Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's note: So far so good. I want my readers to understand something about this story, this is not intended to bash anyone but to give everyone a much closer look at Buffy as a character, especially in regards to her decisions. No one is perfect, but writers tend to make her seem her decisions were right, when they've either hindered progress or made things worse. As such, this story will have the televised season go completely different, and will in fact ignore the comic book continuations especially given how ridiculous the plots for the comics have become. On that note, enjoy.


Boston Inn

Boston Southside, Massachusetts

Whistler and Jonathan appeared outside of the hotel and the fedora clad man let go of the teenager.

"What the hell was that?! How the hell did we get here?! How the hell did you do that?!" Jonathan asked in rapid succession.

"I can explain all this later. Right now you need to rest so you can do what you have to for tomorrow. I've already checked you in. Just get to your room and knock out," Whistler said as he tossed the teenager the key. Jonathan looked at the room number and looked back up only to find Whistler gone.

"Dammit."

The next morning...

Jonathan walked outside of the hotel, surprised to find that it was rather accommodating and well furnished. He was ready to explore the city until he remembered that he was alone here. He didn't know anyone or anything about the place except that there was a girl called a slayer living in the city. Jonathan shook his head turned only to find Whistler standing next to him.

"Dammit man! Say something!" Jonathan said.

"Sorry. Thought I'd drop in and point you in the right direction," Whistler said as he pointed to a tall, and somewhat old building over in the west.

"That's where she lives? Shouldn't be too bad," Jonathan said as he started walking. Whistler stayed behind and smirked softly.


Dormer Residence

Jonathan looked up at the somewhat old building contemplating how he could approach this situation. It didn't help that there were some...gentlemen eying him in a rather hostile manner. As he went inside, he found a male attendant at a desk reading a magazine.

"Excuse me. I'm looking for a Faith Lehane," Jonathan said.

"What did she do now?" the man asked, not even looking up from his magazine.

"Nothing. Just want to see her," Jonathan replied. The attendant looked up at the teenager,

"Room 319. Don't make too much of a mess," the man said. Jonathan looked confused by the comment before he got into the elevator. As he passed by the doors, he stopped as he stood outside the designated room. He gave a slight knock before someone answered barely three seconds later. Jonathan almost drooled at the young woman. Faith was wearing dark blue, hip-hugging jeans, with a black wife-beater, exposing a fair amount of cleavage, which caused Jonathan to note how blessed she was in that area. As he looked in her eyes, he saw that there was some anger and maybe sadness in her eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked.

"Hi. Are you Faith Lehane?" he replied.

"Who's asking?" the young lady said, ignoring his sidestepping her first question.

"My name is Jonathan Levinson. I came here looking for you," the shorter man replied.

"First of all, I don't know what you heard but I don't need money. Second, if you try anything funny, I'm breaking your arms, legs, and your balls," Faith said. Jonathan's brow furled as he took in her threat.

"What are you talking about?" Jonathan asked.

"You're going to stand there and act like you're not looking for a roll in the sack," Faith stated rather than asked. She took another look at Jonathan's confused face and smirked before she started laughing.

"Oh man! This is too good!" Faith said through her laughter.

"Now you've really lost me," Jonathan said.

"Look guy, I don't teach how to give a good ride, so you gotta get your jollies somewhere else," the young woman replied. Jonathan looked at her strangely as her words finally sunk in.

"That's what you think I'm here for? Please tell me there's more on your mind than that?!" Jonathan asked. Faith stopped laughing as she got the wrong idea.

"You calling me a slut, short stack?!" she yelled.

"I didn't say that!" the boy replied.

"I bet you were thinking it, you motherfucker!" Faith shot back.

"Faith?" came another woman's voice. The two teens turned and found a fair skinned woman with dark hair in a bun, dressed in a dark business suit, with a skirt for the lower half. Jonathan could barely take his eyes off of her curvy hips, as well as her impressive bust, even if she was covered.

"Hey DD," Faith said.

"Is this a friend of your's?" the older woman asked.

"No ma'am. My name is Jonathan Levinson. I came here looking to help Faith out," Jonathan replied. Faith was taken aback by his reply.

