clubs. "Score." She smashes a glass case, pulls out a bow, notches an arrow.

"Think they're insured?" Buffy asks.

"Strangely - not my priority." Faith says.

Buffy tries prying open a locked case filled with knives.

Faith comes over to her. "B. When are you gonna get this? A slayer's life is simple. Want?" She SMASHES the case. "Take." She reaches in, hands Buffy a knife from inside. "Have."

Buffy sees another case, containing a pneumatic crossbow. Tentatively smashes the case. Takes. A weird little smile on her face. "Want, take, have. I'm getting it."

Faith is going for more stuff - she's building up a head of steam trashing the place, when they hear - BANG! - a GUNSHOT. Both girls turn to see a tough-looking cop. Pointing a gun right at them. His partner behind, gun also drawn.

Drop your weapons and get down on the ground! NOW!" Cop says. "I said drop the weapons or I fire."

Buffy drops her crossbow. Faith hesitates a moment, sizing up the situation, then lays her bow on the ground.

"Now spread 'em!" Cop says.

"You wish." Faith says.

"Hands in the air where I can see 'em. Slow. Good. Cuff 'em." Cop says.

The other cop begins cuffing the girls.

"I like him." Faith says as she gives him a big, sexy wink. "He's butch."

Moments later Buffy and Faith sit cuffed in the backseat of the police car. Buffy looks miserable.

"That's some artillery you two are putting together. You with one of them girl gangs?" Cop asks.

"Yeah, we're the Slayers." Faith says. "You wanna get out of here?"

Buffy nods.

Faith slides down, brings her legs up against the seat in front of her. She looks at Buffy, who hesitates. "Can't save the world in jail."

Buffy slides down as well. Together they kick. Hard. Both feet. The mesh metal barrier comes crashing up against the back of the cops' heads.

The police car swerves wildly, back and forth, accelerates, and careens - smash! into a parked car.

They get out and Faith reachs in and gets the keys to the cuffs. They turn back to back to unlock each other's cuffs. They are standing by the wrecked car. Their cuffs fall away. Buffy turns to the cops, looking concerned. "We should call an ambulance."

"Five people already have, the racket we made. And they're fine." Faith says.

The cop moans. "Unnggh…"

"Let's get out of here." Faith says.

Faith starts to run. Buffy stares horrified at the wounded cop, who stirs back to consciousness.

Buffy and Faith run off into the night.

The next morning at the Manor. Too bright, and way too sunny. Buffy comes in the back door with the morning paper. She dumps it on the breakfast table, ripping through the paper, searching…

"Admit it." Prue says. Buffy flinches, startled, double-checking headlines. "Some days you just want to wake up and say, to hell with the diet. You wanna make waffles? Big Saturday brunch?"

"I'm not really that hungry." Buffy says.

"What did you and Faith find out last night?" Prue asks.

"We found him. Faith and I are going back tonight with weapons. Was there anything in the Books?" Buffy says as she closes the paper. Nothing.

Prue shakes her head, "Piper didn't find anything. So how about those waffles?"

Buffy shakes her head, "No thanks, but I could help make them if you want them…"

"No, are you done with the paper?" Prue asks.

Buffy hands it over.

Prue opens it as Buffy looks on, still uncomfortable. "Let's see what's happening in San Francisco."

Later that evening in Buffy's room, Buffy enjoys the scent of a small black bag of herbs which Willow dangles before her. "Mmm…"

"You like it?" Willow asks.

Buffy nods, "Smells nice. What is it?"

"Just a little something we witches like to call a "protection spell."" Willow says.

Buffy shakes her head, "Protection spell? That's not something we've taught you."

Willow smiles, "I've been trying to create my own spells."

Buffy takes a sniff, "I'm surprised, spell stuff is usually a lot more…"

"Stinky? That's why I added the aloe. Give me time, and I could be the first Wicca to do all my conjuring in a pine-fresh scent. " Willow says.

