Let's see. Hadn't completely thought this through. I rather imagined this as a one-shot. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I really appreciated the feedback. Since folks want to read more, here's how this AU differs from canon. After most of the council had been destroyed in the battle with the First Evil, the original Scoobies had regained their original closeness rather than falling apart. The First Evil was after the council and Sunnydale. It wanted to cut off the head (the Council then Buffy) before destroying the potentials. Giles and Kendra had returned for the fight from the Cleveland Hellmouth. With only themselves to rely on, old angers had been put aside. Eventually, even Angel and Cordelia had made their peace with the Sunnydale crew. In a battle that destroyed Angel, they had fought in the bowels of the earth and won, destroying Sunnydale in the process. With nothing left of their home, and LA too much a painful memory, the team had relocated to England to rebuild the Watcher's Council. Anyway, here's the next bit. Let me know what you think - ml

Chapter 2

Faith didn't understand it. She had tried everything in her stash, and nothing was bringing her down. All she wanted to do was sleep a while; instead, she was wired, pacing in her apartment, her stomach jumpy. It was four in the morning, and she wasn't the least bit tired.

It was like something was pulling at her, forcing her to go out. She overcame her fear that Myron, her pimp, was waiting outside with some goons and left her apartment.

She opened the door just as her creepy neighbor was coming up the stairs. She had seen him around; it seemed that they kept the same hours. He was big, bald, and unnaturally muscular. He normally wore black leather.

The man almost reached his door before stopping and turning to face Faith. He was staring as if he'd never seen her before.

Faith felt a pain in her stomach as something forced the muscles in her abdomen to contract. She looked back at her neighbor and noticed that his face had deformed. He now had brow ridges and sported yellow fangs. As he walked toward her he said one word, "Slayer."

Faith ran down the stairs, the creature that had been her neighbor in full pursuit.

------------

Xander Harris hated early morning phone calls. The only reason he picked up the phone in his hotel room was that he knew who the caller would be.

"Dammit Willow," he grumbled. "it's still dark out."

In spite of the reason for her call, Xander's lifelong best friend couldn't stop herself from giggling, "It's daytime here."

"Willow, you're the smartest person I know," Xander said, struggling to wake up. "Please don't try to make me believe that you can't understand the concept of time zones."

"Okay," Willow said, becoming more serious. "Sorry, I just wanted to hear your voice. It's lonely in England."

"I miss you too," Xander said. "At least you have Cordie and Giles there. Spike asks me to meet him in a bar that Willie from Sunnydale would be afraid of entering. Peroxide Boy's idea of a joke, I guess."

"Any casualties?" Willow asked.

"I was good. I did the eye thing and they pretty much left me alone after that. There was this girl, though…"

"Xander," Willow sighed, "with you, there's always a girl. Was she a demon?"

"Don't think so," Xander said. "I admit that, with me, it's hard to tell, but when I looked at her I got this feeling…"

"I know all about your feelings," Willow cut in.

"No, I didn't feel tha... Well, I mean I did feel that, but there was this deja with a side of vu that keeps bugging me."

"Hellmouthy?"

"No. Just like I'd met her somewhere. But like she was out of place. And she just seemed…Lost. Like she thought that the bar was all she deserved; all she would ever know."

"You can't save everyone," Willow said, smiling as she remembered her own salvation at Kingman's Bluff. Xander had saved her. "But what I like about you is that you try. What did you do?"

"I left my card with her. It has my cell number. If she calls, I'll see about getting her into a shelter; rehab if she needs it. I mean, she looked as young as us; maybe younger. That's way too soon to give up on life."

"Okay," Willow said. "But if she follows you home, she's your responsibility. We will not have a repeat of the 'look at the cute doggie' episode."

"How was I to know that it was a shape-shifting demon?" Xander whined. "Besides, as mindless killing machines go, Spot was pretty sweet."

The redhead shouted, "He ate my laptop and my fern, pot and all! He destroyed my bed! And you call him sweet. You're hopeless." Remembering the purpose of her call, Willow shifted topics. "Anyway, I did the locator spell for the new Slayer. Do you have the necklace I gave you?"

"You know I do," Xander replied, calmly. "If I take it off, you pitch a fit. Couldn't you find something a little more…masculine?"

"It'll go to the top of my list," Willow said sarcastically. "I'll send the messenger to you via the necklace. The light will lead you to the new Slayer."

"Okay," Xander said.