"Help her with what exactly?" DD said as her eyes narrowed on the teenage boy.

"Has anything strange happened to her recently?" he asked.

"Aside from midgets showing up at my door, nothing," Faith said. Jonathan nearly glared at her but chose to let it go.

"I mean like running into guys with weird faces and teeth? And maybe her being stronger than normal?" Jonathan added on. The two ladies looked to each other then back to him.

"Come inside," DD said as she grabbed his arm and pulled him in before closing and locking the door.

'Wait here," DD said. She came back out a few moments later with material that Jonathan could only guess the purpose for. He watched as DD drew a circle with a triangle at different points and certain marks that he didn't recognize. DD stood back and cupped her hands together and starting chanting in Latin. The symbol began lighting up and then fading after a moment.

"What's the word, DD?" Faith asked.

"Well, he's not evil. He's not a demon either. But it appears he came into contact with something powerful. And holy," DD explained.

"Holy? You're kidding right?" Faith asked.

"Never mock the supernatural Faith. With everything you've experienced so far, you should never expect what seems to be impossible to remain impossible, contrary to what the council will tell you," DD replied.

"You mean the watcher's council?" Jonathan asked. DD looked at the young man in further curiosity.

"Who exactly are you Mr. Levinson?" DD asked. Jonathan let out a breath before deciding to bite the bullet.

"I live over this town called Sunnydale, out in California. Really small town. But a lot of weird stuff goes down that not many people know about. I was one of them. I used to think that all the dying or missing people were just coincidences. But then I met my first vampire. Managed to kill it. And then I learned the whole, horrible story," Jonathan explained.

"Sunnydale. Yes, I've heard of it. It's where the slayer, Buffy Summers, currently resided. According tot he records I have, she's still active. And it seems that the activity in the town has calmed down," DD stated.

"That still doesn't explain this 'holy' thing or why short stuff is here," Faith said, with skepticism.

"I was...told you would need some kind of help. But I wasn't told what exactly that meant," the boy replied.

"And what was this holy being that you encountered?" DD asked.

"I met this guy. This badly dressed guy, who told me that I was being chosen for a mission. But he didn't touch me or give me any kind of contact. When he took me to fight a vampire, I was much stronger than I should've been. And I've learned some things. Things I only thought existed in books and games. Anyway, he told me that I was being chosen to help prevent or change some things, but he didn't say what they were. As far as I can tell, it may not have been him, but someone else who did it without coming into contact with me," Jonathan said.

"You can't be buying this D," the girl said.

"That's enough Faith. As I've told you time and before, the supernatural has all manner of things that we find impossible. It wouldn't be insane to think that God exists. The only reason the council doesn't elect to think so is because they're full of narcissistic morons who crave control," DD said.

"I'm assuming this council has to do with the slayer?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes it does. Not many in the council know the entire origins of the slayer. All many of us know is that the council has been around for a long time and has, more or less, trained the slayer. Of course, how each slayer fares depends on who you ask," DD explained.

"Well, while I'm here, maybe I can help you guys?" Jonathan offered.

"You? What can you do?" Faith asked. Jonathan glared at her as her attitude was beginning to grate his nerves.

"We can meet up tonight and I'll show you," Jonathan suggested.

"It sounds splendid. Oh, before I forget, my full name is Diana Dormer. Faith is the only one who can call me DD and really get away with it," Diana said with a sideways glance at her charge.

"Hey, you've got it. You just don't flaunt it," Faith said as she smirked at her guardian. Jonathan nearly blushed as he thought about Diana's impressive bust but chose not to think about it. He thought back to the stories Whistler told them. He was so shocked by what he took in that it took time for him to process it all. But now he was aware of the whole story. He wondered how Faith would handle being told that she has demon power running through her.

"I guess I'll see you both tonight," Jonathan said as he departed.


Hours later...

Boston Inn

Jonathan sat on his bed watching television as time ticked away. He was anxious about tonight as this would actually be his first time patrolling. He wasn't sure what to expect as he only fought Whistler. Speaking of which, he sensed another presence in the room and looked from the television screen to see his de-facto mentor smiling at him.