Buffy shakes her head, "We'll see if it works. Your scapula didn't, remember."

Willow sighs and nods, "So what's the plan? For tonight's slayage. We're going, aren't we?

"Uh… yeah." Buffy says.

"Great!" Willow says.

"But, there's a "but" here, and it's… but you shouldn't. Come. Tonight. Is that cool?" Buffy says.

Willow thinks this out. "Sure. Makes sense. You'll be facing big, hairy danger…"

"Biggest. And, yes, hairy. Think danger with a beard." Buffy says.

"You're risking your life." Willow says.

Buffy nods, "Right, and why risk yours?"

"Because I'm your friend and a fellow witch." Willow says.

"I know, Will, and that's exactly why I don't want you coming. It's too dangerous. Your still learning to control your power." Buffy says.

Willow sighs, "But, I've done this sort of thing before. Like a million times. I can totally handle myself and besides…" she holds up the bag. "Minty fresh protection. So?" She looks hopeful.

Buffy's looking for what to say.

Faith enters without knocking. "Ready? Gotta motor. Hey Red."

"Hi." Willow says.

"Uh, look, I really should… but later, we'll hang. Okay?" Buffy says.

Willow nods, "Okay. You go ahead, I'll just get my stuff."

Buffy wants to stay and say more, but Faith's jumpy. Willow gestures, "go." They go. The door closes.

Willow looks at her little magic bag. "Stupid."

Piper walks in, "It's good you want to help, Willow."

"You heard?" Willow asks.

Piper nods, "Every word of it. May I?" She motions towards the bag and Willow hands it to her. "Aloe hunh? I know of no spell or potion that requires Aloe. But that's okay it means your learning. And eventually you may find the right ingredients for your protection spell or even a protection potion. Speaking of which are you ready for your next lesson?"

Later in an alley Buffy and Faith walk, loaded for bear.

"You're quiet tonight." Faith says.

"I just wanna get this done." Buffy says.

"Yeah, I'm dying to test out the long bow. I think it's gonna be my new thing." Faith says.

Buffy shakes her head, "I can't believe you went back for that stuff."

"Hey, how do you feel about getting some ribs? You know, after we're done?" Faith asks.

Buffy turns to Faith - and a vampire drops down on her.

A moment later Buffy's fighting two vamps at once while Faith struggles to notch an arrow.

"Screw it." Faith says and she drops the bow and simply jams the arrow into the chest of the nearest vampire. DUST.

Buffy dusts hers as well.

"I think we got more coming…" Faith says.

The two girls move quickly down the alley, turn a corner and a stray vamp lunges from the corner. Faith spins him, Buffy stakes him. Dusted.

"We may never even make it to the warehouse." Buffy says.

"They keep coming one at a time, we got a shot." Faith says.

Buffy nods, "Keep moving."

They walk down the alley - and a hand reaches out and grasps Buffy's shoulder. She grabs her assailant and throws him against the wall by Faith. "That was too easy…"

Buffy stops. Eyes wide. "Faith, WAIT!"

Too late. Faith stakes the guy, right in the chest. She steps aside. Light from a street lamp illuminates the assailant's face. It's NOT A VAMPIRE.

It's the Deputy Mayor.

Bleeding. He looks in terror at the girls. Blood runs over his hand, out the corner of his mouth.

Buffy rushes to him as he starts to collapse - she holds him and lowers him gently down, "Don't move –"

"I didn't know… I didn't know…" Faith says as the stake drops from her hand.

"We have to call 911." Buffy says. "Don't move, it's okay." She puts her hand over the wound, trying to stem the blood. "I need a rag… something to…"

But Faith hasn't moved. In the distance, police sirens can be heard approaching.

The Deputy Mayor grabs Buffy's arm. His breathing becomes a rattle. He dies.

