I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day.

David Bowie "Heroes"

Title: We Could Be Heroes(3/?)
Rating: R-ish
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Timeline: Season 2 Halloween onward
Pairings: Most canonwise, Xander/Faith
Crossover Material: Assassin's Creed
Spoilers: General BtVS and AC ending information
Summary: After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

"So," said Faith as she stumbled across the hunter B had told her about, "you're turning into a regular boogeyman for vamps. Even got a nice name.

"I've heard rumors," he said with a casual shrug. The tinge of an accent in his voice made the Slayer shiver – accents were usually sexy. Unless you were Wussley. "What now then, Faith?"

"Know my name, do yah?"

The man spread his hands wide and she followed them, keeping watch for a weapon. She did notice that he was missing his left ring finger, which was weird…

"I try to keep an eye on many things." He tiled his head back then and she saw a hint of a smile as his chin became visible. Clean-cut chin too – looked young. "You are a particularly lovely one to keep an eye on."

Faith smiled at that, saying, "I bet you tell all the girls that."

"Only you."

"So I got my own stalker? Wicked. That mean I can get a peek at your face, mystery man?"

"Sorry," he replied. "No can do." Before she could react, he turned and sprang up onto the nearby dumpster before scaling up the wall of the building it leaned against to its roof. A real Spiderman, he was.

She wondered what a man like that might be like in bed…

"So, Altaïr!" she yelled up at him. "You can't give a girl a real goodbye?"

He turned towards her and she saw that smile again, making her feel a little pang in her lonely heart. She wanted a guy to smile at her like that and be her guy. Just once.

"Until we meet again, Faith," he intoned, bowing slightly. Then he spun away and she heard his footsteps dashing across the rooftop.

As she turned away to heard back to her shitty apartment, she remembered the missing finger. And why it struck a cord in her memory.

Xander was missing the same finger – from working on a car, the story went. And he'd gone on that Halloween she'd heard about as some sort of foreign assassin.

Suddenly the pieces were coming together. She could remember thinking he looked pretty capable with that lean piece of body she'd seen but B claimed he wasn't much of a fighter. And she'd caught a calculating look in his eyes once or twice, only just seeing it before it disappeared under close scrutiny.

Christ, were the rest of them really that blind?

B, yeah, she could believe but the rest she'd taken to be smarter. Then again, he'd fooled her too with his corny jokes and good nature.

Was the hunter really hiding under that cheerful façade?

Faith shook her head and continued to muse on it as she walked to what was currently home. As she flopped into bed not wearing a stitch, she decided she'd have a chat with the brunette when she saw him next. Because as much as she tried to push people away, she got the feeling that he was a sort of kindred spirit.

And he'd never been anything but nice to her since she'd come to town. Which was more than she could say about the others. So maybe she'd give him a chance…just the once, she'd take the risk.

Smiling, she rolled over and buried her head under her pillow to drawing out the noise of the rowdy sex going on next door.

Tomorrow, she decided. Tomorrow she'd catch him at the school and find out the truth.

Xander was sitting outside eating a sandwich when a shadow fell over him. He looked up into Faith's grinning face and blinked before swallowing the bite of turkey he'd been chewing.

Not that he wasn't happy to see her. Strong women attracted him still – Altaïr's memories hadn't changed that – and Faith was that in spades. But he knew too that she had a sort of soft side hidden under all that steel.

"You're here early," he commented, carefully controlling his voice. Besides when he used it to shield his identity whilst hunting, he'd discovered his voice shifted close to Altaïr's accent when he was surprised or angry.

"Come to see you, Stud," replied Faith with a smirk. She then leaned over so her mouth was by his ear and breathed, "I figured out your secret, Altaïr."

Xander stiffened, assassin instincts telling him to kill to protect his cover but he squashed them. Faith may have done a lot of things but she was still an innocent so far as his opinion went. And, therefore, untouchable according to the creed.

"How'd you find out?" he asked softly.

"Finger gave you away. Big guess too."

He looked down at the missing digit and shook his head. "Surprised you noticed," he commented. "No one else has."

"Smarter than I look, Stud."

"I know."

Faith leaned back at that with a smile that made his heart jump. God, when she looked like that, her whole face lit up. He stared at her then asked, "So what now, Faith? You could tell Buffy and screw me to Hell and back."

"And why would I do that?" she asked. "B'd lock you up and we'd be overrun."

Xander chuckled at that and smiled at her, "So you've got a sense of how much I've done."

"B's bitch listens to everything."

He burst out laughing at that, saying, "That's an excellent description for Deadboy." Then he rose and tore off half his sandwich, offering it to her. "So," he continued, "there anything you want from me, Faith?"

She took the offering after a moment's hesitation and ate it in two bites before she answered. "Let me hunt with you. B abandons me every night to go kiss face with her bitch."

"Are you asking me because you know this now? Or because you really want to?"

"Both," she replied. "I noticed the muscles, Stud. You know how to move and give things the hurt. Just 'cause the rest don't see it ain't got shit on what I see."

He grinned at that, saying, "Good answer. Alright. It'll be nice to have some company – though I might need to give you a few pointers."

"'Bout what?"

"Walking quietly for the most part. Even with superior senses, I can do a damn good job of sneaking up on vamps and demons because I'm quiet."

Faith smiled and said, "Sounds like fun. I'll meet you tonight then, Stud."

"At Willy's," she heard Xander hiss under his breath as she started to move away at Willow's approach. "I've got a few questions for him about some weird rumors I've been catching."

"Gotcha, X. See yah then."

He nodded then heard Willow sneer from behind him as Faith walked away, "Why were you talking to that slut?" He spun to face her at that and the look of fury on his face made her take a step back.

"You know next to nothing about her," hissed Xander furiously. The anger at his oldest friend seethed in his chest and he saw Faith stop out of the corner of his eye, her head cocked towards him. "I don't know what stick got shoved up your ass involving Faith, Wills, but for the love of God, get it out. She hasn't done a damn thing to us but try to help. And what've you all done but treat her like she's a fucking leper."

Willow gaped at him and he saw Faith's smirk as he shook his head. Before his friend could say anything, he lifted his right hand to cut her off.

"Don't bother," he snarled. "I'm too pissed to listen. Besides, I've got stuff to do at home tonight so I can't come for research."

Turning away, he stormed off, trying to discern what had so turned his friends against the brunette Slayer. As he moved past her, he heard her say, "Awful nice of yah, Stud. But you sure you want to defend me?"

Xander paused and turned towards her slowly. The defensive fire in his eyes made Faith's heart jumped and she realized what a mess B and her crew were making. He wanted to help her and be her friend too – bring her into their group.

If B pushed her out and Red kept it up with the insults (which were shit she'd heard a hundred times before but still hurt a little), he'd drop them.

"I defend people I think are worth defending," he stated firmly. "And you're worth it, Faith."

She cocked her head to the side at that, asking, "That you talkin', X, or Altaïr?"

"All me," he replied with a soft smile. "I'll see you tonight, alright?"

"Gotcha."

He nodded then was gone, disappearing into the school as he slipped easily through the crowd of people. Faith smirked and looked towards Willow, who was glaring at her now. The Slayer's smirk widened and she turned away from the redhead, sauntering away off the school grounds and making every male drool after her.

Fuck B and Red.

They didn't deserve a man like X anyway, not with how they treated him.

So fuck 'em.