"You love making a habit of this, don't you?" Jonathan asked.

"It's a power I never get tired of. Anyway, I came by to drop something off for you before you head off," Whistler said as he went around the corner into the living room and came back with a box.

"What's in the box?" Jonathan asked. Whistler smirked as it reminded him of a certain film.

"Some gifts I have for you. Some garments that can help you for when you really get into this fight," Whistler said as he began pulling out clothes and accessories.

The first things that Whistler pulled out were two bracelets. Each bracelet had seven small silver shields that were attached to them. The next thing that the mentor pulled out was a black jacket with short sleeves that appeared rolled up to the elbows of the arms. This same jacket had silver runes adorning the hem of the jacket. There were also what appeared to be two large flaps in the front.

"These will be a part of your armaments. The two bracelets serve a few functions. First, they can help you focus the spiritual power that I've taught you how to harness. This makes it easier for you to focus your power as in any battle, you will find trying to focus that power will be difficult with your life on the line. The jacket acts as both an item of focus as well as your armor. It's made from heavenly material that allows you to move freely, while still being able to protect from weapons and most forms of magic. The jacket comes with a built in mask. The gloves and boots are for show," Whistler finished explaining as he set the attire on the living room table.

Jonathan put on the gloves followed by the bracelets, causing him to feel his power flow steadily through his body and to his arms. He decided to put on the jacket and noticed that the large flaps were left open, until he saw that they could come together. As he moved the flaps together, they magically linked together, forming a dark grey steel-looking plate of armor covering his torso. Jonathan felt his power begin to circulate through his entire body in a calm manner. He put on the boots and completed the outfit.

"There is one thing I left out about the bracelets. It was the other function that they have," Whistler said.

"What's that?" Jonathan asked, not paying attention to Whistler moving about the room.

"You're about to see," the man said as he summoned a sword and swung at the teenager. Jonathan turned and put his arms up in a meaningless act of self-defense. As the blade made contact, it suddenly bounced away. Jonathan opened his eyes to find a translucent shield of energy surrounding him.

"What the hell is that?" Jonathan asked.

"You can call it a shield bracelet. Part of the reason that your spiritual energies are so focused is because the bracelets are also tuned to shield you from various forms of attack. Any kinetic energy that is directed at you, like when I swung the sword or someone trying to shoot you, the bracelets stop it and bounce it back. Same goes for the armor in your jacket. And thankfully for you, the jacket/armor also prevents you from being possessed in any form. The runes are also in a language known as celestial script. It's written in different verses of scripture which is part of why you're safe from possession. There's one more thing I want to show you," Whistler said. He pulled out what Jonathan believed to be a blade that was somewhere between a very short sword or long dagger. Whistler turned the baklde with the hilt facing the teenager.

"What's this?" Jonathan asked.

"Your new weapon," the man said before disappearing. Jonathan looked himself over and decided that he better make his way over to Diana's.

Having made his way over to the two ladies, Jonathan knocked and waited before Diana answered. She looked over the young man and was surprised yet impressed with the way he was dressed.

"New wardrobe. Interesting. I assume the powers behind them are going to help in some way?" she asked. Jonathan was confused before he remembered that she was at least skilled in magic.

"Yeah. It'll be very useful. Is Faith ready?" he asked.

"Five by five, shorty. Let's go," the dark brunette replied, moving out of the apartment. Jonathan blew out a breath of annoyance and followed her. As she watched her charge and new acquaintance walk away, she simply shook her head hoping that hope wouldn't be so stubborn.

The two teenagers walked in silence, neither exactly what to say or if they wanted to say anything at all. Jonathan kept glancing over at Faith and saw an odd twinkle in her eyes. He could see that there was more to her, but she was trying to hide it as best as she could.

"So why did you come all the way here to see me?" she asked.

"Like I said, a friend said that maybe I could help. But he wasn't exactly specific why. But I figured if I could do something, maybe I could help," he answered.

"Well, I don't need it. I'm the slayer," Faith said with confidence.

"One person alone can't hold the world on their shoulders. It's crazy to try. That's the reason why Buffy died and why you were called now," Jonathan said.

