"Jordan, I want you, Nigel and Faith to go back over to that apartment and go through it with a fine toothed comb. And Jordan, no need to second guess yourself. Most examiners cut a couple of corners processing a suicide. It happens. Now go take care of it. I'll finish the autopsy," Macy ordered.

Jordan flew down the corridor, yelling for Nigel.

"What's with the commotion, luv?"

"The Mays case? It just went from a suicide to murder," she informed him tersely as they headed downstairs.

*******

It was Faith who cursed and (carefully) slammed the doorjab. They'd come back to find the crime scene tape torn and the apartment ransacked. So they called Woody and waited for him before taking photos of everything and doing their best to process what was left of the scene. Nigel was the one who found the Palm Pilot hidden near the couch. But when they tried to access the data, they found it was password protected. So, instead of risking losing the data, they took it back and locked it in the evidence vault for the moment.

*******

"Look, you've tried to play with these figures for two hours since we got back. We know when they were both killed, and a general idea of where, but the rest will come with time. Now, how about you come out with me for a drink? I know a great out of the way pub not far from here," Nigel wheedled, trying to nag Faith into giving it a rest for the night. She'd worked really hard for her first week and a half that she'd been there, but Nigel knew that the evidence sometimes had a way of taking its own sweet time with connecting the dots. Faith sighed as she stretched before getting up. She admitted to herself that Nigel had a point and that coming back to look at it fresh tomorrow would probably do her a world of good.

"Ok, I'll go, but I've gotta stop by my place first."

"Sure," Nigel agreed with a shrug. "Do you want me to drive you?"

"Nah, I'll be fine with mine. If you could give me directions to the place and I promise I'll be there as soon as I'm finished, 'kay?"

*******

"Look, Angel, just get Fred on it or something. These girls had more in common then just friendship, but damn if I know what it is. I just know the connection's there! Look, I said I'd meet one of my coworkers for drinks after work, so I'll call you later, okay?"
Quickly changing into burgundy leather pants and a halter top, she grabbed her bag with a couple stakes inside and headed out the door. She smirked remembering Angel's comment about her plans for the evening. Be sure and have fun with your new friend, he'd said with a chuckle. And I definitely will, she thought as she caught sight of Nigel at a corner table. His eyes widened when he saw what she had on, then that heat was in his eyes- the kind of heat that said he knew why she'd worn that for him- was there and an answering thrum of lust throbbed through Faith's body in response.

"So, have you ever had a Guinness poured right for you?" he asked as she sat down.

"No, can't say I've ever had a Guinness at all. My tastes run more to bourbon and whiskey."

"Well, I guess we'll have to change that now, won't we?" Nigel said with a grin as he signaled to the barkeep behind the bar.

*******

"So why Boston? I mean, I get that you were born here and all, but if it had had that kind of a draw on you as a kid, why did you leave here in the first place?"

Faith was silent for a moment as she stared at her beer. "I didn't have much choice at the time. You could say it was my calling to head towards LA," she explained with an ironic chuckle. "What do ya say we go find somewhere to go dancing? I'm all juiced up and ready to go," she demanded, acting more lively then she felt. She knew the personal questions were bound to come up sooner or later, but she was hoping for more later then not.

Nigel had a wicked glint in his eye. "Only if it gets to be the tango," he rejoined.

"That could be arranged," she replied with a smirk, as she pulled him to his feet and they wandered out of the bar.

*******

Faith stood at the entry door of her home, looking well-fucked standing in the cool night air in only a large men's dress shirt. She smiled softly up at Nigel. "You don't have to go home, you know. I'm not that bad of a cook anymore."

Nigel chuckled. "Wish I could, luv, but I need to get home, shower and change," he said, kissing her softly. Faith threaded her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. But she stiffened and turned him around so that he was now the one in the doorway and she faced the street.

"Slayer" a voice hissed out of the darkness.

"Stay here," she whispered against his mouth as she pulled a stake from the flower garden in the front yard.

Nigel caught a glimpse of a nightmarish visage as Faith marched down the steps towards it, heedless of her state of undress.

"You should have left things alone, Slayer. You used to help us. Why be a traitor to the evil you know is in your blood?" the vampire taunted as he advanced towards her.

"I'm not that Faith anymore," she bit out as she flipped the vamp over her head and quickly staked him.

She stalked back up the stairs, pulling Nigel in with her before double locking the door. She lead him into the living room, were she glared at her bra hanging off of the back of a chair. She walked over to the bar, poured him a double shot of whiskey, and shoved it into his numbless hands as she flipped open her cell phone. Pressing speed dial, she waited three rings before Wesley managed to pick up.

"Hey, it's Faith. Get Angel on the phone," she demanded. "This is serious- someone's found me out already."

"Who are you hiding from? What was that thing? And what's a slayer?" Nigel said, rapid fire, after gulping down Angel's 50 year old whiskey.

Faith looked up from her pacing, a kind look on her face. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this. I'll explain what I can in a minute." She turned back to the phone. "Angel? We've got a situation. I'm thinking that someone snitched on our snitch. It's your call whether to pull him out or not, but he's not going to be much use if they kill him." She nodded at something Angel said. "No, not that soon, thank god," she responded, looking over at Nigel. "Might be able to help; don't know at this point. Look, I've got to go explain things to- yes, him. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? Take care and tell Cordelia I said hi."

She walked back over, kneeling in front of the dark haired Brit. "Look, I didn't want you to find out about this part of my life this way, but what's done is done. That thing out there was a vampire. Yes, I know you guys had a suspected vamp case a couple of years ago, but this is the real deal. What this means is that Wolfram and Hart just showed us their hand- trying to send that vamp after me through you means that we've hit somewhere a little too close for comfort with them," she explained.

"But the slayer bit- where's that come in?" he asked, still trying to take it all in.

"I'm a Slayer- a girl born every generation destined to fight the forces of evil. I got a little sidetracked for a few years, but now, here I am, ready to help out the Powers That Be. I studied to be a Medical Examiner so I could help, but it's not going to do much good if you're gonna go blow my cover once we get back to work. Now, like I told Angel, we've got a snitch- either at the coroner's office, or in amongst the cops, so until I say you can't say anything yet about what you saw or heard tonight, okay?"

"Sure, but how am I going to get home if these things are after me, as you claim?" Faith proceeded to give him a crash course in vampires and their habits- about invitations, holy water, and the like. Considering how early in the morning it was when she finished, she drove him home herself and brought him back, both of them agreeing that him spending the rest of the night in one of her guest rooms would work out more practically. Faith was sorely tempted to do a patrol and beat the information out of a few choice snitches, but knew she needed to be fully rested for work as well.