"I'll have everything ready in an hour. I-I'm sorry about what happened to Kendra. I mean, I know I wasn't exactly supporto girl…"

"Willow, that's all in the past. You had no way of knowing how Drusilla's possession affected her. What I thought we had…It was all a lie. Still, we talked before she left for Cleveland with Giles. I hope she finds peace."

"Buffy will deal with that Kakistos guy," Willow said. "Is Spike on his way?"

"Yeah, he should be there now. I still don't trust him with…well, any of you," Xander said.

"Xander, as the one of the world's most powerful wiccans, I'd like to say that neither I, the Vampire Slayer, nor the Key need your help in dealing with Spike. Got it?"

"Why do I always end up with strong women," Xander moaned. "Never a nice, 'whatever you say, honey, you're the man of the house' sort of girl. Maybe this new Slayer…"

"As the Brits say, 'not bloody likely'," Willow said. "Good luck with her."

"Thanks, Will," Xander said. "Can't say I'm looking forward to this…Well, I'll get ready for the messenger. Love you."

"Loved you first," Willow said as she hung up.

"Don't be too sure of that," Xander thought. With a sigh, he grabbed a quick shower and dressed. Soon after, a blue light appeared in front of him. He knew that it would lead him to the newly activated Slayer. He hated the idea of having to explain vampires, the concept of a Slayer, and the probability of dying before twenty, to a young girl. He knew the cost Buffy had paid for her calling.

-------------

As Faith was running down the stairs, she felt tremendous confusion. Part of her was terrified of the hideously deformed man who seemed to gain on her with every step. Another part of her was screaming for her to turn and fight. That she was able to destroy this…this…Vampire.

The name resonated in her brain. She began to search her memory about all of the old horror films that she had seen as a child. Even as she continued running, she began to search for anything wooden that could be used as a stake.

Suddenly, the vampire leapt from a story above her to the bottom of the stairs. Faith opened the second floor exit and ran down the hallway. As she reached the end, she heard the door open again behind her. Not breaking stride, she jumped through the window and fell to the street below.

--------------

Xander followed the ball of light Willow had generated to lead him to the new Slayer. He tried to remember Giles' speech. "The world is far older than you realize, and unlike your mythology, it did not start as a parasite….No, that's not right. I knew I should have paid closer attention to that story."

The light, which had led him back into the area near the bar where he had met Faith earlier that night, stopped in front of a dilapidated apartment building. Xander took out a pad and wrote down the address. It still wasn't even dawn yet. He couldn't bring himself to knock on someone's door at this time of night and ruin her life.

The ball suddenly began rapidly moving along the front of the building. It stopped again at the corner. Xander looked around and saw only the side of the building and an alley. Then he heard the crash of breaking glass above him.

A young girl landed awkwardly in the alley, appearing to twist her right ankle. As Xander came forward to help, another form leapt from the building. It was a vampire.

Xander put away the pad and grabbed a stake. The vampire was clearly pursuing the brunette girl. It was the same girl he had met earlier that night! In his haste to protect her, Xander got too close to the demon, who slammed a shoulder into the young man, flattening him against the stone wall of the alley. The stake clattered away from Xander's hand.

However, the respite had allowed the young lady to recover. She saw Xander's stunned form, recognized him from earlier that night, and turned to run away. However, there was no way to get out of the alley. She looked back at Xander and noticed the stake.

The vampire was moving in to attack Faith. Acting on instinct, she kicked him with her left foot and rolled over to Xander. She picked up the stake and threw it at the vampire. It buried itself deep inside the vampire's right shoulder.

"Heart's on the left side," Xander whispered, handing her another stake.

"Thanks," Faith said, taking the stake from Xander.

The former Zeppo reached into the pockets of his jacket and drew out his dagger and a vial of Holy Water.

The vampire, weakened by the stake in its shoulder, was too slow to fight Faith. Part of her still wanted to run, but she was beginning to feel her power. Looking at the creature's horrible face, she saw all of the people who had ever hurt her. Her dad, who had got her mom hooked on drugs and then left town...all of the girls in school who teased her because of her clothes and poverty...the boys who had pawed her and treated her like a live sex toy...the teachers and social workers who had ignored her cries for help...Myron and the other guys who had made a living from her body.

Three minutes, later, Xander flung the Holy Water in Faith's face. Faith regained her senses and looked down. The vampire was a broken, bloody mess. Faith's fists were bleeding, spit was dripping down her chin and her breath was coming in gasps.

Xander locked his single eye onto the left eye of Faith. Slowly, he handed her a stake that she had dropped during the battle. "You finish him by putting the stake through his heart," he said, softly.

Shaking, she took the stake from his hands and dusted the vampire.

"I think we need to talk," Xander said.