"Who says I'm Buffy?" she shot back.

"I'm not saying you are. But thinking you have to do this mostly on your own can get you killed. The whole "one girl in all the world" deal sounds like bullshit because this kind of thing isn't isolated to just here. Like I said, my hometown is on a portal to hell. So it's naïve to think that one place will just cover the world," Jonathan said.

"So what? You wanna be buds and fight with me, so you can get in my pants later?" Faith sneered at him.

"Goddammit! I'm not interested in trying to fuck you! Not every guy you meet wants to take you somewhere and screw your brains out! Yes, you're beautiful. And I admire how tough you seem to be. But I'm not looking to take advantage of you. And any guy who treats you that way should've had his dick ripped off!" Jonathan finally snapped. Faith was stunned by his response that she stopped and took in his words. The first thing that his her was the word he used to describe her appearance.

"You really think I'm beautiful?" She asked even as his back was turned to her. Jonathan turned around ready to throw out his answer in annoyance until he saw her face. The hardened expression that had lined her face had softened considerably to a point of expressing her vulnerability. Jonathan relaxed as her change in demeanor was a large indicator for him.

"Yes. You're very beautiful actually. I was pretty stunned when we first met. I would think you'd hear it all the time," Jonathan said.

"You'd be surprised John. Seems the only guys that are good for me are the assholes and losers. If there's a good guy, he won't want me," Faith said.

"What the hell gives you that idea?" Jonathan asked in confusion. Faith looked sadly at him and told him about life ever since she since puberty. Her mother often abandoning her for a fix, and father in jail, leaving no one else to care for her. Then came high school where she was coerced into sex only to be thrown away. Ever since, she had only used guys and never gave into the possibilities for relationships. But how would she when the chance never presented itself. Jonathan listened and realized that the girl had no one to show her any differently until Diana came along.

"I'm...I'm so sorry you went through that," Jonathan said. He had thought of all the girls he had gone to school with, particularly of Harmony. He knew that a girl like her practically reveled in jumping into bed with guys, especially those high on the high school social hierarchy. But he also knew that if she were suddenly in Faith's shoes, she wouldn't last a day before she became truly desperate.

"It's not your fault. But I don't think I'm cut out to be the girlfriend type. It just doesn't suit me," she said.

"I don't know. Someone might surprise you," Jonathan said.

"You up for the challenge?" Faith teased. Jonathan could only look to the ground and chuckle as they continued walking. The two teens suddenly stopped as they sensed something approaching. They were approached by two vampires: one African-American man in a sharp business suit, and the other a blonde woman. Unfortunately, they became surrounded as more vampires showed up. Jonathan pulled out the blade Whistler gave him and gave it a good look. The hilt was ten inches long while the blade was a fine silver and a foot long, but appeared to have a six-inch cylinder grafted inside it.

"Well well, look what we have here. Can't say much about the short-stack but this is one fine piece of woman he snagged. Wonder how much she charged him for it," the black vampire sneered with his vamp-face in full effect.

"I don't know what you think you heard, but you've got the wrong idea," Jonathan said as he held the blade in a reverse grip and took a fighting stance.

"Oh! So the half-pint thinks he's a big man. Let's show him and the slayer what happens when an ant goes up against a boot," the black vampire said as the other vampires charged at the teens.

Faith immediately ducked the first punch and came back with an uppercut and spun to stake the first vampire, leaving him a pile of ashes. She looked over to Jonathan and saw him holding his own as he took on three vampires. One was a Latino man who to tackle him from behind, only for Jonathan to flip over him and stab him with the blade. The Latino vampire exploded into dust, followed by the blonde vampire to claw at him with a few attempted swings, making the empowered boy duck and sway to avoid getting hurt. Jonathan went for a right roundhouse and caught the blonde in her jaw, making her spin away before landing. The third vampire managed to grab the boy from behind, only for Jonathan to duck and sweep his legs from under him before stabbing him. Jonathan looked around to see the blonde gone as well as the black vamp. He turned to see Faith was dealing with two other vampires, who were giving her a run for her money. Jonathan grabbed and turned the closest one around, delivering a right hook followed by a backhanded fist, spinning the vamp around before stabbing him. As the vampire turned to dust, he saw Faith dust the other one, finishing the fight.