Buffy reaches down, checks the guy's pulse. Pulls her hand back slowly. Looks at Faith, fear in her eyes. Long pause. Faith says nothing and the sound of sirens keeps growing louder…

Buffy and Faith look at each other. Then, without a word, Faith grabs Buffy's hand. Pulls her up and into a dead run.

Buffy runs alongside Faith. They reach a T - one side fenced, one partially blocked by garbage. They look - which way?

Faith opts for the fence. "Come on!"

"Wait, we should go back –" Buffy says.

But Faith is over the fence and running like hell.

Buffy hears a car screeching by at the end of the alley they came in - and she moves as well, frantically heading for the more garbagy route. She gets past the pile of cans and bags - and someone is on her. "Angel!"

"Buffy. I've been looking for you." Angel says. Buffy is breathing hard - looks at him pleadingly, but can't speak. "Your hand!" He takes it. She looks down to see it is covered in blood.

Buffy pulls it away. "I'm okay…"

"I've just been to the warehouse, I was waiting for you. They've got Giles." Angel says.

Buffy stares at him, the horror growing.

In the warehouse Giles and Wesley stand together near the tank. Both men have their hands tied behind their backs. The four vampires are close by.

Wesley is in deep and reverent terror. Giles is merely assessing the situation. "Oh god, Oh God…"

"Doesn't look too promising, does it?" Giles asks.

"Stay calm, Mr Giles, we have to stay calm." Wesley says, obviously freaking.

"Well, thank God you're here. I was planning to panic." Giles says.

"What is that thing?" Wesley asks.

"That would be your demon. You know, the dead one." Giles says.

"There's no need to get snippy." Wesley says.

"Bring them closer." Calthazar says. The two men are shoved up by the tank. "You know what I want."

Giles nods, "If it's someone to scrub those hard to reach areas, I'd like to request that you kill me." A vampire slugs him across the face. Giles takes it, smiles at the fellow. "You don't want to be doing that again."

"Are you out of your mind? This is hardly the time for games!" Wesley says.

"Why not? We're about to be tortured to death." Giles says.

"He's not wrong about that." Calthazar says.

Wesley shakes his head, "Now hold on! We can deal with this rationally. We have something you want. You have something we want."

"Ah, a trade… intriguing. No. Wait. Boring. Pull off his kneecaps." Calthazar says.

Wesley shakes his head, trembling in fear, "NOO! The slayer gave it to someone! A tall man! A friend of hers! I'll tell you everything!"

"Shut your gob, you ninny! You'll get us both killed!" Giles says.

"But… I like to have… my kneecaps… " Wesley says.

"You will tell us everything." Calthazar says.

"Yes… sir…" Wesley says.

"What is this friend's name?" Calthazar says.

"Ooh. Didn't actually catch it." Wesley says.

"Tell you what. Let Captain Courageous go and I'll tell you what you want to know. How's that deal?" Giles says.

Calthazar shakes his head, "There is one deal! You will die slowly or you will die quickly! The man who has my amulet - what is his name?"

"His name is Angel."

And before the vamps know what's happening, Angel leaps at them, vamp face on.

The vamp next to Giles draws his sword, brings it whistling down in a deadly arc.

Wesley shrieks out a big ol' girly scream. "Aaaahhh!"

Buffy kicks the vamp, his sword dropping to the ground. Buffy grabs it and Giles spins cooperatively, she slices him free of his bonds and hands him the blade. She turns and takes on the very next vamp, hand to hand.

"Unacceptable! Unacceptable!" Calthazar says.

Not that anyone is listening. Giles frees Wesley, pushing him into a more or less secluded corner of the warehouse.

One vamp engages Giles, sword to sword. The Watcher holds his own - he doesn't score a kill, but he pushes the vamp back and out of his arena.

A vamp grabs Wesley from behind, holding his neck in a vise-grip.

"Uh… Mr. Giles?" Wesley says.

Giles doesn't hesitate. He swings the sword in a straight arc, aiming right for Wesley's head. Wesley's eyes go wide. Giles yells, "DOWN!"