"Not bad for my second fight," Jonathan mused, not realizing Faith heard him.

"Second fight? What do you mean?" Faith said. Before Jonathan could reply, they heard another voice call out.

"You kids got some real chops. Maybe I'll let Kakistos turn you and make you his bitches!" the black vampire said before he disappeared.

"Kakistos? Weird name for a vampire. We should get back," Jonathan said.

"Hold on. What did you mean about this being your second fight?" Faith asked. Jonatahn sighed and decided to tell her the truth, in that he had only just learned about the situation with the supernatural a day ago.

"How the hell does that work? The way you fought, you look like you've been doing this for a few years," she said.

"Let's just say the guy who trained me not only taught me well, but also managed to to find a way to give me a year of training in practically a day," he said. Faith nearly chuckled as the idea sounded like something out of an anime she started watching after Diana got cable.

"Let me guess, he took you to another dimension where time moved differently?" Faith smirked, wanting to laugh.

"Actually yeah, he did. Only when I got back, practically no time had passed. Two days ago I was a short and skinny nerd that the bullies used to play with like a toy. Now I'm built with enough power to beat them to a pulp if I wanted. Whistler said I was as strong as and maybe stronger than a slayer," he explained.

"No way. Slayer is supposed to be the toughest thing against vamps and demons," Faith threw back.

"Well, the way he explained it, the Old Ones were pretty strong when they were around. If the first slayer managed to beat them, she likely had help. But that doesn't matter now. We need to tell Diana about this Kakistos guy now," he said and they quickly made their way back to the apartment.


Dormer Residence

Jonathan and Faith recalled the entire incident of the patrol as well as how Jonathan came to be a part of the supernatural world. Diana was shocked at how things had progressed and had paled noticeably at the name of Kakistos. She went over to her books and began flipping through pages as she knew that there was some trouble coming their way.

"I found him. Kakistos. It's Greek for Worst of the worst. Seems he's been around for quite some time. He's so old his hands and feet mutated into hooves. And much like Heinrech Joseph Nest, he can no longer assume a human face. And from what you've described, the leading vampire you met tonight goes by the name of Mr. Trick. We can't just attack these creatures head on. We need a plan," Diana said.

"I can create a diversion. The super strength and durability aren't the only things up my sleep. Whistler even taught me how to use my spiritual power for defense and offense. I can even give some kind of support if it calls for it. As a slayer, you're already pretty strong. But against a master vampire, it'd be a different story. I need to test one power before we go back out," Jonathan said.

"Alright. Shoot," the dark haired slayer replied. Jonathan clasped his hands together and concentrated.

"Insigne ex magus!" he shouted as he glowed silver. A similar aura yet fiery aura surrounded Faith and she felt power rush through her. Jonathan unclasped his hands and the aura remained around the slayer.

"Whoa. Wicked. Hmmm," she said before she punched a hole in the wall as if it were nothing. Diana rolled her eyes at the display but chose to let it go for the time being.

"Arcessere armas!" Jonathan said as he concentrated on Diana this time. The watcher found herself surrounded by a gold aura acting like a shield.

"Amazing! With this power, it can make us more battle effective. How is it that there aren't more like you?" Diana asked.

"You'd have to asked Whistler about that. Anyway, I think I have an idea of how to take these guys down," Jonathan said.


Warehouse District

Boston Southside

Mr. Trick looked around at his subordinates as they planned an assault on the slayer and her new friend. They had recently gotten word of the previous slayer's death and were surprised to find out that this new slayer was right at home. They intended to come to the hellmouth but they wanted to deal with the dark-haired girl first. Trick looked up as the skylight opened and someone fell through. The figure revealed himself to be the young man his crew fought earlier.

"Gentlemen, and ladies, and I use those terms very loosely. I'd like your attention," Jonathan said.

"With what?" came a deep bellow. From the shadows came a large vampire. Unlike the others, he had a permanent demonic face. That wouldn't have bothered Jonathan so much if not for the cloven hooves on his hands and feet. Jonathan wondered how that was even possible before he remembered that it was a demonically possessed corpse.

"I have an announcement to make. You're all going to die," the young man replied. The lead mutant vampire, as Jonathan was thinking, began to laugh.

"And how are you going to do this little man?" the vampire said.

"With this," Jonathan said as he pulled out a circular flask of holy water. He charged some of his spiritual power into the flask, which enhance the contents of it to a point where it glowed blue. Jonathan threw the flask in the center of the vampire, which exploded in a wide area, catching Trick and the lower vampires, making them crumble to dust. Kakistos howled in pain as the effects of the holy water were powerful, but he was thankful that he wasn't destroyed. Jonathan anticipated this and clasped his hands in prayer.

"I'll kill you, you fucking insect!" Kakistos bellowed.

"I'll leave that to her. Insigne ex magus!" Jonathan shouted as he glowed silver. Faith came into the warehouse armed with a sword which glowed silver just as her body did.

"You must be the slayer. How quaint. I get to destroy another one," he neered.

"Not today," Faith said before she charged him. She leapt and delivered a flying kick to his chest, sending him flying back roughly ten feet. Kakistos crashed into a pile of boxes and roughly pulled himself up.

"Impossible! No slayer is this powerful!" he roared as he looked at her. He noticed that she was glowing just as the boy was and he put it together.

"He's giving you power! I'll just have to destroy both of you!" he bellowed before he charged at Jonathan. Kakistos had moved faster than anticipated and tried to catch him. Jonathan simply looked at Kakistos as he approached before he launched a jab at the vampire's stomach, stopping him cold. He followed up with a left-right haymaker combo, making Kakistos stagger back, with his mouth dripping blood. As Kakistos stood back up, Jonathan jumped up, grabbing him by his head, and headbutted the ancient vampire. Kakistos stumbled back on fell to the floor, never believing he'd experience such pain. He looked up just in time to see the slayer staring down at him. Before he could utter a sound, she swung the sword, slicing cleanly through the neck and dusting him.

"Whoa! That was crazy!" Faith said.

"Indeed. I imagine it would've been much more difficult as you weren't here Jonathan," Diana said as she walked into the warehouse.

"No doubt. You really came through, Jonny boy," Faith said as she smiled at the young man. Jonathan looked down and turned red. It was the first genuine compliment that he had heard in a long time and he didn't want to embarrass himself.

"Thanks. Guess we'd better be getting back. It's pretty late," the young man said.


Dormer Residence

The three entered the apartment to find that it wasn't as empty as they left it. Whistler sat at the table in the kitchen when he saw the three back inn the apartment. HE stood up and lightly clapped as he smiled at them.

"Who the hell is this?" Faith said as she stepped up in front of her surrogate mother and her new friend.

"It's okay Faith. This is Whistler," Jonathan said.

"This is your mentor?" Diana spoke up.

"Yeah I am. You guys did a great job handling old fuckface back there. This is the first step to major changes for all of you. And for those scoobies back in your hometown," Whistler explained.

"What do you mean?" Diana said.

"If I hadn't put the kid on his path and brought him here, you would've died a couple of months from now. And then Faith would've gone down a rough path that she wouldn't have liked," Whistler noted with sadness.

"What do Buffy and the others have to do with this?" Jonathan asked.

'Let's just say some guys taken it upon themselves to make sure that your lives are as screwed as possible for the foreseeable future. Things will likely get bad and there will be people needed. So get ready, because tomorrow, you have your next mission," Whistler said before he disappeared, which was followed by a fluttering sound.

"Well good night," Diana said as she headed off to her bedroom.

"Hey, thanks for helping us out Jon. I...I'm not used to saying this but I appreciate what you did. I'm sorry for being such as bitch earlier," Faith said.

"It's okay. If it means anything, you're much cooler than the girls I know," Jonathan said. Faith smiled at him, before she cupped his face and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Thanks again. Couch is all your's," Faith said as she went to her own room. Jonathan touched his lips.

"Wow."