Wesley tucks his head down just before the sword makes contact, revealing the vamp's head, behind him, in its place.

Giles cuts the vamp's head off. DUST. Wesley, covered head and shoulders in dust, trembles. Looks up at Giles like he's some kind of madman.

Giles smiles grimly and hands him a sword. "Welcome to the field."

Buffy fights like a trapped animal, literally in a corner. Angel gets backed up fighting the two vamps. Calthazar sticks his hand out and Angel is sucked back into his grasp. Calthazar grabs his head. He's about to crush it.

Buffy roundhouse kicks her vamp and leaps.

Calthazar applies pressure. Angel grimaces as he braces himself against the tank's edge, head turning.

Buffy grabs onto a rickety overhead light fixture. SNAP! Her weight brings the electric lights crashing down. She rolls out of the way as the fixture comes down, right into Balthazar's tank, ELECTROCUTING HIM.

"Yaarrrgghhh!" Calthazar screams out in pain.

With a hideous ROAR, Calthazar dies. Electric sparks shoot out of the tank. He flails. Splashes. It's horrible. Buffy can barely watch.

The two vamps left alive bolt.

The light show is over. Buffy, Angel, Giles and Wesley approach the demon's tank. A big white hand flops over the side, lifeless.

"You killed him." Giles says.

"Yeah. Hooray for me." Buffy says and she turns to go when Calthazar's hand shoots out and grabs her. Buffy pulls herself from the demon's grip, way beyond wigged.

"Slayer…" The demon is not quite dead. But almost. He speaks in a ragged whisper, the life almost out of him. "You think you've won?" Smoke pours from his mouth as he speaks. "When he rises… you'll wish I had killed you all."

Calthazar dies, a mysterious smile on his hideous face. Buffy stares at him, turmoil ragin inside her.

The next day at Faith's motel room, Faith washes her clothes in the sink. The water's still a little red. She pours in more detergent. There's a knock on the door.

Faith freezes. Freaked until she hears Buffy, "Faith, it's me."

Wiping her hands, Faith opens the door. Barely looking Buffy in the eye, she goes back to the scrubbing.

"Hey." Buffy says.

"Hey." Faith says.

"Are you… how are you doing?" Buffy asks.

It's clear Buffy isn't doing great. Faith looks at her, giving away nothing. "Five by five. You know me."

"Yeah. I know you think you can handle this. And you're used to being on your own. You got your tough loner act down pretty well." Buffy says.

"Thanks." Faith says as she yanks the sink plug and turns the faucets on full.

"And maybe its not an act. But right now, we need each other. We need to talk about what we're going to do." Buffy says.

Faith shakes her head, "I was doing my job."

"Being a slayer is not the same as being a killer." Buffy says. Faith says nothing. Wrings out her shirt. "You can't shut me out on this, Faith. Sooner or later, we both have to deal."

"Wrong." Faith says.

"I can help you." Buffy says.

Faith shakes her head, "I don't need it."

"Yeah? Who's wrong now? You can shut off all the emotions you want, but there's still the fact that sooner or later, they have to find a body." Buffy says.

That gets Faith's attention. She faces Buffy. "Okay. This is the last time we're having this conversation, and we're not even having it now, you understand me? There is no body. I took it, weighted it, and dumped it in a river. The body does not exist."

Buffy absorbs this. "But getting rid of the evidence isn't making the problem go away."

"It is to me." Faith says.

"Faith. You don't get it. You killed a man." Buffy says.

Faith shakes her head, "No. You don't get it. I. Don't. Care."

Buffy flames out at that.

Faith pulls the locket out and looks at the baby picture of Hope, "If I go to jail I can't find you. And I am going to find you."

Author's Note: The name of the demon on BTVS was not Calthazar it was Balthazar. While the spelling is different than Belthazor. I didn't want to confuse folks in to thinking this was Cole, so I changed the spelling of the demon's name slightly.